We were pretty much the first ones through customs, and it felt great to be in a new and completely foreign place. We rode from the port, to the town it was supposedly in, which was actually 30km away, and were greeted with really good vibes. We got groceries, ate some triangular fastfood, got local currency, saw some camels, and then hit the shortcut road to skip the bigger town of Aktau. The pavement was shit, but when we made the turn we went from a mild cross wind to a nice tailwind, and things were just dandy. The huge expanses of flat sandy landscape was really cool, and we kept seeing more camels and horses. I peddled ahead, but it wasn't a big deal because I went off to investigate a potential sleeping spot that was way further then it looked from the road, and also way bigger and definitely occupied. So Omar caught up. Also to be fair to Omar his rig weighs 60kg (132lb) while mine is just 42 (92), and he is super wide, my bike almost looks aero next to his. He was also running on studded tires... so yeah not built for speed. I decided to go with his flow for looking for potential hosts by making friends with the locals, but in the end we ended up camping out. Had I known (and I should have known) how hard the next day was going to be I definitely would have insisted on going further.
The wind shifted 180° as forecasted overnight and in the morning it was coming right at our face. Had I been alone I probably would have been peddling by 10 (sunrise is 9) but we didn't leave until noon. We stopped right away to refill water and eat more triangles. Then when we finally got back on the highway I started going at my pace, and quickly Omar disappeared over the horizon. Winds were 24mph (40kmh) from the NW and I was heading due North. It was awful. There are absolutely no trees, no hills, no large objects at all to block the wind. I couldn't have stopped to wait for Omar, its just too shitty to wait on the road like that. Since the wind was over my left shoulder every time a truck passed it really threw me around and I often just veered off into the unpaved shoulder to avoid the air punch. Its hard to go in a straight line with that kind of wind. My speed was betweet 8-10kmh (5-6mph), and I was working hard for that. I figured eventually there would be a roadside cafe or something where I would post up and wait, but after about 25km and still nothing a car passed with a bicycle in it. They pulled over and Omar got out and asked me how it was going. "Not great". He told me he was gunna take this ride to Shetpe, and I should maybe try hitchhiking too. But I don't play like that.
I told him I probably wouldn't make it that far, but I sure would like to because from there the road turns to go due east, and the NW wind is supposed to continue.
Its a big mental shift when you know you're totally solo, and in a lot of ways it was a good shift. I continued cranking the pedals, and shaking out my hands to warm them up (oh yeah, its like 30° / -1 °c). My hat got blown off my head twice, for the first two times of the trip (Laurine and Ambar, I know you'll understand how significant that is). I was cursing loudly at trucks that passed too close, and generally not having a lot of fun. Then about 35km into the shit a car passed with my friends I met on the ferry. They stopped and I warmed my hands in the car, ate some sausage and drank some coffee and got some hugs. Pretty girls sure do lift my spirits. There was a town in 5km where i was going to warm up, and probably would have just slept at, but the physical and mental boost I got in that car was enough. I didn't even stop when I passed that town. I made it 75km to Shetpe and checked into a motel. I tried contacting Omar, but nothing.
It was worth it getting to Shetpe, because although the wind died down a bit, from 24 to 14mph, it stayed from the NW. And now i am going East for 90km. It was a great day, there were actually physical features on the landscape and tons of camels and horses, and I was cruising! I ended up doing 140km and made it all the way to Cay-Otes. By the evening the wind had died down, and although I was told there was a hotel in that town I kind of felt like camping because it was supposed to be too windy for my tent for the next few days and I just did the hotel thing the night before, but mostly because the town was 3km off the main road and I didn't feel like doing that twice.
It got real cold at night, low 20s or teens, not sure. I was just barely warm enough with all my stuff, my toes were definitely cold. I woke up with a post nasal drip. I packed up my ice covered tent in the morning and got riding asap to warm up. The wind had shifted 180° again and started picking up strength. I'm heading NE, wind from SE. At least it wasn't in my face, and not on the side with the trucks. I made it to a roadside "establishment" about 75km away. All day it was a struggle to keep my hands warm, and keep my face covered and I kept having to suck the boogers out of my mustache. It was the first building of any kind I saw all day, and wasn't expecting anything at all until Ustyrt, 25km further. It looked very closed but then I saw someone inside. I gestured the "I'm cold and hungry" international sign language. And he said they're closed. I gestured again more forcefully and he let me in. I ended up cooking my own food on my camp stove and sharing it with him and we had a good time, and he hooked me up with a room to sleep in. It wasn't his business, he was just friends with the owner and stopped there to sleep or something, still not sure exactly.
I was nearly asleep in my room on some colorful floor mats in my sleeping bag when i hear some commotion outside. Shortly after this goofy trucker guy just walks into my room, which I was actually pretty happy about. We hung out and I helped him shine some lights on his truck since his phone was dead, and he ended up giving my some weed, which was a nice surprise. Normally when someone tries to give me something I refuse once or twice and then accept if they still insist, but I took that shit right away.
In the morning it was super windy and super cold, not sure temp exactly, since I didn't have any internet since Shetpe. but the old forecast said it was 20° (-6) and 25mph/41kmh wind from the SE. I set off trying to get 109km to Beyneu, but after 25km my hands were totally frozen and I was feeling rough. This was the town I was planning on getting to the night before, Ustyrt. So I decided to just stop here. The first place I checked was totally locked up, but the other (only other visible building) opened their doors and beckoned me in. It was pretty simple, no chairs, just floor mats. No running water, and it was basically just an extra room in some guys house, but I slept and ate there.
I woke up early knowing the wind wasn't supposed to change and got myself mentally prepared for riding straight to Beyneu. I wrapped my handlebar and hands together into a blanket, which worked surprisingly well, but also kind of trapped me into one position. I think I only shifted gears a couple times because it was so complicated. There was a sign for a rest stop (don't try to compare it to an American rest stop) in 60km about 15km back. So I rode straight there at a steady 14kmh. I was wearing two wool hats and a facemask, and one of my glasses lenses was iced over and and there was absolutely nothing to see, not even any camels. My poofy jacket was flapping violently in the wind the entire day. I got to the rest stop and found some shelter from the wind (but still outside) to eat some cookies and then just kept going. After about 65km the road turned to go due north, even a bit NW at times and i knew i was over the hard part. I went from pushing HARD to go 14kmh to coasting at 30kmh. It was the hardest day of the trip by far. Mostly due to the mentality of just having nowhere to stop, and nothing to see.
I got to Beyneu, got some food, saw that trucker who gave me weed, tried to get a sim card and got a hotel. I took today off to wait for better wind, and to get some supplies. Beyneu is the biggest town so far, and I won't be at another big one for a long long time. While it was pretty interesting to walk through the bazaar looking for things like mittens and hot sauce I would have taken a Walmart over the cultural experience in a heartbeat. Tomorrow I start my long line of SE travel. The wind from the SE is supposed to lighten to 12mph tomorrow, but that'll still probably suck a lot. But then I should have a couple days of tail wind. Should be a nice welcome into Uzbekistan.
