Replace storms in the steppe with coordination. Meaning: dust storm. Cheap food and good-natured but cunning Mongols

Dictionary of the Winds

Dust storm

(Dust storm), dust storm

strong wind lifting from earth's surface a large amount of dust or sand blowing upper layer dried soil, not supported by vegetation, resulting in poor visibility. P. b. It has different names: tozlu fyrtyna ( Azeri), chatduu boron ( Kyrgyzstan), Changli Buran (Uzb.), Tufani Chang ( Taj.), byylaakh buurba (Yakut), korianteli (Georgian), imanadyaran ( Evenk.), Zandhose ( German Sandhose), will give a storm ( English dust storm).

Dust distribution during the northwestern Dust Storm of July 17, 1970 over Mesopotamia. Hatching - degree of turbidity.

In arid areas, steppes and deserts, P. b. usually observed during rainless periods in spring and early autumn due to dry soil. P. b. is distinguished by the color of dust raised by the wind. white (on salt marshes), yellow and brown (on loams and sandy loams of the same color), red (on red loams and sandy loams and sands enriched with iron oxides), black (on chernozems).

Dust distribution in the Lower Volga region during the southeastern Dust Storm on June 13, 1970. 1 - severe turbidity, 2 - moderate turbidity, 3 - direction of dust flows.

P. b. begins with the formation of a focus near the ground, when the wind force is sufficient to initiate wind erosion. Then P. b. develops upward and across the area. According to the source of the sand and dust suspension, P. b. divided into local and advective. The latter spread along the wind far from the source of their origin. Based on photographs obtained using satellites, the penetration of dust clouds from the Sahara through Atlantic Ocean to Central America (see). Every summer, 60-200 million tons of dust are carried from the Sahara into the Atlantic alone.

In the USSR, the most extensive focus of P. b. located in the Central Karakum and foothills of the Kopetdag. P. b. often cover the Lower Volkhsk region, North Caucasus and the south of Ukraine. There are three main areas active development P. b.: over the northern and northeastern coast of the Caspian Sea, over the southern and southeastern coast of the Caspian Sea and over the northeastern coast Aral Sea. The progressive shallowing of these seas contributes to the formation of sandy zones. Dust waves with visibility less than 200 m alternate with visibility zones of 3-4 km and extend to the southwest and west. They cross the Aral Sea in long and wide streams and reach the Ustyurt plateau or the Amu Darya delta.

The main area of ​​occurrence of dust blowouts containing salts and carbonates covers the Caspian Lowland and the northeastern coast of the Caspian Sea. The dust emission has a multi-jet structure. The centers of deflation, judging by satellite data, are located in relief depressions occupied by salt marshes, in a coastal strip only about 50 km wide. The winds carry the dust raised here to the river delta area. Volga and further to the northwest (see).

Dimensions of the covered P. b. territories vary widely, from hundreds square meters up to thousands of square kilometers. The northern border of the distribution of P. b. in the USSR it passes through Balta, Kharkov, Ufa, Orenburg, and Altai Territory.

The main areas of dust storms outside the USSR: 1. Central and West Africa. In the south of the Sahara P. b. can cover spaces measuring 2500X600 km, from the river. Senegal to the lake Chad, in the form of stripes, mostly latitudinal. Here the harmattan carries masses of dust across the Guinean coast to the sea, called the Sea of ​​​​Darkness. 2. Mediterranean coast of Africa and the Levant. 3. East Africa- Sudan, from the Nile to the Red Sea. The concentration of dust in the air increases markedly as the wind flow slows down near the intertropical convergence zone. Northern region dust flow zones sometimes look like a curved squall of gigantic proportions. P. b. occur when a relatively cold northwest wind meets a hot southwest monsoon. Dust rises by powerful convective currents, is picked up by high-altitude currents and is transported through the mountains to the south of the Red Sea. 4. Arabian Peninsula. P. b. arise in transition zone between a cyclone and an anticyclone in the form of powerful jets with a maximum speed at an altitude of 1.5 km (see). Dust plumes consist of parallel swirling and expanding streams. The dust is transported in a corridor between the mountains of Asia Minor and Saudi Arabia. 5. Deserts and steppes of Mongolia, China, south Central Asia. 6. Central States North America- Dust Bowl region (Great Plains, Colorado, Kansas, Texas, etc.). and pampas South America. 7. Steppes and deserts of Australia.

