The whole day was spent searching for a car because everyone was traveling to Almaty and didn't want to take passengers halfway. The price for such a service was astronomical, of course. However, I managed to find a car for tomorrow to the city of Aktobe, which was 470 km away from Uralsk, for one and a half thousand rubles. It was the best price available at that time and in the direction I needed, from where I could try to find a bus to Zhitikara. So, I didn't waste any time and started packing my things in the evening, making sure not to forget anything.

Morning came, and I was ready for the next stage of my journey. By 10 o'clock in the morning, the car arrived, I said goodbye to Dasha, and set off on my way to a new city called Aktobe. While I was in the car, I had time to search for accommodation. I didn't know where I would stay or if I would find anything for the night because even a week after the announcement of partial mobilization, there was utter chaos in the chats, and housing prices remained astronomical. After a few hours of unsuccessful searching for accommodation, I finally received a long-awaited message from some guy.

Hello, can I help you?

Hello, is it about accommodation?

Yes.

Is it in Aktobe? What's the price?

Are you a girl or a young man?

I'm a guy, alone.

How should I address you?

My name is Alex, and what's your name?

I'm Timas. You can call me Tim for short. We have a two-bedroom apartment. We're students. There are three of us, and we can arrange ourselves in the living room while you'll have the bedroom. There's a double sofa in the room. If you want, there's a bathroom you can use. We'll also provide food and drinks, don't worry. As for the price, I don't know. Let's talk about it in terms of what you're willing to give, whatever you can afford. I just want to help people.

I agree to any accommodation conditions, even if it's on the floor. It doesn't matter to me. I'll arrive in Aktobe at 6 o'clock in the evening from Uralsk. And in the morning, I'll be looking for a way to continue my journey. I just need to know how much money to offer you… Around 5-6 thousand tenge?

Well, if you're willing, we'll be waiting for you.

I'm willing.

Regarding the price, as I said, whatever you can spare.

Alright, thank you so much. I can be driven to the address. But I'll be there around 5-6 in the evening.

Address: Toleu Aldiyarov 6, Sazdi District.

Thanks again.

Alexey, sorry for the silly question. But could you tell us a little bit about yourself so we know who we'll be spending the night with? How old are you, where are you from, and so on?

I'm 29 years old, divorced. I'm from Moscow, lived there for 10 years, worked in the restaurant industry as a waiter, bartender, and manager. Originally from Crimea.

That's all good, we'll be waiting.

While we were driving, I spotted a couple of sports stores and a bus stop in the city of Aktobe, where I definitely needed to stop by.

As promised, I arrived at six in the evening. Timas, a tall Kazakh guy of average build, greeted me and helped with my belongings by taking one of my backpacks.

When I entered the apartment, I was greeted by two more guys, Arthur and Baubek. Arthur is not tall and slender, while Baubek is of the same height as Timas but more athletic. It's evident from all of them that they are native Kazakhs.

They fed me and served tea, just as they promised. I shared my little story and what is happening at the borders. I talked about my future plans, my thoughts of traveling to India, but for now, I haven't resolved the issue related to visa payment. The guys said they study at a medical university, and I immediately understood that there must be Indians studying there who could potentially help me with visa payment through their card. I asked the guys if they could introduce me to the Indian students, and Timas said that tomorrow they would take me to the building where the Indians study and introduce me to someone who can assist me.