Aykhal, Sakha Republic, Russian FederationLOCATION "TAIGA GHOSTLANDS" NEAR AYKHAL.....
Yes, We Really Were the First Recorded Foreign Tourists to Aykhal!
Ed's phone rang, rudely jolting us from our euphoric "taiga-ghostlands-induced" trance. The phone ringing was probably not very loud but it was enough to shake us into a reluctant reality after driving through one of the most surreal forest landscapes we had ever encountered. Stunted and contorted by the extreme permafrost and encapsulated in snow and ice, the taiga was simply enchanting; a living forest frozen in time. Even our reserved driver Sanya told us it was his favourite place in all of the Mirninsky Ulus.
The call was from Masha, Ed's "cousin-in-law" who lived in Aykhal and whose friend's rental apartment we would be using for our two-day stay in the township. Even from the rear compartment we could hear Masha's excited voice.
"Ed, Ed it's Masha! How are you? How was your trip? Are you safe? I have everything organised! We are so excited! Tomorrow we have many visits: the museum, the school and the art college. The local government of Aykhal will put on a special reception. We have television crews who will accompany us. And the Aykhal Yakut Women's Association has organised a special Shaman blessing and a welcome reception for our guests....! When you arrive, you will join us for a meal....".
Masha's list of activities was head spinning. It sure looked like we were in for a jam-packed program. We sighed, then grinned helplessly at each other. Formal welcomes covered by the media have happened to us so many times before. And we shouldn't be at all surprised. After all, the places to which we tend to travel are so off-the-beaten-track that the locals are always excited about seeing foreigners. Mainly because there aren't any. Nothing to do with personal fame, really....
Although we found it almost incomprehensible, perhaps what Ed had told us was right. We really were the first foreign tourists recorded in Aykhal settlement? Which almost certainly meant as Ed also maintained, that we would be the first foreign visitors to all of the settlements north toward our destination of Yuryung-Khaya? Mind blowing, really.
MEETING MASHA AND HER FAMILY
Welcomed by the Family and An Afternoon "Dinner"
Masha was waiting for us outside her apartment.
A very attractive, vivacious Yakut woman, Masha (diminutive of Maria) welcomed us like long lost friends. I noted with some surprise that she was also beautifully attired; wearing elegant fur-trimmed designer gear and some of the loveliest white reindeer boots I had ever seen. This was quite a shock. Shamefully, I had thought that Aykhal, being so remote, would also be well.... perhaps a bit less sophisticated.... Alan was having the same thoughts.
I looked down at my unflattering clutsy Sorel snow boots which had served me so well in some of the coldest conditions of Chukotka and Sakha, and at our warm but now-a-bit-grimy-fleecy-tops and wondered how we were going to fare the next day with all of the media covered events and welcome receptions.... "Typical of you to worry about such trivial matters" hissed Alan when I whispered my concerns.
Masha's husband Sasha, their two children Anzhela and Vladimir, and Sasha's mother Varvara were also at their bright and cosy apartment to greet us. It certainly was very warm welcome. Masha had prepared an enormous hot meal; platters of roasted chicken, reindeer meat, goulash, potatoes, vegetables and bread. And more. Assuming it was our evening meal for the day, we ate very well. Far too well actually....
Masha did not speak a lot of English but the amount she spoke was far superior to my kindergarten Russian. Ed was chatting with Sasha, so I thought it was an opportunity for me to attempt some Russian conversation. And it was one of my last efforts for quite some time. Masha apparently asked me if we had children. Thinking she had asked me about whether we liked the food I replied in Russian "Very delicious". Sadly (and understandably) my reply was much to the mirth of everyone present. It was very funny. I guess. Masha smiled kindly. I could have crawled under the table....
During our meal, Masha talked about their life in Aykhal. Like Mirniy, everyone was employed or at least associated with the ALROSA mining company. Masha explained that she was a professional diamond grader whose job with ALROSA sent her all over the world to study grading techniques. Sasha's former job was the Regional Hunting Warden, a senior position responsible for issuing all the hunters' licences within the Aykhal District. After retiring at the age of just 43, he started up his own security company working with ALROSA mines. He also employs his mother Varvara who was formerly retired but now is a Security Officer.
