04
Aralsk
1 day
I found the WhatsApp number of a convenient hotel near the Aralsk vakzal. It is still early morning when our train arrives. The daughter of the house is cleaning the rooms. We see a dead dog lying on the plot next to our hotel.
Once a thriving port city on the Aral Sea, today the wind blows the old sea sand through the streets of Aralsk. Day shops, restaurants and cafes are still there, but they are well hidden behind the facades of the houses.
In the tiny museum we learn about the scale of the disaster that took place here. You can only sympathize with the people who stayed and had to adjust their lifestyles. Where the sea used to be, camels now graze among the garbage. Apart from playing children and a local football match, life mainly takes place indoors this time of year.
When we arrive back at our hotel, the grandfather welcomes us warmly. He explains how lively Aral used to be. Everybody was involved in the fishing industry and in summertime the town was flooded with tourists. Luckily on the Kazakh side of the Aral Sea efforts are being made to limit the scale of the disaster, many of them successful.
At night I am woken up by a couple having a very good time. I imagine it is a businessman who ordered a night of fun. On a blog on Aral, I had read a testimony of another tourist who had also had to give up his sleep for this at night. Surely, then, the deserted atmosphere benefits a new breed of tourists.