OUR DAY BEGINS - a Glorious Sunrise
After a comfortable night at our cosy Floria Guesthouse, we awoke to a glorious, crystal clear morning. A pale soft sun struggled feebly against a pastel pink sky.
From our window framed by typically tizzy Russian curtains, the frozen scenery looked bitterly cold and uninviting. It was apparently, a chilly minus 40 C. Lying comatose in our warm beds, we could just hear the faint crunch, crunch of footsteps through crisp snow. Otherwise, Khandyga town was deadly silent.
It was hard to get moving, especially as we knew it would be a long and arduous day. We would drive 450 km back to Yakutsk where we hoped to rest for a short while at the Tygyn Darkhan Hotel before heading off around 1:00 am the following morning to catch an early flight to Khabarovsk. Later that day we would catch a connecting flight to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Island where we would stay for a few days rest and recreation. We were well aware when we planned our trip, that by the time we hit Sakhalin, we would be in no state for more travel or tours.
At that stage, we had little concept of what was happening around the world or even back home. Sure, we knew about the corona virus issues in Wuhan, China and then in Hong Kong. And we heard that travel in our region had declined significantly. In fact, nearly every day we were being notified of changed flights. But we had no idea of the impact it may have on our coming itinerary.
After all we reasoned, we had travelled through China during the SARS and Avian Flu epidemics without much fuss. Surely, there was no need for concern?
It was only later however, we realised how many flights had been cancelled and how many passengers had been consolidated into single mega-packed flights. In hindsight, it was probably just as well we didn't know too much about what was really happening. Or for that matter, what was yet to come....
OUR JOURNEY BEGINS
A Lazy Start to our Journey to Yakutsk
Yura looking tired, seemed to share our lethargy that morning. He had after all, been driving long distances in difficult conditions almost non-stop for some five days and it must at some time have caught up with him.
That morning, to our surprise he appeared very relaxed about the timing of our departure. We knew he was staying for three days in Yakutsk before taking on another job driving to Ust Nera, presumably picking up his new clients while he was in Yakutsk. With our lack of language however, it was difficult to understand how he coordinated his jobs. But given the huge distances, it would not have been an easy task.
Despite our drive to Yakutsk being some 450 km, the estimated time (with stops) it would take was around seven to eight hours. And once up and about, we were keen to get going to arrive in Yakutsk as early as possible in order to maximise our rest time. Not surprisingly, we were dreading the start in the very early hours of morning the following day.
At 9:30 am we finally managed to pack all our gear. And after several cups of coffee in our guesthouse communal kitchen, Yura left to pick up our car from the warmth of its heated garage.
Very soon we were off on our last leg of our overall journey back to Yakutsk. I must say, the end of a trip is always a sad time for me. Not only did this drive spell the final part of a truly fantastic journey but it also meant a farewell to Yura with whom we had become so fond. It never ceases to amaze me how you can spend such an intense period in a very short space of time with a guide and/or driver, and then in a flick of time, it's all gone. And it's unlikely you will ever see each other again. But then again, as it has happened, sometimes you do....
We farewelled Khandyga, filled up with fuel and were soon speeding down the icy road toward the Aldan River zimnik. Unlike our forward journey however, there were no problems with worrying puddling along the zimnik; the road now firm, frozen and hopefully more stable.
Travels Through Tomponskiy Ulus: Observations of Poor Taiga Growth
Throughout our travels to Oymyakonskiy, we had often noticed extensive areas of poor looking taiga growth. It was most noticeable with the larch forests but in other areas, often birch species looked similarly miserable. In some regions, sparse growth, much fallen timber and often large areas of dead wood were testament to some significant environmental events and/or some form of climatic change.
Whether it was widespread temperature increase, disease or even fires - in the snowy conditions, it was almost impossible to tell. But being avid plant enthusiasts with a background in science, we were keen to find out what the issues may be, especially with such a well-known hardy species. Disappointingly however, no one was able to provide us with any definitive answers or even any information.
Larch forests (Larix species) are present in all temperate-cold zones of the northern hemisphere. They require a cool and humid climate and for this reason they are found in the mountains of the temperate zones and in the northernmost boreal regions, they are also found on the flat plains.
The larch which are pioneer species, are not especially demanding of their soil type or environmental conditions. Paradoxically they are generally very long-lived and can last up to a whopping 400 years of age. Beautifully adapted to their harsh climate, they are the hardiest trees on earth, able to extend further north than any other tree species; in North America and Siberia growing well into the tundra and polar ice regions. The Siberian or Dahurian larch which are shallow rooted trees only requiring summer thawing of permafrost of 20 to 30 cm, are able to survive in areas where other trees are replaced by mosses, sedges and lichens. Interestingly, they are also well adapted to forest wild fires; a common occurrence in Siberian taiga.
