Barbara J. Hamby

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Vladivostok

Vladivostok

After two days at sea, we arrived in Vladivostok in the wee small hours of the morning. Al was up around 5:00 a.m. I think, to look around. Not I. With the video camera and the digital, he began recording the sights. From our balcony, we can see skyscrapers and a continual stream of people on and off the dock, to stare at the cruise ship. Many are Russian sailors; there are several Navy ships in port.

One of the first things Al saw was probably a bust. Two uniformed officers approached a couple who were necking on a bench. They apparently arrested the male, and let the female go. That couple was replaced by another affectionate couple, who kept the bench warm for an hour or so.

It’s a sunny Sunday morning. I finally saw some stars in a semi-clear sky last night as we crossed the Sea of Japan. We are evidently one of the sights the locals are seeing. Crowds of people lined up all day across the pier to see our ship.

Al pointed out three of the Russian security officers who boarded the ship to check passports, as they left. One was male and two female. One of the females wore stilt heels and a very short uniform skirt. They checked all the passports in one place on the ship, without matching them to their bearers. Our passports had been collected at Osaka and held until today. After our shore visits and tour, the passports are to be returned to ship personnel until needed again.

Al had a very early breakfast. Mine was later. We will try to get time for some lunch before we meet at 1:15 for our afternoon bus tour of the city.

Lunch was a slightly better meal than the previous ones have been. A veal stew was quite good, as was the baked salmon. We hurried through it, to meet in a lounge at 1:15 for our tour. From there, we were escorted to a bus and driven through Vladivostok. We made our first stop at a viewpoint where we climbed 50 steps and had a hazy view of the city. I asked our guide if the haze was due to the weather or smog. Silly me! By the way she answered, I was sure she would never admit there was smog.

We were surprised by the size of the city and the many modern buildings. Streets and sidewalks are in deplorable shape however. Our bus driver maneuvered the big vehicle skillfully through the heavy traffic despite the handicap of a right hand steering wheel and driving on the right side of the road. Our tour guide told us most vehicles in this city are purchased used, from Japan. Traffic signals are almost non-existent but in the pecking order of right-of-way our size seemed to rule.

Vladivostok Pier

A very apparent contrast between the new modern buildings and the decaying older ones disconcerted me. At one stop, our guide pointed out a structure she said went up a year ago. The apartments inside had been sold with just the four walls and windows, no partitions, plumbing, wiring, etc. She told us it was among the most expensive housing in the city. She walked us down to the seashore, where she pointed out what she called “two-family cottages.” Those appeared to be expensive also, since they were larger than I would have expected for two families.

Al and I got out at several stops and clambered around the rough pavement with its potholes and broken steps, some with no rails. With Al’s assistance, I managed to stay on my feet. A museum we visited made the effort seem worthwhile. The size of our group hindered hearing the tour guide and the information about the exhibits was all in Russian, but many of the presentations explained themselves. We did get a few good pictures.

By the last two stops I was exhausted and stayed on the bus. One was at Central Square. A celebration in honor of the anniversary of the Russian Navy took place all day long. There had been a parade in the morning. A large crowd stood and watched youngsters dance to live music, while a clown wandered around. I could see and hear all of it from the bus, so didn’t need to get out and walk.

The last stop at a memorial site in honor of the dead from many wars also included a submarine display. Al and I both opted to stay on the bus and people watch rather than tour the submarine. A long black wall, similar to the Vietnam Memorial in our country, was part of the display. An eternal flame, surrounded by fresh flowers, burned near it.

Everywhere we went there were young couples openly necking on the street, including a Lesbian couple who stood for several hours waiting to see our ship leave. Probably the crowd who saw us off numbered somewhere between 100 and 200 people. We were told that only about three cruise ships a year come in there, so having us there while they celebrated a holiday seemed to be a big deal. The group cheered and waved as we left the pier. Because we left the city at 7:00 p.m., we missed the fireworks that were scheduled for later.

We had hamburgers for dinner. The hamburgers, as well as the chicken burger I had the day before, seemed dry. I think they are precooked, then reheated on a barbecue grill for smoke flavor.

We passed up the evening entertainment and read until bedtime.