CANDOER Retirement Group

Wednesday, July 24

I awoke to an overcast day with plenty of water standing about in adjacent fields and marshes. And there was no electrification on this line. Northbound freight trains usually have tandem diesel locomotives pulling them if not an articulated one.

I fortuitously purchased some items for breakfast yesterday afternoon. The bread, peach nectar and bananas came in handy.

At Ussuriyisk, the train stopped for 15 minutes. We again were under electrification, the diesel was removed and a single electric locomotive carried us on to our final destination, Vladivostok.

At 1415 (0715 Moscow time), the Rossiya glided to a stop at Vladivostok station. We were four hours and 25 minutes late. The June 1, 1996 schedule of the Trans-Siberian railroad listed 201 stations total between Moscow and Vladivostok. The Rossiya had scheduled stops at 73 of them for as brief as two minutes to a maximum of 30 minutes.

I disembarked with more than a bit of regret, for it had been a most memorable journey, loaded with the excitement of the vastness of Russia and Siberia, the people, plus the numerous incidents I observed and encountered. Galina even came running after me on the platform to hand me my shaving kit which I had left hanging on the wall of my compartment. The train and dining car staff really were most friendly and enjoyable once you broke the ice trying to get to know them.

Coincidentally, Anna was also booked at the Hotel Vladivostok. I was glad to have her accompany me. The hotel is less than a kilometer from the station, but the city is somewhat like San Francisco. There are hills everywhere and one between the station and hotel. In front of the station I luckily found a van. I loaded my luggage and in two minutes was at the hotel.

After checking in, I headed for the showers! The central location of the hotel was perfect for, although it is in need of renovation. The view from the front of the hotel is spectacular. On the side of a hill, it looks out over the anchored Russian far east fleet.

Through sheer good luck, I arrived in Vladivostok just as the preparations were getting under way to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Russian Navy by Czar Peter The Great. In addition to the Russian vessels, I learned there were to be ships arriving Friday representing the navies of Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the United States to participate in the festivities this weekend which will include joint fleet maneuvers.

No sooner was I finished with my shower and relaxing a bit when a barrage of naval gunfire erupted at sea directly in front of the hotel! A mock invasion was taking place before my very eyes! Russian vessels off shore were firing blank rounds, landing craft with Marines had been launched and were soon going to storm ashore below. The mock aerial bombardment of the advancing landing craft was very real, and if I had been in one of those landing craft would have been scared! The hotel staff informed me this was only practice, the real show will be on Sunday. Drat! I'll be back in Moscow by then!

I visited the hotel's Intourist service bureau to make local arrangements and have onward airline reservations reconfirmed. The office is a small room where only two desks and two chairs can be accommodated. There were two ladies on duty, Rimma and another who speaks only Russian. Rimma's English is good, but she is not used to the American dialect. Nevertheless, both are very pleasant and wish to help in any way possible. I got Rimma's recommendation for a good place nearby to eat Kamchatka king crab for dinner this evening.

The city has been open to foreigners for only four years. The hotel and Intourist staff I encountered show a lack of exposure to foreigners' languages, habits, styles, and desires. They are trying, but need more training. Time heals everything.

I started making the first of many attempts to telephone the American Consulate General. The hotel telephone system is definitely worthy of complete replacement, including all the wires and instruments. It was almost impossible to call from room to room. Calling outside numbers was equally so. The Vladivostok telephone system compares to those of more backward countries in Africa. At the train station I saw billboards advertising private telephone company services for both the local and international trade. There may be a good investment opportunity here.

Being unable to contact the American Consulate General by telephone, I took a taxi there, for it was about three kilometers from the hotel. I took a tram back once I had my bearings.

The purpose of the visit was to let them know of my existence in the city and get information about the old American Consulate General which existed prior to World War II. Outside the Consulate, I met some U.S. Navy officers who were in town making advance preparation for arrival of the U.S. ships Friday. The USS Blue Ridge will lead the American contingent for the 300th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Russian Navy.

A retired Foreign Service friend of mine, Tony Lapka, had the misfortune of being on temporary duty in the city in 1940 when Stalin had all foreign diplomats in the city placed under house arrest (presumably for their personal safety). Tony, a communications technician, who was actually assigned to Paris at the time, spent all of WW-II in Vladivostok under rather severe conditions of deprivation until 1945. My Friday attempt to visit the present day location of the houses at Okeanskiy Prospekt 17 and Tigrovaya 20-22 proved futile because of so much time wasted on seemingly Intourist-inspired "wild goose" chases.

