Hosted in Zhanaozen
Zhanaozen is a small but pleasant city for a rest, and our hosts Zhanibek and Aliya were excellent at showing us the highlights and introducing us to the food and culture of Kazakhstan. They had made the national dish of Beshbarmak, lasagne sheets with horse meat, fried onions and some choice beef cuts. It was tasty and a lovely surprise. It was my first time eating horse meat and it reminded me of a good beef cut, maybe a little tougher.
After the meal they took us around the town at night to view the highlights; however, we also noted how many of the children were still out and playing so late at night. We later found out that Kazakhstan has a shift system for schools. Children might go to school in the morning, afternoon or evening. An issue caused by too few teachers and a quickly expanding population.
Our rest day was about preparing for our journey, repairs, planning and blogging. In the evening our hosts suggested we head to a sauna and swimming pool. I didn’t go swimming but did the sauna, where Zhanibek and I met Shomet (not sure of the spelling). He was so happy to meet a foreigner in Zhanaozen that he called all his friends and introduced me during the breaks from the sauna. He fed me beer and crisps and was very insistent.
But the ‘best’ was reserved for last, when he sets up an experience involving some tree branches with leaves soaked in water and then whipped on all parts of me! Apparently this is meant to relax the muscles. I was told it would be good for cycling. I was left quite unsure if it was backed by science. The unexpected surprise was at the end when he threw hot water over me followed by cold. I’m not sure it was the best experience, it was refreshing.
Shopan-ata.
Our ride to Shopan-ata (ata meaning grandfather) started with a surprise as we left the city in the form of Bekjan from ustirttravel. Bekjan gifted us chocolate and fresh fruit. It was much needed on our journey to come.
The route took us through the oil and gas fields, which didn’t seem to end at the horizon. It was quite a site to see this level of machinery everywhere and monuments seeming to celebrate it. As we cycled along people kept beeping their horns to say hello, and we kept raising our hands to acknowledge. It was starting to get a bit repetitive.
The route had many wide open plains with just one road through and very little traffic; this gave many opportunities for photography. I was not sure my skills were up to the job. We made it to Shopan-ata and were shown where to sleep and we were also invited to Iftar, the breaking of the fast in Ramadan. The guestroom was well-lit and comfortable. We had a space on the floor and were provided with a futon-style carpet to sleep on with a pillow. Basic but comfortable.
They provided us with breakfast in the morning and we left some dates (traditional) and a donation. They also gave us a brief tour in the morning of the resting places of Shopan and family which is now a mosque and pilgrimage for Muslims across the region.
The winds.
We set off again straight into a headwind, it continued all day. As we cycled we noticed a car with the Imam from the night before who led the prayer for Iftar. He stopped and wished us well on our journey and had a video made with him leading a prayer for us. It was a bit of an odd moment with the wind gusting, us sweaty in our cycle gear and the Imam. It lent an odd, surreal moment to the day.
Our target was Bozzhira, an ancient drained ocean with sandstone mountains carved out by rain and wind. However, the wind had created issues for us and whilst we went partly along the track we realised it would be another 10/20km and we would be camping exposed to the wind. We turned back and opted for another point on the opposite side of the road and found a nice drop-down point to shelter from the wind.
Once again, we got the wind wrong. It changed direction and in the night my tent lost its pitch and I had to make an emergency re-pitch. Thanks to Julia for getting out of her tent and helping me re-pitch the tent.
Beket-ata and Bozzhira
Luckily we only had 10km to Beket-ata but it was a challenging ride against a strong and biting cold wind. Beket-ata was much larger and busier than we expected. But it was Friday prayers, Ramadan and also a pilgrimage site. We were invited in for tea, and to stay in the guestrooms. This time split male and female. All the children were in the female rooms this time and stayed up late.
There were many people who were expecting us. they had sighted us on the road cycling and even a few of the petrol station manager’s friends were there! Whilst having tea, Dagestan introduced himself in perfect English, a bit of a surprise. He said he was heading down to the mosque, then over to Bozzhira and invited us to go with him. We sorted ourselves out and then joined Dagestan to Bozzhira. Lucky that we still got a chance to see it.
Bozzhira was amazing, with many sandstone structures and views that will stay in your memory for years. After we headed back to the guesthouse Julia had some work to do and I chose the opportunity to rest for a bit, I hadn’t got much sleep the night before. We were then invited to Iftar again and had a chance to carry on chatting with Dagestan. Dagestan also mentioned the mosque was actually closed due to renovations. A pity after all the work we put in to get there.
The next day realising the wind was good and the rain was coming Julia and I decided to get a head start on our journey across the steppe to the main road at Say-Otes.