Adventure. From Krasnoyarsk to Almaty and back.
For a whole year we have been nurturing this trip to relatives in Almaty. To some extent, for this, they specially bought a small car. Small, flawed, right-hand drive Mitsubishi Pajero Mini. Bought at an auction in Japan. Brought by rail. Passed inspection, bought OSAGO insurance, registered, changed tires, oils, filters, put daytime running lights. The basis of the acquisition is not to annoy the outback of Kazakhstan, with a not very high standard of living, and especially their police with a big beautiful black Volvo. The task of saving from a flight by plane was not. The trip was more "knowledge of the world for". We also purchased a NAVITEL NX7200HD Plus navigator for the trip with an installed map of Kazakhstan. We also purchased a SHO-ME G-800 radar detector. In the native region, these lotions are not really needed. I will say in advance that all three purchases, a car, a registrar and a radar detector fully justified themselves and did not give reason to doubt the funds spent on them for more than a minute. The DVR was simply “borrowed” from a regular car.
Several route options were printed from the Rosavtodor website. Since we had to go to Almaty and Astana, several routes were printed out. Also on the site business trip. ru, at those points of the route where the overnight stay could take place, they picked up hotels and printed out their coordinates and phone numbers. We connected a function to the MTS SIM card in order to use the Internet throughout Russia. In Kazakhstan, both MTS and Beeline refused such a service. Looking ahead, this function was not needed. Used paper printouts. It's more convenient on the road! Is there a navigator next to the driver with a navigator folder? And in all the hotels where we stayed there was Wi-Fi and this solved all the issues that arose.
Until the very last day, hesitated on what all the same to go? Volvo or Mitsubishi? There were strong arguments for both. And there were more arguments for Volvo. Convenient, dynamic, comfortable, safe. The mere presence of cruise control on long-distance routes strongly tipped the scales in his favor. And in terms of fuel consumption during out-of-town runs, Volvo would definitely be more economical than Mitsubishi, despite the fact that it has 3.2 liters of working volume, and Mitsubishi has 0.66 liters! That's right - four cylinders, 660 cc. the working volume is true with a turbine. Also, Volvo would be more independent of gas stations with a tank of 70 liters versus 43 liters for Mitsubishi with comparable fuel consumption per hundred kilometers. As a result, emotions won over common sense and Mitsubishi was equipped on the way !!!!!! ! Looking ahead, I will say that I regretted this decision for almost the entire first day of the journey. The entire first thousand kilometers, until the turn to Zmeinogorsk. But more on that below.
Given the very small Mitsubishi gas tank, a 10-liter can of gasoline was taken on the road. So just in case. By the way, she returned to Krasnoyarsk with the same gasoline, although she was on the verge of consumption a couple of times. On the road, a few wrenches, pliers, a couple of screwdrivers, a bottle of oil, a towing line, a compressor, an alternator belt, a knife, a flashlight, chargers for phones and tablets. A rubber bucket, a rag, a sponge, a bottle of water in the washer and a means for wiping windows and headlights from insects. And that's it! A bag with personal belongings, since the journey was calculated for 10 days, of which a week in Almaty.
Money on cards. We have Sberbank. And some cash.
We set off on Thursday at 5-50 am with the task of driving through Achinsk before its residents wake up and rush to work. Everything is expected here. The roads are normal, gas stations according to the "navigator's folder". Refueling by credit card only. Two main minuses of Mitsubishi immediately got out. This is a fairly low speed and high fuel consumption. Cruising is 110 km / h on the speedometer, which corresponds to 102-103 km / h on the GPS. Faster, of course, you can, but it is extremely uncomfortable due to high engine speeds. Therefore, faster only when overtaking. Up to 120 km/h by GPS. But only when overtaking. And so cruising 100-105 on GPS. Consumption at this speed was about 10 liters per 100 km, which, with a tank of 43 liters, was somewhat annoying.
