London to Mumbai by Road 2016 – Revisited
Day 19 – 15 September 2016
Kazakhstan at Last
We woke to one of the most miserable mornings of the trip so far. Rain lashed against the windows, the skies were grey, and the temperature had dropped noticeably. Fortunately, inside Kontiki it was warm, dry, and comfortable.
With mugs of tea in hand and some simple toast for breakfast, we watched the rain for a while before preparing ourselves for another demanding day on the road.
The goal was clear.
The Kazakhstan border was still around 350 miles away, and we needed to reach it before our Russian visas expired. Missing the deadline was simply not an option.
Soon we were back behind the wheel, pushing steadily south-east through the vast Russian landscape. The weather remained poor for much of the day, and to make matters worse, extensive roadworks slowed traffic to a crawl in several places. Progress was frustratingly slow, and every delay increased the tension a little.
Today was not a sightseeing day.
It was all about covering distance.
Determined not to lose valuable time, we skipped lunch altogether. Instead, we kept driving and made do with coffee and light snacks while on the move. The hours passed slowly as the rain continued and the kilometres gradually ticked down.
Finally, at 5:45 pm, we reached the Russia–Kazakhstan border.
What a relief!
After days of long drives and careful planning, we had arrived before our Russian visas expired. It felt like a major achievement and another important milestone on our journey from London to Mumbai.
At that moment, we couldn’t help but thank our faithful old Kontiki. Despite all the worries in Berlin and the mysterious gearbox problem that had threatened to derail the entire expedition, she had carried us all the way across Europe and Russia without missing a beat.
Even more remarkably, there was still no sign of the gearbox noise.
We were keeping our fingers crossed and hoping that whatever had caused it had somehow resolved itself.
The border formalities took around two and a half hours. Although lengthy, the process was straightforward enough, and eventually we received our entry stamps and officially entered Kazakhstan.
A new country. A new chapter of the adventure.
Our first task after crossing the border was to arrange the mandatory vehicle insurance for Kazakhstan. The cost came to $24, and the staff were helpful enough to direct us to a service area approximately 40 miles away where we could safely spend the night.
Darkness had already fallen by the time we continued our journey.
The roads were wet, a light drizzle persisted, and after such a long day we were more than ready to stop. At around 10:30 pm, we finally arrived at the recommended services and parked up for the night.
There was only one thing on our minds.
First things first.
After a day of rain, roadworks, border crossings, paperwork, and endless driving, Team Kontiki deserved a reward. Out came the chilled beers and peanuts, which disappeared rather quickly as we relaxed and reflected on the day’s achievements.
Fortunately, there was no need to cook. We still had leftovers from the previous evening, which suited us perfectly. After such a demanding day, even reheated food tasted excellent.
As we sat inside the warm motorhome listening to the rain outside, there was a real sense of satisfaction.
We had crossed another international border, entered Central Asia, stayed within our visa limits, and continued our journey without any mechanical problems.
Not bad for a 22-year-old motorhome that many people doubted would even make it this far.
Distance travelled: Approximately 350 miles (560 km)
Countries travelled through: Russia and Kazakhstan
Major milestone: Successfully crossed into Kazakhstan before Russian visas expired
Border crossing time: Approximately 2.5 hours
Motorhome insurance: $24
Night halt: Service area, Kazakhstan
Dinner: Leftover food from the previous day
Evening refreshments: Chilled beer and peanuts
Mood of the day: Relieved, grateful, and excited to begin exploring Central Asia
Join us tomorrow as Team Kontiki begins its journey across the vast steppes of Kazakhstan, leaving Europe behind and venturing deeper into the heart of Asia on our epic road trip from London to Mumbai.
