Trans-East Expedition Stage Three 2008: Western Russia, Kazakhstan, Siberia
4,000 kilometers by bike through Eastern Europe and Asia
On the third stage of the Trans-East Expedition, we tell you about our cycle tour from western Russia, through the vastness of the Kazakh steppes and southern Siberia.
Dilapidated ghost villages stood in contrast to the billion-dollar fantasy city of Astana, which rises like a mirage from the flat marshland. But we were also captivated by the seemingly endlessness of Kazakhstan.
Once again, we experienced fabulous hospitality and spent the night in run-down accommodation, in monasteries, with locals and in tents. Although our bikes and trailer weigh up to 130 kilograms, we were forced to cover more than 120 kilometers on some days. Tanja and I were constantly exposed to the adversities of the capricious weather: In the treeless, dry Kazakh steppe, we had to endure 45 degree heat, water shortages, over 3,000 kilometers of unrelenting headwinds, huge summer thunderstorms and the foothills of the Ural Mountains. The contrast to this was the constant rain of southern Siberia, with wet clothes, ticks, mosquitoes and a dense, low-lying wall of cloud that seemed to suck the country into itself and announced the approach of winter with sub-zero temperatures at night.
Our experiences are profound, moving and make the reader think.
We have reported on our experiences in detail on 206 pages – you can read about them in the diaries section:
TRANS-EAST EXPEDITION STAGE 3
Now also available as a book in our store.