Vladivostok is the capital of the Maritime krai (territory) in far eastern Siberia. It is a major seaport on the Pacific coast (Sea of Japan) with a population of 648,000. An important industrial center, Vladivostok is also the terminus of the Trans-Siberian railroad, has a naval base for the Russian far east fleet and a commercial port for domestic trade. During the Soviet period the city was closed to foreign visitors and shipping, which was diverted to the port of Nakhodka 230 kms to the east. It was opened to foreign visitors and ships in 1992.

Vladivostok has shipyards and manufacturing plants and serves as a base for Russian fishing and sealing fleets in the Pacific. The city lies in a picturesque amphitheater around a narrow, deep bay known as the Golden Horn. Vladivostok was founded in 1860, when the region passed from China to Russia; the presence of Russian power in the region was reflected in the city's name, which means "ruler of the east." After the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, Vladivostok served as a base for Japanese and U.S. interventionist forces.

A group of us, including Anna, took Rimma's advice and walked to the Cafe Nostalgia for a meal of crab. It was superb and cost about $20 per person. They even took my VISA credit card. This is a lovely dining establishment with excellent service. Curiously, the menu was in Russian and English but had only Russian-speaking personnel. But they had everything listed! It undoubtedly was a place which caters to the city's rapidly increasing number of foreign visitors.

The weather in Vladivostok is just as I was told by the Consulate's administrative officer. The sun rarely shines June through August for the surrounding cold waters cause an almost continual fog or cloud cover for the first several kilometers inland. Today was no exception other than there also was wind to go along with the fog.

Thursday, July 25

Shortly after midnight I was aroused from a deep sleep by the room telephone ringing. How come the hotel telephone system works at night? A male, English-speaking voice offered pretty girls and a massage. The world's oldest profession lives on in Vladivostok.

It rained all night long beating against the window. The Hotel Vladivostok leaks everywhere, especially around the window casings in my room. In the morning they mopped up the water.

Breakfast, included in the price of the room, was most unusual. It was in the hotel's Japanese restaurant and included tomato salad followed by eggs fried over rice with cucumbers. Hmm. Good, but not what I usually want: bread, rolls, fruit, cheese, etc.

At 1000 on a fairly foggy day, I departed on a city tour. Anna was along. We were also joined by Don, an American businessman and tourist staying at the hotel. Not many pictures were taken this morning. Because Anna was to depart early tomorrow morning, I arranged with Rimma in Intourist for their transportation to the airport at 0600. At the same time, I also arranged for my airport transportation for Saturday morning at 1100.

Intourist furnished a guide. Rimma was the guide, and a good one.

The first stop was a spot on the hillside above one of the city's many marinas.

It overlooked a large group of sailors and marines in the square below doing drills in preparation for the weekend ceremonies. The nearby gardens contained a tiger statue which is the symbol of the city.

We then went to the Golden Horn harbor entrance at the south end of a peninsula extending from the city center. The large fog banks did not allow us to see much or far. Then we proceeded to the main railroad station and adjacent ferry building to see the ships and sailing training vessels in the harbor. Directly across the street from the railroad station on the hill is the only public statue of Lenin remaining in the city.

At precisely 1200, the daily canon was fired from the top of a hill directly above us. Kaboom! I'll remember that for tomorrow in case I'm standing near again.

The next stop was the Navy Museum on Svetlanaskaya (formerly Lenin Street) in the harbor and city center. The museum features a submarine which we walked over and crawled through.

The last stop on the city tour was a visit up to the Eagle's Nest, one of the city's highest hills. It overlooks the Golden Horn. The fog was still about, so pictures weren't a good idea. There is a funicular from here down to the town, so maybe when the weather improves, we can take a tram to the base and come back up.

Rimma said the tour was now over and the vehicle could take us all back to the city center or hotel. She offered an option of the vehicle going 20 kms into the countryside for a lunch in the woods "at a very nice restaurant". Don and I chose to go to the restaurant. It was a choice I'll never regret or forget.

The name of the place is the Vlad Motor Inn. By the time I arrived the fog had lifted and the sun was shining. Built two years ago in the forest with dachas all around, this was a delightful setting. It is a joint venture (80 percent Canadian owned, 20 percent Russian) and operated by a group of Canadians supervising Russian help. What an amazing difference good organization, management, and training can make in the operation of an establishment in Russia! All the staff spoke good English. I even met the Canadian manager (from Toronto) and American chef (from Eugene, Oregon).

