There, behind the mists …

The rally included road tests of Land Rover vehicles, checking the reliability of cellular communication of operators, a human approach to corporate relations in Dalgakiran, geographical acquaintance with the beauty of Siberia and soul-draining Siberian roads. The adventures of the rally participants left a mark in the souls of the travelers and caused heated discussions among friends and acquaintances, who discussed new messages from the rally chronicler Oleg Shtefanyuk every day.

It is worth noting that the Land Rover Discovery vehicles proved to be the best. Not only did they comfortably accommodate nine travelers with backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, tiles, two cauldrons and other tourist treasures. The transport was so convenient that it allowed us to write a travel diary right in the car.

The trip was marked by joyful meetings at stops in the cities where Dalgakiran’s offices are located. Despite the “world” distances, all the company’s managers in different countries know each other well, and some are even family friends. Regional dealers are also well acquainted with each other. The company’s founder, Adnan Dalgakiran, contributed to this informal corporate ethic. Recently, the participants of the rally have also met and become friends with the company’s representatives. It is impossible to remain indifferent after experiencing the warmth and hospitality of the hosts, who are sincerely happy to meet and do their best to help the journey. By the way, Nikolay Dunayev, Director of the Russian branch of the company, also planned to participate in the rally. Unfortunately, the expedition left Irkutsk, where he was going to join the trip, without any new members.

The adventure from the Moldovan capital to the center of the Asian part of Russia and back took only 20 days. But this short time contained a lot of impressions. The rally helped the participants dispel many myths and doubts. It turned out that Kazan is a very modern and freshly renovated city, shining with gilded domes. The official religion of the Buryats is shamanism, and you can walk right through the mountain-home of the main deity. Hotel service in small Siberian towns remains cosmically far from the European level of service, and a chance encounter on the road can open many doors for travelers. Currency exchange in Siberia is not so much a financial transaction as it requires the art of communication and epistolary skills from travelers.

The rally showed that there are many Moldovans living around Lake Baikal, the state of the highways can reflect the preferences of the leaders of the regions and territories, and the culinary discoveries of the rally deserve a separate discussion. Diving in the cold Baikal waters was not as exciting as expected. But the long journey completely killed the participants’ fear of long distances. Now they can easily cover a distance of 3000 km in two or three days, and the goal of 1000 km looks like it is within reach.

Whatever the initial goal of the Chisinau – Lake Baikal rally, the result turned out to be much more extensive and multifaceted than the simple initial plan to drive two cars across the vast expanses of Siberia, Ukraine and Moldova. It’s probably impossible to put this experience into words, just as it’s impossible to fit the abyss of impressions, meetings, efforts and discoveries of 20 days of adventure-filled life into one small report. If you don’t believe me, take a ride for yourself. The map of the trip is attached.