Travelling from Atyray to Astrakhan

The question is, “How to get from Alma-Aty to Astrakhan?” An air flight from Alma-Aty to Moscow and from Moscow to Astrakhan seems to be the most obvious way. However, we are not looking for easy ways, so let's contemplate possible alternatives.

Variant #1. Firstly we go to Aktay by air, then we go by train. This is a dangerous way. The interval between the plane's arrival and the train's departure is rather short. So there is a risk of being late. Every change in our transport schedule means that we will have to spend the night outdoors, without any shelter. And it would be difficult to leave the spot in the morning. Variant#2. Firstly one should go to Atyray by air, then cross the border by taxi. I logged on to the internet and found a firm providing taxis to get from Atyray to Astrakhan. I called them.

–How much time will it take?

That was acceptable. Then, an unknown woman describes all the advantages in a typically Kazakh way. She said that the taxis were comfortable, the taxi drivers experienced, there were checks. Assistance in crossing the border was also allegedly provided. The cost was about 30,000 tenge (6,000 rubles, or about $200).

- Ok.

The plane arrived on time in Atyray at 22.10. I went to the square in front of the airport.

A decrepit old Nissan with a faulty starter was awaiting me. There were two drivers, and one of them was a mechanic. The second surprise was that the Atyray taxi firm failed to find any drivers willing to drive to Astrakhan, and handed the reservation over to another firm, telling them that it was necessary to convey the customer just to the border. However, the Russian driver and mechanic were good guys, and they consented to drive to Astrakhan. However, it turned out that they didn't know Astrakhan and I had to direct them the way to the necessary street.

The road was terrible and comparable only to the post-war roads of Tskhinvali .

The following thee hours resembled art-house films. The moon looked like an unfinished cheburek, the local meat pies (I was very hungry). There was a rank of guest-workers. I didn't ask the drivers about anything. However, they started talking to me.

We talked about their everyday problems. No politics, no chauvinism. However, phrase by phrase I understood it was the thing prime minister Karim Masimov was talking about in his interview to the Echo Moskvi radio station. The lack of social mobility for such guys makes the emergence of regional feudalization inevitable.

One of the guys was scarcely literate. He couldn't fill in the declaration at the border control post. His mate said he wanted to sell everything and go to Russia by car, just to travel, to see old churches in Russian backwoods.

At last, we reached the border. There, the highway was better. However, some typically Russian phenomena began to show there. The passage across the bridge cost 80 rubles (about $2.5.)The compulsory insurance for cars with Kazakh numbers cost 1150 rubles(about $40). I paid.

In Astrakhan we spent about an hour searching for the required street. Astrakhan taxi drivers wanted payment for telling us how to get there. But I had no rubles left, and they didn't want to accept tenge. At last one man told us how to get there.

Now I know what modernization is for the countries of the Caspian region, for sure. It is the creation of a space suitable for living. A citizen should feel comfortable and secure.

When this goal is achieved, the macroeconomic problems will be solved.

21.03.2011 / Alexei Vlasov. Exclusively to VK