Looking at the kindly woman who looked nothing like a stereotype security guard, we could not help but ask her if she used guns or other sorts of arms. "Oh no!" she replied "I'm not that sort of security person. There is no need for guns as there is no crime". I was becoming confused, even more so when she laughed, telling us she was also a practising Shaman and would be performing our Shaman blessing the following day. I guess a Shaman carrying a gun may be a bit incongruous...
A Visit to Aykhal City Mine
Late in the afternoon, we visited the ALROSA Aykhal diamond mine, one of five major diamond mines on the kimberlite seam of the Aykhal District. Located on the edge of town, this enormous open cut mine is one of the largest diamond mine excavations in the world. Today the open cut mine itself is closed; functioning now as a portal to the current extensive underground mining into the seams beneath, and around the pit.
Again, our visit was right on sunset, the last of the sun's rays illuminating the gigantic etched sides of the mine. On a bitterly cold but perfectly sunny afternoon, we posed as best we could before we froze totally.
Our last stop in our long day's travel was a brief visit to the Church of the Nativity of Christ. In a stunning twilight, the magnificent cathedral looked quite surreal; with its snow powdered soft pink, white trimmed exterior something more akin to an iced cake rather than a building. The statuesque church which was built as part of the city's 50th anniversary was beautifully maintained, surrounded by ice sculptures and a curious snow mound which Ed and I just had to climb.
Our Very Comfortable Apartment
Early in our trip plans, Ed recommended that we rent a furnished apartment in Aykhal rather than staying at one of the local hotels. We were of course, not keen to share accommodation but we were as usual, grateful of Ed's advice. Our three-bedroom apartment was well furnished, relatively spacious and clean. The kitchen was well equipped and importantly the bathroom was spotless and functional.
Best of all, it was located on the bottom floor of a five-storey apartment block just a few doors away from Masha and Sasha's place. As we knew well, lugging heavy luggage up the usual steep and narrow concrete stairwells of Russian apartment buildings is no fun.
At around 9:30 pm, while relaxing over a quiet drink, Ed arrived announcing that we were due for dinner at Masha's. Overly fed from our afternoon-meal-we-thought-was-dinner, we asked if it was possible to decline without offending. And this is where we were always pleasantly surprised with our agent. Ed took no notice whatsoever of our concerns. "If you are not hungry, you are not hungry. You certainly will not offend anyone". Heaving a sigh of relief, we also hoped it may give Ed some quiet time to socialise with his relatives.
But where was Sanya?
A WORD ABOUT AYKHAL
Aykhal - at a Glance
Aykhal is known as an "Urban Locality" or an urban type settlement, in Mirninsky District. It is located 470 km north of Mirniy and around 70 km south of its nearest significant town of Udachny.
At a latitude of 65.94 degrees north, it is just a smidgen below the Arctic Circle (latitude 66.5 degrees). The main water resource is the nearby Sokhsolookh River.
Aykhal has a population of 15,200 of which only around 1% are Yakut; the majority being ethnic Russian, including Chechens and Tatars. Members of Armenian, Kyrgyz and Uzbek diasporas are also minority groups.
Like Mirniy and other settlements within the Mirninsky, the economy is solely underpinned by the diamond industry conducted by ALROSA mainly through its Aykhal, Jubilee and Komsomolsky open pit mines. Some miners undertake long distance commuting from Mirniy.
Brief History
There is very little documentation about the more recent history of Aykhal. And none that I can find about any indigenous history. It is by Russian standards, a very young town; its existence solely dependent on the ALROSA diamond mining industry.
A small settlement was founded at Aykhal in 1961 just after the diamond mining on the kimberlite seam began in earnest at Mirniy in the late 1950's (refer previous entry about the discovery of the "Zarnitsa" kimberlite seam not far from Aykhal). The name Aykhal means "Glory" and was named by the geologists when they found their first substantial deposits of diamond laden kimberlite.