They chose a short way to Almaty, through Kemerovo - Barnaul - Ust-Kamenogorsk - Taldy-Kurgan - Almaty. The whole way of 2.357 km was planned to be mastered in two days. This was the first and probably the only mistake. It is impossible to go through Ust-Kamenogorsk and Taldy-Kurgan to Almaty! But more on that later.
On the first day we planned from 1050 to 1200 km. As accommodation options, we looked at hotels in Aleysk (1045 km), Pospelikha (1138 km) and Zmeinogorsk (1252 km). The road developed normally, policemen did not bother even once. The navigator helped a lot, especially to drive Kemerovo. Asphalt in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Kemerovo Region and the Altai Territory on federal highways can be called a "hard four". In Altai even four plus. True, it is in Altai that most of the police cars and cameras are located on the median strip. But given our cruising speed and the presence of a good radar-detector of threats in the form of a rod or a letter of happiness in the form of a photograph of our car indicating its speed and the size of the fine, we were almost not afraid. Which ended up being confirmed.
The day in July is long, so we decided to reach the farthest point of the overnight stay, planned for the first day. This is Zmeinogorsk, 1252 km from the launch site. Approaching Aleysk (1045 km), they called the Compass-Tour hotel in Zmeinogorsk. Checked availability and booked one. If there were no rooms, we would have to slow down in the hotels of Aleysk or Pospelikha (1138 km). There was a place in the Compass Tour and we proceeded further to Zmeinogorsk.
Here the symptoms of an incorrectly chosen short route through Ust-Kamenogorsk began to appear. The road from Aleysk to Zmeinogorsk is no longer "on a solid four" but "on a weak three"! Even with a minus! On this site, regret has already passed that we did not go to Volvo. The samurai honorably held the blow from the road "for a three with a minus" !!!!
We arrived at the hotel in Zmeinogorsk at 22-30. Stayed in the room. All amenities and most importantly hot water. A shower from a long journey is the thing! There is a 24 hour market across the road. Bought to chew. Dinner was impromptu in the room. Calculation by the way everywhere by card. Both in the hotel and in the market. Pleasant tread of civilization. Little Samurai is carefully placed in the closed territory of the hotel.
We had breakfast in the room, leftovers from dinner. There is breakfast at the hotel, but it is from 7-00. We didn't want to waste time. Departure in the morning at 6-00 to cross the border as early as possible and with a naive hope to arrive in Almaty by evening. Fortunately, only 1.105 km remained. Despite the fact that on the first day we waved 1252 km. We set off in a good mood. Naive!!!!!!
Mikhailovka border checkpoint (RF). Nobody but us. We are the first and only thing that inspired hopes for the estimated arrival in Almaty. Everything is very fast. Passport control, stamps in the passport (you can go on Russian, they naturally do not put stamps). Inspection of the proud Samurai. Naturally, they did not rummage through things, limited themselves only to questions. Examined the tiny trunk of Mitsubishi. The same without fanaticism. Everything is very polite, tactful. It's nice to realize the huge progress of the native country in this area! In a word, the best impressions from crossing the border in Mikhailovka and respect to our border guards! In total, the barrier is open and the wish of a happy journey, looking at our Samurai with some bewilderment and understanding what path he still has to go.
After about five kilometers, the adjacent checkpoint Ube (Shemonaikha) of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It's strange, but we are standing in line of various vehicles. Both trucks and cars. Approximately 15 pieces. Let me remind you that we didn’t have anyone !!! ! A total of one and a half! hours in line. We fill out the migration card. We go to the territory of the point. At passport control. Stamps in the passport. Car inspection. Everything seems to be the same as in Mikhailovka (Russian Federation), but everything is defiantly slow, through the lip, with an inhospitable expression on their faces! No, no one rummaged in things or in a car. Just a superficial inspection. But what a demonstration of their omnipotence and our dependence on their favor!!! ! One negative. That is, the distance between Mikhailovka (RF) and Ube (RK) is only five kilometers, but like a different era. Minimum gap of 20 years. A huge step for our country and in this case our border service! It is in such situations that you understand that your native country is moving with leaps and bounds in the right direction and you are proud of it.
