Part of Kazakhstan is at a standstill. The blizzard took hostage
thousands of travelers. The traffic jam spreads
for miles. Dzhanybek, entrepreneur, and his driver Rousslan are heading
straight into the mouth of the wolf. Dzhanybek is a consultant. It helps foreign companies
to settle in Kazakhstan. In a hurry to go on a date
business on the other side of the country, he forgot to consult the meteorology. We've been here since this morning and some are blocked,
at least for three or four days. There's no more food, we ate
everything we had in the truck. More cigarettes, more water. You can get fired
due to delays. The police try to dissuade the most
reckless to continue on their way. The police don't want to let us pass. They will not be able to
support us if there is a problem. It's painful. After hours of discussion,
this tank looks like a savior. The police agree to let
pass a few travelers on condition let them follow the engine of war. Very quickly,
cars overtake him. The entrepreneur and his driver
observe the ban for a while, but the chaser is winded. Cruising speed,
60 kilometers per hour. They also take
the risk of dropping it. Business doesn't wait. A daring choice. Some ride in convoy
to be reassured. The steppes of Kazakhstan are known
for their violent blizzards. The wild wind can bring down
the temperature minus 40 degrees, in just a few hours Dzhanybek and Russlan will cross
1200 kilometers of steppe, to reach the city of Aralsk. Kazakhstan is a wild land
with a capricious climate. If we stop,
we get bogged down right away. In a few kilometers,
we go from mud to ice. Then the desert and its 40 degrees. The Kazakhs are chiselled to climates
extremes for centuries. Only a few adventurers
furrow the steppe, attracted by oil money
which abounds in the basement. I wanted to change my life. I left everything
what I had in town. The tank trucks
replaced camel caravans who accompanied
Genghis Khan's hordes. His madness of conquest was nothing
compared to that of modern man, which made an entire sea disappear. We would like the sea to come back. The danger is never far
in the heart of the steppe. As predicted by the police,
40 kilometers further, the storm holds back the unwary. It's a truck
who stood in front of us. We could have avoided it. He started
right in the middle of the road. You fools! Dzhanybek and Ruslan
will have to roll up their sleeves. Solidarity is organized, but with
more than 30 tons at arm's length, the effort is in vain. That's it,
they are still stuck there. Truckers know
that they will spend the night there. Everyone gets organized. We transport animals
and it's hard for them to wait like that. It would be better if we moved on. These stops are not good for us
and can make horses sick They refuse to eat
It is not a good sign. It's minus five degrees, and at night,
the temperature will drop further. Look ! They are not
conditions for drivers here. There are not even toilets.
Nothing at all. Me, I tell you, the horses are
treated better than us here. This white four-four wants to be discreet. A harmless car,
but an object betrays its cover. The driver's sunglasses. Weird in the middle of a storm. We are fund carriers, we work for the postal bank
of Kazakhstan, Kazpost. This cash conveyor
in the style of a secret agent and his colleague, carry a small fortune
in liquid. What to attract many lusts. Today, the two conveyors
are quiet. Where could robbers flee? Dzhanybek Beck and Ruslan
end up getting out. The two spin
straight into the unknown. Their fate is fixed
three kilometers further. The two acolytes are city dwellers and do not
don't know much about mechanics. The storm has silenced
the telephone network. In any event,
emergency rooms are overwhelmed. The tank has disappeared. A few kilometers further, the bulldozer supposed to help
to travellers, is also in trouble. I crashed
in the snow because of the storm. My tractor slipped. The night promises to be freezing. The two men tell each other that they
would have done better to turn back. However, they are lucky.