In 1964, the first three-storey residential apartment block was built. In the early 1980's the first five-storey apartment buildings were erected. And then a school with a swimming pool was built.
In 1986, the (then Soviet) Russian State mining authority "Yakutalmaz" opened a mining processing plant.
Like other diamond mining works in the Mirninsky District, the diamond industry was taken over by ALROSA, a short time after the Soviet Collapse in the early 1990's.
Over the next years, the village expanded to include a sporting and recreational complex, libraries, a shopping centre, a music school and a poly technical college. ALROSA continues to have a major input and significant philanthropic role in the infrastructure of Aykhal town.
In 2011, to celebrate the town's 50th anniversary, the Church of the Nativity of Christ, the Northern Lights entertainment Centre and the Central Sobornaya Square were built.
A VERY GRAND WELCOME!
Decisions...
Our day began early with a very substantial breakfast at Masha's apartment. For a woman with a very responsible full-time job and two children, Masha's energy in getting the kids to school, organising our day's full schedule of events as well as feeding us three meals per day, was a monumental effort. By the time we had arrived for breakfast, Masha had already been to work for several hours.
Back at our apartment however, there were decisions to be made about the clothing we would wear. Clearly, we would be attending several formal welcoming receptions, meeting with dignitaries and community leaders, as well as being interviewed by the media.
It sounds like very trite matter, but we were mainly concerned not so much about our appearance and lack of elegant attire (well Alan wasn't and we had no choice anyway), but the level of warmth we would need. Surely the museum and school visits and receptions would be inside which was always well heated.
But it was the media interviews that concerned us most. From bitter (as in cold) experience in Anadyr, Chukotka and other remote destinations, we knew that film crews much prefer outdoor scenes as a backdrop for interviews. There was no choice. At outside temperatures of less than minus 30 C, we would have to wear our heavy snow boots and take our warmest anoraks with us. Hardly elegant attire, at least they would keep us warm. And how true that proved to be....
We also discussed our forthcoming interviews with the media. No matter how many interviews we had performed in our lives - and there had been plenty - the pressure is always on to sound interested and informed, without being condescending or twee. Questions need to be anticipated, clear messages thought about beforehand. All rather difficult when we had only been in Aykhal for less than a day.
Another issue we have encountered being with the media all day is that you really have to be on the ball for 100% of the time. Several times in the past we have been quizzed by overly enthusiastic media representatives on our detailed impressions of a day's tour of museums, famous figures, historical sites etc. Or worse still about highly sensitive political matters.... (refer blog Restless Lands: "Never, Ever Get Involved in a Political Rally..." http://v2.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/crowdywendy/4/1349975603 )
Visit to the Aykhal Museum
Arriving at the museum in Sasha's very flash Hummer, we were met by the delightful Aykhal Yakut community leader Ludmila* who with Masha, was instrumental in organising the day's activities. Adding to my dress dismay, she was beautifully outfitted in a full-length fur coat and the finest buff reindeer boots. Warm and gregarious however, Ludmila liberally fussed over us - and hugging me firmly by the arm, marched us through the museum entrance.
*Ludmila was also a security officer in the explosives section of ALROSA mines.
For a small museum in such a remote location, the establishment was well presented and the displays were impressive. Director of the museum Elena, gave an excellent overview of the museum of which she was justly proud. Her coverage of the history of the diamond mining industry and the extraordinary difficulties encountered by the first geologists into the area was truly absorbing. In fact, we were so engrossed in her passionate presentation that we were sorry when our time with her came to an end. Which is really saying something for two reluctant museum-goers...
But there were many more visits, and understandably Masha the time-keeper, was determined to keep us on track.
Visit to the Aykhal School and College of Art, Crafts and Music
Our next visit was to Aykhal School where were greeted enthusiastically by the Principal and staff. The school, which is divided into the General School and a College of Arts, Crafts and Music, is run at government expense and is free of charge for all students.