How they manage to prevent their root tips from freezing and causing permanent damage is yet another mystery. Do they secrete a root tip exudate to prevent freezing - much like a fuel anti-freeze? And then when the spring thaws arrive, how do they survive the resulting muskegs and marshes? Yet more biological challenges for this tough arctic vegetation.
The larch do have an "inbuilt anti-freeze sap" rich with resins, and from what we have read are in fact able to secrete an exudate which stops soil moisture from freezing around their delicate root tips. Furthermore, their circulatory system is discontinuous, making the tree more freeze-resistant than other species. They also relish the boggy, acid conditions caused by anaerobic decomposition which provide the acidity required for their seed germination.
Larch, like all other conifers are compact-form trees, limiting the surface area exposed to arctic winds. They also have thick cuticles for extra protection. Contrary to popular belief however, they are in fact deciduous. In the Arctic, soft lime green needles emerge in the spring like little tufts along the stem, in summer clothing the branches with a downy almost fern-like textured clothing. In autumn, the leaflets fall off, leaving the branches bare, like normal deciduous trees.
Larch forests of Siberia are of significant biosphere and ecological importance. They form large monoculture forests in the permafrost zone, and play an important role in water-soil protection in mountainous regions.
Today, Arctic regions of Russia are experiencing "unprecedented" rapid warming. The cause of the warming may be debatable, but the effect it will have on Arctic environs and indeed world ecology, may be catastrophic, particularly during extensive ice melts which form more anaerobic bogs, marshes and muskeg - releasing into the atmosphere massive amounts of greenhouse gasses such as methane.
Through Tattinskiy and Churapchinskiy Uluses
As on our forward journey in the Tomponskiy, Tattinskiy and Churapchinskiy Ulusey, we passed numerous cyclists - each struggling under enormous backpacks and masses of luggage. We wondered why on earth anyone would punish themselves so severely. After all, wasn't just being outside in this hostile environment enough hard labour? Well obviously not. Not much further on, we drove past a number of solo joggers....
And once again, we were entering much more populated agricultural regions. Horse farms lined our road, dwellings and sheds barely visible in the deep snow which must have fallen overnight. Ponies trudged belly deep in the soft going. Hardy little devils, the Yakut ponies.
Numerous rural villages became a snowy blur. Gingerbread houses coated white with thick ice, dotted the frosty slopes. All timber. Everything was timber here, The houses, fences and even the power poles. There is no shortage of this resource in Siberia. Approximately half of the Russian Federation is forested, and because of its huge size it contributes to some 20% of the world's standing forests.
Power stations dominated the village landscape, their spirals of thick black and white smoke forming a mass of gaseous plumage against a pale cold sky. The life blood of a settlement, they are mostly gas or coal fired.
REFECTIONS ON A DICTATOR: Madman, Tyrannical Ruler or Brilliant Strategist and Leader?
Observations....
Our long trip to Yakutsk gave Alan and I the opportunity to quietly re-visit our discussions from the previous evening; particularly about the former Soviet leader Josef Stalin. Not surprisingly, this conversation had come up many times during our travels in Russia.
As foreigners, we were well aware of the Western view of the Stalin era: Soviet industrialisation, agricultural collectivisation, terrible famines, the Great Purge eliminating any objecting members of the Soviet Communist Party and/or other perceived dissidents, the gulag system of forced labour camps and deaths of millions - as well as the courageous defeat by Russia of Nazi Germany and the gigantic rise to power of a Russian nation.
There is no doubting Stalin's role in the Russian defeat of Germany and his success in transforming the country to become a world power. And perhaps the gulag forced labour system had a wider goal of economic necessity and/or colonisation of the Far East and to preserve Russia's borders and national security?
But at what cost? Is it possible to divorce the person from his shocking atrocities? And after all, it is estimated that between 27 to 28 million Russians lost their lives in the war... Another estimated twelve million had died in the purges and gulag system. With such chilling brutality and human expense, it is difficult to reconcile the events....
But what had really surprised us during more recent years, was the seemingly renewed "popularity" the former leader was receiving across the country. Almost a force that read something like "Make Stalin Great Again"....
We had witnessed during our travels in Russia, monuments honouring Stalin and commemorating his leadership achievements; some of which had been in some of the most surprising places. One I particularly remember was a lonely bronze bust of Stalin in the remote Fiagdon Village, North Ossetia where he was not only revered as a great leader but where he was hero-worshipped by a community who was convinced he was born in North Ossetia, and not as widely accepted Gori in Georgia.
Furthermore, I had been somewhat gob-smacked when some of my past blog content describing Stalin's atrocities had invoked some pretty hefty criticism from a Russian acquaintance. Were we wrong? Perhaps we were we missing something....?
