Community: Real Life

The hills are alive


Taxi for two from Bangkok to Brighton? Ants Bolingbroke-Kent and Jo Huxter aim to cross 12 countries by tuk-tuk, and raise £50,000 for Mind.
Entry: 13
Date: 17/07/2006

Ants and Jo become serious celebrities in Kazakhstan.

Almaty, Kazakhstan

Jo writes...

So, we have been in Almaty for a few days and leave tomorrow for Lake Balkash, a short 700km drive away. I am not really sure what I think of Almaty. It has many tree-lined streets, but this does not necessarily make it a beautiful city. Everything is very expensive here e.g. £4 for a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and £2 per hour to use the internet. Ants and I are suffering a reverse culture shock i.e. returning to a westernised place after having been in Asia for so long. We intended to relax and rest a little, but instead our days have been filled with chores that need to be done such as the press conference, registering passports, organising third party insurance and getting TT serviced. However, the people here are very friendly and we have met some really interesting characters this week.

On Wednesday we met up with a Kazakhstan feminist group, who do a brilliant job helping to promote equal rights for women here. Thursday was the most serious day of the trip to date. We took TT along to a press conference that had been organised by the British Embassy in Almaty. It took place at the headquarters of an organisation who work with children and young people with mental and physical disabilities. We had no idea what to expect and were thoroughly shocked to be filmed driving through the streets and then met by a handful of TV crews. Microphones were thrust towards us as we each gave a short speech about our trip and about Mind and mental health in England. We had to speak in very short sentences so that what we'd said could be translated into Russian. It was a pretty nerve-wracking experience and I am so glad that Ants and I could share the load of public speaking - one of my least favourite hobbies. Still, it is good to think that we are getting the opportunity to speak about the problems associated with mental health.

Yesterday I took TT off to be serviced and she now has fresh oil for high performance cars, a new oil filter, fuel filter and front brake pads. The mechanic was a real character who spoke very little English and so he and I communicated mainly through hand signals for three hours. He noticed that part of TT's rear suspension was missing from one side and after a few minutes with a blow torch had fixed the part and reinserted it. I was shocked that the oil cost £20, but I think it is oil designed for very high performance cars like Porsches. I gave him a packet of Chinese cigarettes to say thank you and asked how much I owed him. He refused to take any money from me and demonstrated yet again the generosity of the people we have met throughout our journey.

"As usual, plants started to wither, animals collapsed and children began to cry."

Today we drove to Shymbulak (a ski resort just outside Almaty) with the Reuters photographer, who took some photos of us and TT. The roads were incredibly steep and TT struggled up the mountain in second gear. We got a chairlift up the mountain and then walked back down, trying not to let our legs run away with us. I felt inspired to sing songs from 'The Sound of Music' e.g. 'Climb Every Mountain' sung by the nun to Maria when she visits the convent. As usual, plants started to wither, animals collapsed and children began to cry. I know exactly what Sam would have said, 'Preeease, save my face!'

TT did not enjoy the drive back down the mountain; she struggled to control her revs in second gear and I had to use the brakes heavily. The smell of burning metal was not nice. On the drive down we saw 27 convoys of wedding cars travelling up the mountain. I have never seen so many white Mercedes in my life. Apparently, the majority of people who get married in Almaty during the summer then get driven to the mountains to drink champagne and have photos taken.

Back on the road tomorrow and I am looking forward to it. We have been in one place for five days and I am getting itchy feet. It is time to hit that tarmac and I hope it is smooth and beautiful and black.


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