I ordered a huge plate of Kamchatka king crab legs and were they ever good! I made up my mind for dinner tomorrow evening I was coming back out here in the forest for more crab. Service, courtesy, outstanding food in an almost antiseptic ambience makes all the difference!

I ventured 500 meters through the woods, found the local commuter train station and took the next train back to the city. While waiting on the platform I had my daily morozhnoye fix!

Arriving back in the city, I took the No. 1 bus out to the Golden Horn entrance which I had visited on the tour this morning. This time I could see forever and took plenty of pictures. I'm still amazed I am here in this formerly forbidden location taking pictures of ships everywhere!

Returning back to the city center I came upon an open market. I stocked up on apples, bananas, oranges to take back for breakfast if needed. The big surprise was finding goose berries! I hadn't eaten them since I was a kid and had them growing in our garden. I devoured a bag full walking back to the hotel.

This was the last night in town for Anna. She flies back to Moscow early in the morning and on to London to meet her parents.

I walked down to the base of the Lenin statue in the park in front of the train station to have a picture taken by Anna with the renovated ornamental station and name of Vladivostok in the background. There we met two Russians who befriended us, along with some Russian sailors, one of whom spoke a little English.

We had all intended to eat dinner in the Chinese restaurant across the street, but I sensed that was about to change. The restaurant was not opening for business until 2100, but could not take us because it was fully booked for the evening.

As I wasn't terribly hungry, I opted not to eat but to returned to the train station. The finishing touches on the exterior renovation are complete now. There are beautiful fresco paintings on both sides, some of them religious themes. One is of St. George slaying a dragon. I wonder if they were painted over during the communist period? The entire renovation project was done by Italians, I had learned on the city tour this morning.

In front of the station, I saw from the distance wisps of blue smoke arising in the air from the sidewalk kiosk and thought "shashlik"! Walking over to it I was correct. Perfect snack when not hungry. With a half-liter of draft beer, and a plate of shashlik, I sat in the late evening sunset and watched the world go by in Vladivostok, Russia for at least an hour.

Friday, July 26

Again in the wee hours and in a deep sleep, the telephone rang and a male, English voice offered pretty girls and a massage. This is becoming harassment.

My last full day in Vladivostok was just that.

Renovations were under way in the 1st floor reception area. It was difficult to determine if the results would be an improvement or not. The workmanship was awful.

Amazingly, the clouds disappeared and I had a very bright, sunny day, most unusual for Vladivostok at this time of the year.

My main goals today were twofold: to take a harbor trip and ride the funicular up to the Eagle's Nest to take pictures of the Golden Horn from above. Rimma of the Intourist service bureau advised the harbor cruise would depart at 1100 from the marina I looked down on yesterday morning and that the funicular operates to the Eagle's Nest every 15 minutes or as the traffic requires. It is only a 10 minute walk from the hotel to the marina.

Walking over to the marina, I learned there is no harbor cruise leaving from there. It leaves from the harbor just across from the Naval Museum. I started walking to a point where I could catch a tram or taxi, but wasted much time. Finally catching a tram it was already 1100, so I missed the harbor cruise.

But by staying on the tram I could get near the base of the funicular to at least take a ride up there for pictures. I misjudged the stops and went two past. Then had to walk back and up a couple of blocks to reach the base of the funicular. En route I walked passed the American Consulate General and stopped outside to have a couple of pictures taken. Further on I passed the Gothic Lutheran Church. Beyond it I arrived at the funicular base station.

Surprise! The funicular was closed, and apparently had been for a very long time. The rails were rusty, one car was at the base station, and the other car was stuck at the mid-station half way up the hill. Needless to say I was rather disgusted at having been given more misinformation by Intourist resulting in wasting more time.

At this point I decided to forego lunch because getting a boat ride in the harbor was of the utmost importance to me. Walking down the streets I finally reached the Naval Museum and the harbor tour station across the street. I found a tour boat tied up with the captain in the wheel house. I went up and asked him if he was willing to make a special harbor trip for me of at least two hours duration. His name is Alexei and he said "yes" but would have to check with his office for approval, for the harbor was loaded with naval vessels and periodically closed to traffic. He returned in a few moments with approval and we were off on one of the most unusual harbor trips I have ever taken. It was a cloudless sky with almost unlimited visibility.