As a result, two lost hours, a raised barrier and a team drive through instead of the “Happy Way”. Upon departure trailer with insurance. Another 20 minutes to get insurance for 10 days and go. By the way, insurance does not depend on engine size or power. Depends on the year of manufacture and environmental class. So the advantages of the Samurai in the form of 660 cm3. and 64 hp did not work here.
The journey across the Republic of Kazakhstan began. First impressions are positive. Everything is green, life is all around. Naive!
We wind along Shemonaikha more looking at the navigator, so as not to miss the “turn to Ust-Kamenogorsk”. We are crossing some kind of bridge or overpass in the general flow of cars. Fork. Ust-Kamenogorsk to the left. The radar detector is silent. We are obviously going slowly, but I must say I don’t look at the speedometer. Only on pointers and navigator. I turn on the left turn signal and I'm going to go left. A traffic cop is running with a striped staff. Begins. At what speed? I don’t know, but obviously slowly in the general flow and obviously not overtaking anyone! Even the duty joke that I was going to my mother-in-law did not help, so by definition I could not rush! Let's go to the post. Apparently, I still exceeded the speed, because only later I noticed that on all such crossings, on all bridges and entrances and exits from cities they (in the Republic of Kazakhstan) have exorbitant speed limits of 20 km / h. I apparently drove from 30 to 40. The radar detector is set up so that it is silent up to 40 km / h. Also in the Republic of Kazakhstan there are many speed control points according to the time of passage of the control section. The time of entry to the site (in this case, the bridge), the time of exit from it, its length, total average speed. In this case, the radar detector is powerless. This appears to be the same case. As a result, they composted my brains with insurance, technical inspection (be sure to take an instrumental inspection card with you !!! ), power of attorney. Our samurai is registered to his wife, of course there is no power of attorney, in the Russian Federation it is not needed, of course I am included in the insurance. This was not enough for them, they had to present their spouse sitting in the passenger seat. As a result, they let me go without saying what my speed was. Just a waste of time! The same 20 years behind our traffic police.
Already with a fairly spoiled mood from the border checkpoint and the local police, we are moving on our way. We pass through the outskirts of Ust-Kamenogorsk. Normal city. Normal faces. Mixed and Kazakh and "non-Kazakh", and the latter is clearly more. Roadside trade, vegetables, fruits. Moreover, persons “not Kazakh” trade, but this was formed in the minds later. From all this, the mood improved and, considering that there were about 800 km left, the hopeful continued on their way.
The realization that the shortest way is not always the fastest, after Ust-Kamenogorsk only got stronger and did not leave us all the way. The road is only "3 minus", it is formally paved, there really are no pits with sharp edges on it. There is but very rarely. It's just that she's covered in patches, but that's not the worst thing. She's just all harmonica!!!!! ! One big wave! Mostly transverse, but sometimes longitudinal, and so deep that cars strike their belly! Plus it's very narrow, one lane in each direction. Trucks go at a maximum speed of 40 km/h, dangling from side to side. Our Samurai up to a maximum of 70 km/h. And this despite the fact that in the Republic of Kazakhstan outside the city the speed limit is 110 km/h!!! ! Funny. There are few cars. So let's jump. Optimism is falling.
There is no life around. To the left is a railroad. For the whole day of the journey along it, not a single train or just a locomotive passed through it! Along the entire road, the skeletons of abandoned houses, towns, the remains of former Soviet gas stations. Finished off the look of a plundered huge elevator and a town not far from it! Horror! A whole town, probably no less than 25 five-story buildings with empty eye sockets of windows! Poles with wires removed. These were apparently "not Kazakh" settlements. They all died! What a different dimension!
