Crossing the Border for the First Time: My First International Bus Journey

Crossing the Border for the First Time: My First International Bus Journey

I am Mr aosiman tuohesun, from zepu county ,Kashghar,xinjiang,china, In the early morning of November 10, 2025, the sky over Urumqi was still shrouded in a faint grayish blue. The cold wind of early winter carried a crisp chill, quietly sneaking through the window cracks and brushing the cheeks with a touch of freshness. I woke up earlier than the alarm clock, perhaps driven by the uncontrollable expectation in my heart. I jumped out of bed and began to carefully pack my luggage for this cross-border journey. From toiletries to daily necessities, every essential item was checked and placed in categories one by one, for fear of missing anything; the clothes were folded neatly in the order of wearing, with thick coats and light inner clothes neatly stuffed into the suitcase. When I pulled up the zipper, looking at the bulging but well-organized suitcase, it seemed that the expectation for this journey was properly stored in it.

After packing up, I drove to Urumqi Land Port International Passenger Station. The streets in the early morning were extremely quiet with few vehicles, and I arrived smoothly all the way. I parked the car steadily in the exclusive parking space of the underground parking lot, confirmed repeatedly that the door was locked, and then picked up the suitcase and walked to the passenger station hall. At this moment, there were already many fellow passengers in the hall, with conversations in different accents echoing in the ears, and a faint smell of travel filled the air. The palm of my hand holding the ticket was slightly warm, and my heart was filled with anxiety and joy – this was my first time taking a bus abroad, and also the first time stepping out of the country. The destination was Almaty, Kazakhstan, a city only familiar in hearing, which was about to lift its veil in front of me.

In the afternoon, the sun gradually faded the midday heat and became soft and warm, sprinkling on the square of the passenger station, covering it with a warm yellow glow. The bus left the station on time. At the moment the body slowly started, I looked at the Urumqi street scene gradually receding outside the window, and an inexplicable throbbing surged in my heart. The long-distance drivers were experienced, steadily holding the steering wheel, and the vehicle galloped westward along the established route. The scenery outside the window gradually transitioned from the high-rise buildings in the city to the open wilderness in the suburbs. The withered grass swayed in the wind, and the outline of the distant mountains gradually became clear. The monotonous but boundless scenery kept changing with the rolling of the wheels.

Night quietly enveloped the earth, and the sky gradually turned dark. Only the car lights cut through the darkness, casting two bright light belts on the road. The drivers took turns on duty, always maintaining a high degree of concentration, driving all night without stopping, and did not slack off at all. The carriage gradually quieted down. Most passengers closed their eyes and rested on their seats, occasionally making a few shallow breaths, accompanied by the steady sound of the wheels rolling on the road and the occasional scattered lights passing by outside the window. The originally long night road turned out to be extremely stable, not as boring as imagined.

In the early morning of the next day, the sky turned pale, and the faint morning light penetrated the car window and sprinkled on everyone’s face. The bus slowly entered Khorgos Port Passenger Station. After a night’s journey, it finally reached the key node of customs clearance. We got off the bus in order, first went to the designated window to go through the ticket stamping procedures, and the staff acted skillfully with efficient and smooth processes; then we went to the port customs clearance area, submitted documents and cooperated with the inspection. Every link was in order. The staff carefully checked the information and patiently guided the process without any delay. The originally worried cumbersome procedures were quickly completed in a smooth connection.

After successfully passing through the Chinese port, the bus slowly entered the Kazakhstan port area, and the exotic atmosphere quietly came. I held my passport tightly and queued up with a nervous and expectant mood. When it was my turn, I handed out my passport with slightly trembling hands. Watching the staff carefully check the information and then steadily stamp the entry seal on the blank page of the passport, at the moment the red mark fell, a strong sense of reality surged in my heart – I really stepped out of the country and came to a foreign land. The excitement in my heart was indescribable, and the corners of my mouth involuntarily raised a smile.

After all the customs clearance procedures were completed, I boarded the bus again. The drivers took a short rest and then started the vehicle again. The vehicle drove along the highway in Kazakhstan, and the scenery along the way gradually had a different charm. After driving for about two hours, we arrived at a service area towards Almaty. The buildings here had a strong local characteristics, simple and plain. After getting off the bus, a strong smell of rice drifted with the wind. Following the smell, I found a restaurant run by a Kazakh businessman. Pushing the door open, the warm atmosphere mixed with the aroma of food rushed towards me, instantly dispelling the tiredness of the journey.