First of all, even visiting Vladivostok five years ago was unheard of for any foreigner, much less hiring a boat and sailing by the Russian far eastern fleet at anchor five miles out! Captain Alexei's boat was spotless and he was personally very proud of it. He formerly was a master of a vessel of the Russian Far East Shipping Company. His English was quite good!

Under perfect sailing conditions, we exited the Golden Horn past numerous docked naval vessels of several nations, including the USS Blue Ridge out of Yokusuka, Japan. We passed dozens of freighters, ore vessels, fishing boats and car ferries to various islands nearby.

We exited the harbor and sailed out to the anchored Russian fleet of 19 ships They were all decked out with colorful flags from stem to stern offering me marvelous photograph opportunities. We returned via a different route, circling Russian Island, which is still forbidden to everyone.

Included in the many ships we saw were two three-masted Russian Naval training sailing vessels. They were beautifully rigged with flags everywhere.

After disembarking back at the pier, I met many U.S. and other nationality sailors in their white uniforms. A very old Russian veteran sailor (Vassily) showed up in his uniform and service medals. He was the object of all sailors' attention and cameras. All wanted to be photographed with him. He cooperated nicely.

It was now 1630 and l was mightily dehydrated, wind and sun burned plus hungry.

I had not brought sun block along today as when I left the hotel this morning it was quite overcast.

I walked back up the hill, caught the tram back to the voksal (station) where I had rail tickets for the suburban train trip for dinner at the Vlad Motor Inn (site of yesterday's lunch feast). With an hour to train time, I found a kiosk in the shade and promptly devoured a liter of Russian beer to slake my thirst.

Promptly at 1715 the train departed for the Sanitoria station 20 kms away. But 3/4 of the way there, it had an unspecified technical problem and stopped right along the ocean. Now it began to rain. Already hot, humid and sweaty from a day's touring and boating I had to endure a 45 minute wait before the train started to move. This was only one of the many unforeseen events that stalled, interrupted or revised my day.

After arriving at the Vlad Motor Inn at about 1830, I took the chance to wash up before dinner. I had the waitress bring a pitcher of cold water from their well. I ordered the Kamchatka king crab platter.

After the meal, I called Bob, the chef, and gave my profuse thanks and compliments. Then Chad, the Canadian facility manager, came over and I applauded him for the excellent results he has achieved in training his Russian staff to be so attentive, courteous and professional. This again was an unforgettable meal.

I left the restaurant at 2100 and walked through the forest back to the Sanatoria station as the sun was beginning to set. The train to Vladivostok departed at 2110 with me very happy, contented and well fed. I was looking forward to getting back to the hotel and just collapsing in bed. No more exercise or walking tonight! But --

Another unforseen event took place, and with dire consequences. Shortly before arriving in Vladivostok, the train went off in a southerly direction to another part of the city. We passed through a very long tunnel which we did not go through on the way out to Sanatoria station. I was in another part of the city! When we arrived at the end station, it was almost dark, but I could see across the Golden Horn to the Vladivostok train station where I wanted to be! It was 2230. The cross-harbor car ferry was closed for the night. How was I to get across or around the Golden Horn now?

While the objective was in sight, albeit two kms away as the crow flies, it was 16 kms distant by road around the Golden Horn. It was totally dark now. There were no street lights, taxis or buses in sight.

I spied six fishermen tieing up their boat. None spoke English, but sign language works wonders. They could not take me across the harbor, but would show me how to get around the Golden Horn. One kindly fisherman motioned to follow him. He had a string of nice sized fish. It was pitch black with no moon and little ambient light.

Our fisherman leader pointed up the side of the mountain to what appeared to be a lateral road. That is where we were headed! We had to climb what turns out to be more than 300 steps in the dark to reach the road.

Finally reaching the road after 20 minutes of climbing, I had no idea of how we were going to make it back to the other side. The fisherman was successful in flagging down a sedan. I heard him explain to the driver in so many words "this crazy American somehow got abandoned on the south side of the Golden Horn and needs a ride to the Hotel Vladivostok, and would you be so kind to take him there?" He agreed. The car appeared to be a large Toyota sedan!

At 2345 I was back at the hotel after leaving at 1030 this morning! I had 13 hours of incredible delays, wasted time, lots of walking, travel mishaps and miscues, sun burned, wind burned, exhilarated, a fantastic boat trip, an incredible meal, dehydrated, dirty, sweaty, and oh yes, genuinely tired!