The Seoul airport featured parades of local heroes and a concert. Must have been something they cooked up to entertain the hordes of people moving through the area on their way to the recent winter Olympics.
With a couple of days in Vladivostok, Russia, before boarding the train, we decided to rent a car and cruise around the region. At our first stop, the car battery gave out, and we had to call on the local gas station guys for a hand.
Down the road, a town with a street market. Strange, this town is not on the map! Let’s stop to see what is on offer.
Bought some sausage and fruit paste. Henry as usual was quite popular, having a great time.
Fortunately, a kind gentleman with excellent English approached us and advised that this was a closed town near a military outpost (hence not on the map), and that we would be in trouble should the authorities notice our presence. We left rather quickly…..
We spent one night in the town of Nokhodka, an industrial port on the Sea of Japan. While looking for a place to stay, we lingered a little too long through a changing stoplight and were stopped by a police squad. After a mutually unintelligible exchange of words and some fairly clear hand signals, we were allowed to move on. Whew! One near-miss and a full brush with authority all in one day!
Have you ever stood on a snowy beach facing an icy wind, watching a milky grey sea throw ice floes at the shore? Brrrr….
The next night was at a seaside resort in Slavyanka which is no doubt popular in summer, but empty at this time of year. The hotel, like the one in Nakhodka, seemed to have never had English-speaking guests before – which in China would provoke a mob scene. In Russia, the opposite. Everybody was supremely indifferent to our presence.
There are reasons this region is not a big tourist draw. Pretty bleak overall….
…. with the occasional touch of color and whimsy.
We return to Vladivostok for a one-day tour with the group that will join us on the Trans-Siberian railway….. and board the train tomorrow night for an odyssey of almost 10,000 kilometers (6,000 miles) from Vladivostok to Moscow in 12 days.
Emerald Isle to the Norse Lands 
Glad to hear that you and Henry avoided the gulag. Siberia in winter is not necessarily on my bucket list, but am so admiring of you two, that you make your own fun anytime, anywhere.
LikeLike
Dan –
Thanks – so happy you are keeping up with us. Hope to see you again soon……
Robbie
>
LikeLike
Hello y’all…just heard about this trip! I’m thrilled to see you’re keeping the blog up…..awesome. Enjoy your well deserved adventure. I believe y’all are great “ambassadors” for the United States. Keep up the great job and stay out of jail! 😉
LikeLike
Ellen – Nice to hear from you and so happy you are checking in on us. Hope all is well!
LikeLike