Day 11: Vladivostok

So our second day in Vladivostok was just as interesting. We met up with the local Motorcycle club the "Iron Angels" and after securing the bikes at their clubhouse, in a locked storage container, we were patiently driven around town by Andre, who helped us look for some Russian maps for our GPS units. We can't say enough about the hospitality of our hosts, who all went out of the way to help us in any way they could, taking time out from their day to drive us around, or provide help, or phone numbers... it was amazing, and something we will always remember. Thanks Iron Angels!

Driving in Russian cities is unlike anything you can imagine. There are no lanes, signaling is done after, before, or randomly for a lane change, if at all. Cars zoom past you on the shoulder, or pass you while you are passing someone else. Stop lights.. optional. They drive on the right like us, but all the cars are from Japan, so they are right hand drive, which is again, different. So after about 20 harrowing minutes, weaving and speeding (100km) in the city, we arrive at an electronics shop selling bootleg video's and hacked cell phones. We then hand over our SD (memory) cards from our GPS units, and 1/2 hour later, we have full Russian maps. Cool.


Traffic in Vladivostok.


For the second night in the city, we had arranged to stay with a local couple at their apartment. We met them a couple blocks away, then walked to their apartment, a mid 80's Soviet style apartment block. Once inside their small apartment, Cory, Petar and I realized we were to sleep on the floor in their bedroom. OK, no problem. Except for one thing. The black and white cat they had. Oops. "AllerGHEA" is one of the Russian words I have learned how to say. So this would have to be addressed. So, we made a phone call to Jenya and Pascha, a couple we had met for about 10 minutes, earlier today, and the only one of the Iron Angels (Zhenya) who spoke any kind of English. "What, you need a place to stay, no problem, Pascha will come get you". So about 2 hours later, after Pascha got off work, he shows up at the apartment we were at, picks me up (leaving Cory and Petar), and off I go all the way across Vladivostok (population 800,000) to Pascha and Zhenya's apartment.

So now, Cory and Petar are in one place, I am in another, and the bikes are somewhere else, and none of us could ever hope of finding our way back to them. Oh, and everything is written in Cryllic, and no one speaks much English.

So Pascha and I arrive at his apartment, another Soviet style rectangular thing, where we go up the crumbling steps, past the graffiti riddled hallway (no lights), where Pascha opens the door to the most wonderful small apartment, with a huge jacuzzi tub, beautiful hardwood floor, and my hostess, Zhenya.

Now, by this point in the journey, we have been treated with amazing hospitaility, but Zhenya and Pascha are two of the most lovely people we have met so far. They insisted.. insisted, that I stay in their bedroom, and sleep in their bed. They would be sleeping on the floor, in their Son's room. No amount of arguing on my part would dissuade them, so I spent my second night in Vladivostock, in a wonderful apartment, sleeping in my hosts bed. Not bad for being in town one day.

We spent the night going through photo albums, and with Zhenya translating as best she could, we had a wonderful conversation about the world, Russia and the kind of things any friends would talk about. It was fantastic.


Zhenya and her son

The next day, we all (surprisingly) met up back at the clubhouse, where our bikes were safely removed from storage, and off we went, on our way to next destination... Khabarosk.


Some of our new friends, the "Iron Angels" Motorcycle club, seeing us off to Khabarosk