Today we had quite a few time controls. These are posts where we have to check it at an exact time. This means that if we arrive early, we have to wait for our car’s designated time or incur penalty points.
One of these time controls was located next to a small supermaket so we all went inside to explore (and use the toilet) while we waited. They were so excited to see such a big group buying up their fruits and crisps that the supermarket workers gave us some us kurt to try. The best way to describe kurt is like a mix between cheese, sugar and vinegar. I will leave it to you to decide if you want to try it for yourself.
The same employee who gave us the kurt was rather taken by one or our competitors and kept on asking to take photos with him while he was trying to eat his pot noodles.
This evening our hotel was located in Astana (Nur Sultan). It was a lot more modern than Pavlodar, or at least the part of town where we stayed was. It was a shame that we didn’t have a rest day in order to be able to explore it. One of the competitors did end up seeing more than he bargained for because he had to go to a garage. His car was t-boned on the way into town and he desperately needed to get it repaired.
