31 May — the report from Day 14.

The day has come. 31 May, day fourteen of the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge.
Today we cross from China into Kazakhstan and move on to a new stage.
China was long. And, honestly, it was hard.

Plagued by breakdowns from the start in Peking, China was one day after another of thinking this might be the end. Days shut up in a workshop, and being shown over and over that the challenge might simply fail.
Running across the Chinese land, the one thing I aimed at was crossing that border together with everyone else.

Through the first gate: China.

The Peking to Paris Motor Challenge crosses eight borders.
The first gate, China, was hard work from the visa onwards.
Getting the visa at the Chinese embassy took more than ten documents and an interview, and the interview itself was thoroughly intimidating.
“Show us proof of where you will stay — where is your proof that you will leave the country by car?” An ordeal that had my heart hammering before we had even set off.

And today the time came to get out of China. Happily, when you are with the main convoy the organisers handle all the formalities. Last night we stayed near the Kazakh border, and the morning brought the surprise of a Kazakh folk dance performance.

Getting over the language barrier by dancing

The crews were busy checking their cars, and everyone was excited about a new country.
We have been adventuring together for two weeks, and the language barrier is still high.
Even so, I had decided to keep smiling every day. And it was Patrick, the natural leader among us, who asked me to dance.

This one you had really better watch.

This is communication with everything you have (video)

“Hey, Japanese! All right today?” He always looked out for me. He followed my Instagram and looked forward to the daily posts.

Because he shared them, I gradually connected with other crews through social media too. If the words do not work, dance.

I have never danced in my life, but I danced with everything I had. Others began forming a ring, and when I realised I was at the centre of it, the shouts of “go on, KOMO!” brought me back to earth.

Shouting communication from the centre of the world? (video)

In that moment I felt recognised as the entertainer of this adventure. I forgot the embarrassment and the worry about my English, and thought only about what impression I could leave behind on this journey.

And then, at last, Kazakhstan.

We drove to the border in convoy, unloaded everything from the cars there, and went through inspection.

The driver crossed with the car; I crossed on foot with the luggage and was checked through.

Today we also say goodbye to the Chinese number plate that mattered so much in China.

The formalities took a long time, and while the others chatted I was absorbed in making a video to tell everyone in Japan about the day. And then, Kazakhstan. A few hundred metres of border, and even the air and the sky felt different.

A new adventure begins

From today I drive on across Kazakhstan. With a 1929 doctor who is as much trouble as ever, forward, and forward again. Out of China and on to the next challenge — on to Day 15.

Kazakhstan had wonderful landscapes of its own.

In closing

The road of this challenge is one unexpected thing after another, and every one of them becomes a memory worth keeping.
Enjoying all of this adventure and going on sharing it — that is what I am here for.
There will be bigger surprises and more laughter on the next stage, so do look forward to it.

Continued in Day 15 …