I ordered a local specialty pilaf. When the waiter brought it to the table, the plump rice grains glistened with oil, matched with fresh meat pieces and chopped carrots, which was very attractive in color. I picked up a spoon and took a bite into my mouth. The soft and glutinous rice was wrapped in rich meat aroma, mixed with the unique smell of spices, spreading slowly on the tip of my tongue. The familiar taste was no different from the pilaf in my hometown. The warm taste slid down my throat into my heart. The tiredness of the journey seemed to dissipate most of it in this delicious bite. The sense of alienation brought by the unfamiliar environment also quietly melted in this warm taste.

After a short stay and rest, we boarded the bus again. The drivers set off again, steadily driving the vehicle through the roads of the foreign country. The scenery outside the window was more and more unfamiliar and novel. Different from the vegetation in China stretching in the wind, the low-rise buildings with strong local characteristics were scattered along the road. Occasionally, pedestrians in local costumes could be seen passing by, with a different flavor of life. I leaned against the car window, staring intently at everything outside the window. Every scenery was full of freshness, and my curiosity and expectation for Almaty became more and more intense.

After more than three hours of smooth driving, the bus finally slowly entered Almaty Passenger Station. The body gradually stopped, and at the moment the door opened, fresh air poured into the carriage. I picked up the suitcase and walked down step by step, stepping on the foreign land with my feet, looking at the lively and vivid scene in front of me – passers-by talking in unfamiliar languages, surrounding buildings with unique exotic customs, and the air filled with an unfamiliar but kind atmosphere. My heart was filled with infinite emotion.

This first cross-border bus journey, although tired from the long-distance travel, hidden the surprise of the scenery along the way, had the tension and anxiety during customs clearance, and also had the warm comfort of tasting the familiar taste. Every moment was extremely precious, and every experience was worth remembering. It was not only an unforgettable experience of my first trip abroad in life, but also like a warm encounter, engraving the gentle memory unique to this journey in the years and becoming the most vivid mark in my heart.

The journey from Urumqi to Uzbekistan became particularly meaningful due to the encounter with a new friend. While waiting for the bus, I met a friend from Surkhandarya Region of Uzbekistan. Along the way, he enthusiastically told me about the economic development trend of Uzbekistan, from the layout of characteristic industries to local business opportunities, as well as many potential entrepreneurial directions. His narration was clear and detailed, making me full of expectation and longing for this country I was about to reach.

After the long waiting time, we finally ushered in the departure time. Boarding the bus, I found 3 young Chinese people already sitting in the carriage. Among them was a newly-married couple, who were planning the journey with great longing. The other lady was from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. She was cheerful and took the initiative to strike up a conversation with us, sharing our respective travel purposes. The originally unfamiliar atmosphere gradually became lively and harmonious. Since the bus was traveling at night, the journey was long and tiring. After a brief chat, everyone found a comfortable position and gradually fell asleep during the bumpy ride, spending the night accompanied by the sound of wheels rolling on the road.

Early the next morning, the bus arrived at the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan border port, which was near the Uzbekistan border and more than 40 kilometers away from its urban area. We got off the bus one after another and cooperated with the staff to complete entry procedures such as luggage inspection and identity verification. The whole process was smooth and orderly. After all inspections were passed, I finally officially stepped into Uzbekistan. At this time, dawn had broken, and the morning light slowly sprinkled around the port, with a touch of coolness in the air. There were many currency exchange intermediaries gathered near the port. They held various currencies such as Uzbekistani Som, Kazakhstani Tenge and US Dollars in their hands, constantly asking passing passengers about their exchange needs and clearly quoting the real-time exchange rate to facilitate everyone to exchange as needed.

After waiting at the port for about two hours, the bus I took also completed the customs clearance process and slowly approached. Boarding the bus again, it continued to move forward, heading for Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, and finally arrived at Tashkent International Passenger Station smoothly. This cross-border journey came to an end here, and a brand-new exploration journey was about to begin.