While waiting at the station, I interacted with some Kazakh people\u2014though \u201cinteracted\u201d might not be the right word. Using gestures, body language, and of course Google Translate, we managed some kind of communication. However, I also noticed that the translations sometimes produced completely random sentences that made no sense and didn\u2019t fit the context at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shortly before 3 a.m., I was finally able to board the train. I thought I could finally get some rest, but I had forgotten about the exit procedures. A whole squad of police, military personnel, dogs, and train staff handled the process. I had booked bed number 2 in the first compartment, but I had to vacate it because that very compartment was turned into a mobile exit checkpoint. I could only return once the formalities for the entire carriage were completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There wasn\u2019t much space in the bed either, and despite being very tired, I couldn\u2019t fall asleep for a long time. Click-clack\u2026 click-clack\u2026 Just as I was about to drift off, I was abruptly woken up\u2014I had arrived in Uzbekistan, not in dreamland. So the same border procedure happened again, even more thoroughly this time. I had to unpack many of my bags\u2014they were searching for drones, which are banned in Uzbekistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After that, I managed to sleep for a few hours. Whenever I looked out the window, the scenery looked roughly like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n