HALF-DAY TOUR OF YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK
Meeting Valentina
On a glorious sun-drenched morning waiting for our guide in our hotel foyer, we became totally absorbed with the antics of the ski set. Beautifully attired and equipped with the latest ski and snowboard gear, they showed off their finery in no small way. Loud, overly friendly voices resonated gratingly throughout the foyer. A lot of gesticulating. A lot of hugging. Corona virus was certainly not an issue for Sakhalin. Nor for that matter, at that time an issue in Russia at all. And we would have to admit, until the last few days of watching world news, it was way out of our conscious zone too....
A soft, slightly American accented voice greeted us "Oh you must be Wendy and Alan! I am Valentina, your guide. Our driver is waiting for us outside." Jolted out of our deep-thoughts, we were again surprised that we were so obvious to pick as foreigners. Later Alan laughed that it was most probably because of our shabby clothing. After a month of Arctic travel without laundry facilities, our gear certainly had that "I badly need a wash" look. And anyway, in our not-so-trendy trekking pants and obviously non-Russian clothing, I guess we were a bit obvious....
An attractive, friendly young woman with wide grey eyes, elegantly dressed in a camel overcoat tied casually at the waist and topped with a lilac woolen beret and scarf, Valentina certainly looked very chic. And as it turned out, she was also an excellent and very thoughtful guide.
As we drove through the streets of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Valentina explained that she was actually a lawyer for one of Sakhalin's mining companies, and that being a guide was just a side job; more like a hobby she said. "I really enjoy meeting new people from different countries. Oh, and my mother is so jealous! She has always wanted to visit Australia. She would love to meet you. Perhaps you can visit her at some stage. We must stay in touch!" she enthused. We were relieved. Our morning tour with Valentina promised to be a pleasant experience.
As mentioned, it had not been an easy process to organise something as seemingly simple as a morning tour of the city. After all, upon booking, the hotel had informed us they had a travel desk. A lot of phone calls later, the concierge finally confirmed our half-day tour. But the tour company did not appear to be part of, nor even associated with the Mega Palace Hotel.
Nor did the staff seem very interested in organising anything for us. We later learnt that tourism is still quite undeveloped in Sakhalin, with limited infrastructure and very few travel companies. And apart from the skiing fraternity, it appeared that foreign tourists were quiet a rarity.
As usual, we tiredly stipulated that we wanted the tour to act as a brief overview and orientation to the city. We did not want to spend too much time in museums, cultural centres or churches.... And once again, we emphasised that we would like to visit a supermarket or at least some markets if possible. And as usual, our request to actually observe how the locals live, was ignored. I'm sure it was not Valentina's fault. We are obviously just not normal tourists....
And so, we were not at all surprised when Valentina detailed our itinerary for the morning: firstly a visit to the Sakhalin Regional Museum, then a visit to the Cathedral of the Nativity, followed by a visit to the Military Museum and then a chair lift ride up to the top station of the Gorny Vozdukh ski slopes. We groaned silently…. The latter sounded more fun to me but Alan who loathes chair lifts was less than impressed. "More bloody skiers..." he grumbled.
A Bit About Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
As we drove toward the museum, Valentina chatted animatedly to us about her city of which she was justifiably proud, providing us with a good overview and brief historical summary.
Administrative centre of Sakhalin Oblast, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is located on the southern end of Sakhalin Island about 25 km north of Aniva Bay, a similar distance west from the Sea of Okhotsk and around 100 km from the shores of the Tartar Strait on the western Russian mainland side. Flanked by mountains to the east and west, it nestles in the lower reaches of the Susuya River Valley. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk boasts a population of around 200,000.
As mentioned, the city is home to a large proportion of ethnic Koreans. It also has a sizeable Polish population. Its more recent growth as a relatively wealthy city however, has been largely dependent on the investment of oil companies such as ExxonMobil and Shell Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk who maintain their headquarters and residential complexes within the city.
The city is home to the head office of Aeroflot's subsidiary company Aurora Airlines, and is served by the nearby Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk airport. It is also the hub for the island's railway and roadway networks.