This was no backwater school. The Principal was passionate about education and very caring about her students, who in turn, had achieved exceptionally high levels both academically and in the arts. The previous year, several students had been accepted into universities in Moscow and St Petersburg. Similarly, a lot of the students were artistically very talented and had won awards regionally and also at a national level. In fact, Masha's daughter Anzhela had won several national awards for her art works.
There were no children attending the school that day. An influenza virus had broken out and children were instructed to stay at home. We took little notice at the time other than to comment positively about the level of responsibility of the educational authorities. Little did we realise what was in store for us and the world, when COVID 19 really took off....
After a brief visit of the school, we were shown rooms of impressive arts and crafts, as well as a piano recital performed by one of the gifted music students.
It was all very much reminiscent of what we had seen of the schools of Bilibino in one of the remotest areas of Chukotka Okrug. Similarly, the students were extraordinarily high achievers. And their music and arts had won nationwide awards for their works. You had to be very impressed with the Russian educational systems, especially in these very remote locations.
It was Lent we were told and so we must eat! The staff had kindly put on a morning tea of pancakes stuffed with apple and cream, others packed with strawberries. I do not have a sweet tooth but one thing I love is Russian pancakes. And once again, we ate far too well.
Welcome Reception by the Mayor and Council of Aykhal
Within minutes we were hurried down to the Aykhal local government headquarters. And there we were greeted ceremoniously by Mayor Vasily Karpov, Deputy Mayors Olga and Alexander as well as managers responsible for tourism and sport. Sophisticated and friendly, we were given a formal, yet very warm welcome to the town of Aykhal. Alexander, an obvious fun-loving man with a friendly jovial face, kissed my hand, saying in Russian what a pleasure it was to welcome us both to Aykhal.
All the staff were friendly, courteous and again - beautifully attired. They were also almost disarmingly well-informed about who we were, our backgrounds and our tour. I fleetingly thought of Australian preconceptions and suspicions about "the unfriendly, rude Russian people". Sadly, I even thought about the woeful reputation of our local government authorities back home in Australia. But they of course were thoughts for another time.
The local television crew arrived and soon we were sitting in the Aykhal Council Chambers having a very pleasant but serious conversation about our visit as the first foreign tourists.
It did not take long to understand why the Mayor and Council were so interested to talk with us and hear our views on Aykhal and the Arctic Region of Mirninsky.
Our introductory questions were as to be expected, safely polite. "Why did we travel to Aykhal? What were our first impressions? What had we seen so far? Did we like Aykhal...?" Of course, they soon began to ask more pertinent questions related to development and tourism. Careful to explain that Aykhal, like Mirniy and other towns in Mirninsky was solely dependent on the mining industry, they were deeply concerned for the future of the town once the diamond mining resources were depleted.
Having attended numerous reception functions for overseas delegations during our work careers where the discussions had been no more than a polite but useless formality, we were intrigued to hear the well-considered questions posed to us. Even more surprising was their absorption of our replies and to any suggestions we could make. The young tourism manager was especially intense with her questions:
"What did we think of Aykhal from a tourists' point of view? What potential did we see for tourism in Aykhal? What could Aykhal do to attract tourism? How could the local government improve services and develop attractions for the city? What can we do better?" she asked.
Needless to say, it was very difficult for us to make meaningful contributions to the discussion. We had seen virtually nothing of Aykhal and knew very little about Russian local government administration. Furthermore, for a town which we were told had little or no tourist-related infrastructure, lacked regular flights and other means of reliable transport, as well as severe and unpredictable Arctic weather, it was no wonder the town could not drum up interest from investment companies. It was a big ask to even begin talking about tourism and development. I was relieved that Alan had so much experience during his time as director in our government Department of Industry and Industrial Development....
We talked as best we could about the possibility of Aykhal becoming one of a series of destinations of an off-the beaten-track "Russian Far East, Extreme North" tour route. In our opinion, many world tourist destinations had become overly well-trodden tracks, with so many people travelling and so many standard (and from our view, utterly boring) tourist packages available.
