1. There are a heck of a lot of cars. Of course, that's true of any city- but there's something a little stranger about these cars. Russia is a left-hand drive country, but there are probably just as many- if not more- right-hand cars on the road. Where have they all come from?
2. Vladivostok is a pretty sprawling city, stretching around the harbors. Patrick and I found out just how sprawling it is pretty quickly. All in all, Patrick's journey from the airport took 5 hours; mine took a little under four. This is also related to the next observation which is....
3. There are next to NO taxis in Vlad city centre. Bit of a shock after Suva's bounteous taxi offering! I took the bus to Vladivostok's beautifully ornate train station, expecting to catch a taxi from there. The first two I find look at the address, written in Russian, and refuse to take me. I could only make out one word- 'telephoniska' (or something like that) and one hand gesture, which I'm guessing meant far away. To cut a long story short, eventually I found one, who charged me just a little over what he should. Patrick, on the other hand, didn't even catch a taxi in the end. After he was told by the lady bus conductor to get off at the wrong stop, he he no idea where he was, and of course couldn't find a taxi anywhere. Eventually, he sought the help of some young Russians who spoke a smattering of English; they pointed to a bus across the street, and told him to get on it- which he did. An hour and a half later, by what could only have been divine intervention, Patrick saw the big red sign to our hotel. Upside to the whole charade: the whole 5 hour journey, from the airport to the hotel, only cost 95 rubles- USD$3. My journey was a little pricier- but hey, it was a miracle I even managed to find my way there at all, with my directional skills!
4. Vladivostok holds a mish-mash of lovely ornate buildings- like the train station- and grey, breeze block affairs- like our hotel. Don't get me wrong, this hotel has been great. Even though the building isn't the most attractive, and it's tricky to find, and nobody really speaks English...this is all rendered insignificant by the borsch. For those like me who had never tried borsch before, it is a delicious beetroot soup with potatoes, delicious veggies, and sometimes indistinguishable, but tasty meat. Our hotel has definitely set the standard high; we tried borsch in another restaurant last night, and it just wasn't the same. Shout out for our hotel by the way- Hotel Variant. If you ever choose to embark on a Trans-Siberian trip, I really recommend staying with these guys. I haven't even mentioned their great selection of beers (Baltika Classic no. 3 is our favorite so far), or their exquisite lapsha (chicken noodles in a tomato and dill sauce). Ooh, that brings me onto the next short, but very significant point...
5. Russians seem to be obsessed with dill. Seriously, it is in EVERYTHING- borsch, mashed potato, lapsha, salads. I have to say, dill was never really on my radar before- coriander was always my herb of choice- but I'm slowly being converted.
6. Gutov is an awesome restaurant in Vladivostok's city centre. Lovely rustic wooden tables outside, great variety of beer served in tankard-style glasses, and one of the best salads Patrick and I have ever tried- duck sausage and lettuce in a pomegranate wine sauce. Oh, and dill, of course.
7. On a completely separate note, another thing that Vladivostok has in copious amounts? Pretty ladies. Yes, Patrick is in heaven here...and I think these ladies could convert me. Honestly, they could all be supermodels, with their silky long tresses and fitted designer dresses. How do they get their fringes so perfect?! This is not a place to dress like a backpacker!!
8. Vladivostok has offered us perfect weather- beautifully sunny, but with that irresistible cool crispness. Oh, how we've missed the long summer days, with the sun setting at 10pm...
9. There is a lovely seaside promenade on the harbour, complete with dodgy looking fairground rides and Russian style barbecues. Also a few bizarre attractions- a man offering to take your picture with his pet monkey (this is not, I repeat NOT a euphemism!), and a bench press competition, where tough Russian men competed over how long they could hold on. Strange thing, entertainment...
10. Vladivostok is very much a developing city. Everywhere you turn, there is construction happening. This city has already been a very pleasant surprise, with it's cleanliness, character and modernity, but I can see it becoming an even more exciting city in the next 2 to 3 years.
All in all, Vladivostok has been a fantastic place to kick off our Trans-SIberian trip, with its relaxed atmosphere and lovely cuisine. We somehow managed to buy a train ticket at the train station yesterday, with only a few dodgy Russian phrases between us, so our next stop, 12 hours away, is...Khabarovsk! See you there, everybody!....
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