29 May 2005
Where: from Gorn Altaisk to the kazakh border.
We reach the kazakh border at 7 pm.
We cross the russian bit without any problems; it only takes 3 hours.
There's 25 meters separating the russian border with the kazakh border and this iis done without any problems. After a first passport control point, where we feel that the security officers try to get a bit of money from us by asking if the van has a passport, we're let throught to the main office. All custom officers are outside smoking cigarettes. After a short while, speaking to them, we realize that we've still a problem here. The same rules apply as in russia and the price for an "escort" is even higher (US$1 per kilometer).

On our way here, we imagined all different scenarios possible. We thought about that one and decided beforehand that we would leave the van at the border and try to pay the taxes to register it in Kazakhstan in order to sell it.
We try different options with the custom officers:
- bribe them, not possible to our amazement
- pay the taxes for the van, not possible
- sell it in this no man's land, and that seems to be an option.
One of them speaks a bit of english; he's not a custom officer but an "administrator", apparently someone who helps you fill in a custom form. He seems to understand the situation very well and quickly becomes the middle man between us and the custom officers.
The "little rat" is confusing us with all sorts of stories, confuses himself in contradictories explanations and seems to understand only what he wants.
Soon, the custom officer have a look in the van. This is not a custom regulations procedure but more a "what could i purchase for a ridiculous price in there?" look.
Feeling tired and depressed we have to take a quick decision as what we're going to do. In order to sell the van we need to empty it. The ger is our main problem as we cannot reasonnably carry it with us. We decide to sell it, as one of the officers is interested. At least we'll get a good price after a long discussion.
This is definitly our toughest moment so far. Getting rid of Zayo "the garbage van" is one thing. We wouldn't be able to do anything with it in Europe or at least it would be difficult and expensive. It isn't worth the energy it would cost us. And in the end it's just a vehicle.
The ger has a much more important meaning to us. Even thought it was the case for only a few times, it has been our home, our welcoming house and every time, after we putted it up, we felt extrememly happy to be inside and enjoyed it.
The ger is a concept that we're both attached to.
After one or two tears, we can't remember, we agree on the sell. The buyer will collect it tomorrow.
It's time to go to bed. Will that be our last night in Zayo?

At three in the morning, a truck stops by the van: it's the buyer, who's a bit early.
This is probably our second toughest moment. You only realize how much you will miss something when it's taken away from you.


30 May 2005
Where: from the kazakh border to Semey.
This is a difficult day, spent negociating, waiting, trying to understand what was going on and what were our options. We finally manage to sell the van for US$700.

The buyer:

The sale is only valid for three hours as the boss of the customs doesn't agree with it. We try to contact the french embassy in Almaty, without success. We decide to leave the van here and travel to the nearest city, Semey. We pack the rest of our stuff into a taxi and leave, with a strange feeling. We're now on foot!
Something died in our hearts there that day.
We might have lost a great deal but we haven't lost freedom neither our sense of humour....

We reach Semey at 9 that night.

31 May 2005
Where: Semey.
We book a room in the Semey hotel.

We spend the day trying to reach the french embassy in Almaty: still no luck. We need to rest and "digest" yesterday's events. We manage to find a russian sauna/banya in order to relax, but it looks a bit dodgy and there's no water anyway.

01 June 2005
Where:Semey.
We try to organise our next "steps". We decide to go to Almaty and see from there what we can do for the van. We get in touch with the Ecotourism Information Resource center in Almaty. We book train tickets from Semey to almaty for the next day. Another unsuccesfull try at a russian sauna/banya. We'll both have a haircut instead...

02 June 2005
Where: Semey to Almaty.... by train.
First of all, we'd like to thank all our friends who sent us some uplifting and encouraging emails. They know who they are but you can't imagine the positive effect it had on our moods. Thanks ever so much...
We decide to keep everything in order to do a last (?) cinema projection, not sure where.
This has a cost as Greg's back is getting worse.
So far we're travelling with:
both our own bags, a smaller bag, a camera bag and a case, a bag with speakers, woofer and miscellaneous cables, the generator, a bag with all the multimedia equipment, a first aid case, 3 fishing canes, a tripod, a petrol tank and 2 duvets! This weight probably around 80kgs.

Tom has a small meeting with the local police after shooting us at the train station. They want some money and pretend that shooting a train station is a "strategisk" threat!
It sounds like what it was in the good old days...

We manage to board the train, unharmed...
Tom, aka "sexy boy", and his new haircut!

We have a light snack in the train before it leaves, composed of russian dry-sausage, eggs, bread, cheese, tomatoes, cucumber and... caviar. We're smiling again...

The train leaves at 4 pm for a 21 hours journey! We meet great people during the ride.

The train has hot water facility; it looks like a modern samovar and will probably remind those of you who travelled the Transsiberian.

