by Richard Yarrow (14 Nov 06)

I don't know what it's like to be driving along in Britain, minding your own business, and then get pulled over by the police. It's never happened to me. But I do know what it's like in Kazakhstan. It happened outside the city of Kostanai, very close to what was left of an orange car mounted on a vergeside stand to serve as a reminder of what can happen if you speed. Let's not talk about how fast I was going, just that I was expecting trouble.

Ten minutes later the patrolman in question was sat behind the wheel of my car playing with the controls, posing for a photo with me and even offering me vodka. What had caused one to follow the other? I was taking part in an epic transcontinental voyage, a month-long drive from Paris to Beijing, a total of 8500 miles through nine countries. Sanctioned at the highest level, this copper just wanted to do his bit and escort us to our hotel.

Why those cities? It recreates the route of a challenge laid down almost exactly 100 years ago to prove powered transport was superior to the horse and cart. My four-day, 1500-mile stint behind the wheel would link Ekaterinburg and Almaty before someone else took the Merc on towards the finishing line.

Warned of cold weather, appalling roads, officious police and double-figure times for crossing the border from Russia into Kazakhstan, I was set for adventure. But on day one it never came; it was almost too easy. I didn't get stopped, the sun shone and getting my passport stamped took 45 minutes. At the end of the 350-mile leg to Kostanai I will confess to being disappointed.

It was still dark on the morning of day two as I tackled the first of the 430 miles to Astana, the Kazak capital. Once clear of Kostanai it was mile after mile of flat nothingness, short beige stalks to the left and right the only clue that this is basically one vast wheatfield. Again, the roads were irritatingly good. Every few miles there would be a junction, but the tarmac would only last for 50 metres down the side roads. It just stopped to be replaced by dirt track, stretching as far as the horizon and presumably beyond. What was out there? There didn't look much. The strangest thing was there was mobile phone coverage everywhere.

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