As the recent post on the Dagestan road trip (see here:
www.watchprosite.com
) seemed to raise some interest, here's another one from a tad off the beaten track. Itβs another trip from some time ago, before the war.
Sakhalin is a reasonably sized island (about 2,5 times the size of Belgium) in the far East, almost in sight of Japan from the Southernmost tip (40km). It has a fairly low population density with less than 500.000 inhabitants total, so about 6 per km2. Given the size of the island the road network is sparse at best and some parts can only be reached by boat (or helicopter). And quite some of the road network is dirt or gravel.
The tallest peak is at just over 1600 meters, so not very tall but given how far North the island is, this still gives you over 3 meters of snow in winter for some reasonable skiing. You could technically even do a Lebanon double treat of skiing and swimming in the same day but for that you'd need to be quite hardy. Even in summer the Sea of Okhotsk will barely break 13 degrees (although the Sea of Japan on the other side of the island gets to a more reasonable 19-20 degrees (again at the height of summer).
Here a quick orientation on the map, where the island is...
You will most likely land at Juzhno Sakhalinsk (the capital), the only international airport (at least at the time). It's a combination of a typical Soviet Far East town with some modern church architercture added in...
Given that it used to be a Japanese colony for some time (until the end of WW2) there is plenty of Japanese and Korean food to be had. The conditions of the peace agreement at the end of WW2 were that the Japanese could leave, while the Korean population was left behind. Of the 60.000 Korean on the island a large portion were resettled to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan but some remained and are a key part of the society nowadays.
There is a large historical museum in town that's well worth a visit. It has been co-financed by Japan and has some nice exhibits.
Some historical whale bones out there, too...
And memories of the Japanese times on the island...
There's even a WW2 Japanese tank there...
Even Seiko features in the museum...
Like in many post Soviet places there is the odd piece of former military machinery to be found at odd places... Extra points to the one identifying the interceptor ππ€π»
As mentioned earlier, there's skiing right in the capital city. You just need to take a cable car up to the slopes...
The added benefit is that there is a decent view of the city from the slopes.
Even though it was the height of summer, there's a winter is coming throne to be found there... βοΈ
As with many places in those climates the weather can change quickly, so a fog engulfed it all in a manner of minutes.
And a final couple of shots before leaving Juzhno Sakhalinsk for the open road.
Driving on Sakhalin is a mixture of of some tarmac stretches close to the major towns and plenty of dirt roads elsewhere. At some stretches close to the shore there is a wooden fence separating the road from the beach.
A 4WD is the weapon of choice, given the state of the roads. As there used to be a special arrangement, where every inhabitant could import a certain number of cars from Japan without import duty, this is the majority of the car park. With the wheel on the other side.
On the East coast some of the driving then happens on the beach proper. Technically possible in a normal road car but something a tad higher is less challenging.
The further you get from the large towns, the more relics of the past you encounter.
The tarmac sections are definitely pleasant and curvy and here a faster car would have been brilliant. The fact that there is practically no traffic would made it driving heaven if one had more time.
While the tarmac is generally in a good shape, the dirt roads have regular potholes, and as they are often filled with water, you rather avoid them, since it's hard to predict how deep they are.
While not all locals enjoy swimming in the Sea of Okhotsk, cows seem to enjoy the beach and the odd swim π
Fishing is still a major occupation...
And the hippie movement has made it to the Far East, too - even if not inside a VW bus...
There's plenty of bird life everywhere...
While the weather was not of the day on the beach type (in all honesty I did swim later that day) but the locals seemingly didn't seem to mind.
Transitioning from the shore road to the mountain passes brought some more fun driving.
The Bukhanka seems the only frequent non-Japanese car one encounters...
The nature in the higher reaches looks like in the European Alps and is truly beautiful...
Funny thing when you get to the parking lot and practically all cars are the same... πππ
Even if driving is not a fun occupation for you on its own, the beaches you get to are worth it.
Always good to set up your fish soup to simmer before going for a swim in the refreshing 13 degree Celsius water... π
And to leave someone behind to ensure that the birds don't take it...
Better to encounter these on the shore than in the water...
Birds of all types and ages... I am sure someone like Cazalea could identify the species π¦
An appropriate watch for the occassion...
And some more food...
Taking a different route on the way back brought more alpine nature.
And the cows definitely going for a swim in the afternoon, as opposed to only sunbathing in the morning.
The beach is also a great place to pick up some fresh seafood for a song. Each of the massive Kamchatka crabs was less than 10 Euros back in the day... π¦π¦
There were even butterflies (not intended as food, just so there is no misunderstanding) - didn't think they would be still around that far North.
The next trip was to the famous Aniva lighthouse, constructed by the Japanese prior to WW2. It is a tourist magnet, as far as you have those in such remote places. And only really reachable by boat. On the way to the port we even encountered a three master
The port was a combination of modern on the one side and decay elsewhere.
Sadly, also of the animal kind. Rest in peace, my gull friend...
Getting to the lighthouse was certainly a highlight. And while it is in anything like great shape, it was worth the several hour boat trip to experience.
And while not ideally suited for tourism or people, it seems to make for a great home for young gull families...
As said, the inside of the lighthouse could do with some refurbishment. Not sure this will be forthcoming now for some years...
Look from the lighthouse onto the main part of the island...
And a farewell shot before heading for some swimming in the warmer Sea of Japan...
Which was of a temperature more suited to us Europeans...
Some boating shots for Bill βοΈ
And part of our catch of the day...
And here the part consumed on the boat...
Finished with some more seafood in Juzhno Sakhalinsk...
Hope you enjoyed the trip! So many exciting, little known places yet to visit!
Wishing you a great weekend!