Perhaps a key market to explore we suggested, may be the more affluent retired people who may be seeking more exotic travel experiences; a sector who would have the time, the financial resources and the desire to travel to the more remote destinations. We had after all, noted several of the higher end international travel agencies developing tours which were beginning to seriously cater specifically for this sector. In fact, we often laughed that some of the company itineraries appeared to be following us to locations around the world....
Of course, our suggestions raised more questions and issues than could be discussed at our short meeting. But we were rightfully impressed with the forward thinking Vasily Karpov and his team who listened so intently and asked such well-considered questions.
But if it had been exhausting for us and the Council, it must have been totally draining for Ed who had to do all of the translating of our quite complex discussions. And I must confess we were relieved, if a somewhat amused when Mr Karpov stood up and announced we would be formally presented with "Certificates of Achievement" for being the first recorded foreign visitors to Aykhal. Well, it was hardly an "achievement" for us but we were grateful for the recognition.
But before then, Ed and the Mayor had some matters with which to attend. Alan for some reason had disappeared, and I was left with a smiling team of Councillors who spoke even less English than I spoke Russian. I had no choice other than to try to explain in my halting Russian that although I was only just learning Russian language, I would like to thank them for their time and also to say how much we liked Aykhal and our trip so far. I think I overdid the "truly wonderful" and "special thanks" bit. And goodness only knows what it sounded like but they all smiled appreciatively (perhaps pityingly) and my charming friend Alexander began a gentle round of applause. Phew....
Certificates were awarded and bags of gifts were given. Somewhat overwhelmed by the professionalism, friendliness and generosity of the Council, we posed for photos before being whisked off for our much anticipated media interviews.
The Media Interviews
In line with our expectations, the interviews were held outside. On a bright sunny Aykhal day, the snowy surrounds were brilliant; a great backdrop to our footage but with a temperature of around minus 30 C, it was a freezing environment to be standing around for an hour or so. And I was by then overly pleased we had made the decision to wear our snow boots.
Each of us was interviewed individually by a young Russian journalist. Ed was first, then Alan and finally me. The questions ran along similar lines to what we had been asked at the Council meeting: the future of Aykhal as a possible tourist destination.
Other more mundane questions were to be expected, yet possibly more difficult to answer seeing we had been in Aykhal for just half a day, most of which was taken up with meetings: "Why were we visiting Aykhal? What did we like best about Aykhal? What was our favourite food?...."
Thank god we had attended enough media training courses during our work careers to be able to convert unanswerable questions into positive statements about the little we had experienced of Aykhal; the beauty of the surrounds, our impressions with their excellent education system, the impressive forward thinking of the local government - and thankfully, I remembered my passion for Russian pancakes - which answered the favourite food question....
A Three Course Lunch.....
Ludmila had not left our sides, fussing over us and making sure our coats were zipped up and that we were sufficiently warm. Firmly taking my arm, she briskly escorted us from our interviews to a car waiting to take us to our next activity - a three-course lunch at a local restaurant. In the car we met Ludmila's son Nugustan, a softly spoken, serious yet friendly young man who spent the rest of the day with us.
We groaned. The last thing we needed was more food. And it was one time when Ed couldn't save us. There are times when you have no choice other than to eat, rather than offend your hosts. The restaurant was very impressive and the food although substantial, was truly delicious. We noticed however that neither Ludmila nor Masha ate any lunch. And we were soon to understand why.
Once again, our charming host Masha had everything under control. Soon we were speeding off to our next and final function for the day, a welcome by the Aykhal Yakut Women's Association.
A Shaman Blessing and a Traditional Yakut Welcome Reception
The Yakut Women's Centre was packed. Indigenous Yakut women and young girls, colourfully dressed in traditional gowns and elaborate silver head dress and jewelry warmly welcomed us as we entered. The media returned in full force seeking out the best positions for filming the afternoon's activities. At the rear of the room was an enormous table packed with huge platters of traditional Yakut food. All prepared especially for us.
Vavara was virtually unrecognisable. Dressed in a beautiful white Shaman gown adorned with ornate heavy silver jewelry, she and an attractive young khomus** musician prepared for the blessing. On a table behind Varvara, a conical vase was lit, emitting a brilliant tall flame. There was great theatre and much fanfare.
