Don't panic!

 I didn't sleep long this night. For some reason, I woke at 3am. And couldn't sleep afterwards. I just lay in bed waiting for the time I was getting up. I had an early train to catch. I got up long before breakfast, had a shower and went down to the reception. The lady booked me a car through their equivalent of Uber, called Yandex... She showed me the receipt. A Lexus no less! Oooo. I waited for a couple of minutes, and the Lexus arrived.

Well. First of all, the driver looked like he hadn't even reached puberty. And his Lexus looked like he found it abandoned in a ditch somewhere. But hey, at least it was running...

I got in, and the driver found the quickest route to the train station on his phone. Which he looked at more or less constantly. While answering messages and checking the map once in a while. But traffic wasn't too bad at this time in the morning. So at least we didn't crash. That would have been a drag...

We arrived at the train station, which was under renovation. One of the first things I saw when entering, was a guy with a t-shirt that had the words "Don't panic" written in large friendly letters on the back. That was a test to see if you know the refernce... And why it is relevant to my blog...

One of the things I loved, was a VERY informative display that showed all trains arriving and leaving. And how long they would be staying. And the platform. And the trains not only arrived on time, but they left on time too! And they usually stayed for 10-20 minutes before proceeding. Giving passengers ample time to get to the correct track, and get on board. 

The thing I didn't love, was the fact that the renovation meant no shops were open. So my plan to buy some snacks for the trip, was a dud. I had nothing. And I hadn't bothered to buy stuff from the shop down the street from my hotel. And I was starting to get hungry.

When the train arrived, I found my coupe and found that my bunk was the lower on one side. After a while, an elderly lady arrived, with someone I presume was her grandchild. They sat on the other bunk. After the train started moving, she started making her bed. All bunks had sheets and a towel. So I did the same. It would be a long journey, and I was tired from lack of sleep. So why not spend some of the time trying to catch up? I actually slept for a few hours. The slow motion of the train probably did that.

Steppe as far as the eyes could see

Pretty nice railcar

2nd class coupe, with aircon, My bunk on the left

The temperature outside increased. A lot. At the peak, it reached 43 degrees. Centigrade... I could read this on a display at the end of the car. The highest temperature was at a small place called Shu. And when we stopped, I watched rail-workers at the station walking around in full work wear. How they managed, I have no idea. I loved my aircon coupe. And preferred to stay there for the entire trip.

Now for the food situation. I was told there was a restaurant on board. I asked around, and was told it was in car 10. So I walked through the train to car 10, and...nothing. But when I turned around to go back, I saw that the "restaurant" was just a small shop where I could buy stuff. Hidden behind a wall. Behind the counter sat an old "babushka" checking her phone. I stood there for a while. Clearing my throat a couple of times. After the third, very loud clearing, she was startled and looked up. "Sorry! No see!" And she laughed. I found a pack of bisquits and some water. Not excactly healthy diet. But it had to suffice for now.

Some hours later, we arrived in Taraz. And I was met by a number of taxi drivers. I told them I was going to Hotel Pride. Nobody knew it. I showed them on the map. They had no clue where it was. In the end, one guy said ok. 3000 Tenge. Fair enough. He took me to his taxi, which was surprisingly nice. After we started driving, he rang somebody. And even though I didn't understand a word, it was obvious he had "rung a friend" to guide him. But still he managed to get lost in some back-alley. On terrible roads. But we finally arrived at the hotel.

It was nice, with huge rooms. Nice lady in the reception. And the price was right.

After dropping off my bags at the hotel, I was hungry for some real food. But all the restaurants in the area were closed for some reason. So all I could find was a shopping mall with a grocery store. So I just bought some youghurt and aome water. And some snacks for the evening. 

Ragnar

Never panicking