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk hosts elementary and middle education at Sakhalin International School and higher education at the Sakhalin State University and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Institute of Economics, Law and Informatics (Computing).
Being an earthquake-prone location*, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is a low-rise city surrounded by stunning snow-capped mountains. It features attractive tree-lined streets, pleasant parkland walks and a somewhat relaxed atmosphere. Not surprisingly, we found Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (affectionately known as "Yuzhno") to have a sort of a "frontier town feel". And we couldn't help but be impressed.
* Being part of the "Ring of Fire", Sakhalin Island is well known for its seismic activity. The worst recorded event was the Neftegorsk Earthquake which occurred in northern Sakhalin in May 1995. With a magnitude reading of a staggering 9.0 on the Richter Scale, the earthquake caused the death of some 2,000 people and a damages bill of around USD300 million.
An Insight into the Modern History of the City
The history of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk dates back to 1882 when the village of Vladimirovka was first founded by Russian exiles. At that time, Sakhalin was a much feared penal colony for some of Russia's most hardened criminals. Not long after the colonisation of Sakhalin, renowned Russian play write and writer Anton Chekhov visited the penal settlement. His book The Island: A Journey to Sakhalin is today, regarded as a masterpiece of journalism. His stay in Sakhalin is detailed as part of our museum visit.
In 1905, following the Russian-Japanese War, the southern part of Sakhalin was ceded to Japan. From that point in time up until 1945, the city known as Toyohara (meaning "bountiful plain") was the centre of the then Karafuto Prefecture of Japan.
After the end of World War II, after the Japanese portion of Sakhalin was occupied by Russian troops, ownership was transferred to the Soviet Union and the city re-named as Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (literally meaning "South Sakhalin City"). The town was granted city status in 1946.
Wikipedia details the cultural diversity of the city: "The main heritage of the Japanese ownership of the city is the sizeable number of Sakhalin-Koreans, deported here by the Japanese in the 1930's and denied repatriation until the mid-1980's; many decided to stay in Sakhalin, and around 20,000 reside in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. In the 21st century, the oil industry brought in many ex-pats from Europe and America...."
Today, there are still significant Japanese and Korean influences within the city*. Cars are most commonly second-hand Japanese vehicles with right-hand steering. On each street corner small shops sell Japanese goods, including popular Japanese whiskies Black Nikka and Suntory. Similarly, Sakhalin is known as the birthplace of pyan-se, a popular Far Eastern fast food of Korean origin. It is a type of steamed pie, filled with cabbage, meat and spices. Korean foods such as kimchi and noodles are also very popular.
There is also a European and American ex-pat influence with occasional English-language signs in the city, several upscale hotels and an ex-pat district. Perhaps this influence accounted for Valentina's occasional very faint American twang...?
Our Tour Begins: The Museum of Local Lore
Our first visit for the day was at the Sakhalin Regional Museum (Museum of Local Lore). Housed inside a former Japanese administrative building, it is the oldest research, educational and cultural institute on Sakhalin Island. And one of the very few remaining authentic buildings of the Japanese era.
The building erected by the Japanese for the (then) Karafuto Museum was built in the traditional "tayken" imperial crown style, designed by architect Yoshio Kaizuka. The very attractive building does in fact, look very much like a small Japanese palace, topped with a series of symmetrical pagoda-styled roofs.
The museum displays exhibits of social and cultural Sakhalin artifacts and also those of the Kuril Islands' natural history. In the museum's repositories, there are around 200,000 objects and collections on natural history, history and cultural heritage of the peoples of the Russian Federation. The museum claims that around 70,000 local residents and guests of Sakhalin Oblast visit the museum annually.
The museum is relatively small, and includes several halls on two floors. It has a special emphasis on Japanese, Russian and Korean relations. In also includes cultural displays of various Sakhalin indigenous peoples.
Most of the signage is in Russian although there are some exhibits featuring quite detailed information in English.
