29.04.09, Atyrau, Kazakhstan

Today was a really boring day on the road.  Basically I spent 2 hours crossing a border, and 4.5 more hours riding 365 km on some mind numbingly boring roads that can only be descibed at “transit roads”.   There is no other reason to be on them.

I would have gone further but decided to stop in Atyrau, a wealthy Kazakh oil city, as its the last sign of civilisation for several days.

Since the scenery was pretty boring, and the only thing that stopped the roads being boring was the terrible state of them making it impossible to relax or travel at more than 90 km/h … and the 50 km/h constant sidewind blowing in across the Caspian Sea.  I was kept amused by odd thoughts and listening to a mix of Swedish group Kent, Mongolian group ‘Altan Urag’ and Kate Ryan.  Strange mix to say the least.

On a day where the travel is so boring, my mind began wandering and several bizarre thoughts crossed my mind.  The first was … how did I get to be riding a modified X-Challenge?  When I first thought of this trip, the F800 had just been announced and I always assumed I would do it on one of those.  3 things turned it all around in favour of an X Challenge.  (Well 4 really … as I was surprised how heavy the F800 weighed in at – might as well stick with the 1200.)

First .. about this time last year I was following the blog of Niccolo and Cyril – a couple of guys who packed it all in and took off on very short notice from London to Mongolia.  Niccolo (not the tallest man in the world) on a 1200 GSA and Cyril on a Transalp.  At the end of their Blog (eurasian motorcycle adventure link on the right) Niccolo commented “next time I do something like this I will do it on an X Challenge” … or something to that effect.  I had always looked at the X Challenge as a dirt bike and was thinking “What is he talking about? – he must be mad.”  But the thought stuck in my mind because subconciously I was looking out for X-Challenge stories.  Next step was hearing Simon Pavey taking one to Beijing on his transorientale rallye and planning to use on in the 2009 Dakar.  The bike finished easily and reliably and I spoke with Simon on his return from the transorientale, learning he had no mechanical problems.  Third, as I searched for information about the bike, one guys name kept coming up again and again on forums.  A chap out of Holland calling himself “MaxKool” … So I wrote to Max and asked him plenty of questions, and Max had plenty of answers, mostly all positive.  So the decision was made.  A BMW X-Challenge it was.

The other thing I worked out today while puttering along in the wind, on the Kazakh Steppe, was thanks to some information Max gave me.  I worked that even assuming I travel the whole 45,000 km in 5th gear, my one cylinder is going to have to do its funky little thing 108 million times, pretty much faultlessly, to get me to the end of this trip.  That’s a lot of jiggling about.

Other news from today … I am over 50 degrees east now.  I have entered my 24th country.  I clocked up the 9,000th kilometre of the trip today.  The oil leak attended to yesterday morning by Zhenya the Kalmyk Biker is sorted.  The animals out on the steppe are changing – on the Nogai Steppe there were cows and sheep.  On the Kalmyk Steppe there were cows, sheep and horses.  Now on the Kazakh Steppe there are horses and camels!

Some bad news.  The screen on my Eee has a problem.  It was jammed up against a bolt in one of my panniers and I guess the pressure of the bolt against the lid on the laptop has created a leak in the LCD screen.  About 5% of my screen is a black splodge.  I can live with it … but its a pity.  I have been very happy with this little beast.  I should have packed it better.

Nasty surprise when i went down for breakfast at 9:15 am on the 30th … I have moved forward another hour… breakfast closed at 10am.  it was now 10:15 am.   I am 4 hrs ahead of London now.