22nd of October, 2022.
Hitchhiking in Kazakhstan: Astana and Ozernoe.
Sasha drops me off in a gas station, which is great because it is raining a little bit and it is damn cold!
I start asking people in the cars if anybody is going to Astana. I also have my sign to show them. In my first “round”, I ask in about 7 cars, and one of the guys, who seems like a nice guy, tells me he needs to ask his friends about it.
While I am waiting for more cars to come, he comes back to me and tell me I should take a taxi or a bus to Astana. I tell him I am asking for a lift, because I travel by hitchhiking. And again, he seems like a very kind man.
After a little while he comes back again and tell me I can come with them to Astana. Yay!
Destan is travelling with his brother, Borgan, and his brother’s son, Ansan. They are going to Astana.
I start telling Destan about my story. He is very interested on it and ask me many questions. They are all very nice people but only Destan can speak English, even though his nephew can understand it. Destan tells me about his restaurant in Astana and the fact that he moved here from Almaty, because of business. His brother is also a business man.
All the way from the border to Astana, the landscape is flat, and you get to see what the biggest portion f the country is made of: steppe. And the roads are very bad.
When we arrive in Astana, we are talking and distracted, when all of sudden: BANG! This big truck hit us on the back. BUT WE ARE NOT MOVING AT ALL! We are stuck in the traffic jam but the truck driver got distracted! What an idiot! And he has this bad attitude too, as he was not entirely wrong! They talked for almost one hour before we can finally leave. Luckily nobody got hurt!
When we arrive to Destan’s restaurant, I get distracted by its beauty and the fact that Destan invited me for dinner, so I forget to call my host, and tell him I arrived in Astana. His place is called Ozernoe, about one hour driving from here. I cannot hitchhike their now because it is night time already, around 9 p.m., but I want to let him know I am here and that I will come tomorrow.
Me and Destan have dinner in his fancy restaurant. I think it is really fancy! And the food is delicious! Everybody treats me like I was someone important, a real guest. It is so sweet! Their menu is fantastic! There are so many options, like a real eclectic menu, with options from all over the globe. And everything seems delicious! The name of the restaurant is Dami Cafe Astana.
When we finish eating and talking, it is almost 11 p.m., and I remember to call my host. He insists to come and pick me up. Why? I have no idea! My plan was simply to camp outside town and hitchhike tomorrow morning. But apparently nobody is happy with that idea. Destan tries to invite me to his home, but he has relatives visiting, so he has no space. And my host cannot accept no for an answer, so he just asks Destan the address and drives all the way here.
The restaurant closes at 12 a.m., so almost everybody leaves, remaining only me, the cleaning lady, and a young boy who is staying in the restaurant overnight. He is a very clever boy and we talk for a while.
When my host arrives, he has a driver with him. We have a nice chat all the way to Ozernoe but we arrive around 3 a.m. there. Dear, Loki! I cannot believe I am still standing. I am exhausted because of the last 3 days non-stop travelling. I need some rest!
P.S.: Back in Brazil, people would never think of Kazakhstan as a safe place to live / travel / hitchhike. And I was one of them 5 years ago. We know so little, almost nothing about this country, and we let our stereotypes and prejudices guide us. Of course we have a huge help of society and the news, sources which only misguide us with a purpose: make us more vulnerable to control by making us afraid of everything which is unknown. My first experience by hitchhiking in Kazakhstan was already amazing!
10 Years Around the World 