"Tired in Tengiz?" Tengiz by Bernie843

OK, so you've got a contract in Tengiz and you want some info. You've been given a choice of where to live, the SV, TCOV, TINGS or the RV.

SV is the new Shanyrak Village. Shanyrak means the Roof over your head in Kazakh. if you like to come back from work, have everything near you including bar, Gym, Swimming pool, medical centre, tennis, football pitches, cinema, canteen and bar-b-que, not forgetting loads of young Kazakh girls then this is the place for you.

BUT you will not find the following in SV.

Kazakh culture, foreign people (Birds of a feather flock together) and freedom to do as you please. I lived there and hated the place! It is too much like a prison. You are monitored and controlled everywhere you go and you are restricted on when you come and go. Try coming back into camp after 2300 hrs. You will be scrutinised the next day maybe even breathalysed. If you fail, you are fired. You cannot even drive your truck in your own time. (I got sacked for this!)

RV is the Rotational Village. I helped build it back in 92. It is very old, very Soviet and can be a very basic place to live BUT, you will mix with Kazakhs, Russians, Hungarians, Turks, Brits French etc etc. There are many shops here that are FAR FAR cheaper than in SV where ESS have a monopoly. There are clubs, a swimming pool (Yes there is! in the Tropicana complex) many bars, a brothel (in the Tropicana complex) a hotel, and a taste of Kazakh life. Oh, did I mention freedom to come and go when you please and to mix with whoever you wish. I had a great time there both times I was in Tengiz.

The TCOV is the TCO camp. You have to be TCO to stay there. There is a swimming pool, bar, shop (not good) and medical centre.

Just out side the TCOV is another camp TINGS. The shops and the night club there (Aquarium) are pretty good but expensive. The camp is basic. There is a hairdresser with a professional masseuse. God she hurts but is good.

If you are an introvert, go for SV. If you are an extravert and a global traveller (Why else would you be on this site) then go for the RV.

Tengiz is very near to the Caspian Sea. Around 2 km. There is a bund wall and behind this wall there are a few kilometres of marshes. Great if you are a Twitcher (Bird watcher) but not so good if you want to dip your toes into the Caspian Sea. (Bear in mind that the sand under you feet on dry land was once a sea bed in the Cretaceous period. (144 to 65 Million Years Ago)

But all is not lost as there is a sea inlet not far south of the plant. You need to take the Dyke road south and follow it until the Dyke disappears and you see can see the sea on your right. Take the next track right and you are at a ‘beach’.

There is a bar-b-que set up there for everyone to use and volleyball posts if you have a net.
Bear in mind that if you are in SV, you won’t be allowed to go. You are a naughty boy for even thinking of that. Stay in the bar with the other Expats.

I arranged a beach party with my Kazakh team, I paid for the food, beer and ice etc and they supplied the equipment.

We all had a great time. In the inlet are millions of shrimp that nip at your skin if you stand still and the muddy ooze that is squishing between your toes is a 100 million years of dead shrimp and fish poo.

You will not be the only guests there as flocks of pink flamingos will share the inlet with you.

This place is a must-go, but remember to take sun cream and something to make a shade with. We used a Safety banner!

Further South from the sea inlet is a salt lake. This is an artificially made fire retention pond that is no longer used. In spring it fills with melted snow and sea water and then starts to evaporate.

This makes the water VERY salty and dense. Hence the name and hence the fact that you can’t sink.

TCO lay on a bus every Sunday as did PFD. The drive is a bit of a bore taking one hour but it is worth it. If you are not in SV then grab a picnic and drive yourself. It isn’t far.

Take loads of fresh water with you to wash off the salty water as it stings and if it gets in your eyes it BLOODY HURTS! Sergi Zuev dived into the water with his eyes open! You also need shoes that you can keep on when you ‘swim’ (you can’t swim in it so I should have put ‘float’) as the salt has dried on the edge making very sharp edges. You will cut your feet on these edges, then you will get oil in the cut followed by extremely salty water.

The black ring around the edge of the lake is oil so avoid that.

You cannot sink in this water, it is also very hard to float upright with your legs in the water as they are too buoyant but it is great fun trying and when you finally achieve it, a slight movement of your hips gets your legs shooting up until they are horizontal!

We took Adelya who couldn’t swim and the photo is her first time floating in water. Swimming goggles are a good idea or just carry a bottle of water on your chest as I did.

I’ve always wanted to go to the dead sea to experience this natural phenomena but I didn’t have to go that far as the experience was right here in Tengiz.

• Pros:Nice people, good work site, some fantastic experiences to see if you are the adventurous type.
• Cons:Can be like a prison in SV, a lot of corruption and small minded expats.
• In a nutshell:I loved it so much, I went back 15 years later.