Sandstorm. Photo from the Internet

The development of virgin lands, uncultivated for centuries, as is well known, began in 1954. Work continued intensively until 1960. A gigantic area was plowed - more than 40 million hectares. This more territory Germany. A colossal amount of material, energy, labor and other resources was spent.

In accordance with the plans of the party and government, it was assumed that upon completion of these grandiose works, the granaries of the homeland would be bursting with bread. However, unfortunately, we can say that exactly the opposite happened. The bins were so empty that for the first time in all Russian history in the sixties, huge purchases of grain abroad began.

Of course, there were probably other reasons that forced the leadership of the Soviet country to import grain. But already at the end of the fifties it became clear that another voluntaristic adventure, this time in the field of virgin grain, had failed miserably. At least in Kazakhstan I saw a lot of facts confirming this.

It is not for nothing that our ancestors did not touch these lands for centuries. They were exclusively engaged in cattle breeding. The fact is that the fertile layer of North Kazakhstan soils is very thin. It was only enough for the first harvest after plowing. Strong winds blow in these parts almost all year round, especially in winter.

The disturbed land began to be intensively subjected to wind erosion. After just a couple of years, a huge percentage of virgin lands were left with virtually no fertile layer. There was always a shortage of fertilizers in the country, so they often harvested much less grain than was used for sowing. But even these pitiful crumbs sometimes rotted on the field. There was nowhere to store bread.

The Virgin Lands campaign, like all other party undertakings, was carried out in the best Bolshevik traditions - a lot of propaganda noise and little organization. Strict deadlines were immediately set for implementing the instructions of the party and government. Everyone rushed to plow and sow.

The construction of elevators, roads and other infrastructure was left for later. And this then lasted for many decades. Even in the late eighties I saw grain stored under open air. There was still a chronic shortage of granaries.

Some virgin farms tried to return to sheep and other livestock raising. But by this time the natural vegetation cover was almost completely destroyed. It was necessary to sow vast fields with perennial grasses, feed them with fertilizers, etc.

All this work required enormous costs and made sheep farming practically unprofitable. Collective and state farms began to fall apart, and people fled.

It was then that some smart head came up with an original way out of yet another dead end, which I had already found myself in for the umpteenth time Soviet people under the “wise” leadership of the native Communist Party. A new mass student movement was organized under the prosaic name “construction brigades.”

In many universities across the country, student groups began to appear like mushrooms after rain. They went to Kazakhstan, the Urals, Siberia and other virgin lands. They built housing, schools, roads there. There were clearly not enough professionals, and therefore the quality of work left much to be desired. But the state itself did nothing at all.

To be fair, I will say that the students enthusiastically accepted this initiative from above and supported it very energetically. The motivation for such a broad movement was not so much ideological considerations as outright pragmatism.

Partly, of course, it’s the romance of long roads and the thirst for change. The guys could earn some good money during the so-called third working semester. Well, if we agree with the postulate that rest is a change of occupation, then work in the virgin lands was also rest.

In the summer of 1957, the faculty construction team was already working on one of the collective farms in the Kokchetav region of Kazakhstan. We were engaged in the construction of adobe houses. True, I personally did not build houses.

Before entering the institute, I had the opportunity to work for two years at an automobile repair plant. There he learned hard work and salty sweat. But not only. At the factory, I received a 3rd class professional driver's license, and even gained some experience in driving a truck.

It was precisely because I had a driver’s license that my classmate Mitya Koryagin and I were entrusted with the difficult but very responsible work of water carriers. On an old GAZ-51, which we revived from oblivion with our own hands, we carried water, which was so scarce in those parts. About 50 km empty in one direction and the same, of course, back. Already with life-giving moisture.

The work was not just hard. I would call him a convict. Heat. Well, like in a sauna. Only the sand is not in hourglass, but on the teeth. More precisely, a burning dry wind. The truck is decrepit.

I often had to wallow in the roadside dust for a long time, repairing a broken-down wreck. Actually, there was no road at all. So, a well-trodden camel trail in a scorched, deserted steppe for many kilometers.

