2017/09/17

Day 50: Khiva - Beyneu

Bernard and Nelli will go on a desert expedition today. I continue to Kazakhstan. On the way in Nukus I will have to refuel and carry some spare gas and therefore I ask the receptionist for a 10 l canister.

I have to ask around in Nukus to find a black market benzine dealer, and therefore I have to go back and forth until I finally find one. This one sits just in front of a private house without any sign or evidence he's selling benzine. We negotiate about 25 l. 14l go into the tank, 10l in the canister and for the rest he gets a water bottle. I fix it all tight on top of my gear and constantly checking that I don't loose my spare benzine - I have to do about 500 km without a fuel station.

The ride today is unspectacular again, it leads through the void. The road is good and so I'm making good progress and I'm quite fast. At some point I realize that the temperature of my bike is getting higher - because I'm wearing earplugs I didn't hear, that it the motor is knocking/ringing. I lower the pace, the motor cools down again. I need pretty much of gasoline in this poor quality. I find out later that I used about 35l for the 500km, that's a lot!

In between, I meet two German trucks, live animal transports, which I had previously overtaken. When I stopped for a break in the middle of nowhere, they by sign language ask if everything is ok with me when driving by. Good to know that they would have helped me in case of having a problem.

In the meantime I master border crossings quite routinely. Drive to the gate, signal that you are a tourist and beckoning with the passport. Then you can pass by all the other poor people. Whatever is opaque is the order of the counters and booths you have to go to. But actually the people are nice and I am always helped again. I only need 1:45 hours, for the other people it will take much longer.

There's not much in the landscape, on the left side one can see the railroad, on the right side there's nothing. The road is dusty and with lots of traffic - not a suitable place for camping. So despite the onset of darkness I have to continue for the last tough 40 kilometers to the next town, always making sure that I do not drop down in a sand hole. The long and exhausting ride today results in being able to spend a day more on the route from Astrakhan to Belgorod.

About 9pm I finally arrive in Beyneu, looking for a hotel - with 10 euros cheap and correspondingly simple, but with good internet. And so, despite the late hour, I'm finally uploading some photos to my server at home