9 August 2008: Kurgan-Chelyabinsk

Our stay in Kurgan was really short, we got the time to “enjoy” the cold and rainy weather of the city, as well as hotel rooms without any hot water in the shower, which is quite normal for a hotel in this region! A cold wind coming from Siberia, after the numerous desert we’ve crossed!

Some of the participants have taken he train from Kurgan and will join the Routes of the Olive Tree’s Caravan in Moscow to continue the trip together. After the road and the boat, the train is another means of transport that completes our “used means of transports list” in this trip!

We got in Chelyabinsk by the end of the day, the craddle city of Lenin, to sleep there.

8 August 2008: Burabai – Kurgan

The entrance into Russia has been the most complicated one we’ve had since the beginnig of our trip. The participants had to wait long hours before they managed to leave late in the evening, especially the one in the lorry and the bus of the Routes of the Olive Tree. For administrative reasons, our lorry is unfortunatly still stucked at the Russian border. We hope it will be able to pass in few days…
Waiting for such a long time has also complicated the rider’s trip till Kurgan, our first stop in Russia, since they had to ride during the night and under the rain before fiding our hotel!

6 & 7 August 2008: Termitau – Burabai

For our last stop in Kazakhstan, we decided not to stop in the capital city, but to settle our tents few kilometres away, around the Burabai Lake. This region is in total contrast with the road wo rode before in the country. Because of the forest and the green hills that border this region, it is called “the Small Switzerland.” We camped not far away from a village called Kokshtau, in a very nice, still and quiet naturel site.

5/08/2008

“The Routes of the Olive Tree” changes its route.

The Chinese authorities hasn’t given any official answer to our Cultural Foundation, concerning the issue of the members of this expedition entry visa into China. The organisors of this trip still haven’t got any answer – nor positive nor negative – even after having given all the needed documents asked by the chinese authorities, after endless interventions from the Council of Europe,the Foreign Affairs Ministry,and our country’s embassy in China, as well as people having importance on an international level. We would like to also highlight that the organisors also modified the initial route, in order to obey to the chinese authorities, concerning the ban of crossing a region in China that has recently suffered from the earthquakes. A chinese public travel agence was supposed to carry all the formalities out, necessary for all the members of the expedition’s accreditation.
It is also important to highlight that the Ministry of Culture in Greece – that is the honour country at the Olympic Games this year – had included the Routes of the Olive Tree in the Year of the Greek culture in China’s programme. According to the principles, this means that the country that organises the Olympic Games that year has to approve the Routes of the Olive Tree as an official mission and offer its support.
“The message of Peace and Friendship among the people transmit itself also through the wind, and none of the border can stop it”, has declared the President of the Messinian Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as Executive Chief of “the Routes of the Olive Tree” cultural foundation, M. Georgios Karabatos, when he was telling the members of the routes about the modifications in the route and explaining the reasons why.
The route continue in the framework of the project of intercultural dialogue and plan to cross 13 countries in total, instead of 15 as it was planned before.The route that the riders now have to follow, as it is nowadays designed, cross the inner part of Kazakhstan as well as its new capital city, Astana, to join Kurgan, in Russia. We won’t go to Mongolia; In Kurgan, the expedition will go aboard the transsiberian till Moscow, where the members will stay three days on board in order to  prepare ” The big party of Greece and the olive tree” that will take place from 23rd to 26th september, in the framework of the 17th International meeting of Food products in Moscow. On this occasion, a commercial mission will also be created.
The message of Peace has passed Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan, where on 2nd august, in Almaty,a delegation of the Routes of the Olive Tree, leaded by M.Karabatos and accompanied by the consul of our country in Kazakhstan, M.Georgios Parthenios, has signed a “cooperation memorandum”, aiming at the promotion of the scientific research innovation and development, with Rector of the International Relations and “Kazakh Ablai Khan” International Relations and Foreign Languages university, Mrs. Salima Kounanbaeva. Fourty-five students study greek in this university.
The “cooperation memorandum” for the development of commercial and business relations, as well as transactions and exchanges on a bilateral level, regional and multilateral, has also been signed with the Kazakhtan President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Yerlan Kozasbai. Mr. has declared that if the cooperation with Greece didn’t exist before, the relations between our two countries enter a new phase thanks to the signature of this Memorandum.  Mr.Karambatos has offered two olive trees : a tree to the Rector of the university and another one to the President of the Kazakhstan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The inhabitants of the cities of Taras and Alamty – the ancient capital city of Kazakhstan- , habing some greek roots, warmly welcomed the members of the Routes of the Olive Tree, by organising a party in their honour inside the stadium of the city. Kazakhs people of greek origins expressed their love for their ancestors’ country and took advantage on this occasion to try olives, olive oil and olive paste, made in Greece and brought by the Routes of the Olive Tree. An organisation extremely dynamic of the inhabitants of Pont Euxin (exhiled by Staline in 1949 towards the Sovietic Unions borders of the time.), leaded by Mr. Pavlov Feodoridis, does its best to maintain the shine of the greek culture among 14.000 kazakhs of greek origins, who still live in this region after more than 40.000 of them went back.