We left early in the morning. It's dark. When the merciless crimson disk of the sun had not yet appeared in the sky. At this time of day, the breeze that had cooled overnight pleasantly cooled the body, and the rustle of the awakening steppe caressed the soul. The steering wheel was turned one by one. I go one way, Mityai the other. Not, of course, in the sense that I only turned it clockwise, but my friend turned it counterclockwise.

It’s clear that driving our well-worn water truck in the morning was much more pleasant, and therefore the order was strictly observed. It took about an hour to travel one way, but sometimes you had to spend a long time at the water intake station.

So very often we returned home under the mercilessly scorching sun. Until a certain moment, this terrible ride always evoked associations with the other world for me. This is exactly how I imagined hell, where the devils fry sinners in their big frying pan without oil. But in reality it turned out that I was greatly understating it.

One day, at the “bottling station,” as everyone called our water intake, an emergency happened. Several cranes failed at once. Due to this, we had to stay at the station well after noon. When we set off on the way back, the sun was already blazing mercilessly. It was impossible to touch metal parts even inside the cabin.

We stripped down to our underpants and, periodically pouring water on each other, hit the road. The water, of course, was warm, but there was enough water to fill it up! That time, as always, we probably would have reached our village without any special incidents. But that’s the trouble – it was a special adventure that happened. And what a great one! More than half a century has passed, but I still remember its details.

That adventure was called a dust storm or sand storm. In subsequent years of my life, I visited the great Central Asian deserts of Karakum and Kyzylkum, the completely waterless Judean Desert and the no less ominous Sinai Desert. However, to my great happiness, I never had the opportunity to see or experience anything like this.

Well, from this point on, as they say in the movies, let’s get into more detail. A sandstorm, of course, is no adventure at all. This is a natural disaster of incredible proportions. Much later, I learned that the storm we encountered then was far from the most terrible and destructive of a long series of similar natural disasters. But what I experienced then was enough for me for the rest of my life. And today, 52 years later, I remember with a shudder those long-ago events.

We managed to drive 15 kilometers in the direction of our village, no more. The storm began quite suddenly. It seems like out of nowhere. The bright crimson sun somehow suddenly began to dim and become covered with a cloudy veil. A small dark cloud appeared on the horizon. It quickly grew, covering the blue sky. Then the first furious gust of a scorching hot wind, and literally immediately the day darkened.

I raised the side windows of the cab. Clouds of burning sand mercilessly hit the car, blocking the midday sun. The iron cabin with the windows rolled up instantly turned into a sauna. Usually the steppe is quite quiet. And then suddenly a howl and whistle of the wind arose, as if from the trumpet of Jericho.

I once experienced something similar in the middle zone during a snow blizzard. I must admit, it’s also not a pleasant feeling, but still not so hot. And here in only shorts, sweat pouring down and the worst thing is that you can’t see anything. I turn the steering wheel, as if blindfolded, at random.

However, you can't stop. Literally, as Vysotsky sang: “...Five hundred back, five hundred forward, we signal in vain - there’s a blizzard, and there’s no one to help...” True, our distance was an order of magnitude shorter and instead of snow there was sand. But the ending could have been the same: “... it will be so leveled that there is no need to bury it...” In short, we’re going. Where, the devil knows! And suddenly - oh happiness! Through the sandy haze we see a white mound.

Dima fell out of the cabin. Put a shirt on your head so that your eyes don’t get cut by sand. I went to investigate. He returns in a couple of minutes. He screams at the top of his lungs, trying to shout out the howl of the snowstorm: “Hurray! Long live life! Saved! Kazakh yurt!

That's when I first learned what real human hospitality is. With difficulty he opened the cabin door, overcoming the brutal pressure of the elements. I got out and immediately felt hundreds of grains of sand needles digging into my body. It feels like being flogged with rods.

I looked around, about twenty steps from the car there was a large white felt yurt. Nearby is a Kazakh in a robe. He waves his hand, saying to hurry to the shelter. As he walked, he put on a shirt and jumped into the yurt. As I later learned, since ancient times the Kazakhs have always considered the white yurt (ak uy) a symbol of wealth and well-being. And wow, for the first time in my life, completely by accident, and even under such tragic circumstances, I ended up in just such a yurt.

Of course, I already had some information about the ancient nomadic dwelling. But I didn’t even remotely suspect what a miracle it was. A true triumph of human genius. True, I admit, I felt some anxiety. At first it seemed that the beautiful yurt would not survive and might fly off. At least in parts.

