What Happens When You are in the Middle of Nowhere — [The Mongol Rally]
Due to another visa snaffu, I am forced to take my time driving through Kazakhstan. The Adventurist wasn’t kidding when they said Traveling is for Sissy because The Mongol Rally is really not traveling. The rally is a beast of its own. It has its own needs, demands and pace and tunnel vision for the finish line happens to the best of us.
By the time I parted ways with Lachlan in Samarkand, I had come to realize that it was easier for me to GO than to STOP. Having realized that I was never going to see all there is to see and comprehend each of the country in any real way, all I wanted to do was GO and get to the finish line.
Being forced to take my time driving up Eastern Kazakhstan on relatively easy roads meant I had a lot of time to contemplate random things.
Why are all the houses in Kazakhstan painted white and blue?
Why is there a crazy sub-division in the middle of no where? Who are they anticipating that will come and live here?
There is only four houses in this town. Does that really constitute a town?
Why is there a scarecrow looking mannequin in the middle of the road holding a cardboard fish sign? What do you mean you only have two dried fish to sell? Is it economically sensible to spend all day on the side of the road to sell two dried fish?
Why are there cows, sheep, goats and horses everywhere but finding a kabob is nearly impossible?
After spending night after night camping in the middle of nowhere, you start to wonder about the nowhere-ness of it all.
What does it mean to be somewhere?
Is the different between nowhere and somewhere predominately defined by the sense of isolation?
Then you wonder about the road,
Wait. What happen to the good road. Where did it go?
Why am I on the bad road running parallel to the good road? How do I get over there?
I am about to conclude Act Two of this epic adventure. I have driven 10,000 kilometers across 12 countries and am about to start the hardest part of the rally.
Stay with me and lets see how it all unfolds.
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