{"id":3664,"date":"2026-05-05T17:55:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T15:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/?p=3664"},"modified":"2026-06-08T17:18:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T15:18:47","slug":"professor-guel-a-floating-relic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/2026\/05\/05\/professor-guel-a-floating-relic\/","title":{"rendered":"Professor G\u00fcl \u2013 a floating relic"},"content":{"rendered":"

You'll find a few tips for cyclists at the end of this article<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As agreed the day before, I drove to the ferry terminal in Alat at 10 a.m. What struck me immediately wasn\u2019t what was there\u2014but what was missing: the hustle and bustle. No shouting, no whistling, no frantic manoeuvring. None of the usual chaos you experience in ports when ships come and go and everyone acts as if the global economy depended on it. It was so quiet that even my hope of crossing that same day slowly evaporated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This impression solidified when, after the obligatory rituals\u2014passport, ticket, luggage\u2014I was led into a waiting room. The room was not only deserted; it also seemed permanently optimised for this state of affairs. Someone kindly explained to me where the restrooms were and\u2014this was new\u2014where there were places to sleep. My question of \u201cWhen?\u201d was met with a shrug. \u201cI\u2019ll pick you up here in time,\u201d the man calmly dictated into my translation app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So I started to settle in as if I planned to grow old here: I took off my cycling shoes, put on my Birkenstocks, moved the table, found a socket, and set up my laptop. Just as I had achieved this state of temporary settledness, the door opened. I was asked to come along. So I had to put everything back into its original portable state and follow them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside, a minivan was waiting for me to follow. Ten minutes later, I was on board the ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I unloaded my bags, stowed and secured my bike, and then struggled my way up a very steep flight of stairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Everything about this ship had the charm of a 1970s Reichsbahn train carriage: functional, indestructible, and completely indifferent to whether you felt comfortable. After wandering around for a while, I finally found someone who assigned me a cabin and wordlessly handed me some bedding. Cabin number 3\u2014right at the front, with a view of the bow. On the Color Line or Smyril, they would probably have called it the \u201cCaptain\u2019s Suite.\u201d Here, it was simply Cabin 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I had read on the passenger list beforehand that there were supposed to be a total of 28 people on board. Sitting next to me were another German and a British citizen\u2014I met them later: two backpackers on their way to China, people with time on their hands and a certain willingness to go with the flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So I had company during the three daily meals served on board\u2014which, by the way, were included in the price of the $70 ticket. The other passengers were all men, every single one of them lorry drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I struck up a conversation with a few of them. One from Bulgaria was transporting air conditioners from Duisburg to Tashkent; another from Ukraine was on his way to Astana. They told me their trips lasted about 30 days each \u2013 long journeys, endless roads, and time spent far from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ship set sail at 4 p.m. Without an announcement and without safety instructions. Lunch\u2014served punctually at 11:30 a.m., as always\u2014had long since been served. The crew is on board for three months at a time and cooks three meals a day, whether the ship is sailing, waiting, or drifting somewhere between the past and its destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The crossing was calm, almost uneventful, and so we finally reached our destination near Kuryk around noon local time the following day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, and by the way: the ship is called Professor G\u00fcl and was built in Yugoslavia in 1986. A floating relic from a country that no longer exists\u2014which somehow fits well with what we experienced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What followed was the border crossing into the 13th country of this project\u2014an event that felt less like a modern national border and more like a living open-air museum of post-Soviet administrative art. The whole spectacle lasted a full two hours, including a medical examination straight out of the height of the COVID-19 pandemic: taking my temperature, furrowing brows, meaningful nods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, the actual border ritual began. Officials came and went, always with new ideas on how to make my stay\u2014or at least the border crossing\u2014easier. For 20 US dollars, for example, I was kindly informed, passport control could be \u201cexpedited.\u201d Another official pointed conspicuously often at my phone case. His, as he discreetly informed me, was unfortunately broken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fellow backpacker learnt that cameras are apparently considered luxury goods here: $100 was the price demanded for an import permit. And when the officials finally realised that the backpackers hadn\u2019t yet arranged a taxi or shuttle into town, they saw their chance. They readily offered to help\u2014at a price that would likely have justified a limousine ride through Monaco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To top it all off, I was asked (or rather, made) to carry my bike up a flight of stairs. The large gate, I was told with a shrug, was unfortunately broken. What a tragic coincidence. I pushed, carried and sweated\u2014not without a faint suspicion that this was payback for my obvious reluctance to pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I'm in Kazakhstan now...<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note for cyclists<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As has been reported many times: there is no schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My enquiries via the relevant telephone numbers or by email also failed to yield any useful information. It does not appear that reliable information is provided here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the only option is to use MarineTraffic and try to estimate when one of the ASCO ships will actually arrive at the port. According to the truckers, there are usually about six hours between arrival and departure. In our case, it was more like eleven\u2014which apparently falls within the normal range as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tickets are purchased at a small office located right at the port. Payment is then made at a nearby bank, which conveniently stays open around the clock. US dollars or manats are accepted. There is an ATM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You receive a ticket that is remarkably sparse: no mention of a departure time. This information is provided exclusively verbally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t want to spend the waiting time at the port, you have two realistic options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Port Hotel, approximately 1.6 km from the ferry terminal<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LIFE SPORT COMPLEX in the town of Alat, approx. 