But fortunately, everything worked out fine. And soon, just as suddenly, the storm subsided.
The Kazakh, having learned that there was a precious liquid in our tank, begged him to give him at least a small amount.

Well, how could we refuse our savior? I threw all two tons of water into the nomad’s concrete pit. Well, for such a royal gift, the grateful elder gave Dima and me a khan’s dinner.

It was precisely that time that I not only thoroughly became acquainted with the Kazakh yurt, but, what is no less pleasant to remember, for the first time in my life I tried real Kazakh beshbarmak. The name of the dish is translated into Russian in a very strange way - “five fingers”. But there is logic here. Kazakhs eat beshbarmak with five fingers. Well, at least four. However, due to lack of experience, we used spoons.

It is served on a large platter. At the bottom there are squares of dough cooked in a special broth. Slices of boiled lamb are placed in a heap on such a base. Around it are impressive-sized bones with meat. This entire “structure” is generously flavored with various spices and sprinkled with parsley and dill. Rich broth with noodles is served separately in bowls.

Such a meal, naturally, required copious alcoholic accompaniment. Soviet authority by that time it had leveled all religions in terms of alcohol consumption. So our Muslim Kazakh savior-benefactor, without looking back at the Koran, drank vodka, not in any smaller quantities than we did.

Some national characteristics, of course, appeared, but only in the procedure. The fact is that we drank vodka not from glasses and glasses, but from bowls. Much later, when I was working at MTZ, I often visited these parts. And on almost every business trip I sat at a hospitable Uzbek or Kazakh table. Of course with libations.

However, to be honest, I never learned to drink alcohol from a bowl. However, fortunately, in general I have always treated strong drinks without much respect. But I still remember a saying that I often heard during Central Asian feasts: “In the East they don’t force you to eat. Here they only force you to drink.”

Reviews

Lev Samuilovich! Expensive. As always, I thoroughly enjoyed the story about the dust storm and the student groups. You and I are children of the same generation and have survived all this. Our happiness was that we were young. And now, nostalgic for those times, I must say that despite the fact that you are, as always, accurate and fair in your assessments, there was something in that time that I did not immediately begin to grasp. It’s true what they say: every cloud has a silver lining. You talked about the role of the party in the virgin lands. Of course it’s stupidity, of course it’s complete idiocy raised to a national scale. This is the same Khrushchev defeat of literary and artistic figures, only in agriculture! There is an old joke:
-Armenian radio asked who invented communism: communists or scientists?
-The answer was immediate: -Of course they are communists! Because if there were scientists, they would first try it on dogs!
So here it is. Despite the stupidity and stupidity, there is something kind and human in that time. There was mutual assistance, there was enthusiasm, brotherhood. Even complex national issues were much more tolerant, somehow smoother. The ideology itself is savage, but it gave birth to good shoots. The leveling system itself is disgusting, but it contained the original dream of justice. And our life was brighter, cleaner.
It was so nice to remember my student days. Very similar to what you said. After all, before college I did cross-country racing on motorcycles and cars. Entered the Forestry Institute at the Faculty of Mechanics, Department of "exploitation" road transport"and rode all brands of cars and tractors. I took part in competitions and even fulfilled the standards of a candidate for master. Therefore, I plowed and rode on trucks on collective farms. I will never forget plowing, when even without dust storms I was like a black man and the dust crunched on my teeth! Wonderful it was time! Thank you very much!

Option number 20.

Part 1

Listen to the text and complete task 1 on a separate sheet of paper.

First write the task number, and then the text concise presentation .

Listen to the text and write a concise summary.

Please note that you must convey the main content to each

microtopics and the entire text as a whole.

The volume of presentation is at least 70 words.

Write your summary in neat, legible handwriting.

Part 2

Read the text and complete tasks 2–14.

(1) We were going hunting with my friends, Konstantin and Lev. (2) Suddenly Kostya noticed a narrow dark strip in the north. (3) After half an hour, it became clear that we had to get away, and the sooner the better. (4) The dark strip stretched out into a huge crocodile snout and clearly tried to swallow us along with the car. (5) The rain and snow were getting worse and worse. (6) The earth instantly became limp and turned into superglue. (7) It became sharply cold. (8) I started the car, but I only managed to drive a little: sticky mud clogged the wheels and the engine stalled. (9) Gusts of wind rocked the car, and it seemed that it would turn over and roll with us like a tumbleweed!

