Day 33_to_38

Finally at around 4:00 we start the customs papers, just for riding a motorbike we get some extra ones, so nice! at around 6:00 we are allowed to enter to the ship. I can’t even explain how we feel at this point, we are just exhausted! The last thing that we need is to see our cabin. It’s hot like the hell!!! I’m totally overwhelmed and done. At least we can see the sunrise from the vessel over the sea, that’s nice!

Another boat like ours waiting on the port in the middle of the desert:

We try to sleep but I simply can’t it’s too hot. Later we decide to camp outside to rest and sleep, we can’t stay in our no-widow cabin!The ship moves just one or two hours until midday, then he stops in front of Baku.

We spend the hours as we can, speaking, writing, playing cards… anything is good to keep us entertained. We spend our first night on the floor outside the cabin with Pixie and Robin. We sleep well there!

Next day it’s just crazy, we haven’t moved even a mile during the whole night. It seems that there is a big windy storm in the middle of the sea and that’s why we can’t move. The thing is… did they know about this storm?? I’m pretty sure that the answer is yes!!

The vessel is quite modest, there is just a saloon open three times per day with an exotic schedule: Breakfast from 7:00 to 8:00, Lunch from 11:30 to 12:30 and Dinner from 19:00 to 20:00. The food it’s not delicious, but we can’t complain, we get our belly filled in the middle of the sea.

The good thing about being here is the interaction with the other people, here we are all together and there is not that much to do (remember, no wifi!!!). Usually we camp with the other motor-bikers our inseparable new friends Pixie and Robin, a traveller experienced couple on a big GS, Jim and Jenny, and finally Kiff who will ride solo for 3 years with its Africa Twin.

Of course there are more interesting travellers on the ship! like Elias a 23 years old Austrian who travels alone hitchhiking or with public transport, Paul and Clémence with its magnificent Toyota (they have even a kitchen!!!), Théo with its old van… It’s not that bad being here, sometimes it’s even funny! We also start “talking” to the truckers, they are really nice and kind with us!

What to say about the crew, they don’t speak English, just Russian! We manage to be friends with the cooker (and yesss my rations are usually bigger than the others! That means that I have more chicken) and a crazy lovely woman. She manages to keep us informed about everything that we could need…. when do we have to eat, if the boat departs (not today)… and she even finds a new pair of flip flops for me! My old ones were broken, when she sees it she asks to some guys to repair them. They can’t do anything, they are just cheap flip flops from Decathlon! Next minute, I am wearing a big Russian trucker’s flip flops and my old ones are flying to the sea (yesss she throuw them!).

At least we enjoy beautiful sunrises and sunsets over the sea everyday!

We are moviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! finally we are sailing towards Aqtau!! Now we just need between 18 and 22 hours to reach Kazahstan.

We pass near Neft Daşları, a full town on the sea. It was the first oil platform in Azerbaijan, and the first operating offshore oil platform in the world, incorporating numerous drilling platforms.

We spend the lazy day writing (me, Paula) and Tià trying to make work Robin’s Garmin (it’s superdifficult!).

We have some time to rest also (me and my “new” flip flops)

We enjoy our last sunset on the boat!

Around 3:00 in the morning the crew start screaming around “FINISH!!” “FINISH!!!!”, we guess that’s that we are approaching Aqtau. We have to get ready!

We wait until around 5:00 on the ship, and then the military come, that’s the first passports and baggage inspection. Then, we have to leave the ferry and wait on the harbour. A van comes and takes some of us every time to a building. Then, starts all the crazy paperwork. I’m just going to say that we spend on the border around 6 hours without water, food (any breakfast since 3:00!) or a shadow. When we were about to leave, they say that we need one last stamp. And here comes the surprise! An official closes the door leaving Tià alone with him on a room… and he asks for a bribe! Not in a disguise way. He keeps saying “TIPS TIPS TIPS!!” moving his fingers asking for money. Tià did it really well, he just played dumb saying -“yess, Baku is nice. Baku to Aqtau with ferry…” The man got tired an just stop.

So finally we are in Kazahstan!!!!!!! We search a hotel to stay with Pixie and Robin, and we have lunch in a fancy restaurant (well deserved after 3 days just eating chicken).

In the evening a big storm starts, the weather has changes and we are worried for tomorrow. When we check the forecast is a disaster. It is expected to have strong winds tomorrow, with gusts up to 100 km/h. We can’t ride like that, it’s not safe for any of us.

As we are not going to ride the next day Pixie and I take a relaxing day, our rooms have beautiful bathtubs waiting for us. Meanwhile Tià and Robin want to go to the center to get some things, canisters for benzine, some rope, a Go Pro support (ours is broken!). The guys had a little adventure, first they got almost attacked by an old dog, then they meet a kind guy who doesn’t stops until they have all that they need (it took like 2 hours around the city, and he was driving them with the car!).

We go to eat something and we start to prepare everything for tomorrow. We are going to the desert!

We have also some time to enjoy the swimming pool and the sauna before going to bed. What a nice evening!

Next day we are ready to leave at around 5:00 in the morning, we need to start riding that soon because we want to avoid the heat in the middle of the desert. Today it’s going to be a long riding day to Beyneu, it takes around 6 hours to do the 470 km. So let’s go!

The views from the desert are amazing. It’s so beautiful… the colours, the shapes and the camels!

We reach Beyneu at the afternoon, we need to cool down and then we go to search something to eat. Not an easy job, but finally we find something like a fast food restaurant. Then we just go back to the hotel and we get ready for tomorrow. It’s going to be one of the hardest days on the whole travel!