** The khomus is also known as a "mouth harp" or "Jewish mouth harp". It is a much-famed musical instrument in Sakha Republic.
Meanwhile, Ed, Alan and I stood quietly, feeling I might say somewhat overwhelmed. Nugustan kindly relieved me of my camera, and dancing nimbly across chairs and tables began photographing and videoing the scene.
The blessing began. Varvara waving a horse tail switch began singing a swaying rhythmic chant, becoming louder and louder as the blessing began in earnest. The young musician strummed the khomus.
Beautiful haunting music; the sounds of an ancient, foreign and totally fascinating culture. We stood transfixed. We knew we were seeing something very, very special for which we were very, very privileged. Here is a video of the blessing taken by Nugustan https://youtu.be/Wr3Qj_2OcfY
The surrounding Yakut women called "Aykhal, Aykhal". And our blessing was finalised with a young woman offering us small cups of kumys, a traditional Yakut drink of fermented mare's milk.
It was time to sit down to a huge afternoon meal; platters of raw reindeer marrow, bowls of a special cold grain porridge with reindeer offal, fish, pastries and other types of meats in abundance. We did well to eat as much as we did. Alan especially excelled himself, eating large amounts of the reindeer marrow. Ed managed well too, although by the end of our meal he was looking a trifle green. After all, we had all eaten an enormous amount of food during the day.
Our meal ended with a young Yakut girl playing the khomus. How I love that music. And how strange yet mesmerising are some of the khomus sounds; from galloping horse hooves and intense whinnying, eerie howling of wolves and the magical dripping of droplets of water, to the bone chilling echoes of a howling blizzard. Completely transfixed, we sat watching the young musician who would have been no more than seven years of age. Just listen to her music: https://youtu.be/WOMVmRa0spc
The afternoon's activities included a master class demonstration of traditional horse tail weaving of head bands and bracelets. Many of the women were involved in handicrafts and we were treated to a variety of different displays from handbags to fine jewelry. And then to our embarrassment, we were showered with an array of hand-made gifts from the Yakut women.
During the afternoon, Yana introduced herself to us. Speaking perfect English, she explained that her son Vovo (diminutive of Vladimir) was learning English and would it be possible for him to meet with us later and practise his English? Vovo, she told us was planning to study in St Petersburg to become a chef. Would she miss him being so far away, we asked? "Oh no, I have three other children, two of whom are very small. There will be enough children left at home for me!" she laughed. But she was obviously concerned for her son. After all, St Petersburg is a world away in both distance and culture (4,000 km as the crow flies or staggering 10,550 km if you had to drive...) from Vovo's Yakut family in Aykhal. Of course, we would be delighted to meet with him. And we did.
The last activity for the day was demonstration by Sasha of Stroganina preparation, a famous Siberian dish comprising long shards of frozen fish. The fish for Stroganina is traditionally caught using ice fishing techniques, then glazed with near freezing water in order to prevent dehydration and better preserve the fish meat in a frozen state.
The trick is to shave the fish whilst nearly fully frozen but still able to be sliced, in a vertical fashion without bending. It is best suited to fish that will naturally form ribbon curls, although it can be prepared in a straight cut form. And it looks much easier to prepare than it is! We tried Stroganina in Bilibino and found it delicious, as it was that afternoon in Aykhal.
It had been a wonderful day, culminating in the very special Yakut ceremony and reception. We had met with charming, friendly and interesting people. And experienced what no other foreign tourists had ever had the privilege to witness. In Aykhal. Right on the edge of the Arctic Circle, a huge 1,640 km north-west of Yakutsk. Or a mere 27 hour's Zimnik drive from the coldest inhabited city in the Russian Federation....
Yes, we were blessed. An experience we will not forget.
Here is the television coverage of our day in Aykhal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpYi3buw4ro&feature=youtu.be
londone7
2020-08-08
Looks interesting but too cold and remote for me
geoff
2020-08-08
what an honor being the first tourists - whole experience looks incredible