Balkhash-Almaty
Long-distance drive Paris-Beijing 2006 / Day 17
Wistfully onward to Almaty
E-Class Experience convoy reaches the former Alma-Ata
Seventeenth stage covers about 400 miles to Almaty
Weather: changeable with fine spells, maximum temperature 23 degrees Celsius
Almaty – Day 17 of the E-Class Experience was marked by plentiful impressions of the night spent with the Kazakh host families in Balkhash, but also by appreciable tiredness as a result of the efforts expended in the past few days. This was the final day behind the wheel of the E-Class cars for this third-phase group of drivers; it took them to Almaty, a city with more then one million inhabitants.
As they took leave of Balkhash, the drivers were clearly moved by the hospitality of their hosts; their comments ranged from "incredibly inspiring" and "a unique experience" to "one of my best travel experiences ever – simply wonderful". Just after dawn the crews assembled to depart in convoy from the arts centre car park. After the previous evening's official gala dinner, many of the host families had invited their guests to a three-course meal, prepared as a token of high regard for the visitors. In many cases the crews were engaged in friendly conversation until well after midnight, sharing experiences with their hosts and toasting their new-found friendships.
The drivers were still a little tired and melancholy when they reached the day's first check-point. They had driven out of town to the banks of Lake Balkhash for a group photograph on its rocky shores. The constriction about half-way along its length makes it the only lake on earth whose body of water is half fresh and half salt.
With a surface area of 7,025 square miles, it is almost half the size of Switzerland and, after the Aral Sea, Kazakhstan's second largest inland water body. As the cars traversed the surrounding Seven Rivers region, which is known for its fertile soil, the temperature climbed from 14 to a balmy 23 degrees Celsius.
Having spent the previous days on very flat land, the contestants were now in hilly country again, and occasionally caught sight of lush green grass amidst the greyish yellow Steppes landscape. Further variety was provided by camel herds, grazing to the left and right of the road, where horses or cattle would have been a more commonplace sight.
On his final day behind the wheel, Richard Yarrow commented, "I found the roads to be in a much better condition than I had anticipated. The young Brit had become good friends not only with his Swedish co-driver, Kenneth Olausson, but also with their E 320 CDI, "It was the perfect car for the tour; it was easy to drive and the engine performed exceptionally well." Kenneth praised the E-Class for its great comfort, and remarked, "But it also has a fantastic 6-cylinder diesel engine."
As evening fell, the teams reached Almaty, surrounded by the snow-topped peaks of the Tian-Shan mountain system.
Formerly the capital city known as Alma-Ata, it remains the country's cultural, academic and economic hub. Some 1.2 million of Kazakhstan's population of 15 million people live here. Most of the drivers spent a quiet evening enjoying the local food served in the oriental luxury of the Alasha restaurant.