Summer in Russia turned out to be hot. It was dry and sunny weather. The temperature was kept at + 25 ° C. A group of enthusiasts led by the emirate entrepreneur Ibrahim Sharaf, president of the Dubai-based Sharaf Group, decided to make a march in Siberia and the Far East.
Ibrahim Sharaf has been preparing for this trip for more than one year, a route has been developed, all the criteria of the trip have been discussed and a team of like-minded people has been assembled, including the fellow countryman Ibrahim - Anwar Sharaf, a native of Bahrain, Kazim Javad Alleys, the Mexican Kuberto Parra and others. They supported the unusual idea of their comrade-in-arms and took part in a risky adventure - an exotic rally off-road by Mother Rus.
By plane, the group was delivered from Moscow to Sakhalin Island. The project started in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, where three Land Cruiser 10-year-old right-hand drive jeeps were rented and several Russians were hooked as steering. So began an unforgettable trip ...
The route length of 12,595 km was divided into 20 stages, the longest of which was the route of 1,200 km. There were cities on the way of the automobile caravan, the names of which not every Russian immediately recalls - Korsakov and Prigorodnoye, Kholmsk and Vanino ... Further along the course were Vladivostok, Vostochnoye, Krasnoyarsk, Omsk, Yekaterinburg, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod ...
"Russian Exotics" was more than enough for everyone. Although unusually lucky with the weather, in the SUVs (as it usually is) there were no air conditioners and navigation systems. On the roads, off-road, potholes and gully "conquerors of Siberia and the Russian hinterland" raced for 15-17 hours a day. Halt arranged only to eat and sleep. Not without adventures - in one two-hundred-kilometer stretch, seven tire punctures occurred. And for 26 days of "big races" three sets of tires were worn out.
Rally enthusiasts everywhere found friends who helped them organize their vacations and car repairs. Neither the language barrier nor the difference in cultural traditions and religion stopped anyone from embarrassing or stopping. The openness, friendliness and hospitality of Russians touched travelers to the core. “It doesn’t matter whether people from a large city or a remote Siberian village met us. They always smiled, were ready to talk and knew at least something about our countries,” Ibrahim Sharaf admired.
There were fatigue, mood swings, and new experiences. On the Irkutsk highway lost a bag with documents for cars. But, fortunately, everything ended well, thanks to an understanding of the situation and the speed of actions of our compatriots.
Finally, travelers passed Moscow and entered the Northern capital - St. Petersburg. Everyone was in good health and successfully finished at their destination.
So what did they need, these strange foreigners? Why didn’t they go to rest on the tropical islands, but chose to swallow dust in the Russian outback? Ibrahim Sharaf, who traveled all over the Arabian Peninsula, almost all of Asia, China and twice conquered the North Pole, answered this question very simply: "I have seen Russia on the map many times, but I wanted to see what it really is."
Upon their return, the expedition participants shared their impressions of the trip. A separate story could be written for each item. But we confine ourselves to a brief overview of what surprised and amazed them.
People. Ordinary residents of Russian cities and villages. All of them are open, cheerful and, at the first request, are ready to provide all possible assistance.
Roads. Or, for the most part, their absence. True, in some sections of the highway the extremals seemed simply excellent.
Nature and the environment. The expanses of Siberia. Beauty. Taiga. The woods. On the other hand, the Chelyabinsk region is like an alien landscape, everything is burned out by metal and acid.
The most memorable place - Lake Baikal. There, "jippers" organized a bathhouse and fishing.
The best dish I've ever had - borsch. Here, as they say, no comment ...
The dream has come true, and then what? Already today, Ibrahim Sharaf began preparations for a new journey. Now in winter Russia. On snowmobiles. The path chosen is not easy - from Magadan to Yakutsk. Good luck
A lot of unknown, new and extreme, worthy of such travelers as Ibrahim and his comrades, remained on the old Earth.
Elena Balina