Stalin's Rise to Power and Rule - 1912 to 1953
Joseph Stalin was secretary-general of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and premier of the Soviet state, dictatorially ruling the country from 1927 to his death in 1953.
Josef Stalin was born as Ioseb Dzhugashvili in Gori, Georgia in 1879. He later changed his last name to Stalin or "Man of Steel". His first political promotion was when Lenin appointed him to the First Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party in 1912 where under Lenin's guidance, he played a key role in the 1912 Russian Revolution. When Lenin died in 1924, Stalin succeeded him.
Stalin industrialised the Soviet Union. But it was at the expense of its poorest citizens the peasants, an estimated ten million of whom died. Peasants were forced to join collectivised farms. Those who resisted were often killed or forced into labour camps. Agricultural collectivisation led to tragic famine; the most severe being in the Ukraine where the situation has been described as akin to genocide.
Stalin's paranoia led him to turn on colleagues, family and even elite members of the Communist Party, executing or deporting many. Overall, Stalin's political victims numbered in the tens of millions.
During the war, Stalin originally allied himself with German dictator Hitler but when the regime posed a threat to Russia, Stalin joined the Allies in the fight against Nazi Germany. He participated in high-level conferences with Allied powers, becoming part of the "Big Three" alongside UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and US President Franklin D Roosevelt.
Stalin died suddenly on 5th March 1953. He had been in poor health. But now many suspect that poison was involved.
In 1956, came a "watershed moment". Communist leader Nikita Krushchev denounced Stalin's personality cult and dictatorship in a secret speech to the 20th Party Congress; a move that led directly to a thaw in political repression with thousands of prisoners being freed from Stalin's labour camps. In following decades however, the true scale of Stalin's crimes remained largely unknown.
Revival of Popularity of "Hero" Josef Stalin: Observations
The Realisation
Many Russians were apparently shocked when in the late 1980's the former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbechev introduced "glasnost" or openness policy, effectively lifting the veil on details of the Stalin era. Furthermore, publication of dissident and former gulag prisoner Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's book Gulag Archipelago in Russia in 1989 shed further light on the terrible atrocities of the brutal forced labour "gulag" system.
Up to then, historical publications in Soviet Russia were strictly censored with this part of history being generally omitted from educational curricula. Russian acquaintances have told me that they had never learnt about the dark part of the Stalin era, finding out only years after “glasnost”. “We had never learnt about it. We had no idea about what had happened” a Russian friend confided to me. Another quoted Famous Russian writer Anton Chekhov "Nobody knows the real truth...."
Not surprisingly, uncovering the facts of the Stalin era was not only a shock for many of its citizens but a more than uncomfortable realisation of this part of Russia's history. It is entirely understandable. After all, there is a lot of Australian history which is so reprehensible, you would really prefer not to have known.
The "Revival"
When respected Russian pollster Levada undertook a poll in March 2019 of Russians aged 18 and above in some 137 towns and cities throughout Russia, data revealed that 51% of the respondents liked or admired Stalin. This was the highest ever rating for the former dictator, whose popularity had been rising steadily for the past 20 years.
In more recent times, Stalin's portrait has apparently been re-appearing all over Russia, often apparently with political sanction. New Stalin statues have been erected and streets re-named in his honour. Furthermore, Stalin memorabilia such as fridge magnets, calendars etc is now very popular in Russian shops.
Victory Day, commemorating Russia's defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II has become a huge event and with increased national fervor. Under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, it has become the country's most popular holiday and a beacon of national pride.
And so why has Stalin made such a "revival"?
Levada sociologist Karina Pipiya comments "There is growing nostalgia for the Soviet period and Stalin as a leader. Stalin is seen as the main figure who defeated fascism, who gets the honour for victory in the Great Patriotic War. And that war victory is a symbol of national pride for all Russians, even those born in the post-Soviet era."
That positive opinion she asserts, is boosted by current frustration over social policy including reform of the pension system, and economic hardship. (BBC World News, 2019)
Some critics insist the revival of Stalin is part of a broader strategy to whitewash an era of Russia's bloody history. Others speculate that it is merely a passage of time factor, with events fading out of most of people's memories. Even the gulag sites are disappearing with age and less and less gulag survivors are alive today to tell the story.
"As evidence of the camps steadily crumbles, adoration of Stalin, even amongst former prisoners, has risen to its highest level in decades. Descendants of the victims try to keep their memory alive. But for many Russians, nostalgia and ignorance have blurred past horrors"" (New York Times, 2020).
As Foreign Visitors....
As foreign travellers in Russia, we had often talked to people who lived through the old Soviet system. And there is no doubting that in many people's eyes, these certainly were "the golden times" where jobs, housing, education, health and social services were organised and managed by the state. And to our somewhat surprise, many spoke mistily about the Soviet era whereas they told us "things worked so much better"; their acute discontent and complaints about the current system more than plainly obvious.