Against the backdrop of devastation, cemeteries were struck! They don’t live like that in life, but cemeteries are like mirages in the steppe. A sort of "last breath of Mr. PJ. " Wonderful! Pardon the cynicism?
We must pay tribute along with the devastation, a new life began to appear. In the surviving settlements, Kazakh, new gas stations appeared. We refueled, all the way across the Republic of Kazakhstan, at gas stations with the name "KazMunayGas". Gasoline is slightly cheaper than in Russia. We always paid by card, because due to the hassle with the checkpoint, they did not bother to change money. In this, one should also note the pleasant pace of civilization! Even in RK!
There are no persons of “non-Kazakh” appearance at all. There is no roadside trade in principle! Now you understand why “non-Kazakh” persons selling along the roads in Ust-Kamenogorsk surfaced in my memory? Want to eat. We didn’t take anything with us, we’re not going to the North Pole! In the Georgiyevka area, we stopped at a half-ruined building, one wing of which was freshly painted and bore the proud inscription "Dining Room" and a poster "We have opened. " Horror. There are two tables and eight chairs inside. There are no visitors. There are not even duty pies. Total pancakes with fermented jam and two teas. Since we didn’t have tenge, we had to change them. The course is predatory, one to four. 500 rubles were exchanged for 2000 tenge, of which 500 tenge were given for pancakes with tea. Then they ate only snacks at gas stations in the form of Snickers and gas water. Toward evening, I no longer consciously ate, so as not to make me sleepy.
Looking ahead, I’ll say that the scam to get in a day along this road from Zmeinogorsk (RF) to Almaty (RK) crashed on this very road! Here I must say glory to the Samurai !! ! Volvo would just fall apart!
The steppe is endless. There are only milestones along the road. On one of the columns, instead of numbers, there is a word of two letters. From the memory of "IA", apparently the name of the settlement. The plate on a white background. The navigator writes the same thing and displays the speed limit of 60 km / h. There is no settlement as such. There is nothing at all along the road from the sign! About two kilometers further, to the right of the road, you can see three four one-story huts. Considering that the speed very rarely exceeded 70 km / h, I step “on the throat of my own song” and sneak no more than 60! Here's the radar detector! Clear. I creep on. I drive up to the huts, behind them is a UAZ and an inspector with a staff runs. Kazakh appearance. We must pay tribute to everything was correct. I did not exceed the speed, although the inspector tried to hint at it. In the end, we just talked. I didn’t get out of the car, he didn’t even ask for documents. I was very surprised when I found out where we were going. I thought that we were vacationers on Alakol and was very surprised that we were much further, to Almaty itself. He did not reassure us about the road, he said that everything was like that.
Already in pitch darkness we drove into some settlement. I don't remember the name. The picture is surreal, there are sheds along the whole village. Under each light bulb. And this is in total darkness! And under each canopy apples. Containers of different sizes, from very small to huge buckets. And the women who sell them. Stopped. My wife lived in Kazakhstan for a long time. I chose for a long time. Bought the smallest bucket. They gave 100 rubles of the Russian Federation. The seller's grandmother was happy. True, apples were only good for cider. Sour!!! ! Damned lemon! But they helped not to fall asleep on the road ahead.
Expensive as a washboard. Let's jump. Shows how the locals drive. The most popular car is a used Mercedes. They go without looking at the road. From Ust-Kamenogorsk to Taldy-Kurgan there are at least four such cars with a torn off front wheel! And the owner is waiting for help. Finished off, already at night, in complete darkness, the Cruiser leaning in the headlights and people rolling the wheel towards him at night! Well if it just unscrewed?
