Khabarovsk, Khabarovsk Krai, Russian Federation"You Must Have Connections in Russia.... What, Not Even Family in Russia?" He Pleaded
Over a relaxed breakfast even we had to have a laugh about the demise of our disastrous dinner the evening before. It was just a shame it had to be poor Alexei who suffered. With a very young family and high local prices, we didn't imagine that he would have the opportunity to go out to restaurants too often.
And we were sad to be leaving Magadan. It would most likely be the last time we would visit and as usual, we had thoroughly enjoyed our stay. That afternoon we were to catch a flight to Khabarovsk where we would stay for two nights before travelling on to Shanghai via Seoul. Sadly, after a mind boggling five weeks of fascinating but tough travel, we were finally on our way home.
While we were making the most of our last breakfast at our much loved Golden House Hotel, a well dressed man sitting at a table opposite us smiled and began making conversation. Speaking perfect English, Dmitry politely asked us if we were tourists.
It could well have been a complete duplicate conversation of that we had with Aeroflot Alex two days before. The questions were almost identical, although his reaction to our replies was even more astonished. "But you MUST have connections in Magadan! What, not even family in Russia? Perhaps you have Russian ancestry? I don't believe you are tourists! What? Your fourth visit to Magadan? Why Magadan? This place is the end of the earth even for Russians (amazingly the same as Alex's statement)"
As it happened Dmitry was a businessman with the communications company Tele 2. Based in Moscow, he was in Magadan on business and clearly could not wait to get out of the place. I don't think I have ever seen any Russian person quite as confused and disbelieving as our newly found friend. As we left, we exchanged cards. The last we saw of Dmitry he was reading our card details and slowly shaking his head. It was all quite amusing.
Granny Smith Apples in Harrods of Magadan!
As our flight to Khabarovsk did not leave until 3:20 pm, we had a free morning to - well of course visit our favourite supermarket Megamag. After all, a day in Magadan would not have been complete without our mandatory trip to "Harrods"...
I'm not sure how we can spend so much time in foreign supermarkets - but we do. We just love looking at the different food products, and of course the liquor department. And we are always interested that the store stocks a variety of Australian wines such Jacobs Creek and others with wincingly embarrassing names such as Crocodile Creek and Outback Jack....
But what really amazed us was the fruit and vegetable section. For a place as remote as Magadan where virtually all product has to be brought in by air or sea, it was surprising to witness such good quality produce. And more astounding for us that the store stocked our famous Australian Granny Smith apples! Developed in our home country by a grandmother of the same name, we wondered whether the apple variety was now grown in Russia or whether they were imported from Australia.
MY ENCOUNTER WITH A DRUNKEN PARTY ABOARD OUR FLIGHT
Waiting at Sokol Airport - Another Delayed Flight
Friendly hotel staff member Evgenia had organised a hire car for our 50 kilometer trip to Sokol Airport. All went very smoothly with us arriving with plenty of time to catch our 3:20 pm flight to Khabarovsk.
In a relaxed mood, we joked that even busy Sokol Airport looked better. Perhaps it was because on our last visit we were on our way to Anadyr. Our plane had been delayed by several hours and we were understandably anxious about the possibility of the flight being cancelled altogether - which would have been disastrous for the remainder of our journey through the Bering Strait region. More realistically it was most probably because our more recent experiences at Pevek's basic Apapelgino airport had been so stressful.... Whatever the reason, the airport seemed more familiar and friendly. As I was to find out, some of the passengers were very, very friendly.....
Our flight to Khabarovsk was delayed by an hour but we were not concerned. After all, we had endured some thirteen flights to date and although some we had only caught by just a whisker, we had been fortunate in ending up virtually on time at each of our destinations. To miss some of these flights would been chaos; the possible end result being stranded without a valid visa was unthinkable. I recalled we vowed there and then that the "next trips we do will be a lot easier". But I bet they won't....
While we waited, we watched a large group of miners milling about the departure gate, obviously anxious to catch their flight. As it happened, many of them were connecting with a flight from Khabarovsk to the mining centre of Norolisk in the far north-west of Russia. What was obvious however, was that a lot of them were very, very inebriated. And as they waited, they continued to drink more beer and vodka. I wondered if they would be on our flight. More selfishly I wondered about the availability of the one and only toilet on these small flights....
How I made Friends with Some Very Drunken Russian Miners....