03 June 2005
Where: Almaty.
We reach Almaty train station at 1pm.
We get a taxi to our hotel. The french embassy is closed. This is the end of Zayo's story.
We meet with the welcoming and helpfull staff at the Ecotourism Center. We talk about our project, explain what happened and tell them that we'd like to settle down for a few days in a family and probably make a projection.
Our destination will be the Kaskasu village, close to the Zhabagogly reserve.. We'll leave the next day for Shimkent by train. After booking the train tickets at the station we decide to go to the public Arasan baths. We buy a bunch of myrtle leaves outside for a thrashing session. The baths are amazing and massive.
Faaaaascinating ;-)
We try every saunas, every baths and end up in the rather energetic hands of professional masseur for a 45 mnts massage, rubbing, scrubing, washing. The masseurs cannot believe the color of the water!
We leave deeply relaxed, a bit dizzy and positively tired. The day ends in front of a nice big steak!

04 June 2005
Where: Almaty to Shimkent.... by train.
We go back to Ecotourism to arrange pick up from the train station and travel to our destination. We leave the hotel in a rush, Tom almost getting hands-to-hands with the security guard of the hotel. We have 10 mnts to reach the train station. Igor, our taxi driver will manage it well, with a tank refill on the way!
We board the train at the last minute, Tom running and Greg following, walking like an old man!
The weather outside is sunny and inside the train it is near suffocation.
We share our seats with a very nice family.

We discuss (yes, discuss!), play with the kids and the grandmothers even sing the kazakh national anthem for us. People from the wagon come to see us and discuss (!) with us. We share great moments during this journey.

05 June 2005
Where: from Shimkent to Kaskasu.
The train finally arrives in Shimkent after a 17 hours journey. Alikhan, responsible for ecotourism in the region, meets us at the station. We finally realize that it is him that we're supposed to meet as he's among many taxi drivers flying around us like mosquitoes over a blood vessel...
He is accompanied by Jomart, the son of our hosts. We pack his car and leave.
We stop for a meal and drive to Kaskasu.
There, we meet our new "family": Urundasar and his lovely wife Jursin.

Honestly, we couldn't have dreamt of a better place with better people. We are treated like kings. We will make a projection tomorrow, in the school of the village.

06 June 2005
Where: Kaskasu.
The director of the school comes to visit us in the morning. He is shortly followed by all the teachers.
At 3pm, we leave for the school with all our gear.

We will project Baraka one last time.
The school is in construction and we need to prepare the room a little bit.

More than 35 people turn-up and they seem captivated.

07-08-09 June 2005
Where: Kaskasu.
We spend these days with Urundasar family. We rest, eat, rest, eat and eat again, followed by nice huge rests...
We manage to go to a natural sauna, setup in the mountains.
The "natural way of the sauna" is: 15mnts in a suffocating and burning atmosphere followed by a quick bath in the river, the later provided in water by melting snow, only a few hundred meters upward.... brrrrr.

Jomart:

The sauna:

Three Van Damme:

We went fishing and we fixed the computers of the village's school.
Our host Urundasar is a very knowledgeable man and he knows the true story of Dersu Uzala. The movie "Dersu Uzala", by the acclaimed japanese director Akira Kurosawa, is Greg's favorite movie and it is packed in its luggage. Not one minutes passes and the movie is screened on the wall.
Juliette, you have to see this movie, it's important... ;-)
Urundasar is pleased to see it and it's a real pleasure shared by all of us.
The spirit of Dersu is with us, no kidding!

We spent a really good time in Kaskasu. These will be lifelong memories and the beginning of our trip with all the hassle seem very far away now...
Thanks to our kazakh family.

10 June 2005
Where: from Kaskasu to Shimkent.
It is time to leave. Jomart, the eldest son of Urundasar drives us to Shimkent. Jursin, Urundasar's wife is with us as well. We will stay with Urundasar aunt, in Shimkent for the night. The next day, Jomart will give us a lift to the kazakh - uzbek border. We spend the afternoon in the market and go to the university to see some traditional carpet hand-crafting. We're back to the house for dinner with the whole family.

We like traditional carpets...

11 June 2005
Where: from Shimkent to the uzbek border.
We leave early, just the time to say hello to one of the brother of Jomart, who is a fireman in Shimkent. Family has a definite different meaning here and we're quite amazed and puzzled by how they interact with each others.
We reach the border without any problems, greg lying on the back seat of the Lada, his back still hurting. Doctor Tom decides to end this painful back story and get into a pharmacy. It's only 15 mnts later that he will come out, with some liquid and a massive seringe ...
The border this time is typical, with its petty thiefs, its conmen and poor people. After saying goodbye to Jomart we leave kazakhstan and enter uzbekistan only 15 mnts after. We feel something is wrong and are almost ready to head back to kazakhstan to cross the border one more time. We get in a taxi to go to a hotel in town. We book a room and do what every other tourist would do after reaching civilisation: head for a cybercafe.

These days spent amongst Urundasar and his family have been for us the laxative necessary to evacuate all the problems of our initial project. Nothing better than feeling the starting of a strong friendship to let ourselves go, and make new projects.