Total 23 hours on the road. We are leaving at 4 am! No, not in Almaty. Only in Taldy-Kurgan! From Zmeinogorsk only 862 km. And this is 23 hours on the road, taking into account the time difference. By the way, the navigator is well done, he himself translates time and translated it into Novosibirsk and into Kazakh. There is one plus on this road - gasoline consumption is not more than 7 liters per hundred. The speed is small, the speed of our motor is small, as a result, such an expense. True, I would gladly pay up to ten to a hundred.
They did not plan to stay in Taldy-Kurgan, so they had to look for a hotel by asking young people walking at night. And it's at 4 o'clock in the morning! Maybe because it was the night from Friday to Saturday? We found a hotel. They fell asleep. In the morning, at 9-00, we were awakened by Almaty relatives who had lost us. Climb. Breakfast at the hotel. A short walk along Taldy-Kurgan while waiting for the bank to open. Money exchange. Changed 10 thousand rubles. by 46.5 thousand tenge. We paid 7.500 tenge at the hotel. This was the first and only case when it was not possible to pay by card. And go!
From Taldy-Kurgan to Almaty is only 243 km. Naive hope that in three hours we will be. Yep, right now! Do you want six? There is no road! Plus, dozens of kilometers are being repaired with an expansion of the road, and everyone is driving along a gravel bypass at a speed of up to 30 km / h. And this is tens of kilometers! On one of the slopes with a turn, the limit is 40. Sneaking. Radar detector howled. I look at the fence is a tripod with a camera. I'm going further. I drive about a mile. After turning on the side of the road with a dozen stopped cars. Most, as I already wrote used Mercedes. Two police cars. The lowest rank runs towards me and waves a staff. I stop. The rank was not an officer, he did not even have time to take the documents. They shouted something to him from a patrol car and he waved to me - drive through.
Further Almaty. Buying melons and watermelons at the entrance to the city, in the Kapchagay area. The watermelons were delicious!
First we went to the hotel. Even in Krasnoyarsk they chose a few, closer to relatives. As a result, they settled in the Zyliha hotel. Normal number. We had a suite. Good parking for Samurai right under the windows. Breakfast. Payment by card. 15 thousand tenge per day. In general, everything is fine.
Almaty is a beautiful city. Miracle roads! Markings and pointers everywhere! There are cameras at every traffic light (crossroad). The speed and most importantly the rows are observed by everyone !!! ! No one goes over the traffic lights! None! Ride is a pleasure. There are no traffic jams! The flow is dense but it ALWAYS goes! We traveled in the morning, evening and afternoon. But there are no traffic jams! It's just that the traffic density is changing, but at the same time, no one leaves at busy intersections. There are a lot of police on the ring roads. The speed is constantly monitored. Packs stop "used Mercedes". As I understand it, they don't just wave wands. Despite the number “24 RUS”, they didn’t wave to me even once! Respect of the police of the Republic of Kazakhstan. All policemen met on the way are purely “Kazakh” in appearance. Despite the fact that there are a lot of people of “non-Kazakh” appearance on the streets of Almaty. True, the radar detector can be safely turned off. He howls constantly in all modes! The navigator is very helpful. For all the time in Almaty I have never seen a car with “RUS” numbers.
Miracle city! All green and clean. Along the roads (streets) there are concrete canals (ditches). According to them, according to the schedule, water is released for irrigation. It's far beyond 30 degrees outside, and from the mother-in-law's window, the Zailiysky Alatau glistens from snow and ice. A spectacle worthy! We went to friends in the village of Alatau. Greenery, lack of city heat.
The way back was unanimously chosen as a long one. Through Balkhash - Karaganda - Temirtau - Astana - Pavlodar - Novosibirsk - Kemerovo - Krasnoyarsk.
The first stretch of Almaty - Astana 1241 km. There is no place to stay for the night on the way. Therefore, there was a super task to get there in a day at any cost! We left on the road at 4-00! The road is certainly much better than from Ust-Kamenogorsk. Much! But still there are quite large similar areas. You can say the road from "three plus" to "a solid four" in some places. From Karaganda to Astana, a solid four with a plus. Total about eight in the evening drove into Astana.