The blizzard hasn't caught up with them yet. Further away,
its strength is devastating. She surprised travelers. Because at this time the steppe should be
covered with grasses and buds. hard to believe,
but we are in the spring. Two hundred kilometers further south,
the contrast is striking. The steppe is finally breathing. Kazakhs call camels
desert ships. On the horizon, their fat bumps
are reminiscent of sails. In the spring, they are the only ones who can
travel the steppe without incident. The others are condemned to bog down. This desert is not composed of sand,
but of ice. After the thaw,
before the sun dries the ground, ice gives way to mud. Nour Adil and his brother walked
10 kilometers to get out of the desert their flock of sheep. The animals were in danger of dying of thirst. They were gone
supply them with water, when their truck was stopped dead. They will try to pull him out of the quagmire. It's an emergency truck. We go to repair the vehicles
stuck in the steppe. We can't get started. It's probably the pump that's broken.
fuel does not arrive. God is big. We're going slowly
so as not to get bogged down. It's very easy to get stuck here. You turn, you go off the road,
and you are in it. If we stop,
we get bogged down right away, we get bogged down,
so you have to speed up. Look, the road is damaged.
Only holes and ditches. If we miss each other,
we are very bad. That's it,
we are bogged down. Three-hundred horsepower and six-wheel drive
can't do anything about it. That's it,
we're going to sleep here. This is annoying,
he is on his stomach. I call the tractor. Hello ! We are bogged down.
Hurry to come. We take care of the other truck,
put water in the radiator. Yesterday it got hot
and all the water is gone. If you knew
how sick of this old truck. I tell myself that we will stay there. We are going to eat mushrooms
or the grass of the steppe, to choose. Three hours later,
1000 horses come to the rescue. Will they be enough? The other got completely bogged down. I believe that
the bulldozer has a problem. If a big bulldozer like that crashes,
no one will be able to come and help him. I'm tired. If you have to dig down there,
we will do it. In your opinion,
is this a normal life? I do not believe. It is our destiny. You don't have to give up
facing him. Isn't that my brave? There, it's nothing. It could be worse. So much that the bulldozer refuses
to save the little truck. Nour Adil will pick him up in a month,
when all the water has evaporated. In the region, the peasants raise the only animal capable
to withstand the rigors of the steppe. Here, the thermometer oscillates between
minus 40 in winter, and 40 degrees in summer. Dromedaries and camels
are the cows of the desert. On this ungrateful land,
farmers are almost heroes. I created my farm in 1992. There was nothing
of everything you see today. I only had a yurt, my wife
and my eldest son, to help me. At first I started
with a state loan. With that I bought ten camels,
five males, five females, and my business started. Genisbay set up his farm, when Kazakhstan took over
its independence in 1991. At that time,
he was a driver on a state farm. There it is a ZIL 130.
It's a water tank. There, it's a Moskvitch. For spare parts,
an MTZ80, a tractor. We recovered all these means of transport
to the fall of the Soviet Union. So I got half broke too,
but I fixed them. In Stalin's time,
it was solid. The proof is that I use it
so far as spare parts. What we are currently buying
broke after a year. The little yellow van. It's with her
that I started my activity. I used it
to water the animals. Fifteen times a day,
50 degrees hot, with mosquitoes. I suffered. It's time to milk the camels. In summer,
we do it six times a day. Here we are in winter,
they are milked four times a day. My beautiful girls
take care of it. A camel is also 800 kilograms
meat for the bigger ones. Here is the nursery for the little ones. We don't eat the little ones,
we wait for them to grow. The reputation of its meat and milk
earned him a reward. I was made honorable
citizen of my region. For me it's recognition
of my work. Its success is not
only pinned to his jacket. She appears on her table,
rich in exotic fruits, so rare in Kazakhstan. Unlike cows, camels make
a milk that keeps their little ones in the circles
the most hostile on the planet. According to the Kazakhs,
it has many medicinal virtues. Here it is natural camel milk. This milk is very effective against
lung diseases. Hospitals order it
a lot now for the treatment of tuberculosis. Of course, this milk strengthens immunity.
