Friday 9th August, 2019 – ULAN-UDE – POSOLSKOYE
We have a long way to go before arriving in Khabarovsk where we are due to meet with friends.
We have a brief stop in Ulan-Ude and park near the main square where we are greated by this impressive monument to Lenin! The 7.7m-high bronze head was installed in 1970 to celebrate Lenin’s 100th birthday and has still the place of honour. A few old buildings have survived and we admire the wood carving around windows, characteristic of traditional russian homes.
We are so “close” to lake Baikal that we do not want to miss it even if it is out of our way. Ideally we would have liked to go to Irkutsk on the western shore but we do not have the time and cannot justify the extra 900km round trip so we settle for Posolskoye, the closest village on the eastern shore accessible from Ulan -Ude.(250km roundtrip).
We take the scenic route, going through small villages with typical wooden houses, a front garden enclosed by a picket fence and a small vegetable garden on the side.
We have a glimpse of the lake before arriving at Posolskoye. We go straight to the beach and see the golden cupolas of the village monastery in the distance.
In 1648, Khan Tsysan, who ruled in the north of Mongolia, sent a request to the Tsar of Russia, to grant him and his men Russian citizenship. In 1650, the Tsar sent his ambassadors led by Zablotsky, to let the Khan know about his favourable decision. However, the ambassadors fell victims to Mongolian bandits. In the place of their tragic death, a chapel was created, which then turned into an Orthodox church and finally a cathedral and a monastery. The village is named after those ambassadors (ambassador = posol in russian)
Saturday 10th August – Thursday 15th August , 2019
Back to Ulan-Ude and carrying on to Chita. There, we could not find accommodation, hotels were full or to expensive so we drove on, after walking around town for a while. We ended up camping in the car park of a rest stop where there was a small shop/ restaurant.The previous night we were driven away from our camp spot by mosquitoes, but this time it was fine.
Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God 
The next stop was Chernyshevsk, small dusty town with not much going for it but we found a ” mini-hotel” ( flat share where each bedroom is rented separately but you share the kitchen and bathroom).
The next couple of days are spent just driving through more typical taiga landscape but now with more birch trees. The forest is very dense and almost impenetrable. There is open land here and there but mainly it is forested. We alternate camping and staying in roadside motels as the weather has turned to heavy rain.
Friday 16th August – Friday 23rd August, 2019 – KHABAROVSK
Arrived in Khabarovsk late morning . There is heavy rain as the city is on the path of the recent typhoon which hit northern China. We check in at the flat we rented for the week and later we get bad news from the Nissan dealer where we left the car for a full service: the steering rack is leaking and needs replacing. ( this is the part we had refurbished in London last year!). The garage manages to find a new part ( made in thailand so cheaper than a Nissan part) and we book the car for the repair.
The flat is not far from Lenin Square and we have a walk round the centre, down one of the main streets leading to the bank of the river Amur. On Sunday night we meet with our friends Sergei and Olesia and their family. It is a long awaited moment and we are so happy to finally be in their home town. It is something we had dreamed of when we first met 4 years ago in London and here we are !
We have an enjoyable evening and we discuss the plan for the rest of the week. Unfortunately because of the weather we have to abandon the plan to have a BBQ at Sergei’s parents datcha but we agree on having a fishing trip on the river Amur.
There is lots of flooding but Sergei’s dad is a keen fisherman and he knows all the best spots. We go the following afternoon . The river has burst its banks and tree tops emerging from the water are the only indication of where the river actually is. We go on a ride in Sergei’s dad zodiac and come back with enough of a catch to make fish soup!
In the end we have a couple of days with decent weather and we have a nice evening strolling along the bank of the Amur, riding the ferry’s wheel, admiring the sunset over the Transfiguration Cathedral. ( third tallest church in Russia, bult in the early 2000’s on a hill near the river. Its spectacular location was chosen by the Patriarch of Moscow, Alexis II, during a helicopter flight over Khabarovsk).
We also go for 2 interesting visits: 1) the Grodekov Museum ( Khabarovsk territory museum presenting exhibits devoted to Far East flora and fauna, the Amur River different fish, culture of indigenous peoples and Slavs-settlers and history of Russian Far east development). The guided tour gave us an insight and better understanding of the region development and; 2) the Museum of the Bridge of the River Amur. This may seem an odd choice but our guide was very passionate and knowledgeable on his subject and the technical, human and political problems raised by the construction of the first bridge were made real. Built in 1916, over 2.5 km long, it was the last remaining challenge to be overcomed when constructing the Trans Siberian railway. The structure remained the longest bridge in Imperial Russia, Soviet Union and Asia for decades. There are also lots of exhibits and a section of the old bridge { one of the original 18 spans) has been kept for show. You can climb up to it and have a view over the current bridge which is both for car and train.
We have a farewell dinner with some of Olesia’s friends and family ( Nadia, thank you for having us!) and alas it is time for us to say good bye.
Saturday 24th August – Thursday 29th August, 2019 – Vladivostok – Donghae (Korea)
We still have over 800 km to go to reach Vladivostok where we are due to go on a ferry to cross over to Japan via Donghae in South Korea.
We arrive on Sunday morning and go to the shipping agent office first thing on Monday so as to do all the formalities for the temporary import of the car to Japan. Pretty straight forward but costly! We have to leave the car in a bonded warehouse until we leave on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, we go to Russian Island with Igor ( Olesia’s friend) but the weather is dreadful with heavy rain and we cannot go out of the car. Nowadays the island is accessible via a new impressive suspension bridge and has been re-invented as a business and academic centre (home to the Far East Federal University campus). Its military past though is still visible and you can visit the old bunkers spread all over the island where defense batteries were posted .
On Wednesday, we board the ferry for the 2pm departure, hoping the car has been loaded too ! This is a Korean ferry called the Eastern Dream and the boat is full of young koreans returning home after a short visit to Russia. There is a small bar and a restaurant ( open for 1 hour only at dinner time and you need to buy a meal ticket first) and of course a karaoke lounge and discotheque ( still very popular in Korea and Japan).
We leave the port passing the lighthouse marking the last landpoint of Russia (this is currently submerged but you can normally walk to itfrom the shore) and we start the first leg of this long crossing: 20 hours to Korea, followed by another 16 hours to Japan. ( with a 5 hour stopover in Donghae). In the end the journey is uneventful apart from some rough sea and a spectacular storm with thunder and lightning the first night.
lighthouse showing the last point of land
We finally arrive at Sakaiminato, Japan on Friday Morning around 9.30 am.