(10) I knew that such storms in the steppe could last up to two or three days. (11) Gasoline to heat the interior would have been enough for us for twenty hours,
and what next?.. (12) Freeze slowly?

(13) And then Kostya suggested that Lev leave me as the weakest,
in the car, and ourselves, two strong guys, go against the elements, look for a road and try to get out to people. (14) Neither Kostya nor I even had time to open our mouths before Lev declared that he had groceries and, of course, he would not leave the car anywhere! (15) So Kostya and I had no choice.

...(16) The wind knocked down. (17) I recently had surgery, and, of course, it was difficult for me. (18) When I couldn’t get up, Kostya helped, and we, leaning on two guns, stood back to back and rested.

(19) Once again I fell and, floundering in the viscous mass, I did not notice that I had lost my boot. (20) Only when my leg began to go numb did I discover this. (21) There was no strength to return, but Kostya returned and with difficulty, crawling through the mud, found my boot. (22) Then we walked, taking turns pushing each other, or rested, leaning our backs.

(23) We had been walking for four hours, stopped and shot in the air, hoping for a miracle, but only fierce pieces of ice, like the teeth of predators, clacked against our weathered faces.

– (24) You’re lying, you won’t get there! – they seemed to hiss ominously.

- (25) The wrong ones were attacked! – we shouted to them from time to time.

(26) It is not known how long we had been walking, when suddenly we heard a powerful roar and saw a light. (27) We started shooting, sparing no ammunition, and a minute later several powerful military vehicles drove up to us.

(28) This is how we met our savior - battalion commander Pugachev. (29) Following our tracks, he sent one of the cars with soldiers. (30) Kostya and I instantly fell asleep, even before they dragged us into the cars and pulled off our boots and wet clothes. (31) We slept until Leo appeared, cheerful and cheerful.

“(32) And I had no doubt that Kostya would come up with something and would not leave me in this steppe,” he said calmly.

(33) The soldiers found him following our footsteps, attached him with a cable to a powerful car and dragged him to a safe place.

(34) We parted the next morning with a whole battalion of the best friends in the world - privates and officers Soviet army.

(35) Even now I am ready for any hunt, even for lions in Africa: Konstantin will not abandon a friend in trouble. (36) And it would be nice if battalion commander Pugachev and the soldiers were nearby again.

(According to E. Rudakov)

Answer: ___________________________.

4. From sentences 13–17, write down the word in which the spelling consoles depends on the voicedness - deafness of the subsequent consonant.

Answer: ___________________________.

5. From sentences 27–30, write down the word in which the spelling suffix is determined by the rule: “In an adverb starting with -o – -e, as many N are written as there were in the adjective from which it was formed.”

Answer: ___________________________.

6. Replace spoken word "You're lying" in sentence 24 stylistically neutral synonymous.

Answer: ___________________________.

7. Replace the phrase "storms in the steppe"(proposition 10), communication-based control, synonymous phrase with connection coordination. Write the resulting phrase.

Answer: ___________________________.

8. Write it out grammatical basis proposals 7.

Answer: ___________________________.

9. Among sentences 28–31, find a sentence with standalone application. Write the number of this offer.

Answer: ___________________________.

10. In the sentence below from the text read, all commas are numbered. Write down the numbers representing commas in introductory words .

No more Kostya, (1) neither I had time to open my mouth, (2) as Leo stated, (3) that he has food and he, (4) of course (5) it won't go anywhere from the car!

Answer: ___________________________.

11. Specify quantity grammar basics in sentence 19.

Answer: ___________________________.

12. In the sentence below from the text read, all commas are numbered. Write down the number(s) indicating the comma(s) between the parts of a complex sentence connected subordinating communication

When I couldn't get up (1) Kostya helped (2) And we, (3) leaning on two guns, (4) stood back to back and rested.

Answer: ___________________________.

13. Among sentences 9–14, find complex sentence With consistent and homogeneous subordination subordinate clauses. Write the number of this offer.

Answer: ___________________________.

14. Among sentences 3–9, find more complex sentence with the allied creative writing And non-union connection between parts. Write the number of this offer.

