My team is currently in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Outside our hostel window are mountains covered in snow and a stream that runs along the side of where we live. There is also a trail that goes for about six kilometers along the stream making a perfect place for early morning runs. It is seriously so beautiful and such a gift from the Lord. These past few weeks have been a whirlwind and we have definitely made some memories that we will not soon forget.
I want to share a little bit about why we emphasize overland travel on the race. Overland travel is one of the goals of the expedition route and we try to fly as little as possible. Our route started in Europe and we have steadily been making our way East with the goal of gaining an understanding in cultural congruency. We did a lot of flying as we went to Cyprus and the Middle East, but now that we have made it to Central Asia, our goal is to travel overland the rest of the way. If all goes according to plan, our next flight will be home from China in three months.
I have a love/hate relationship with overland travel. In one sense I love it because I get to see so much more than I would had I chosen to fly. On the other hand, it takes a long time, it can be very unpredictable, and I get motion sick quite easily, which makes it less enjoyable. These past few weeks we’ve done quite a bit of overland travel as we left Armenia and headed into Kazakhstan. The journey was unforgettable and I want to let you in on what it was like! So, here goes!
Friday, March 2nd:
After living in one place for a solid three weeks (which was an answered prayer), it was time to pack up our bags and begin our trek towards Kazakhstan. Our first leg of the journey was a night train from Yerevan, Armenia to Tbilisi, Georgia.
Our first night train!
Saturday, March 3rd:
We arrived in Tbilisi, Georgia around 8am. We had about 12 hours until our next train, so we just spent the day in the train station. As soon as we arrived, we all tried to go to the bathroom to clean up a bit. The problem? The bathroom cost money and we didn’t have any Georgian Lari on us at the moment. The struggle is seriously so real sometimes.
That night we took a night train from Tbilisi, Georgia to Baku, Azerbaijan. I had been slightly concerned that we wouldn’t be able to get into Azerbaijan since we had Armenian stamps in our passports. (They don’t like each other). But thankfully we made it through!
Our second night train!
Sunday, March 4th:
We arrived in Baku around 10am and then went to check in at our hostel. We were simply traveling through Baku, but we had to stay there for a few days since we did not know when a ferry would be available to take us to Kazakhstan. Each morning, I would talk to the receptionist at the hostel who would call the port and ask about the ferry. The winds were too high the first few days, so we just took a chill pill and hung out for a few days. My time in Baku consisted of napping, getting in the Word, eating at Nutella Land, and going for runs on the pier. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.
View of Baku one morning. It was such a beautiful city!
Wednesday, March 7th:
The ferry finally arrived! Nathan and I spent the morning running across Baku with 23 passports to find a little white shack behind a concrete wall where we purchased ferry tickets. We then got a bus for our whole group to take us to the port, which was about an hour away. We ordered a bus for 23 people, but I forgot to take our backpacks into consideration and there was no storage space underneath. We played Tetris and made it work. We boarded the ferry around 4pm; however, we did not leave the port until 1am. As soon as we got on the ferry, strange men were spotted, so we quickly implemented the buddy system. For the rooms, we stayed in cabins that slept four people. The only problem was that the heaters were on and we couldn’t turn them off—it was at least 90 degrees in the rooms, if not hotter.
This is what happens when you forget to take the size of the backpacks into consideration when ordering a bus for the group…
On board the ferry!
The cabins we slept in.
The main room where we spent most of our time because it was much cooler than the cabins.
Thursday, March 8th:
We spent all night and all day on the ferry. The staff served us meals on board, which was nice! And the view from the top was really beautiful. Had the rooms not been so hot on board, I probably would have enjoyed this experience more. We finally arrived in Aktau, Kazakhstan around 11pm.
Friday, March 9th:
We found an overpriced hotel in Aktau around 1am. We slept for a few hours and then in the morning we went to the train station to get to our final destination for the week—Rudny. We boarded the train in the afternoon and the total time was 33 hours. I had a top bunk in a section with a bunch of strangers. At first, I was a little disappointed, but then I realized that I could spend the whole 33 hours without talking to anyone. It was some of the best alone time I’ve had in awhile. I read, slept, journaled, listened to podcasts and music, and enjoyed my snacks that I brought on board with me.
Saturday, March 10th:
All day on the train. Continued to enjoy some alone time.
This is how I felt about getting on a 33-hour train ride. Fortunately it wasn’t as bad as I expected.
Sunday, March 11th:
We had to get off our first train around 1am and then we had to wait a few hours until our next train arrived. While we were waiting in the station, some random Kazakh guy bought us all tea. He also talked about how he loved swimming in cold water. He then proceeded to show us videos of him and his friends swimming in speedos. What a weird moment. We boarded our final train around 4:30am and then arrived in Rudny at 6am. Our host was there to pick us up! We were all expecting to rest for the day as none of us had gotten any sleep the night before. But as soon as our host dropped us off at our one-bedroom apartment, he then said that he would be back in two hours to take us to church and then listed off all the activities for the day. We kept straight faces, but we were all dying on the inside. At the end of the day though, I am so glad we participated in all the activities he had planned. Despite falling asleep in church, we were engaged and even led some worship for the group!
Man who bought us tea at 2am.
This is what happens when you go to church after nonstop traveling for 10 days…
Monday, March 12th – Thursday, March 15th:
We worked with our host in Rudny and had an amazing time! We served at a soup kitchen, visited a men’s shelter, taught English, shared our stories, and loved on the people. We were only with this host for a week as we were the guinea pigs to see if this would be a good possible host for future teams. We were SO BUSY and we were completely exhausted, but it was still seriously one of my favorite weeks on the race so far.
We had an amazing time in Rudny!
Our host with our team.
Friday, March 16th:
Our host in Rudny had a friend in Karaganda that wanted us to come visit him for a few days and partner with his work there. So that evening we boarded another night train.
Saturday, March 17th:
We arrived in Karaganda in the afternoon and the got straight to work serving alongside our host.
Our host in Karaganda.
Monday, March 19th:
Our host in Karaganda could only have us for a few days as the Asian New Year was approaching and none of the staff would be working. And our team wanted to get to Almaty where we could rest for a few days as we were all running on empty. So, at first we were going to take a bus to Almaty since all the train tickets were sold out for the New Year, but at the last minute our host said that he had some friends at the train station who said they could get us tickets. Turns out there were still no tickets available, but our host bribed the conductor to let us sleep in her cabin. So all seven of us girls, plus our huge backpacks, slept in a space the size of a closet for 20 hours. It was was one of those memories that you laugh about…later.
The space that all seven of us crammed into.
Tuesday, March 20th:
We FINALLY arrived in Almaty! We checked into our hostel and then we all got into our bunks and pulled the curtains. We are here for a few weeks until we head to Kyrgyzstan at the beginning of April!
Our amazing hostel that is providing some much needed rest!
So there you have it. Twenty crazy days of travel and new adventures. And more to come! Thanks for continuing to follow my journey around the world!
Until Next Time,
Melanie
