Distance: 300km (by ship)
The day was structured by the meals on board. There was no network, so nothing could distract me. I enjoyed being bored, at least to a certain degree.
I found out that GPS still worked, even without network. This way I could see how far we still were from our destination.
We were supposed to arrive in Kuryk by 3pm. The distance was only around 400km. But looking at our progress, I had my doubts.
By 4pm we were near Kuryk. The ship dropped anchor again. I could not believe it. At least we had a network signal again. Everybody was on their phones.
Ichahn, the friendly chef, asked me to write him a letter of recommendation for his cooking skills. I had not enjoyed the food much, so I wrote about his kindness and his good English instead. He was happy with that.
Finally, by 7pm, we entered the port. 48 hours on board. The plan had said 18.
Then came immigration. As a tourist, I had to wait until all goods, truck drivers, and ship employees were cleared first. That took another three hours. Then I was escorted off the ship to a different immigration office. Long story short: by 10pm I was welcomed into Kazakhstan, with a handshake.
It was dark by now. Aqtau was still 90km away. The village of Kuryk was 20km away, with zero infrastructure.
I asked a group of truck drivers for a lift. They said they would be stuck in immigration for another two hours, then sleep in their trucks.
ChatGPT knew about a port hotel, supposedly run by the immigration authorities. Probably for stranded souls like me. The first officer I asked did not know about it and sent me to another one. That one showed me the way out of the port. Eventually I saw a sign that said “hostel.” Close enough, I thought.
Everything was dark already. The entrance was unlocked. I went in and knocked on a door. It turned out this hostel was for port employees, since the port is so far from anything.
The officer I had disturbed was already in his underwear but got dressed quickly and came out to help. He was very friendly and asked if I was hungry. I said no. He walked me to another administration building, also completely dark. He wished me luck.
Inside, I found three officials watching football. Japan against Brazil, I believe. After another full document and baggage check, I was finally brought to the famous port hotel. It really existed. Also here: total darkness. The officer used my phone to call the hotel manager. He arrived 15 minutes later and gave me a clean, simple room. Perfect.
I went to bed quickly. I needed to start early the next day to reach Aqtau, my final destination for this tour. What a day.
Learnings of the day:
Whenever things get risky or uncertain, I have made it a habit to ask upstairs for guidance. Not for a rescue. Just for a bit of confidence not to give up. Somewhere between the officer in underwear, the football-watching officials, and the dark hostel, that quiet ask was there too. It helped.