July 6th

B – Reporting

Had another nice but strange breakfast of eggs, peas and bacon all fried in the same mini-pan, then had a few hours before our fixer Yuri was due to call with Customs info, so did some more exploring of Vladivostok. It was another clear sunny day, perfect for a trip up the funicular! First, we had to find it so managed to ask for a map of the city in a bookshop and after a bit of backtracking and an impromptu visit to the ‘Church of the Holly Mother’ we found the funicular! 

We entered from the wrong side and a rather stern babushka gestured us to the right direction, then we paid her and were off, up the steep hill with lovely views of the city, working port with warships and views for miles. Then walked back to our hotel – lucky we had the map! It is a v interesting city, very very hilly and largely under construction which the locals take in their stride, stepping over gravel and piles of sand with great panache. Women here wear enormously high heels, very impressive considering the road conditions!

We checked into a different hotel, away from the shabby (and that is being polite) Hotel Ekvator and into the Hotel Maryat – room v nice and clean, but now there is no running water throughout the entire city until 7pm!

Yuri phoned at about 1pm, and Graham and the official owners of the other vehicles were taken to the customs office, where they waited…answered a couple of questions…waited…were told off for talking…waited…broke a chair accidentally…waited and finally were allowed to pay and sign and received the Temporary Import Permits needed for driving in Russia! However, we were not allowed to get the vehicles till tomorrow!

Never mind, it was a successful day, and we celebrated with beers with our friends then later a shower as the water finally came back on.

Funicular.

Vlad and its new bridge.

Vlad.

B and the church of the holy mother.

Where you go to get told to be quite and break chairs!