Furthermore, on numerous occasions during our day-to-day travels we had been witness to immense Russian pride amongst locals; the intensity of which we found a bit surprising. In 2015 we were in Moscow during the massive Victory Day celebrations in Red Square. The atmosphere during the days we were there was palpable. And there was no doubting Russian sentiment about its contribution during the Great Patriotic War and its role in defeating Nazi Germany.
And in these days of the rise of "unconventional strong-man" world leaders, perhaps we should not be all that surprised by Josef Stalin's revival? Whatever the reason, it is an interesting - if disturbing - modern phenomenon.
Again, you would need to be Russian to fully understand....
A RUDE AWAKENING IN CHURAPCHINSKIY....
At Churapcha village Yura's car suddenly braked, rudely jolting us out of our indulgent conversation. Several men ran toward our car, indicating for us to stop.
In front of us, a large articulated truck bogged in deep snow, leaned perilously against the road embankment. It was by then a common sight on our travels. Unlike other occasions, fortunately there was no danger for the driver. A team of men calmly gathered around. And then huge machinery and other trucks arrived. In such extreme cold, freeing up this big beast would have been an unenviable task.
As we drove slowly past the truck, the truck drivers and onlookers didn't look at all rattled. It was it seemed, just all part of the life of transport workers in Arctic Siberia....
A LATE STOP AT TUNGULU AND ONTO NIZHNY BESTAKH.
Arriving at the little village of Tungulu the mid-afternoon, Yura pulled our car into the grounds of a yellow building known as the Smart Cafe. And it was well-named too. A substantial timber building lined with wooden panels, it was cosy and warm and a good place to stop for a rest and a meal. To the right of us sat a group of teenage Yakut girls. Each totally absorbed with their mobile phones, they barely looked up as we walked into the cafe.
The food was good. We enjoyed a meal of chicken and rice and several cups of steaming hot coffee. And it must have been good for Yura to have a rest. Noticing he was looking tired, we had tried our best to chat with him during the last part of our journey toward Tungulu. It was hard to imagine how these drivers kept going. Ed had told us though, that one thousand kilometers driving non-stop through difficult snowy conditions was nothing for a driver in the Far East.
The last part of our trip re-visited the township and surrounds of Nizhny Bestakh. Heavy snow must have fallen the night before and on a late cloudy afternoon, the footpaths were meters deep in thick soft snow. With a temperature around minus 35 C, the outside environs looked bitterly cold and inhospitable.
OVER THE LENA ZIMNIK AND BACK TO YAKUTSK
Farewell Yura
As if on cue, the sun came out during the final leg of our journey, almost to welcome us back to Yakutsk. The zimnik Yura told us was particularly slippery. A brief afternoon warmth had thawed some of the ice which had quickly frozen over as the sun was beginning to wane. "Это очень скользко" - or "it is very slippery" said Yura. The word "скользкий" or "slippery" pronounced something like "skol'zkiy", was my last of my Russian language lessons with Yura.
Crossing the Lena River zimnik for the last time, I felt a strong pang of remorse. As far as Alan was concerned, this would be our last trip to Russia.... I reminded myself however, that each of our Russian trips was "our last Russian trip". Yet, here we were on our sixth trip and with me hoping for another. And perhaps another. I was totally in love with Russia....
Late in the afternoon, we arrived in Yakutsk. The outskirts looked as miserable as I was feeling. At our Tyghan Darkhan hotel, we sadly bade our fond farewells to our friend Yura. He had been a wonderful companion and a very competent driver. And somehow, just like our other guides and drivers, we knew we would stay in touch. We certainly have.
A VERY SHORT STAY IN YAKUTSK
"Russia really Gets Under Your Skin...."
The management of the Tyghan Darkhan Hotel had kindly upgraded us to very nice superior accommodation for our very short stay in Yakutsk. It was only hours really until Artyom would pick us up at 1:30 am for our trip to Yakutsk airport. We laughed that it was a great pity we had not had this luxury for our main stay at the hotel. It was about twice the size of our first room.
Over our meal, we pondered about our next trip. Alan was keen to travel to somewhere different. We had done a lot of travel in Russia. That was true enough. Perhaps Somaliland or even Nagaland, he suggested. I didn't reply.
As the evening progressed, we began talking about the Bering Coast of Chukotka where we had visited in summer of 2018. "What about a winter overland trip to Uelen and Cape Schmidt?" Alan asked me. Somehow, I was not entirely surprised. Sometimes, it pays to keep quiet....
Ed was right. He had often told us of how he yearned to return to his homeland of the UK after a long and grueling Russian winter season, only to find that within days he was itching to get back to Russia.
"Russia really gets under your skin" I recall him saying to us. With a huge Ed grin.
Yes, Ed. It does.
2025-02-07