Alan was lucky in gaining two aisle seats for us; the two and a half hour flight being long enough to cause him quite a lot of discomfort with his mega long legs.
Of course the miners were on our flight, taking most of the seats in the front of the little plane. As I went to take my aisle seat, one of the miners kindly insisted that I have the window seat. How wonderful I thought. I can now take photos from the plane for my blog.
Well, somehow I didn't get time for photos; the miners deciding to take me on board as an honoured guest, asking in their best English numerous questions about where I was from and offering me some of the beer and vodka they had taken on board. I politely refused. Nice as these guys were, drinking from well sucked bottles and cans was not appealing.
Needless to say, the flight crew was not at all amused at the amount of grog the miners had taken on board with them. They were even less amused when immediately our plane took off, they were all ordering more drinks. Reluctantly a female attendant eventually took their orders but if looks could kill, hers certainly could. I could not however take any offence at these friendly young men.
The guy in front of my seat was the most drunken of all his friends. Extremely friendly but completely legless, he kept turning around smiling and offering to buy me a beer. The beer looked good but I was more concerned about my bladder situation on a two and half hour flight. Again, I smiled and refused as politely in Russian as I knew how.
To my horror, the flight attendant then brought me an over-sized bottle of beer and an packet of crisps. "But I didn't order these" I tried to explain. She merely pointed to my inebriated friend in front who had obviously ordered them for me. I thought I saw Alan glaring at me, probably thinking I had made the order. He was I decided, most probably jealous.
So what could I do other than join in the party? And it was good fun too.... These guys were really nice and it was a great experience. As I enjoyed my beer and my newly found friends I noticed Alan grinning and shaking his head. He had seen what had happened and was feeling sorry for me. But I bet he would have liked to have joined in the fun....Fortunately I was able to ration the bottle of beer out for the duration of the trip and also was able to last the journey without having to find the only toilet on board.
The last I saw of my mega legless friend was on the airport bus taking us from our plane back to the terminal at Khabarovsk's Novy Airport. He was in a really bad way by then, having to be propped up by his friends just to stay upright. I hate to think of the hangover he would suffer the next day.
Novy Airport lived up to its usual pathetically inefficient reputation, taking just on one hour for the luggage to be placed on the carousel. Understandably the miners with a connecting flight were furious. The other passengers however, as we had seen so many times were watching listlessly, and patiently waiting. They had seen it all before. Queuing and waiting was a past time we could never come to terms with in Russia. I guess however, for many Russians, they had seen and experienced a hell of a lot worse than an hour's wait for their baggage.
A DELIGHTFUL NIGHT IN OUR OLYMPIC HOTEL, KHABAROVSK
The Olympic Hotel is one of our favourite hotels in Far East Russia. It is certainly not luxurious but it is very comfortable, the rooms are simply but tastefully furnished and the staff is courteous, friendly and helpful. Furthermore, it is very centrally located and has a very nice restaurant and bar.
On this occasion, we were surprised and delighted to had been upgraded to an executive suit on the top floor of the hotel. It did mean however that we had to negotiate with all our luggage the steepest flight of some 18 stairs but we were certainly not complaining. Our "penthouse suite" was indeed rather quirky. Comprising a lounge a large sitting room with a bar and brilliant red leather lounge, a spacious bedroom and a very luxurious bathroom, we were more than happy with our new abode. We even had a chaise lounge!
We always enjoy our meals at the hotel restaurant, even knowing what we will order well in advance.
And we were not disappointed. Our crab and prawn liguine was delicious, as was the platter of grilled vegetables with a chilli capsicum sauce accompanied by some garlic bread and a good bottle of Semillon. A fitting finale to a relaxed and fun nice day.... For a change that is!
A RELAXED DAY IN KHABAROVSK
It's always nice to break up our journey home with some free time in a beautiful city. It also acts as a buffer day for the inevitable flight delays or cancellations. This was our fifth visit to Khabarovsk and it was a city in which we felt most at home. And as I have described in my blog "Siberia and Beyond: Russia's Eastern Eagle", it really is "a city with a soul".
Tired from our long journey through Chukotka and Magadan, we decided that a relaxed walk down to the main part of town would be about as much as we wanted to do for the day. After all, we had explored a lot of the city on previous trips. And in the afternoon we planned to meet with Tatiana and Elena from Dalgeo Tours, a Khabarovsk based company we had used on two previous occasions and with whom we had established a very friendly relationship.