Answer: ___________________________.

Part 3

Using the text you read from part 2, complete on a separate

sheet ONLY ONE of tasks: 15.1, 15.2 or 15.3. Before writing

essay, write down the number of the selected task: 15.1, 15.2 or 15.3.

15.1. Write an essay-reasoning, revealing the meaning of the author’s statement teaching aid in Russian language V.N. Alexandrova: “Adverbial participles allow you to clarify and describe the action being performed, making it tangible and convex.”

To justify your answer, give two example from the text read.

You can write a paper in a scientific or journalistic style, revealing the topic using linguistic material. You can start your essay with the words of V.N. Alexandrova.

Work written without relying on the text read (not based on this text) will not be graded.

15.2. Write an argumentative essay. Explain how you understand the meaning of the ending of the text: “Even now I am ready for any hunt, even for lions in Africa: Konstantin will not abandon a friend in trouble. And it would be nice if battalion commander Pugachev and the soldiers were nearby again.”

Bring it in your essay two arguments from the text you read that support your reasoning.

When giving examples, indicate the numbers of the required sentences or use citations.

The essay must be at least 70 words.

If the essay is a retelling or completely rewritten of the original text without any comments, then such work is scored zero points.

Write an essay carefully, legible handwriting.

The married couple Valentina and Igor Kulikov from Novosibirsk were recognized as the best crew of the completed off-road expedition “Shintop Trophy-2006” (“Planet Mongolia”).

Our fellow countrymen, together with ten crews from Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Yakutsk, Omsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk and Nakhodka, covered more than ten thousand kilometers of Mongolian off-road.

The prize for the best crew was awarded based on the results of voting by the participants themselves for the honesty of the journey, for helping their opponents and for their ability to work in pairs.

The Kulikovs shared their impressions of the competition with a VN correspondent.

The border has become more expensive

We were offered to take part in the expedition via the Internet, the jeepers said. There is no point in explaining that travel and extreme road clubs are in constant correspondence and invite each other to all such events. We initially did not perceive the expedition as a competition: we can say that we went in order to test tires and get to know the eastern country better.

The Shintop Trophy participants gathered in Ulaanbaatar. The journey from Novosibirsk was uneventful for the Kulikov family. The only thing that surprised them was the visa prices.

Five thousand rubles for two visas is too expensive for Mongolia, Igor believes. Last year, my wife and I paid only $20 for two visas. It is not known why the Mongolian border has become so expensive. Apparently, it is in demand among Russians.

Why do we need a shock absorber on such roads?

According to Novosibirsk residents, the idea that Mongolia is a continuous desert and steppe does not correspond to reality. The sandy desert occupies only about five percent of the country's territory, and the rest of the territory consists of small cities, settlements and national parks.

But Mongolian roads are a real test for cars. Igor and Valentina admitted that finding an asphalt road in Mongolia is a great success: asphalt lies mainly only on the central streets big cities. The “roads” from city to city are rocky roads, so a trip even in an SUV can easily replace a whole course of vibration massage.

Our expedition was lucky: during the entire time there were no serious breakdowns, and we were constantly followed by a “technician” a small truck with all kinds of spare parts, products and tools, Valentina recalls. Although there were some minor troubles. For example, our shock absorber came off twice. We got so tired of screwing it into place that after the second time we removed it altogether. It was shaking quite a bit, of course, but this shaking was good for stretching stiff muscles, and it’s simply unthinkable to fall asleep while driving on such roads. Constantly invigorates. As a result, the average speed of our movement was 60 kilometers per hour, and in difficult areas it was even forty kilometers. Calling it racing is simply ridiculous.

The most interesting thing is that the expedition participants also paid for travel along the rocky paths of Mongolia. The Mongols call this “toll road directions.” It looks completely different from what it does in America: instead of concrete car turnstiles, there are time-worn wooden barriers. For moving from city to city, the valiant Mongolian traffic cops at these “checkpoints” collect 500 tugriks per car.

Why did the Yakuts win?

The race took place for almost a month. The main condition is to get to all conditional points before others, guided only by the map. The crew from Yakutia succeeded, and the rest of the participants did not really interfere with this.

“The Yakuts really needed this victory,” says Igor. Their club appeared quite recently, and is just joining our community. It was important for them to prove that they were great, and we were pleased to give them such pleasure.

