The first night in Kazakhstan was a lonely one. We camped at the Charyn Canyon, the (trying to be) Grand Canyon of Kazakhstan, a 300m-deep canyon into the otherwise flat and barren steppe surrounding it. We realized that outside of villages and cities Kazakhstan is empty, very empty. Thankfully we have everything in our BYD car, from canned food to enough water, essential in this desert landscape and with temperatures rising easily above 40 degrees Celsius.
We also wanted to visit Charyn Canyon as one of our major inspirations, the Long Way Round, with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, visited this canyon in 2004 on their road trip by motorbike from London to New York. We realize we are undertaking a very different journey, we have high respect for people on a motorbike (or bicycle) undertaking a similar trip, and are very much inspired by the personal stories and their way of recording their adventures.
After a relaxing morning, and being burnt away from our campsite by the sun, we drove to Almaty, a bumpy 3 hour ride from Charyn Canyon.
Dry, deserted and lonely Charyn Canyon, Kazakhstan
