There isn’t much to see for the next week other than the vast steppes of southwestern Kazakhstan. We’re lucky with the weather and are making good progress towards Russia. Unfortunately, as happened on our last journey through Kazakhstan two months ago, we fall ill again, probably with a cold that we caught while camping in the snow in Bishkek.
The border crossing into Russia goes well, too. This time, however, we are questioned by a border official. They don’t ask any political questions; it’s really only about what we do for work (he’s very confused that one can take a year’s unpaid leave in Germany…) and they make a note of our phones’ identifiers. Interestingly, we’re stopped at a lot more military checkpoints on the way back than we were on the way to Kazakhstan. In fact, we have to register at almost every checkpoint along the way through the four oblasts in southern Russia and the North Caucasus that we’re passing through.
After seven days of non-stop driving, we arrive in Stepantsminda, Georgia, in the early hours of the morning. Exhausted and still a little unwell, but nevertheless happy to be back, we fell asleep deeply and rested for another day in Stepantsminda before heading south to Tbilisi.