Chelyabinsk geologist and wife run Arkaim inn

Many people associate Arkaim with something esoteric. Olga and Arkady Shokhin have been revealing this landmark place from a new, unexplored angle for more than 12 years. He — a geologist; she — a professional guide. In 2013 the couple founded the wayside inn «Sun Wanderer» (Solnechny Strannik).

Travelers come here from all over Russia and, having visited once, often return again and again. To wander among the magical mountains and no less magical surroundings, to see not only endless steppe but also caves, waterfalls, and marble quarries. To touch the secrets of the past and trace history from the Stone Age to Soviet times, to find a crystal of a beautiful shade and make a wish under the full moon. To sing by the campfire, photograph snowdrops, and breathe in the tart scent of wormwood. How this inspiring story, full of uncanny coincidences, began, Olga Shokhina told especially for the project «Po-semeinomu».

«How do people live without a forest?»

— Olga, had you always dreamed of becoming a guide? What path led you to it?

— I was born in the small, picturesque town of Sim (Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia): a river, forest all around. We even had PE classes in the forest, we skied. All my childhood my parents and I went for mushrooms, firewood, berries, and by about sixth grade I was already allowed to go on walks with friends — we went into the mountains and admired the town from a bird’s‑eye view.

I was on the school tourist team, even earned the rank of junior tourism instructor, and started my own club: we’d go with the kids to nearby caves, I taught them to tie knots and pitch tents. In short, I couldn’t imagine life without the forest, without nature. And when, after school, I entered a teachers’ institute and moved to Chelyabinsk, I was stunned: how do people live here? But then I discovered the Chelyabinsk City Forest — a place that inspired me and filled me with energy.

I graduated from the mathematics department, worked at an advertising agency, then got a job as a cost estimator. I found a circle of friends to go into nature with, on hikes. And I decided to become a guide after I met my future husband — to develop our joint venture.

We recognized each other… by rocks

— How did you meet, if it’s not a secret?

— It’s a long story (laughs). We had many mutual friends, we “knew” of each other in absentia, Arkady even once jokingly promised to marry me. But we met much later. I recognized him… by the rocks.

In autumn 2011 I was vacationing at Arakul Shikhan (Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia) and by the lake ran into a group of guys photographing some rocks. The rocks were unusual, varied: amazonite, agate — beautiful. I went over to admire them and also took a few photos as a keepsake.

Then in winter a friend from Moscow came to visit and wanted to buy Ural gemstones. And Arkady (whom I still hadn’t met in person at that point) had a stall at Alye Pole Park (Scarlet Field), and our mutual friend — a geologist — advised us to stop by. We came, and in the display cases I saw the very same rocks I had photographed at the Shikhan. At home I found those shots — it turned out Arkady was also in one of the frames, but in the shop I didn’t recognize him; I recognized the rocks.

— So you finally found each other?

— We exchanged phone numbers and started talking. Arkady said he had a house at Arkaim where tourists sometimes stayed. He shared the idea of founding a wayside inn. And I was bored with being a cost estimator — the work was absolutely not creative. I decided to draw on my advertising background and offered my help.

We came up with the brand «Sun Wanderer» (Solnechny Strannik), former colleagues from the advertising agency helped design and produce print materials, and I started going to expos and negotiating with tour companies. I spent the whole summer at Arkaim; Arkady and I realized we were interested in each other… Our “chance” acquaintance grew into starting a family.

A little world people are drawn to

— As if everything was leading to this…

— Yes, we passed by each other for so long and met at the right time. As if some force leads us along life’s road, helping and prompting. Even the name for the inn, it turned out, wasn’t chosen by chance. A woman later told us that in the Maya calendar the sun wanderer is our ally by date of birth.

— Was it easy to find regular clients — “your” people?

— Many have been with us from the very beginning. Year after year they come themselves and bring their friends. Interestingly, local Chelyabinsk tourists don’t stay as often. But groups come from Ufa, Izhevsk, Kazan, and Kazakhstan. A group from Vladimir has been coming for many years — we’re close friends, we travel around the area together. We often hear from guests: “It’s like we’re coming home, to grandma’s in the village. Everything feels so familiar, our own.” We have a little world people are drawn to.

— The tourist flow is growing — can you accommodate everyone?

— Our yard is set up so that each party can settle in autonomously, without crossing paths with others. We can accommodate everyone smartly so no one disturbs anyone else. Each has their own nook, shelters, tables, and separate zones. There are 44 places in total. And when a big bus arrives, the guests’ first reaction is: “Where will we all stay here?” I say: “Calm down!” (Laughs.)

— You started with one house and have now expanded — has the team grown too?

— All this time it’s just the two of us running the business, without helpers. I work at «Sun Wanderer» only in summer — the rest of the time I lead tours throughout the Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk oblasts (regions). Arkady goes to Arkaim in March and returns at the end of October. Winter is quiet, and by the spring equinox — and for the first snowdrops — we’re already hosting groups. In late April many people go to see the flowering steppe, when everything is covered with a carpet of grass…

No comparison with the city

— Do you look forward to opening the season each time?

— Yes, and each time it’s a bit anxious: how will it go, will everything work out? But Arkaim certainly attracts and beckons. The steppe, the vast sky, the stars at night, the air, the scent of wormwood and thyme… There’s no comparing it with city air or the city sky, washed out by streetlights.

— Many people associate Arkaim with esotericism, places of power…

— There are indeed many offerings for esoteric tours, to some kind of magical mountains, with “immersions in energies”… And you can meet all sorts of characters here. For example, a man in a tracksuit whose badge says “God” (smiles).

— But you try to emphasize something else?

— We explain some of the esoteric legends to guests too, but only touch on them — our tours are more from a scientific point of view.

— Could you tell us more?

— Overview tours are the most popular: we talk about the history of Arkaim and the discovery of the settlement. We take people up to Shamanka and Mount Love. We can introduce them to local legends, and lead them through “magical” mountains — they’re here for every occasion: there’s a Mountain of Health, of Reason, of Power, of Happiness, even Accumulator Mountain.

If people don’t believe in any of this at all, or have already seen and heard it all and want something more, Arkady invites them on geological tours. In the surroundings there’s a marble quarry, a cave, and granite massifs with stones of bizarre shapes — a wealth of wonders. Many, as I’ve said, come not for the first year — we explore the steppe together, each time finding something new for ourselves and sharing it with people.

A place with history. In every sense

— On social networks, Arkady wrote that even in the house where the inn is now, during the renovation they found quite a few artifacts.

— Yes, the house was built for Virgin Lands campaign workers. The cultivation of virgin lands was active in these parts, and before that Cossacks lived here. Few people talk about that past — it isn’t as intriguing as the Bronze Age. Yet Arkaim is a place where practically all the key points in our country’s history are reflected. And relatively recent history is important too… We don’t want it forgotten.

There’s a huge stratum of geology here. At Arkaim there were gold placers; before the revolution there was a Belgian concession: they washed the rock and mined gold. The marble quarry is enormous — a deposit from which marble was even exported abroad up to a certain time. Jasper was extracted too, and there’s much else that’s interesting — people just rarely pay attention to it.

We open people’s eyes. We actively cooperate with archaeologists, geologists, and ecologists — and we pass on to people the knowledge we receive from them. We reveal the place in different facets, and each person chooses which facet they want to touch.