Aural

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The Aral sea was effectively drained when soviet Uzbek and Kazakh diverted its two rivers for to irrigate cotton fields. Today there are the big and small Aural seas, effectively the puddles that remain. On the coast there are huge fishing and shipping vessels that sit on the ground high and dry where they once docked, now miles from the shore line. Also, increased alkalinity and pollution due to evaporation has destroyed most life in the lake. On the north shore of the small Aral there is the best site to see these ships, about 80km north west of our campsite. We tried and go to see ship graveyard, but everyone gets stuck immediately, and the ambulance is short on fuel so we turn around to go to the city of Aural instead, where we still saw cranes and ships dead where the water once was. We meet up with a school teacher who teaches English in Aural while we were at a market. He was a great guy who showed us around the city and gave insight to the area. Once Bret finished playing in the mud, we left the city of Aral for the Baikonur Cosmodrome where the Russians and Kazakhs do all of the launches for their space programs. The Cosmodrome and Bayqongir, the adjacent town that supports it, are Russian land so we are only able to look from a distance. Another couple hour drive towards Almati and we set up camp for the night.