Khabarovsk to Vladivostok

We left Lake Baikal and Ulan Ude and hopped on a 52hr train to Khabarovsk, a city of about 590,000 people, only a few miles from the northern border with China. This was the only time we opted for the ‘luxurious’ first class cabin. Hoping for a small room with a toilet and a chair, we instead got a room like any other, just without the top bunks and potential cabin mates. It was a nice guarantee that we had the place to ourselves though.

The view for the total 170hrs of train time. Great way to travel if you can.

Sunset on the rails leaving Ulan Ude.

Fishing near a small town on the way to Khabarovsk.

Out the window.

The farther east we went, the peak foliage started to wane, leaving only the pine trees with golden color.

Part of a WWII monument.

Eternal flame at the WWII monument.

Orthodox church.

Drying your laundry? Why not hang your fish out to dry as well.

A large pond in the center of Khabarovsk.

New apartment building.

Train pulling an endless supply of wood into Khabarovsk.

The main square of Khabarovsk.

One of the many trams throughout the city.

Many thanks to Olga for somehow showing us all of Khabarovsk in a day.

Then on to Vladivostok

Overnight train last night was pretty good. Finally in a very new, modern train. The trains have by in large been pretty cool. I really like traveling by them, if you don’t have to be anywhere in a hurry. We had a first class train on our long 52hr ride to Khabarovsk, which meant a standard cabin, but just the two of us. Most trains have a restaurant car which has pretty good food, and we bought a lot along the way at the various stops. Mostly pirogi type things, or these doughnut things with either potato or cabbage in them. Much better than they sound. Khabarovsk was nice, we were walked ragged by another couch surfing contact that Adam found. A spunky little girl who never stopped talking and kept wanting us to walk faster. Both our legs are totally shot. Thankfully it wasn’t as hilly as in Vladivostok. They call it the Russian San Francisco, but the hills are the only similarity. Nice enough town, some trendy cafes and restaurants. Much nicer architecture than the other Soviet styled cities we’ve been to. We had some pretty good sushi for lunch (which promptly made us both in desperate need for a toilet), but alright in general. We’re staying in a nice-ish hotel with a nice view of the water. Vladivostok is set on a few hilly peninsulas, so there’s always water around.

Weekend farmer’s market in the central square.

Dried foods. In hindsight we probably should have bought more than just some pickles.

Coffee at a trendy cafe.

Most people in Russian cities live in some sort of block housing.

View of Vladivostok. A perfect location in a protected deep water port has made it the major pacific port for Russia.

It wouldn’t be a Russian city without large smoke stacks in the distance.

1 minute Funicular railway ride down from the overlook.

Work on a statue under a giant new bridge spanning Zolotoy Rog Bay as part of the massive infrastructure project in preparation for the 2012 APEC summit.

Entering one of the many under passes that pedestrians can take to cross a busy intersection.

Swimming, really? I would guess the air temp was about 50° F/10° C.

Not the only person we saw swimming.

The boardwalk and ferris wheel on Sportivnaya Harbour.

View from our room.

Apartments on the water.

The hotel. Oh my.

They really don’t get service here. Or for that matter all the little things that make hotels nice. The lobby is nice, new furniture with a grand view of the water. WiFi is only in the lobby. Beds are tiny, Adam’s has huge lump in the center. They just seem to never have experienced a proper room. Or ever ridden in an elevator that holds more than 3 people (without luggage).

This was the conversation at 7:30 am after we walked from the train station, fairly out of it, totally sweating from walking up and down hills:

Dave – “Is there a restaurant here?”

Reception Guy – “Yes, but it’s closed.”

D – “Is there anywhere to eat?”

RG – “No. But there is a cafe.”

D – “Is it open?”

RG – “Well. No. Well, yes, but you can’t eat there. Your breakfast voucher is for tomorrow.”

D – “Can we pay?”

RG – “Yes. It’s 400r.”

D – “Great. Thanks.”

RG “It’s on the first floor”

(This hotel starts at the 7th floor and goes down, 7,6,5,4,3,2,0, no first floor)

We squeeze in the elevator, go to our room on the ‘first’ (i.e. 4th floor).

Go to cafe, try to pay, host says go back to reception…

Back at reception

D – “Can we pay for the breakfast?”

RG – “Yes, you have to pay here. I told you you had to pay.”

Omg. Paid and ate far too much, then slept for a few hours before trekking around the city.

Generations of bureaucracy has made Russia a place where if you don’t ask the right question, you won’t get the right answer. They very seldom will offer what is obviously what we need.