Russian Island

Once on the island the events on the ferry miraculous disappeared. In front of me was a natural wonderland. Quiet, unspoilt, with nature wildly growing in every direction, Russian island presented itself as a complete contrast to the hustle and bustle of Vladivostok. Being a port city Vlad has a rep of being a wild town where anything goes. It's population might only be around the 800 000 mark, however the city itself is constantly on the go and one could easily be mistaken that you are in a thriving metropolis.

Russian Island, a short 45min ferry ride away, is a little (amazingly) unspoilt oasis away from the port's lawless hysteria. Once a huge complex of forts, the island now is the residence of only a hand full of Russians, who commute back to the mainland everyday for work. I was rather taken back by the surroundings. Rolling hills and lush forests backing up to cliffs and coastline the island is pristine and void of litter!!! This last point alone highlights the fact that not to many day trippers make the journey across form Vlad.

We set off as a group up through the forest towards one of the forts. The trek was spectacular, ocean lapping the shore to our left and dense forest to our right, whilst a thick mist rolled in from the ocean. Fog and mist are a normal springtime phenomena here and coming form Brissy, I am still in awe whenever murkiness descends.

Once at the fort the view was almost apocalyptic. Stretching out in front of me, both the ocean and sky were indistinguishable. As I stood looking out over the ocean all that was in front of me was gray murkiness. It looked as if we had reached the end of the earth. Turning away from this eerie sight and looking back at the island I was met with another fascinating sight. Billowing gusts of mist were rolling in from the sea and enveloping the island like a blanket.

I was completely sold on the island. Such a natural gem. Perfect! Hold on a second. Nothing is perfect and my awe soon turned into horror as I discovered that the island is home to some mad killers! Not the weird outback, chain-saw wielding type but the almost microscopic insect type.

Ticks!! These guys are extremely venomous and can kill. The month of May is "tick time" just about all over Russia and Russian Island being the pristine natural paradise is home to a huge population of them. Well, there goes my retirement dreams. No way in the world is a little tick going to take me out!

Sea and sky. Where does one finish and one end.

Standing on one of the forts.

Topsy Turvy

Expect the unexpected! I guess it's all part of the appeal. Russian life is a rapidly evolving creature, where anything is possible. It really is an exciting place to be. Democracy is only 16 years old, in a country with a vast history and so change is the order of every day. The people here are fanatical about getting a head creating a “Wild West” attitude towards business where just about anything goes. Coming from the sanctity and reliability of Australia, this topsy turvy lifestyle is shocking, entertaining and has a raw originality that is rather addictive.
Life is moving and nothing is set in concrete.
The examples are endless. Yesterday’s weather was a sunny 18 degrees, today after an impenetrable fog descended over the city the mercury plummeted into the single digits. Visibility now is 10 meters at best. Tomorrow, who knows what will be ditched up?
Last weekend, as part of the schools extra curricular activities, a trip to Russian Island fort was organized. Or should I say disorganized! The event started normally enough, until it came time to board the ferry, when all mayhem broke out. Something went wrong with the purchasing of tickets and the result was a major scuffle where our guilds for the excursion were up-ended and thrown back onto the pier. It wasn’t only us; other passengers were being pushed back off the ship, with one gentleman being separated from his wife. It was like a scene from a war tragedy, the wife screaming for her husband, the husband fighting through the soldiers (ferry attendants) to be reunited.
What followed was pretty ugly; punches were exchanged as the man forced himself on board. The whole experience left me scratching my head and putting it all down to just another day in Russia.

Labour and Victory Day

Two weeks, two parades and yet another two jam packed weekends.

