You might not think that there is much to write about in the arid steppe of north-western Kazakhstan. However just walking in this vast empty space, flat as a pancake, breathing the delicate scent of the wormwood scrub and watching the little marmots (bit like hamsters) running around, has its own pleasures. We passed huge flocks of sheep and goats and herds of cattle, horses and camels, and a frequent feature is an Islamic graveyard miles from any populated locality. They are the graveyards of nomadic herdsmen. We finally arrived in Atyrau and took pics in the city, went to a supermarket and then hit the road for Makat.
