Urumqi International Airport is a modern air complex located in one of the remote settlements in the very west of China. Many Russian travelers who have visited these parts compare Urumqi with Magadan. The city is surrounded by endless wastelands.
On approaching him, from the window of the porthole, the bare peaks of the Hongshan mountain range are visible. In winter, they blind their eyes with powdery ice crusty peaks tearing fluffy icy clouds.
Do not believe? Take a look at Urumqi Airport, whose photos are posted in abundance on the Web. The village of Urumqi is located at an altitude of eight hundred meters above sea level. The maximum height of these rocks is three and a half thousand meters.
The abode of stone and sand
Here, in the kingdom of mountains and silent silence, stretches the territory of the national park, the business card of the Xinjiang Uygur region. However, the Urumqi airport itself cannot be called a crowded place. He greets travelers with the steel surfaces of the handrails of information racks and escalators grated to shine, empty chairs and spacious corridors.
Since the main population of the city is represented by several nationalities at once, the Urumqi Airport broadcasts its news in all four languages: Uyghur, Russian, English and Arabic. A great example of tolerance and concern for citizens.
Officially, Urumqi Airport is called "Divopu". Here the most important airways of the world intersect and join: routes from Europe, Southeast Asia and China in particular. The terminal consists of several passenger terminals.
Terminal infrastructure
In the main hall of the complex are cafes, eateries and an abundance of souvenir shops. Even in the duty-free zone, practically no one is there day or night.
In those days when there were no direct airplanes from Moscow to Guangzhou, many transit passengers from Russia chose Urumqi airport for a transfer. Reviews about him, by the way, were very contradictory.
Traditionally, you can get from the airport to the city either by taxi or by public transport. Both that and another regularly runs between the air gates of western China and the village of Urumqi. The housing estate close to the airport pleasantly surprises with cleanliness and accuracy.
Walking in Urumqi
If you are lucky with the weather, then the city meets travelers leisurely strolling in parks and streets in couples, senior citizens and noisy children. If you have more than ten hours at your disposal, then the hotel at the Urumqi Airport can be easily exchanged for relaxing in a small hotel located somewhere in the city center.
Even being in the outskirts of the city, in just ten minutes you will find yourself in its epicenter. Exactly so much is the road from the airport. Urumqi is a city, by Chinese standards, very small, compact and very comfortable. Well, for the Russians, he is a real metropolis. No joke, more than three million people live in it.
Like at the airport, advertising signs are duplicated not only in English, but also in broken Russian and, of course, Arabic. Despite its status as a “millionaire,” the city cannot boast of the dynamic life of a metropolis. Time flows in it sedately and unhurriedly.
Eclecticism of the East
Is it the local market Yes Bazaar! He is talkative, like an oriental guest, hospitable and cheerful. People come here to chat, exchange news and have a cup of strong and insanely aromatic coffee. A cloud of spices that envelops the market square, addictive and dizzy with habit. What is there only! Spices in canvas bags, outlandish dishes, meat and dairy products.
In addition to small private shops, the city has several large chain hypermarkets. Prices are much cheaper. What do housewives eat in Urumqi? Guests are treated to bright yellow pilaf, spicy lagman, juicy kebab and even yogurt! Many catering establishments operate on an all-inclusive basis.
At the entrance, visitors are given metal kitchen utensils in which they will have to cook their own lunch or dinner. The restaurant menu has a huge amount of exotic fruits. In Urumqi, rambutans are especially appreciated.
Public transport
Moving around the city on your own passenger transport is unprofitable. Gasoline is much more expensive there than in Russia. But a taxi is inexpensive and comfortable. There are almost no traffic jams in Urumqi. The city is literally buried in various kinds of transport interchanges and overpasses. The minimum number of storeys of highways is two levels.
To try authentic local cuisine, you need to retire from the main business and tourist areas of the metropolis. Five minutes on foot - and you are in a completely unfamiliar place, full of Uyghur flavor. Naturally, the title of queen in the local restaurants belongs to Her Majesty the noodles. There are several hundred ways to cook it. Local chefs know them all!
Salam aleykom!
Urumqi is reminded of Central Asia not only by the Arabic ligature, but also by typical adobe buildings surrounded on all sides by massive fences, the tops of which are crowned with lush greenery of fruit trees. In the distance, you can see the blue domes of the minarets, and in the mornings of the inhabitants of the surrounding streets that snakes scatter in different directions from the mosques, wake up the mournful songs of the muezzins.
In general, the city is very different from the central part of China. Everything is a little different in it. The mentality of its inhabitants is much closer and more understandable to our Siberians, for whom Urumqi has become the center of shuttle trade in the troubled nineties, and is now a reliable and loyal economic partner. It’s as easy to hear Russian speech on his avenues as when walking through the cities of Uzbekistan or Kazakhastan.