The 1st of May was huge. I never thought a Labour Day march could attract so much enthusiasm and fanfare. Actually, I never thought I would even go to one of these things let alone enjoy the whole process. Maybe that's because one Nicholas Unsworth-Smith donned the fluorescent orange "Primorskie Avto Dorogi" (Primorski Automobile Roads) safety vest and marched along side Vlad's proudest. That's right, I managed to utilise my amazing powers of espionage and slide my way into the workers' parade. Well it sounded like a cool story. In reality I just happened to know someone who hooked me up. Anyway, the experience was none the less exciting. Thousands of people lining the streets, placards, balloons, drums and the odd drunken marcher, made the march unforgettable. My position in the parade was right behind a group of these odd drunken marchers. It was hilarious, whilst assembling into position these proud old workers, from out of nowhere produced bottle after bottle of vodka. Now, we had to assemble a good hour and a half before the actual start and so it wasn't long before these guys were swaying in the wind. One bloke was completely legless, literally, and I bet Sasha that he wouldn't last 20 meters of the march. How wrong I was, for when the cue came to begin, somehow the guys actually moved with some sort of order. Sure they were a little wobbly but they marched and marched on! Huge respect, any mere mortal would have collapsed or needed his mate to prop him up. All I could put it down to was years of experience.

The next weekend after Labour Day was Den' Pobedy or Victory Day. What a holiday! I mean just the significance of this holiday is awe inspiring. The day commemorates the Soviet Union beating the fascists all the way back to Germany. 30 something million of these guys were sacrificed, a mind boggling figure considering our whole population is only 20 something. There were more Russian soldiers killed than that of the total allied forces combined. There are many phenomenal statistics that are just incomprehensible. During the Leningrad siege, for example, in the Winter months 11-12000 people were dieing, that's more than a Gallipoli everyday! So with such devastation why wouldn't you commemorate, celebrate, toast the night away to VICTORY!

The parade itself was huge and in Moscow rehearsals started 3 months ago. Unfortunately for me the overwhelming crowds meant a very limited view point. The fact that I arrived 2 and half hours beforehand to position myself was a completely futile gesture. So it is difficult for me to comment on what actually happened.

Following the parade however, a group of us traveled out to Jeff's dacha or country house for the night. Toast after toast for victory ensured the 0 degree temperature was not even an issue.

Victory Day in the country.

Khabarovsk

Chalk and cheese! The differences were so shockingly blatant I thought I had traveled to another country. As I've mentioned before Nastya has been on a business trip for the last two weeks in Khabarovsk. Life without moya golubka has been trying and so last weekend I decided to take the 12 hour train trip to K-town and see Nastya. The official capital of The Far East, I had heard varying reviews of the city and so wanted to check the place out for myself.

The two lords of the East are 1000 km away from each other, geographically quite close by Russian standards, however worlds apart when it comes to just about everything else.

The two sibling cities share a certain affinity with each other as they are stuck out here in the East, isolated for the rest of Russia. They are roughly about the same size and are both ports, Khabarovsk being a river port and Vlad a sea port. And that's where the similarities come to a screeching halt!

Cars actually stopped at pedestrian crossing! Streets were litter free! Buildings were actually maintained! K-town at first resembled an old Soviet city caught in a time warp. A far cry from the hustle and bustle of hectic Vlad. The main street Muravieva-Amurski is gorgeous and well worth strolling its length from Lenin Square to the mighty Amur River. I was enraptured, I'd fallen in love with K-towns quaint boulevard, I was converted , I want to move here.

Hang on did I say quaint, let me rephrase, bloody boring. All that cleanliness, that politeness and that maintenance of Khabarovsk was suddenly washed away as I reached Naberezhnaya, (the waterfront) and the mighty Amur. This was the place where everyone was supposed to hang out. Naberezhnya in Vlad is a people watches paradise, but here not a sole was seen. Don't get me wrong it had potential, beautiful location, view and plenty of benches to sit and down a brew. But I was the only one there! That's right in a city of nearly 1 million, I was the only cruiser in what should be cruiser's paradise.

Khabarovsk is beautiful, just a little slow and boring. Restaurant service was painstakingly slow and no one seems to mind if you have to wait 45 min for a slice of cheese cake.

The nightlife however was a different story. K-town local Alexei, whom I met on the train, took Nastya and I to one of the most amazing clubs I've ever seen. "Nebo" or "Sky" is a 3 story club with a glass roof and aeronautical decor. It is literally set in the sky. Very cool place and once again the boy to girl ratio was learning heavily to the feminine side.

Arriving in Khabarovsk.Yes, that is snow and there is only one more month until Summer!!!???

Beautiful Muravieva-Amurski Street.

Natya, me and Alexei relaxing "Nebo" style, sky high.