It's obvious. I heard that foreign countries
are very interested in it at the moment. Camel milk is found
on all tables in Kazakhstan. Jennings Bay and her family hope one day
export it all over the world. 700 kilometers from the farm
of Jennings, the storm does not calm down. On the contrary,
his power seems to increase. It engulfed the town of Act Auber. It is here that we find
Dzhanybek and Ruslan. Fortunately for them,
they didn't spend the night outside. They managed to cobble together a repair
who held out to this city. A mechanic came to tow them. The car no longer starts. Look, it's so cold
that the windshield is completely frosted. Everything is covered in ice. The batteries are dead
since this morning. We have to go to the garage
to examine the four-four. Now we will see
whether we can fix it or not. Their journey is slowed down. Tonight they will sleep warm
in a hotel room. These will pass
another night in their cabin. According to Kazakh legend, the blizzard
take away the souls of bad people. Waiting,
he condemns them to dig in order to advance. We've been here for three days. We tried to pull my truck
with a bulldozer, it didn't work. Young people from the village
came to help us. We came to help them
simply out of solidarity. I broke the rear gimbal
on my truck and the brakes. I can't get out of it. I'm cold, I'm hungry.
I do not know what to do. The castaways on the road are exhausted. In this car park,
we are at least 200 vehicles blocked. We're all crammed in there. In the surroundings, up to 100 kilometers,
there are 1000 blocked vehicles. I come from Russia,
from Tatarstan. Nobody knows
when they will unblock the road. My truck is not refrigerated.
I carry perishable pastries. For now with this cold, the merchandise
of Salim Jam does not risk anything. However, his wallet
empties quickly. In this roadhouse,
food prices have doubled since
the drivers are blocked. The roadhouse is open 24 hours a day,
and business is doing pretty well. Everyone deceives boredom as best they can. Dangerous in this temperature, some don't even have
not enough diesel for heating. The next morning, despair
gives way to a desire for revolt. It spreads from truck to truck
through the CB. He has to manage to sneak in
the huge traffic jam with its 30 tons. Only a few meters in three hours. The bad news
keep coming. Police allow vehicles to pass
in groups of five or ten trucks, because there are very narrow places. It's blocked by the cold, I believe.
By dint of staying frozen for three days. Look at it in front of us!
Another one who got into the wallet. He doubled over. The long waits
uncertainty, worry. All that,
it's exhausting. A whole day
for 15 short kilometres. This profession is rather destiny.
It's not my choice. I miss my children very much
on long trips like that. Especially my little girl. Especially my little girl. The great fear of Salim Jam, find his truck buried under
a gang of icy snow in the early morning. We are on Mars. Do you see the situation? The wind is strong.
It carries the snow on the road. It starts with a small pile,
it grows, grows again, and in an hour
the road is blocked. The snow has fallen
All night long. Early morning,
Salim Jam doesn't see it yet, but a surprise awaits him. Five hundred kilometers further south, the famous seaside town of Aralks
Nowruz holiday. That is to say the awakening
of nature, spring. victory over winter
and the forces of darkness. spring day, Kazakhs forget resentment,
and quarrels of the year. Everyone opens their house,
and offers traditional dishes. We serve the sheep's head to the master
from the yurt, to the respected person. I built this yurt for the party,
so I'm leaving with the skull. In Aralks, The spring festival reminds
major summer fishing campaigns. A painful memory for the population. Aralks, is a port city,
or rather was. The sea has disappeared. Port cranes remind
that there was intense activity here. fishing boats,
of trade rushed against quests loads. We take long walks
far by the sea. There was a great sea
with big boats here at the time. Our sea has not had enough water. My grandfather was the captain
of a big boat here. We would like the sea to come back. We could swim.
Like that. The Aralks Inland Sea was great
like Belgium twice. His agony lasted 45 years. It began the day the Soviets
diverted the river that fed it, to irrigate their cotton fields. It was hard when the sea left. She left slowly.
We didn't notice it at first. It was sad. There were no more fish. Without the sea
our village had no more lives. Kind of like revenge as it retreated, the sea left men
a poisoned gift. The ground is white from the salt. with the storms, its form clouds of dust.