The press office

4 & 5 August 2008: Balqash – Temirtau

We followed our route towards the North of the country, where we stopped for two days in a camping site, only one block from the Temirtau Lake, that used to be a soviet summer camp. This way, the riders as well as the participants got a chance to rest a little, while the Foundation was preparing the new route we are going to follow.

3 August 2008: Almaty – Balqash

We rode most of the day, following the Sary Ishikotaudesert limits as well as the huge Balkach lake, one of the four biggest lake in Central Asia, today threatened to disappear. In the middle of this very surprising scenery, where the wind often blows a lot, we stopped in Balkach city for the night. The city is totally dark at night, without any light on the street, the next morning we got really surprised by its beauty that you can appreciate during the day only. It has colourful markets and kept the style of an ancient soviet province.

2 August 2008: Almaty

We stayed one more day at the Panfilovo camping site. During the day, several collaboration protocoles have been signed by the Routes of the Olive Tree cultural Foundation, the Messinian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Greek Chambers of Commerce Union, represented by George Karabatos. The first one has been signed with the Kazakhstan Chamber of Commerce and Industry with its president, Mr. Yerlan S. Kozhasbay; the second one has been signed with the Ablai Khan university, with the rector, Dr. Salina S. Kounanbaeva. Those meeting have been a success and promise a lot of fructuous projects in the future, following the deep attachment that Greece has for the Almaty region.

In the evening, the Greek community in the Almaty region organised a party on the occasion of the Routes of the Olive Tree’s passage in the city. In the midst of this musical and dancing moment, Kazakh folkloric traditions met artists of greek origins in one show. The event attracted a lot of people. The audience was really warm and enthousiastic, and entered in the spirit of the game very easily. Numerous activities were organised by the Foundation on this occasion : tastings of olive oil products, introduction of the Routes of the Olive Tree’s programme;etc. A workshop for children has pleased tens of them coming from  Panfilovo city, each of them has given its hand imprint for the realisation of a huge frieze giving honour of the olive tree. This pedagogical activity enters in the framework of “Small Friends of the Olive Tree”, one of the Foundation’s projects, that was first organised two years ago, in collaboration with Environmental Education Centre of Kalamata. In the midst of this ceremony, an Kazakh traditional costume, “the one we offer to good people”; was generously offered to George Karabatos, in order to thank him for its initiatives that lead to a better collaboration and dialogue between Greece and Kazakhstan.

1 August: Shymkent – Almaty

That day was essentially dedicated to riding. Eventually, the riders of the Route of the Olive Tree have settled their camping site few kilometres away from Almata, which is the second most important city in Kazakhstan as well as the ancient capital city of the country. We’ve been warmly welcomed by the city council and the Greek community in Almata, and hosted in the Polianov stadium.

Despite the Foundation’s numerous and regular efforts, its frequent phone calls towards the chinese authorities as well as the support of international organisations, the impossibility for us to get the chinese visas has obliged us to change our route. Eventually, we decided to continue our trip towards Kazakhstan, in order to enter Russia from the North of Kazakhstan.

31 July 2008: Tashkent – Shymkent

The routine of passing the border restarts for our passing from Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan.We arrived late in the night in Chymkent where we had a dinner and slept on a parking in the open-air, under the protection of the local police.

In few days we should be into China. We are really worried about the situation and our chance to enter the country. Despite ongoing and signalised efforts towards the chinese authorities in order to emphasize our project and the symbol of our itinerary, we still don’t have any official documents allowing us to enter China. The situation is a big problem in the organisation and especially a huge disapointment for our riders and participants. We keep on waiting…

30 July 2008: Tashkent

On the occasion of our stop in Tashkent, famous for its huge greek community (more than 15000 greek people currently live in the city), a protocol of collaboration has been signed between the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Tashkent and Messenia.

In the night, the greek community with other representatives of local institutions have been invited to join the Routes of the Olive Tree riders to take part in a greek party, where we introduced the Foundation’s activities and showed some video extracts in preview of this trip. On the schedule : buffet, music… swimming-pool!