All Packed Up and Ready for Land

Friday 11 August

Our final day on the train – everyone seems quite sad to be leaving, but a few are looking forward to terra firma, feeling quite exhausted – mainly the oldies The day was extremely misty when we awoke, and it never improved beyond grey and dull during the morning. But we passed a couple of “seaside” resorts where people were swimming and “sun” bathing on the beach!! It obviously wasn’t cold, but we couldn’t tell on our air conditioned train. . The train finally chugged into Vladivostok at 12.45 pm whilst we were still partaking of lunch.

We had all packed our cases and congregated on the station at the landmark showing the end of the trail – 9,288 kms (we have done a little more due to our sojourn into Mongolia) and everyone posed for photos – when we have mastered the art of sending photos on the blog, we will post one. Outside the station it began to spit with rain! Oh dear, a tour in the wet – and our guide announced it could be the start of the typhoon season! – low cloud covered the whole of the city.

Our first stop – a viewing site at the top of a hill, looking out over the harbour – very gloomy with low mist, but the rain had come to nothing. The first of many weddings we saw today – the bride and groom visit historical sites with a few friends to have their photos taken – and Friday is THE day for weddings – if you get married on a Sunday, you have been married before. What a surprise – Vladivostok is built on a series of hills surrounding a natural deep water inlet – reminds me a bit of Rome meets Plymouth – tankers and warships, cranes and containers along the waterline, with flats and housing rising to the top of the hills. Yet again there is a population of nearly 1 million, and this is the most important city in Eastern Russia. Nearly all adults own a car – cheap imports of used cars from Japan – which means yet another city of traffic congestion and “hari-kari” pedestrians.

After viewing a very boring museum about the wars in Russia, we had a wander around this cosmopolitan city It had been an important trading centre with Japan, China and the Americas in the latter part of the 19th century, but under Communist rule, they developed their navy and sited their warships in this natural harbour, So it was closed to all foreigners from 1919 to 1991! And even Russians had to have special permission to come to Vladivostok, so scared were the ruling party of any information getting out of the country. There is a large memorial to World War II casualties including an eternal flame along side a submarine museum on the waterfront.

On a mini-cruise around the harbour to see the outlet to the Pacific and several offshore islands, we were allowed to freely photograph warships and naval vessels docked there. This would not have been possible even ten years ago. There are many American brands in the shops and the people appear very western. There is a wide range of restaurants (but we haven’t yet seen MaccyDees). Our guide wants to go to America to study when he has finished university here, and all young people want what a western style of life.

Clouds disappeared by the time we were on the water and the sun shone weakly through. But the day has been very warm and humid – around 30 degrees C.- and by the time we reached the hotel around 17.30 we were ready for a shower – and a rest – but no, only an hour and then its off to dinner! We had another typical Russian meal – they really do love salads and peppers, served at most meals. But it was an occasion of animated chatter as everyone attempted to ensure they would be able to keep in touch.

The hotel here is nowhere near the standard we have stayed in before on this trip , but its just for one night. We have heard today of the terrorists threats to air travelers in London, which is likely to affect several of our party. Going to Beijing suddenly seems a better option, despite the fact that there has been a typhoon there on the east coast today – Beijing should be around 30 degrees C.

We do not leave Vladivostok till after midday, but we must be up early to wave goodbye to the first leavers, around 08.30. It will be strange to be on our own again, but we should meet up with our next tour on Sunday, in Beijing, for the next stage of our adventure.