After the stress of the first truly exhausting day, we decided to set a moderate goal for the next stage: stopping for lunch in Turkistan – Kazakhstan’s main site on the ancient Silk Road, newly re-enacted. I should emphasise that I really like this country and its people before pointing out that it seems to be a leitmotif in Central Asia since independence in 1991 – less and less feels genuine, more and more feels staged. While there is real beauty in what has been built with great effort and mastery – it doesn’t feel real. Somewhat similar in Kyzyl Orda (“red/beautiful city”): we ended up asking at half a dozen hotels before we settled on Ai Orda – not the most impressive, not in the nicest part of town, but with a genuine hospitality.

The top picture features one of my first impressions when I travelled through Kazakhstan by train in August 1992: the cemeteries seem to have been built with more care than the towns. If you think of it, it makes sense: you spend much more time there than in your home while your alive…

+: Good roads, mostly friendly drivers, good progress

– : While the roads are in good condition 98% of the time, occasionally they are not. Some of the parts least fun on a motorbike have longitudinal grooves, which causes a very uncomfortable swimming feeling – not groovy!