Ship cemetery in the Aral Sea

We move off the grader, leaving civilization behind for a long time. However, for this, after all, we went! From the roof of Dafa you get interesting views a la "bird's-eye view".

Soon the primer disappears, and it becomes clear why - we are among a large salt marsh. Takyr, scorched earth. Clay hides behind the crust, which seems solid in appearance. Slippery, viscous, insidious.

Before that, it rained here for a week, and now we very carefully choose our path. Even in such harmless-looking places, we do not risk moving out, since there are several tens of kilometers to help, and there’s nothing to swindle here. Therefore, you have to constantly look for detours.

However, species appearing on the horizon more than compensate for everything.

After a long and boring week of hauls, the relief is like a breath of fresh air.

The farther we go, the stronger the feeling that we are on Mars. Once upon a time very, very long ago these rocks were under water.

The primer, meanwhile, simply beckons us further, to find out what is hidden behind the next turn.

Eeee ... Spherical nodules? Here? But, in any case, a year ago near Shergaly we saw exactly the same thing!

Tearing off the slope, small stones leave bizarre paths behind them, and each of them for some reason moves along its own path, different from a straight line.

Well, beauty!

During the next stop, I accidentally climb onto the side of a mountain to take a picture of a camper against the background of the sea. So, what is this black dot on our horizon? Where is my telephoto lens?

Let's take a closer look. But this is ...

The ship, and even almost a whole one! I don’t believe my eyes! This is good luck, because we did not know anything about this place!

We turn off the primer and head towards the shore in azimuth. Yes, not every day from the windshield of Daf opens a similar picture. However, they did not come close to them because of fear of soil swampiness.

Lies on a small shallow a couple of tens of meters from the coast. It seems that all my life I just did what was waiting for us.

It looks much better than the ships near which we spent the night. Perhaps, nevertheless, the effect of remoteness from settlements.

General form. It is a pity that because of the water it did not work out to come closer. But perhaps it’s for the better.

Let's look to the right ... What do we have there? You can be stunned, but he is not alone here!

In general, on the way to the shore, we decided to dine on the spot with such an amazing view, but the ships in the distance changed our plans. Rather to them! Suddenly they will sail away ???

Despite the apparent proximity, we searched for them for a long time, and the reason is the sea shore, which turned out to be a dozen meters below the steppe path. You can just drive past and not see anything at all!

The crumpled giant lies on the seashore. And what is so visible on it?

A faded flag of a vanished country on a sunken ship ...

To the goosebumps. Perhaps this was my strongest sensation for the entire expedition. And there is not a soul around, only we are standing on the shore and the waves continue to beat against the side of the deceased ship.

Nearby rests another ship.

Crane with block and swing doors on deck.

Another angle. Did the people who built these ships knew that such a fate awaits them?

And so they lie on the seashore, abandoned and forgotten. Although, probably, they would be better if people didn’t remember about them at all ...

Meanwhile, the sun came out briefly, and we ran to the ship in the distance. The azure sea, clear sky, white sand of the coast - an idyll!

When we came close, because of the terrain, the first ship appeared, near which we visited. It was very hot, well over thirty degrees, and he seemed to tremble in the currents of hot air.

We walked around with interest. Due to the fact that this ship was not lucky to be on the shore, its safety is much worse. Locals are slowly cutting off what can be cut.

And then we smelled ... The smell of an old car. Rusty metal, heated by the sun, mixed with oil, sea water and a warm wind blowing from the steppe. The smell of a ship that has been here for decades. You can’t confuse him with anything.

In general, I myself really love old cars and mechanisms. Made in those distant times when mankind did not yet know about plastic and "programmed aging." For some reason they seem alive to me.

It was with these thoughts that I looked into the hold. After all, this giant had a completely different purpose. But fate turned out differently ...

So these few ships rest on the very shore of the departed sea, waiting for their fate. Locals in conversations with us “affectionately” called them “scrap metal”, and these people can also be understood - when there is no work and there is nothing to feed the family, it becomes somehow not to sentiment.

Well, in turn, we were just glad that we had time to catch this "scrap" made many years ago in a distant country ... In a country called the USSR.