Tim sits with Borzhan's Babushka in Kopmula She calls her son in Astana, screaming down the line as if it would make up for the poor connection. Below, a Kazak herder come to inspect our camp jumps back on before waving goodbye.
Above: Tim inspecting the camel for sale. Below: After buying the locals tie her down on the ground and stick a 'muurunduk' (nose peg) through th soft part of the nose It was a very painful process for the poor animal.
Making camp just as the sun rises Time for bed.
Tim with the camel, 'harvette' in the evening.
A young Kazak mother in a railway village.
The thought of having a drink is never far during summer in this incredibly dry and hot environment You can honestly feel yourself shrinking and shrivelling in the heat I have never seen things dry so quickly as in western Kazakhstan in summer.
A short break after a long night's riding.
Top: A toddler sits astride a large camel at a herders summer camp near Miyali on the Emba (Zhem) river in Western Kazakhstan. Middle: The toddler is left alone among the herd and is not in the least bit scared. Bottom: Cara cradles the child after several camels get a bit close.
Tigon has become a great friend and integral to the journey He inspires me and makes me smile when things are down, and is always ecstatic when we are on the move Then again he loves sleeping too and sometimes at the end of a long ride we tend to collapse together.
Cordell, Cara, and Tim set off on their journey through the western desert tracing the Emba (Zhem) River Five horses, a camel, and a dog...
Top: Tim pauses among the endless dunes through which he had to travel, particularly on the NW side of the Zhem river. Bottom: Cordell heads off through the sand with the camel riding 'johnny' his little four-year old horse.
Tim and Cordell finish up packing the camel in the village of Miyali as locals watch on.
Tim holds onto Tigon's hare catch This was the first time he had been successful We celebrated that evening with fresh hare meat Half was given to Tigon with the other half for us Tigon is a 'Taza' breed which wealthy nomads would have traditionally used for hunting in the past.
Tim fills up the water bladders after watering horses at this typical desert well Without these wells life on the desert steppe would be impossible.
At the end of a hard night ride Tim greets a herder who is up at dawn to start grazing his sheep In the desert regions of Kazakhstan it is standard for Kazaks to use camels rather than horses for herding For one thing they give you a far better view!
Top: The local women temporarily halt their camel milk to greet the foreigners in the village of Abaya. Bottom: Children in the streets of the village of Abaya Perhaps the favourite village during travels with Cordell and Cara.
The village mosque in the village of Abaya on the Emba river (Western Kazakhstan).
Tim and Cara (and Tigon) sleeping around dawn during a 'half hour nap' that had become a two hour snooze for everyone We would routinely break at night and let the horses wander freely while we slept under the stars The great thing about the dryness of this desert is that there was no dew at all.
Tim films as a herd of 150 camels storm off down the edge of the river bank into the Emba Western Kazakhstan.
Top: Cordell cantering at dawn After the graveyard feel of riding all night the sunrise always seems to invigourate. Bottom: Tim riding off along the emba in the evening looking for a good campsite It had bveen a terribly long hot day and we were all exhausted
Just 200km as the crow flies from the geographical boundary of Europe one can still find Kazaks living in summer Yurt camps out on the steppe In Western Kazakhstan the heat is so extreme however that they only use the Yurt for cooking in and for sleeping
Tigon leading the way across a typical salty clay flat in Western Kazakhstan The temperature is already in the 30's by 9am.
A couple of luxurious camps where we were able to find some relief from the 50+ temperature and get a bit of sleep during the day. Bottom: washing the horses of sweat and dust when possible is extremely important when trying to avoid saddle sores.
Tim, Cordell, and Cara have spent seven weeks on the road together and covered about 800km After riding through th hottest temperatures of the year in the hottest and one of the most remote parts of Kazakhstan it is time to take a break
This mosque 'Akmeshet' (white mosque in Kazak) was the birthplace of a remarkable Kazak saint called 'Beket-Ata.' During his lifetime he built four magnificent underground mosques, each of these in a different seasonal pasture