It is very bad for the air. People get sick from salt
in the atmosphere, sometimes even severe. nobody feels good
because of dirty air. Despite everything, his son can continue
the profession of fisherman. The Kazakh government, tries to save the Aralks Sea
by building dams. Thanks to titanic work,
a small sea has been preserved. The sea was great,
I remember. At the time,
she was coming this far. Now it is 18 kilometers away. There I ride
on the old seabed. It's been about 50 years
the sea went away, it became dry. It becomes mud after the rain,
and we get bogged down. I need 20 liters each time
gas to go there and back. I have to drive with
the four-wheel drive of my car. Sure,
it consumes more fuel. We are still waiting
the right weather for fishing. We resumed fishing very recently.
We do not have a lot of money. Look ! I am ashamed. Our boats are not big. I'm not going far
but I do with it. The sea is not yet deep
like before. Here the big ships
can't pass. God willing,
I will have a big boat one day. Thanks to the dikes
which now retain water, his dream may come true. The Aral Sea spreads out today
over 5000 square kilometers, i.e. nine percent of its initial surface. His level continues to increase. dried fish vendors
reappear along the roads. Salim Jam groans, but this morning
the sun made a nice surprise. He is relieved
like the thousands of stranded drivers one behind the other
over nearly 50 kilometres. The road finally opens up to them. I am stopped, immobilized. The temperature rises. The top layer thaws.
It's like soap. The end of the journey
looks calmer. eighty kilometers away,
the snow has disappeared. A wind of freedom is blowing over the steppe. Well, not for everyone. Obviously, Kazakhstan
is a land of contrasts. 500 kilometers away, their car repaired, we find Dzhanybek the leader
company, and his driver Rousslan. After the snow, the two friends
find themselves in a desert of mud. By dint of being shaken, Rousslan tries to roll over to the side,
that he finds smoother. We are immobilized in the mud. only one road,
and only clay. Abused and rambunctious
in all directions through the potholes, four-four drivetrain hard
proven, shows signs of weakness. There is no convenience store
in the middle of the steppe. Fortunately, the Kazakhs have planned
on the side aisles, repair bridges
like in garages. Rousslan checks what is going on. He tries to find the fault. Dzhanybek business meeting
seems definitely compromised. The only one to play
from the traps of the steppe, it's Koen Dick, nicknamed the desert taxi. This van,
it is my source of income, my livelihood. Koen Dick and his taxi criss-cross
villages looking for customers, but they are becoming rare. There are holes in these roads,
the size of a man even. bad roads
cost him a lot of money. Looked ! She fell
when they were shaken. It's like that for all of us.
We lose everything on the road. Looked !
Yet another ahead of us. The poor !
He lost all his hay. Oh dear ! Forty euros on the ground each time. Even the bodywork breaks.
Look, I put supports. My van is reinforced,
hand-welded, just for this road. Otherwise it would be in 1000 pieces. The pay is not big
at the end of the month. In the region, most Kazakhs
like Koen live with the subsistence minimum Here, life is rough,
men struggle with the elements. Nobody bothers with
environmental and pollution issues. I need to change the engine oil. I open the hood to drain. If we're really stuck in the desert,
you have to manage. I have everything in my car.
Everything to help me out without help. If I get bogged down,
I dig. I get by without help. If I see cows passing by,
they can pull the truck. There is no garage here. So I do it like this.
There is nothing. We are far from everything. In this corner of Kazakhstan,
pollution is very present. The country is the 17th world producer
oil and the 30th in gas. Drilling and prospecting have had
disastrous effects on the steppe, and herbs that feed animals. Nourlybek's family
raises camels. The beasts, according to him, begin
to suffer from all this pollution. We have a good life.
Look, we have a huge land. All our wealth is underground. Here are swamps,
we pumped all the oil from below, and we rotted the earth. The salt comes out and rises above. The earth is dying. Despite the oil money, some roads are difficult
to maintain because of the climate. A penalty for the Kazakhs
like Dzhanybek. The boss was able to honor
his business meeting, but four days late. Salim Jam has accumulated seven. Each of the drivers, wonders what adventure awaits him
on the next trip.