We settled in the hotel "Zhetysu". We were charged upon check-in and not upon check-out, which is strange. But taking into account the fact that we left at 6-00 before breakfast, the payment was taken only for half a day, only 7000 tenge. Nicely! Visited relatives and sleep.
At 6-00 departure in the direction of Pavlodar. The road is something in between. There are good parts, there are not so good ones. In general, "four with a minus. " At ten o'clock we drove into the rain. We drove along it for about four hours. Unpleasant. Dirty. Luckily it was the only rainy section of the entire trip.
An eerie sight is a huge dacha array along the road in the Ekibastuz region. Dilapidated houses, abandoned overgrown areas. Apparently they belonged to "non-Kazakhs. " The people left, and the Kazakhs do not bother themselves with such things.
In general, this trip suggested that Kazakhstan has never been a state within its existing borders. These are artificially drawn borders under the Soviet Union. And the RK got these lands, which is called by chance and precisely during the collapse of the Soviet Union.
In the Pavlodar region, we stopped at the road cafes, had a bite of pies and continued to the border.
Checkpoint Kosak (RK) near the village of Lozovoe. We drive up, and see a queue at least a kilometer long. General queue. There are trucks and cars. At least six hours to stand! Taking into account the experience of crossing the border in Uba (RK), we connected all communications in the RK. Connections of the level “only cooler than Fujiyama”. Therefore, on the oncoming lane and past the entire queue right under the barrier. At the sight of our Samurai, the barrier was raised and we were immediately taken to passport control. Passport control as well as at the entrance with indescribable facial expressions. One negative. Drive through!
Our checkpoint Pavlovka (Russian Federation). There are only two cars in front of the barrier, and not a kilometer-long queue like in Kosaka (RK). The border guard, looking at our Russian license plates, is waving at us so that we can skip the line. Here our Kazakh connections do not work, apparently just such a practice. At the barrier, he (the border guard) asked us - “are all citizens of the Russian Federation in the car? ”. Under our friendly - "of course! ", He waved to pass to the inspection point. Also, first passport control, stamps in the passport. Car inspection. Extremely respectful, tactful but a little more careful than when leaving. With a mirror to inspect the bottom of the Samurai. But I will repeat everything extremely tactfully and respectfully, especially in contrast to the border guards of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Respect to our border service! For everything about everything, including passport control, no more than 15 minutes.
At the exit from the border point, there is a so-called sanitary control point. Well, it's just contraceptives. This is the case when the country is ashamed. In this case, it's a shame for the Novosibirsk region. As well as for the inspector of Rospotrebnadzor, who meets everyone arriving from abroad on planes, pretending to identify the sick. A shame! Well, it's like that, inspired.
Native roads was ready to kiss! 51 km to Karasuk. Hotel "Victory". By the way, the best of our trip! One eccentricity - if you pay by card, then breakfast is not included! What if in cash? Then for the same money with breakfast. It happens. Total 3 thousand rubles. from the map and check in. Our Samurai is in the territory outside the gate. So calmer.
The way from Astana to Karasuk was only 613 km, and taking into account the express method of crossing the border, it also gave me time to walk around the neighborhood. Opposite the hotel is a monument to fellow countrymen who died in World War II. Katyusha, T-34-85, howitzer. Large obelisk with the names of the dead. There are a lot of identical surnames, members of the same family. Brothers, fathers, children. Very dignified, clean, well maintained and inspires respect.
Dinner and sleep.
Very early rise and go. Karasuk - Novosibirsk - Kemerovo - Krasnoyarsk, with short stops for gas stations and snacks. 1168 km. At 22-00 we entered Krasnoyarsk. Hooray at home!
6000 km are not the easiest roads. Well done samurai! Not an ounce of oil to top up. He didn't hit or rattle. And regularly kept cool in the cabin all the hot way.