Outside the museum are housed Russian and Japanese artifacts, including a Japanese tank and Japanese and Russian canons. Reportedly, the gardens are stunning but in the heavy snow we just had to make do with our imagination. The building and tree-lined setting however, were beautiful.
Dutifully, we wandered through taxidermied displays of native animals such as bears, foxes and wolves, and even fish. A large cultural exhibit included the housing, clothing and weaponry of the indigenous Nivkh people. Interestingly, like the indigenous Nanai people we met in Khabarovsk Krai (just across the Tatar Strait), the Nivkh used fish skins for clothing and housing materials.
Other exhibits displayed paintings and portraits of past explorers, historical war scenes, the penal colony days and the Soviet years. A special section is devoted to Anton Chekhov, a much revered hero of Sakhalin.
An Insight into Anton Chekhov's Visit to Sakhalin
"I have seen Ceylon and it is Heaven. I have seen Sakhalin, and it is Hell...."
In 1890 during Tsarist Russian years, writer Anton Chekhov undertook the arduous journey from the west across to the east of Russia, and then to Sakhalin Island; an overland voyage of some 9,656 km which took him two and half months to complete. At that time he was diagnosed with tuberculosis.
Chekhov's mission was to examine the lives of the prison captives of what was known as Russia's most notorious penal colony. Recalling his journey and the harsh conditions of Sakhalin, he wrote: "I have seen Ceylon, and it is heaven. And now I have seen Sakhalin, and it is hell".
The Sakhalin of his time was a place of near-unendurable hardship. Those who were banished there were forced into hard labour. Disease was rife. Chekhov was witness to whippings, confiscation of meagre supplies and forced prostitution of the women of Sakhalin Island.
The treatment of the convicts both horrified and depressed the writer. In his book "The Island: A Journey to Sakhalin" he wrote "On the Amur steamer going to north Sakhalin, there was a convict who had murdered his wife and wore fetters on his legs. His daughter, a little girl of six, was with him. I noticed wherever the convict moved the little girl scrambled after him, holding on to his fetters. At night the child slept with convicts and soldiers, all in a heap together..."
His book The Island: A Journey to Sakhalin was Chekhov's single largest work. Considered more of a journalistic account rather than a literary masterpiece, it is widely acclaimed as his best work. Published in 1891-93, it consists of his travel notes based on his personal experiences, as well as extensive data collected by him.
Interestingly, in spite of Chekhov's bitter view of Sakhalin, the residents have come to honour him as one of their own. Dedications to Chekhov appear throughout Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - in museums, on statues and atop the Chekhov Theatre, his likeness apparently vying him with that of Lenin.
Chekhov finally succumbed to tuberculosis at a spa in Germany where he had gone in hope of a cure. An interesting middle class man; a qualified doctor, dapper and dandyish. Witness to terrible events.
To the Cathedral of the Nativity
As we walked along the icy promenade to the Cathedral of the Nativity, we chatted animatedly with Valentina about the complex historical ownership of the island. After all, geographically and location-wise, Sakhalin and the Kurils could belong to either Russia or Japan. Both are in such close proximity. And curiously, there is a strange yet positive intertwining of cultures in Yuzhno. Even on the regional court building there are two coats of arms; Russian and the Japanese.
There was no doubt however, in Valentina's mind as to which country should own Sakhalin....
While Valentina and Alan were deep in conversation, I watched with interest at the apparent ease at which Valentina could transform her persona from being a totally Russian, Russian speaking person to a perfectly fluent English-speaking Westerner. With a pang of envy, I wondered with my stumbling efforts to learn Russian language, whether I would ever master such a seamless transition. Probably not, I thought jadedly.....
On our route to the cathedral we passed another church, the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. Looking at this attractive turquoise and gold domed Orthodox Church nestled between arching silver birch and on a quiet corner of the city, it was hard to imagine that it was the scene of a chilling murder when in 2014, a gunman entered the church killing a nun and a parishioner.
The Cathedral of the Nativity
We have seen some beautiful cathedrals in the Russian Far East. But the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Church of the Nativity would have to be up there with the very best.