It was Dalgeo in fact who had introduced us to Kutkh Travel who we used for the current trip. They had sub-contracted Kutkh for our first Chukotka trip and they went to no end of trouble to ensure our safety. Unbelievably worried, they even insisted that our guide Alex send a photograph of all of us when we arrived at Pevek just to assure them we had made the journey on the ice road from Bilibino! There was no doubt about women managed travel companies. In our experience, their attention to detail has always been exceptional.
We had spent four days in Khabarovsk on our travels in 2017 where we had taken three one-day tours with Dalgeo Tours. One had been an orientation walking tour of the city itself, another to the Jewish settlement of Birobidzhan and the other a trip to an indigenous fishing village Sikaachi Alyan, some 75 kilometers out of Khabarovsk. All had been excellent tours and we were keen to catch up with our Dalgeo friends.
A Note About Khabarovsk
We are very fond of Khabarovsk city. Strategically located on several hills overlooking the confluence of two major rivers; the Amur which flows along the border of China and the Ussuri which flows some 900 kilometers northward from near the Sea of Japan, the city is a staggering 8,500 kilometers east of Moscow yet only 20 kilometers from the China border.
Given these extraordinary statistics, you could well think that Khabarovsk may suffer from a European-Asian identity crisis. It doesn't. For visitors such as us it is pure Europe; Russian Europe that is.... And perhaps that is because it has never been a closed city and curiously retains a certain international and cosmopolitan ambiance.
Furthermore, because of its proximity to the more modern and well known Trans Siberian Railway city of Vladivostok, it could easily be overlooked as an interesting destination. And that would be a great pity. Khabarovsk has a lot to offer.
The capital city of Khabarovsky Krai, Khabarovsk is an attractive and sophisticated city with well preserved older styled buildings, top class museums and art galleries. The lovely architecture of the main street houses numerous cafes, designers clothing shops and up-market shopping outlets. The city also comprises some lovely leafy parks, fine monuments, lakes and massive public squares.
I have written in detail about Khabarovsk and it surrounding region of Khabarovsky Krai in my blog "Siberia and Beyond: Russia's Eastern Eagle". Further details about its fascinating history, geography, economy and demographics can be found in the blog entry: "Beautiful Khabarovsk: A City with a Soul" at http://v2.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/crowdywendy/8/1496994558
A Wander to Down Town Khabarovsk
The Olympic Hotel is located about four kilometers north-east of the city centre. The walk down Karl Marx Road is pleasant, passing by Urban and Dinamo Parks, Lenin Square and then the Grado Cathedral, Komsomolskaya Square, Gorodsky Park and down to the Amur River - the Chinese border.
After talking with the reception staff, we decided to walk one way and catch a taxi back to the hotel. Alan's feet were as usual causing him grief and anyway, we were both beginning to tire from our long travels. "You will have no trouble in catching a taxi" our friendly staff informed us. "There are many at the Grado Cathedral. Just show the driver our hotel business card and you will have no problems". And so our journey became "Mission Grado Cathedral", and a visit once again to what we consider to be the most beautiful of all the churches we have seen in Far Eastern Russia.
Our relaxed wanders took us past old supermarket haunts (of course) and down past Dinamo Park to the massive Lenin Square. Surprisingly there were very few people, just thousands of pigeons who took virtually no notice of us as we walked through the neatly kept square with its splendid fountains and borders of well kept flowering gardens. On the distant border edge stood a familiar statue of Lenin towering proudly - almost defiantly, on a high raised tiled platform. I never quite got used to seeing statues of Lenin. It was always a stark reminder you really were in Russia.
There was no doubt about the architecture of Khabarovsk. The stately and graceful streetscapes hold the secrets of a fascinating past and a deeply rich history. Today this modern well kept city still displays an undeniable dignified charm and a certain ambiance of prosperity. Young people sport skin tight ripped-at-the-knees wash boarded denim jeans and the latest fashion designer gear. Traffic comprising top of the range motor vehicles together with bustling electric trams and modern buses fill the broad main drag of Karl Marx Road.
We stopped to look in a couple of upmarket sports shops. Always interested in the quality and prices of same brand trekking clothing to that which we have at home, we spent some time in a Columbia outdoor clothing shop. Not surprisingly, the clothing was far heavier and superior in quality to that we are used to at home, but the prices were very similar. The shop assistants were very helpful and spoke good English. It was tempting to buy but we managed to resist the urge. After all, Alan the Compulsive Shopper was on the loose!
