The bypass of the Caspian Sea

An adventure that you need?!

Actually, we should have become suspicious when the first Russian customs officer, after asking us where we were going, wished us 'Good Luck' with a smile.

We had planned to quickly drive the first 600 km to avoid having to stay in Chechnya or Dagestan. When we entered Chechnya about 40 km after the border, we received another 'Good Luck' from the Russian military checkpoint... Well, great we thought... And so it continued...

We were happy about the many controls because they provided some security that we were not alone in Chechnya. And promptly, a Chechen police officer stopped us in Grozny and we had to pay 2000 rubles in backshish for nothing.

Later on, during a restroom break, a car with four traditionally dressed men stopped, and we thought there would be problems. However, they were very nice and wanted to invite us to stay overnight. This positive experience was good for us, but we still wanted to leave these two unstable and corrupt countries behind us.

We succeeded and arrived at the peaceful Kalmykia, mostly inhabited by Buddhists, late at night.

During the night, we had our first experience of driving on a sandy track and the landscape became flat and sandy.

We only realized the next morning that we had arrived in the first desert on the still-European continent.

We still had a few kilometers to go to the Kazakh border and made a stop in Astrakhan. There we enjoyed the Russian hospitality and the interest that was shown to us.

In Kalmykia, the Volga Delta begins, stretching along the coast for about 100 km towards Kazakhstan. However, since it is already very sandy everywhere, it does not have the impressive plant life of the Danube Delta, but green reed and lake landscapes with many water birds. Caviar lovers can indulge here though.

On 21.05, we then crossed the Kazakh border without any problems. It was already late afternoon and we saw our first camels by the roadside - we were in a great mood.

Well, the first roads were a disaster, but that couldn't dampen our spirits on the first evening. Google Maps promptly directed us into the sand dunes and we didn't know where we were anymore. A few locals brought us back to the road just before dark - if you can call it that - and we hopped a few more meters. That's where we saw two buses on the side of the road and we turned off. We spent the night here with other German travelers. They had less luck in Chechnya. Their car was supposed to be impounded and they had to pay 15,000 rubles.

From the Germans, we then received the bad news that our planned route is not really passable and that we should make a detour of 600 km. After driving further the next day, at about 20 km/h, and asking some truck drivers, we decided to take this detour.

From now on, the real hell trip began. On the first day, we barely made 200 km in 10 hours of driving. The next day, with the same driving time, we managed to cover around 500 km. We passed the first Kazakh cities, Atyrau and Aktobe. The cities are beautiful and well-maintained, with many green areas, and the high-rise buildings are painted with colorful patterns.

From Aktobe to our first destination at the Uzbek border, we had 1200 km ahead of us. The detour was worth it because we were now on a good road. The bumpy tracks of the past few days left their mark on our car. The stairs were bent, the engine protection plate was worn out, chaos in the interior, including a leaking gas cylinder, and the speakers only hung on the cables... The strangest thing, however, is the missing trailer hitch....

The first 500 km were really desert steppe and we cursed ourselves for only having one spare tire. But the road was good and we could make progress!!! Also, the endless expanse and the starry sky at night were an experience in themselves. The many camels, sheep, goats, and even cows sometimes surprised us in this inhospitable environment. We also saw an eagle and turtles.

We made our first stop in Aral, where you can see the unfortunately dried-up part of the former giant Aral Sea. It is a depressing feeling to see this man-made catastrophe. The whole region has turned into a salty steppe desert and the regional climate has changed.

Passing Baikonur, from where Yuri Gagarin launched the first manned space flight, we drove to Turkistan. Shortly before the city, we had to pay 100 euros in a control because apparently we didn't have the right car insurance. We still have to clarify that, but the corrupt police really pisses you off. In any case, it is always important to have small bills, as we would certainly have gotten away cheaper.

In Turkistan, we visited a mausoleum of an important Sufi, which, in its splendor, was a little taste of Uzbekistan. What is pleasant in Kazakhstan is that Muslims here live their faith more traditionally and not strictly religiously. Even during Ramadan, people eat well in restaurants and you don't see many veiled women either.

From Turkistan, we drove to the Uzbek border and today we have our first day without driving since 16.05 at a reservoir. This is extremely good for us and we really need the rest!