16th stage "Aktau"

After I had decided to continue my explorations from Aktau, I set off early this morning and headed towards Aktau in relatively pleasant temperatures. The journey was quite unspectacular and without any special incidents. I approached my accommodation through an industrial area and didn't have a good feeling about it. Unfortunately, this was confirmed when I arrived at the accommodation. The building was pretty run down. The apartment was in a slightly better condition but anything but a highlight. The bed was a sofa bed. Unfortunately, the cancellation period had already expired and I couldn't get out of the contract without further ado. Fortunately, I managed to convince the landlord that this was all a big misunderstanding and that I would like my money back. We agreed on one night, which I have to stay and pay for. I hope this agreement still applies tomorrow.

10.06.2024: My landlord kept his word and shortly after noon I was able to leave the apartment and move into a nice room with breakfast in a very decent hotel. That feels better. This afternoon I explored the area a bit and ended up in the bus café with a cappuccino and a piece of cake. Setting up a café in a bus is a cool idea.

11.06.2024: Today I drove to the Saura Canyon as planned and then to Fort Schevschenko. A good 300km in total. Both were nice to look at but nowhere near as impressive as Sor Tuzbair.

On the way back I stopped again for coffee on the bus. While I was sitting there enjoying my cappuccino and cake, I ran into Ben. We met in Tblisi when we were both transporting the motorbikes to Azerbaijan. Ben had spent a few more days in Azerbaijan and is travelling on to Uzbekistan tomorrow. When I arrived at the hotel, Rudolf from Cologne or rather Aktau spoke to me. Rudolf grew up in Aktau and has been living in Cologne for some time. He was incredibly helpful. I can turn to him whenever I have any questions. After all, he knows his way around here. At the moment I don't have any important questions, but maybe I'll think of something. The world is small and always good for a surprise. 😀

06/12/2024: Today was a rather quiet day. After a short chat with Rudolf, I went to get a replacement canister. The stretches of road without gas stations are getting longer now and I really don't feel like pushing the moped. I found what I was looking for in a nearby auto parts shop. Done! It was also time to do some laundry again, which also meant that my next task was decided. Later, the program included shopping, cleaning motorcycle boots, taking the moped to the car wash, and coffee and cake in the bus cafe. After that, I wanted to deal with some formalities regarding my upcoming departure to Uzbekistan (where to register without having to deviate too much from my route and car insurance). The day ended with a delicious meal in a Georgian restaurant.

Tomorrow I'm planning to visit the largest mosque in the city and then I'd like to spend a little time on the beach. Let's see how it goes.

06/13/2024: Today we visited the Beket Ata Mosque. The second largest in the country. Mosques are often very lavishly decorated and really a feast for the eyes. Even though this mosque was not so richly decorated, I found it very impressive and simply beautiful. The atmosphere in the prayer room had a very pleasant and calming effect on me. However, there was not much else to see. So it was a short visit. However, that gave me the opportunity to pay a visit to a shopping center opposite. I was very surprised when I realized that it looked like every other shopping center in our area. 😉

I had seen on Google Maps that there was accommodation in the area I wanted to visit. Unfortunately, all contact details were missing and there didn't seem to be any streets there either. After some research, I was at least able to find out the WhatsApp address and get in touch through that. After that, everything went pretty quickly. I was able to book a bed in a 🛖 yurt for myself and there is also a trail there. Last but not least, I finally read a few pages and of course paid a visit to the Bus Kaffe.

Tomorrow and the day after, I have two museums on my agenda and hanging out on the beach is still pending.

06/14/2024: Today, as planned, a visit to a museum was on the agenda. Since one of the two museums was closed, the choice fell on the "Mangisdag Museum of Culture and History". Since the museum was only about 1.5 km away, I decided to take a short walk there. The museum was not immediately recognizable as such from the outside. So the exhibition rooms and the exhibition itself were manageable. Nevertheless, there were some interesting exhibits to admire. To my surprise, some of the oldest finds came from an area in what is now Kazakhstan that I would describe as inhospitable at best. Since the two ladies who apparently look after the museum were on their way to their lunch break, the museum was mine to myself for the next hour. Now that's what I call trust.

The afternoon was mainly devoted to further research regarding my onward journey and the latest news from other travelers on Saidenstraße. It is hard to believe who is milling around here, where they all come from and where they are going. Of course, a visit to the bus coffee was a must. I ended the evening once again in the Georgian restaurant around the corner.

Tomorrow I'm planning another museum visit. I have to take care of a turn signal on my moped, which suffered a bit when I last fell over.

06/15/2024: After a hearty breakfast, which is more like lunch for us, I set about fixing the indicator. After a closer look, it seemed advisable to give the whole thing a bit more stability with glue and insulating tape. To do this, I would have to get glue from the nearby hardware store. To my surprise, they even had Patex for sale there. The repair was then quickly done. I had to postpone the museum visit, which was actually scheduled for afterwards, until Tuesday next week. The museum is closed until then. So I spent most of the afternoon reading and surfing the internet, interrupted by a visit to the bus for coffee. The evening was filled with going out to eat and watching the live broadcast of the Spain - Croatia game.

06/16/2024: Today it was finally time for the beach. The destination was "Caspiy Live" about 40 km north of Aktau. The beach was good and the water seemed at least clean. After I initially waited there all alone, more bathers arrived over the course of the day. All of them were well supplied with food and drinks. The Kazakhs are a really open and communicative people. Again and again I get involved in conversations, which work quite well thanks to Google Translate. In the late afternoon, however, I've had enough and start the journey back. Not without being bid farewell by some bathers with a handshake and best wishes.

Dinner at Kaheti and the European Championship are on the agenda for the evening. Fortunately, Kazakh television is broadcasting all the games live.

17.06.2024: I spent most of today reading, running errands and drinking coffee on the bus. The evening was again dominated by the European Championships and phone calls with loved ones at home.

Tomorrow it's time for the beach again. This time we're heading south.

06/18/2024: Today it was time for the beach. The destination was the "Tree of Life" amusement park about 25 km south of Aktau. The beach resort is obviously aimed primarily at families and is equipped with everything that is fun for young and old. For me, only the beach and the facilities there were actually relevant. In that respect, the entrance fee of just over €10 seemed a bit high to me. Nevertheless, both the beach, water and facilities were OK, so I was able to spend a nice day reading, swimming and dozing. On the way back, I of course had to pay a visit to the bus coffee shop. Later on, there were small errands and of course the European Championships on the agenda.

06/19/2024: Today was my last day in Aktau. I wanted to go to the Entomographic Museum and this was my last chance. So I left early again to take advantage of the more pleasant morning hours. The museum is about 9 km from my hotel.