Situated in the central part of the city against the splendid backdrop of the snowy Gorny Vozdukh mountain slopes, on a glorious sunny morning this gorgeous cathedral with its gleaming azure and gold onion domes, was nothing less than simply stunning.
Standing at a height of 81 meters, it is the tallest church in the Russian Far East. It took more than twenty years to build, and was completed only in 2016. Interestingly, the cathedral is one of just two major structures in Sakhalin that are designed to withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake.
The lavishly built cathedral is adorned with Italian white marble, Indian red granite, and filled with Jerusalem hand-made mosaics and more than 90 brilliantly blinding icons. The interior of the cathedral with its beautiful artwork and gold trimmed exquisite architectural detailing is breathtaking. Despite us not really wanting to visit any more churches, we had to admit that this Orthodox Cathedral was really worthwhile visiting. But I could not help thinking where the money came from to build such a lavish landmark in such an out of the way location such as Sakhalin?
The Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Military Museum
In all honesty, military museums are really not our thing. And I must say, that although we had found the Regional Museum visit useful and had enjoyed the cathedral, we were relieved that this was our last formal tourist visit for the morning.
The Military museum was however, a very impressive building. And especially so against a backdrop of its extensive brilliant snow covered surrounds. Built in a pavilion style with pillars stretching in two arcs on either of its sides, the building topped with a genuine Russian T-34 tank** is very imposing.
The museum has three major foci: the First World War from 1914 - 1918, the Russo-Japanese War from 1904 - 1905 and the Great Patriotic War (World War II) 1939 - 1945. Is also houses exhibits on the military history of Sakhalin during the 10th and the 11th centuries.
The museum exhibits were well presented with some of the 3D effects making you feel as if you were actually part of the action. A particularly moving exhibit was the Hall of Eternal Memory, a memorial to the Sakhalin people who lost their lives fighting for their homeland island. https://youtu.be/sOhEeCQT538
The museum was very well done. And we had to admit that the information and displays did reinforce our fledgling knowledge of the complexities endured by Sakhalin Island throughout its war torn history.
**The T-34 tank is known in Russia as the tank which won the Great Patriotic War against Germany. It was the most widely produced piece of Russian weaponry, with more than 80,000 built during the war years.
Gorny Vozdukh Ski Slopes
Our last visit on our tour was to the ski slopes of Gorny Vozdukh. And what more beautiful a day could we hope for to explore the lovely mountains with their fabulous views of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk?
In close proximity of Yuzhno city, the Gorny Vodukh ski resort on the Bolshevik Mountain is very popular. It is blessed with an abundance of snow (up to 2m in depth) and a season which extends some five months from December to April. In winter, there is a lot of sun and very few strong winds. No wonder it is renown as one of the best ski resorts in Russia.
The slopes are equipped with ski lifts, gondola lifts and surface ski lifts. There are ski runs to suit most abilities, with the Vosmerk at 8 km in length being one of the more difficult routes.
While Valentina organised tickets, we once again were fascinated by the skiing fraternity. To our dismay, their politeness even while apparently enjoying themselves, had not improved from that we had witnessed in the hotel. Gaining a seat on the gondola chairlift was almost impossible. Pushing and shoving was an artform with which we could not compete. Forming a queue was just not possible.
The views from our cable car however, were wonderful. As the lift groaned slowly up the mountain slopes we were treated to unsurpassed views of beautiful Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk with the gleaming domed Cathedral of the Nativity, the city centre and its surrounding snowy peaks. Yuzhno was indeed a lovely city. Our chairlift ride can be viewed at this link: https://youtu.be/CjFGdQeQEVc
The ski runs looked divine. Extensive, wide and well maintained, they were certainly not clogged with skiers or snow boarders. Which given their behaviour, was probably just as well. As we past through the stations, most of the skiers appeared more focused on their mobile phones and taking selfies, than actively skiing.
