July 31, 2011
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The Silk Road (Sort Of) Overland
Friday 29 July 2011
I went back to the Eco-Tourism office to see Russim this morning and check the final details of my weekend travel plans. He had everything under control, including the name of the person that will meet me at the train station tomorrow morning when I arrive in Tulkubas around 5.30 AM. That is A+ customer service!I spent the rest of the morning chilling in Almaty. I’ve really grown to like this green, leafy city over the last few days. My favourite hangout is Coffeedelia, a trendy cafe with excellent food, great service and free WiFi.
One thing that is different in Kazakhstan from the previous countries I have visited this summer is that there are four million Russians living here (27% of the population) and they all look like me. The consequence is that I don’t stand out as a tourist here at all – which is nice. In fact, again and again people have walked up to me, speaking to me in Russian, seeming quite surprised by my “Sorry, I don’t speak Russian.”
My train towards Shymkent left on time at 4.18 PM (I’m actually getting off at a village called Tulkubas, but nobody seems to know what time we’re arriving there). What I had not anticipated was that the train would have 24 carriages! I think I have to retract my earlier comments that Kazakh Railways is not utilising all their assets and meeting the demand for rail tickets! I doubt you can have many more carriages than that for a normal train.
The train is OK and I’ve got great company in my four-birth sleeper compartment. A Kazakh Sales Manager called Jandos, fluent in English, his sister-in-law, and a Russian who made himself invisible more or less immediately by going to the restaurant car. It turned out that Jandos had worked as a freelance translator – just like me – and we had a very long and interesting discussion about language and culture.
I love train travel. I’m chatting with the people in my compartment, I’m writing my blog, I’m reading, or just looking at the passing landscape – still grassy but not as green as Almaty. I feel happy when I travel by train. I wind down. The actual physical travelling from A to B becomes enjoyable and relaxing, part of the holiday mood. Personally, I find it difficult to get that feeling on a coach. There, it’s just the functionality of it all. I need to get from A to B and the only thing that counts is the place I’m going to visit, not the actual travelling there.
I’m sure I’ll be sleeping like a baby tonight.