We past the splendid old green roofed building once home to the Duma, or Legislative Assembly House, and made our way toward the Amur River and the Grado Cathedral.
Although it was our second visit, the cathedral was breathtaking. Formally known as the Grado-Khabarovsk Cathedral of the Assumption of the Mother of God, this exquisitely beautiful church is located in the beautiful Komsomolskaya Square. The
original brick cathedral which was much lower and wider, was built in the late
14th century. Like many cathedrals, religious sites and monuments, it was tragically destroyed in 1930 during the Stalinist era, for "not having any architectural
value". Sadly, valuable icons and any gold pieces were confiscated by the Soviet
Government.
In the late 1980's the construction of a new cathedral was proposed, and the existing cathedral was finally completed in 2001. The Grado Cathedral is not a replica of the former church. But it is truly gorgeous; a tall slim beautifully symmetrical building adorned with stunning lapis blue turrets and beautiful terracotta and white coloured arches.
Komsomolskaya Square houses beautiful gardens and is home to the Monument to the Far East Heroes; a tribute to those serving in the Russian Civil War. Another dramatic monument towering over the square is a 22 meters stela topped with the familiar double headed eagle, the symbol of the Russia's two faces of East and West. Here is a video of Komsomolskaya Square: https://youtu.be/5MggnV4zbII
We crossed from Komsomolskaya Square and onto Gorodsky Park where we sat for some time overlooking the mighty Amur River. And China. It was hard to believe we were right on the Russia-China border.
It was time to return back to the hotel. Alan's feet were sore and we were pleased we were going to catch a taxi "home". To our dismay however, there were no taxis in the grounds on Komsomolskaya Square, nor could we find any travelling that we could hail. One taxi did pull over but on seeing us close-up decided to keep going. I'm sure he was thinking "Blessed foreigners. I bet they can't speak Russian either...".
After walking another kilometer or so, we found a young woman who spoke good English and asked her where the nearest taxi rank was located. There was she said, no taxi ranks. "You must call the taxi company and they will send a taxi to pick you up" And with that she gave us the phone number. In hindsight, of course we should have asked if she would have minded calling for us. There was no point in us phoning. As we didn't speak Russian, we couldn't even describe where we were, even if we had known!
So we kept walking. Alan suggested that we ask the kind staff in the Columbia shop but I resisted thinking we would certainly find a taxi. But we didn't and after another half an hour, I was less than popular with my foot sore friend.
By the time we arrived back at the hotel, Alan could barely walk. In no mood for doing some supermarket shopping, we opted for light lunch in the hotel restaurant. And this was where I fell in love with Russian grilled vegetable salad which I now make very often, usually accompanied by buffalo mozarella and topped with a basil and garlic dressing. It IS sublime....
Later in the afternoon we received a phone call to say that our Dalgeo friends had been called on at the last minute for an emergency business flight to Tokyo that evening. It was disappointing but in all honesty we were so tired that a restful afternoon and early night was much appreciated.
And again, we enjoyed a lovely meal. And a very early night....
MY RECIPE FOR RUSSIAN GRILLED VEGETABLE SALAD
Ingredients
2 large green zucchini (courgettes)
1 eggplant (aubergine)
1 yellow capsicum (pepper)
1 red capsicum (pepper)
1 one knob of buffalo mozarella, sliced into thickish rounds
1 tablespoon basil pesto mixed with 1 tablespoon garlic infused oil, and balsamic vinegar to taste
1 eggplant (aubergine)
1 yellow capsicum (pepper)
1 red capsicum (pepper)
1 one knob of buffalo mozarella, sliced into thickish rounds
1 tablespoon basil pesto mixed with 1 tablespoon garlic infused oil, and balsamic vinegar to taste
Method
Cut vegetables into large pieces, Salt lightly with sea salt and let drain in a colander for about an hour. Pat dry (this can be done several hours before or left overnight in a zip lock bag in the refrigerator).
Spray with olive oil. Heat BBQ hot plate or grill until hot and grill vegetables until lightly charred and just softened. Cool.
Just before serving assemble overlapping vegetables and mozarella. Warm in an oven or microwave until just above room temperatures. Drizzle with dressing.
Spray with olive oil. Heat BBQ hot plate or grill until hot and grill vegetables until lightly charred and just softened. Cool.
Just before serving assemble overlapping vegetables and mozarella. Warm in an oven or microwave until just above room temperatures. Drizzle with dressing.
2025-05-22