Fog of sand and an indifferent wolf

One of the mandatory points at which participants had to check in was an old Mongolian monastery. More precisely, its ruins. Nevertheless, services are still conducted on these ruins, and it is still called a monastery.

This is where the sandstorm caught the married couple. We went to bed, but the next morning we couldn’t leave the tent: visibility was three meters, and beyond that there was a wall of sand and dust. While one of the spouses was preparing breakfast from offal, the second was constantly in the tent, otherwise it would simply be carried away along with the sand. The sand tried to break through my clothes and get into my mouth along with food. Fortunately, the participants knew where they were going and took special sports glasses with them so that at least their eyes would not be damaged.

“In general, the nature in Mongolia is amazing,” said Valentina. Dunes, huge beautiful boulders and golden stones and absolutely harmless fauna. During one of the nights, several of our cars stopped in the steppe and turned on their headlights in case of “uninvited guests” from the darkness. And then in the headlights we saw a real wolf. Of course, there was a noise, the men prepared to attack and the wolf calmly looked at us and indifferently went his way, not even trying to run. Surprisingly, the animals in Mongolia are not at all afraid of people: ducks and swans, when you approach them, do not fly away in panic, like ours, but calmly swim a little to the side.

There weren't enough camels

In addition to the main race, the crews took part in various competitions: they competed in a trial, caught fish, raced in a straight line at speed…

The most unusual competition was camel racing. Local residents kindly allocated four “hunchbacks” for the expedition, and they decided to try themselves in an exotic sport. The entertainment ended a few minutes after it began. The first four brave men began to urge the camels like horses. The camels did not like this treatment: they went not in the indicated direction, but in different directions, throwing off their riders along the way. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the Novosibirsk couple never managed to ride on the “ships of the desert”: the animal owners said that the camels were angry and it was life-threatening to continue racing.

Cheap food and good-natured but cunning Mongols

The “technician” was supposed to feed the participants breakfast and lunch, but in practice it simply could not keep up with the jeepers, and they had to feed themselves in cafes in Mongolian settlements.

“We were surprised that even in the most remote villages there are more restaurants, banks, shops and hotels than residential buildings,” said Igor. However, local chefs are always unprepared for the influx of foreigners. We entered the cafe as a horde of forty people and saw the confusion of the staff. Food in such establishments costs pennies, but we waited two hours for our lunches.

Mongols, especially children, looked at the jeeps of Russian travelers as the eighth wonder of the world. Until now, many locals call their country “sister city” Soviet Union or "16th republic of the USSR". A Russian can easily spend the night in any Mongolian house, where he will also be fed, and completely free of charge.

“Another thing is banks and prices,” says Valentina. I went to the store to buy, excuse me, an enema to blow on the video camera. They told me the price, which translated into rubles is about a hundred. "Why so expensive?" I was indignant. “Okay, we can bargain,” was the answer. As a result, the enema was purchased for 10 rubles. I was also deceived at the bank: I exchanged dollars for tugriks for all participants. By the way, rubles in Mongolia are not exchanged at all, and if they are exchanged, it is at a very unfavorable rate. So, they were supposed to give me a million tugriks. I filled my bag with packs of banknotes, and when they started checking, it turned out that several packs were simply not given to me. But we simply could not be offended by these good-natured, calm people. Even when we visited their “super hotels”.

“Superhotels” in Mongolian towns are ordinary two-story buildings. Participants stayed there only to take a shower. Apparently, there are problems with hot water in Mongolia, because, as the Kulikovs say, hot water It was far from boiling water and flowed like a thin thread.

“Mongolians are absolutely calm people, they are never in a hurry,” added Igor. When we were returning home, we stopped for souvenirs in Ulaanbaatar and got stuck in a traffic jam. It looked something like this: the traffic light was broken, and instead of it there was a traffic cop standing at the intersection and incessantly whistling. It seems that his task is to whistle his shift well at eight o'clock. At the same time, local drivers do not pay any attention to it and drive as they want. No one swears when they cut him off, no one is indignant, and even the traffic cop doesn’t care. One can only envy such iron calm.

The Kulikov family is planning a number of expeditions around Asia, but the couple have not yet decided on the routes.

“Traveled” with Igor and Valentina in Mongolia Alexander MOGILIN