7.8 km from the terminal<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stayed at the LIFE SPORT COMPLEX and can recommend it without hesitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The passport and security procedures in Alat are generally not very time-consuming, although they are repetitive. My luggage was X-rayed twice and I had to present my passport and ticket at least five times. The inspectors seemed somewhat grumpy throughout, but not unfriendly.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You’ll find a few tips for cyclists at the end of this article. As agreed the day before, I drove to the ferry terminal in Alat at 10 a.m. What struck me immediately wasn\u2019t what was there\u2014but what was missing: the hustle and bustle. No shouting, no whistling, no frantic maneuvering. None of the usual […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":263519337,"featured_media":3599,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2710,117350,63191,785537884],"tags":[785537827,785537828],"class_list":["post-3664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-allgemein","category-fahrrad","category-reisen","category-toolbox-de","tag-aserbaidschan","tag-kasachstan"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgqEoM-X6","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4175,"url":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/2026\/05\/28\/hospitality-as-a-glimmer-of-hope\/","url_meta":{"origin":3664,"position":0},"title":"Hospitality as a glimmer of hope","author":"FriLu","date":"28. May 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddea Deutsch \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddffO'zbekcha For me, travelling to other countries means coming into contact with different people, cultures and ways of life. Travelling by bike means encountering these situations without any barriers. Of course, along my route I regularly meet people whose lives are very different from ours. Most of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Allgemein"","block_context":{"text":"Allgemein","link":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/category\/allgemein-de\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cyclingeast.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_8780-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cyclingeast.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_8780-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cyclingeast.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_8780-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cyclingeast.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_8780-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cyclingeast.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_8780-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4915,"url":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/2026\/06\/08\/cycling-into-istanbul-western-route\/","url_meta":{"origin":3664,"position":1},"title":"Cycling into Istanbul Western Route","author":"FriLu","date":"8. 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There is a lot of construction going on in Istanbul, so this information may be out\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art des Reisens"","block_context":{"text":"Art des Reisens","link":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/category\/unkategorisiert-de\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cyclingeast.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/the-western-route-1-edited.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cyclingeast.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/the-western-route-1-edited.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cyclingeast.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/the-western-route-1-edited.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cyclingeast.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/the-western-route-1-edited.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cyclingeast.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/the-western-route-1-edited.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cyclingeast.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/the-western-route-1-edited.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4919,"url":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/2026\/06\/08\/cycling-into-istanbul-soutern-route\/","url_meta":{"origin":3664,"position":2},"title":"Cycling the Southern Route into Istanbul","author":"FriLu","date":"8. 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June 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Mit dem Rad von Istanbul nach Taschkent Ich habe Taschkent erreicht. Nach 5.073 Kilometern seit Istanbul und 8.617 Kilometern seit unserer Abreise in Norderbrarup bleibe ich nun noch eine Woche in der usbekischen Hauptstadt, werde mich ein wenig erholen und die Heimreise vorbereiten: Das Fahrrad muss wieder eingepackt und die\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Allgemein"","block_context":{"text":"Allgemein","link":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/category\/allgemein-de\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cyclingeast.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_9016.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cyclingeast.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_9016.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cyclingeast.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_9016.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cyclingeast.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_9016.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cyclingeast.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_9016.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cyclingeast.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_7659.jpg?fit=2048%2C2048&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/263519337"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3664"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4936,"href":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3664\/revisions\/4936"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cyclingeast.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}