We left Chelyabinsk mid morning and headed south. The border with Kazakhstan was an easy 80 mile ride but our secondhand Russian GPS had other plans once we got into border territory!! Eventually, after some off-road riding, we got back onto tarmac and found the crossing point. We joined the queue and waited........ and waited........ Some lorry drivers told us that it takes 2 hours to get through - that's on a good day. Today wasn't good! After 4 and a half hours, we eventually made it to the other side. It had been as much a lengthy process getting out of Russia as it had been entering Kazakhstan.
We rode in a south east direction aiming for the town of Kustany (115 miles). As we entered the outskirts, a group of bikers passed in the opposite direction and tooted and waved. A few minutes later, they caught up with us and we exchanged greetings in a mixture of German, English, Russian and Kazak!!! By this time, they fully understood our requirements - a good hotel at a bargain price with clear directions on how to get there. Simple, we followed them to a hotel, the leader, Duma (Suzuki Intruder), went in, negotiated a price ($40) and we were just about to go ahead when his friend (who rides a Honda CB400F) came rushing over to say he had found a greater bargain across the road at only $16 each for our own room, a deal we couldn't resist (he knew the proprietor). Only snag was that it was on the top floor with no lift but we're used to that now. Secure parking was also available - very important. A quick shower and it was time for piva (beer) and some grub in a local restaurant. After a lengthy wait, the food arrived. It was astounding, very fresh and tremendous value at £10 each for 3 beers, soup and steak with chips - well worth waiting for.
After a good night's rest, we were met at 10.00 by Duma, who drew out directions on our Kazak map on the most scenic routes and best roads (ahem!!!) to take during our incursion into this corner of the country (See photo - Tom and Duma). Kazakhstan is the largest land-locked country in the world, yet only has a population of 8 million people so there is plenty of wide open, empty space. To see the whole country, it would mean staying for a few months, a luxury we didn't have. In a short space of time however, the one thing that is clearly evident is the warmth and friendliness of the people here, as you'll have seen from above and when you read Tom's blog. Thanks and best wishes to the guys and girls at Kostanay R19 Biker's Club - http://www.r19.kz/
We rode in a south east direction aiming for the town of Kustany (115 miles). As we entered the outskirts, a group of bikers passed in the opposite direction and tooted and waved. A few minutes later, they caught up with us and we exchanged greetings in a mixture of German, English, Russian and Kazak!!! By this time, they fully understood our requirements - a good hotel at a bargain price with clear directions on how to get there. Simple, we followed them to a hotel, the leader, Duma (Suzuki Intruder), went in, negotiated a price ($40) and we were just about to go ahead when his friend (who rides a Honda CB400F) came rushing over to say he had found a greater bargain across the road at only $16 each for our own room, a deal we couldn't resist (he knew the proprietor). Only snag was that it was on the top floor with no lift but we're used to that now. Secure parking was also available - very important. A quick shower and it was time for piva (beer) and some grub in a local restaurant. After a lengthy wait, the food arrived. It was astounding, very fresh and tremendous value at £10 each for 3 beers, soup and steak with chips - well worth waiting for.
After a good night's rest, we were met at 10.00 by Duma, who drew out directions on our Kazak map on the most scenic routes and best roads (ahem!!!) to take during our incursion into this corner of the country (See photo - Tom and Duma). Kazakhstan is the largest land-locked country in the world, yet only has a population of 8 million people so there is plenty of wide open, empty space. To see the whole country, it would mean staying for a few months, a luxury we didn't have. In a short space of time however, the one thing that is clearly evident is the warmth and friendliness of the people here, as you'll have seen from above and when you read Tom's blog. Thanks and best wishes to the guys and girls at Kostanay R19 Biker's Club - http://www.r19.kz/
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