Taking our own photos was lethal. Skiers and snow boarders took no notice whatsoever of anything stationary. We only narrowly avoided a collision with an out of control boarder, only to see he had taken a terrible fall just in front of us. I am sure we could have been forgiven for enjoying his inelegant fate....
Why skiers are so rude is beyond us. It is certainly not limited to Yuzhno, nor even Russia for that matter....
Our morning tour had been very pleasant and thanks to the knowledge and generosity of our guide Valentina, we had gained a valuable, first-hand insight into the history, geography and demographics of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. And we had the opportunity to briefly visit some of the main landmarks of the city. Our only disappointment was that we had not had the opportunity to drive through the city centre itself. Oh yes, and of course we hadn't seen anything like a supermarket or department store either...
Sadly, and unlike nearly all of our guides for our travels, we are unable to contact Valentina and so have not had the opportunity to stay in touch. She was an excellent guide.
AN AFTERNOON STROLL: Just Me and Gagarin Park.
And Thoughts about Corona....
I love walking late in the day. And in a foreign country like Russia, for me there is no better way of getting a feel of the local way of life, than to go shopping on my own in the early evening.
Alan was not keen to walk and as we had a few grocery items we needed for our stay in Tokyo during the next few days, I offered to go to the local supermarket. Anyway, I needed the walk...
As I crunched my way though the snowy pathways of Gagarin Park, I reflected on our growing concern about our return trip back to Australia. We were beginning to hear more disturbing news of the world-wide spread of what was then known as the Corona Virus. Whether we had deliberately not wanted to know too much about it, or whether Sakhalin provided better television coverage, we had heard very little world news about the pandemic up until then. When we left Australia, the outbreak was largely the domain of China and Hong Kong. But now Japan was apparently badly affected, as well as an alarming number of other Asian and European countries. And now the USA. It was unthinkable.
During our travels, a number of our return flights had been cancelled and/or rescheduled. But during the last two days in Sakhalin our flights were being changed almost on an hourly basis. People had apparently all but stopped travelling, we heard. And for the first time, we began to worry about actually being able to return home. It was most probably a very good thing that we knew nothing about the impact of Corona on world travel during the coming months. Or years, for that matter....
Our visit to Tokyo, apart from being a convenient in-transit stop over on our return home to Australia, was also an opportunity to visit some very close Japanese friends we regarded as our "Japanese Family". But after hearing successive news breaks about the growing pandemic, we decided that we would limit our Tokyo visit to just catching up with our family, with no visits outside our hotel.
We were actually quite philosophical about our stay in Tokyo. We had travelled extensively in Japan and apart from the pleasure of wandering around the city we loved, we had little we needed to do or see. And after all, at the very end of our journey after a tough four weeks of solid Arctic travel, covering a distance of some five thousand km mostly by land vehicle, a rest in a good hotel was all that we needed.
My visit to the supermarket was brief. We only needed a few supplies. My walk back to the hotel was hurried. It was later in the day than I had realised. A setting sun became an thin red-orange beam behind a razor horizon. A deep cold was beginning to settle. There was virtually no one in the park. While I loved every minute of my walk, I also became aware that being on my own at that time of the day was perhaps not such a wise idea. Of course, I was quite safe. But I did wonder what people back home would have thought...
I reflected on friends' views of us visiting Russia for the sixth time. What a dangerous place, they would say. "You must be brain washed by Russian communist spies to have to keep returning." In their view, there could not possibly be any other explanation for our trips to what they perceived was a hostile and freakishly perilous nation. Their ignorance was staggering. Breathtaking.... There was no point in even trying to explain....
We enjoyed a quiet night. Our flight the next morning meant yet another early start. As I took off my jacket, a card fell out onto the floor.
Valentina had given it to me as we departed. It was an International Women's Day card for the following day, 8th March. Her carefully handwritten words read:
"First sounds of melting snow,
last snow storm!
It's holiday of early spring!
Of happiness, health, love and dream"!
last snow storm!
It's holiday of early spring!
Of happiness, health, love and dream"!
Thank you Valentina. One day we just may meet again.
2025-02-08