Bad awakening in rural Kazakhstan

Pretty motivated we started into an early and chilly morning until we arrived at a cafezi at around 10 AM. As this didn’t seem so nice and it was too early to take a break anyways, we wanted to proceed. However, everybody told us that the next magazin or cafezi was to be in about 100 km what was a bit far. When clouds hid the sun we decided to take our chances and proceeded. The temperature was agreeable (regarding the temperatures there in general) and once in a while there were some rain drops. Around noon we found a bus stop where we prepared some instant noodles. And then the sun returned, damn…

After we had placed our camping seats in the little shadow a man appeared out of nowhere and told us that just a few meters away, next to the river, there would be a cafezi where we could find shadow, coffee and tea. Although we could neither see a river, nor a cafezi – but due to the terrain we could eliminate a chance of one to be there either – we wanted to have a look and packed our stuff again. And it was true, we really found a cafezi and a river.

the fatal cafezi

We were already looking forward to have a cooled drink when the owner told us that he doesn’t have a fridge and therefore doesn’t have anything cold to drink. Ok, so tea it was… Also we asked if there was drinkable water. He agreed and filled up to of our bottles. Stefan was very thirsty and thus drank a whol 1,5 l bottle at once.  While Alexandra was chatting with the other guests, Stefan was feeling worse and worse. Once he put his finger down his throat hoping that it might lead to relief. Nevertheless we wanted to proceed cycling at around 5 PM. After some kilometers uphill, when Stefan had already vomitted next to the road several times, he was feeling too sick and weak to continue. Alexandra tried to stop some people to help, but nobody had a car big enough for two bicycles and noone knew about some kind of a taxi to order.

thrilling drive in Ruslan’s old Russian car

So we went back to the cafezi, where it all began…
The son of the owner, Ruslan, was working in front of it and told us that the next hospital was 70 km away. But he could bring us to some kind of a “gospital” in the village 3 km away, with his car. After a wild car ride in an old Russian car without brakes we found ourselves in front of a small traditional house. Quickly our helper changed from the oven to her medicine suitcase and Stefan laid down next to the low eating table (traditional Kazakh sit on the floor).
With the help of our Russian dictionary Alexandra and the doctor (or so) “discussed” about what was happening to Stefan. And then she gave him two injections for his upset stomach, but he stayed lying there for a bit longer, muttering to himself how sick he was still feeling. In the meantime he was looked at curiously by the little children of the doctor and their grandmother.

Stefan with his saviour

In the magazin which was, interestingly enough, also in this small house (in a small locked room) Alexandra bought some water and cooled coke. When Stefan took a sip, he had to sally out and vomitted in front of the house. After taking a photo as memory Ruslan took us back to the cafezi and stated that we should stay at their place and sleep inside that night. By the way, later on his father said that it’s no wonder that Stefan had to vomit as the water cannot be drunk. Ooook, good to know that now when he said the opposite before. 🙁

Alexandra and always sunny Ruslan

On the whole our stay there was very interesting as we got an insight into how the everyday life of simple Kazakhs looks like. Ruslan reckoned that there is nothing to do there and that is was pretty boring there. So Stefan gave his harmonica as a present to Ruslan who was very pleased about that. In general Ruslan is an extremely curios and interested person who also studied our dictionary with enthusiasm to learn a bit of German. We wished we could send him such a dictionary but he said that they cannot receive mail. 🙁

Ruslan’s trophy from fishing

Ruslan showing us the way to a natural source of drinking water

an oasis in the middle of the dry steppe

the boat behind the cafezi – if the water was ever this high? 😉

there’s a lot of stuff around the cafezi, but Ruslan is a tinkerer

The night had been rather uncomfortable on the plank bed in the room which we were sharing with Ruslan, a little cat and thousand of flies. We didn’t want to consume anything else in the cafezi but didn’t have a lot of supplies anymore, and the next shop was 70 km away. Therefore the bus seemed to be the better solution for us.
Ruslan helped us with communication with the bus driver and storing our luggage and bicycles in the bus, and then we were on our way to Aktobe. Friendly enough, the bus driver didn’t want our money, thus we could go for free around 200 km by bus.

Stefan, Alexandra, Ruslan and his father Karol

waiting for the bus

In Kazakhstan we travelled wiiiith: Huber Reisen – oh yeah!