Sakhalin - where else would you want to be?

здравствуйте товарищ! (Hello comrades!)

Due to high demand for information (no not really - do you care?) I thought I'd explain Sakhalin a bit more.

Now, when I'm contained in my little camp, things seem not too bad. I'm looked after, things are clean and descent, and I have the right to complain if they're not. But when I head out that front gate into general Sakhalin world - its incredibly different.

First off, the buildings. You would think Sakahlin is in the midst of a war. I know Sakhalin was the site of intense fighting between Russia and Japanese over who would own it, but hey that was 40+ years ago. The buildings stem from the soviet era. They're functional, but certainly not pretty. They were build for one purpose - keep the people alive. So they are blocks of concrete, deterioting badly, and all generally a miserable gray colour. To keep the people alive, they needed to stay warm. So each of these apartment blocks have "central heating". I mean central heating as in there is one central boiler in the village that pumps hot water via a network of deteriated pipes into the buildings of the village to keep it warm. Across a village, running alongside the roads are a tangle of above ground pipes that look shot to all hell - I'm surprised any water actually makes it to the buildings.

Next the roads. This is a killer - literally. I genuinely fear for my safety when I get on the road. Let me explain. First, the quality of roads is poor. An average road is riddled with potholes, which makes any car journey a rattling experience. However to be fair, it must be tough to maintain road seal with the extreme weather here. Traffic is mad, especially in Yuzhno. Russians are impatient and dangerous driving is a way of life here. The annual road toll in Sakhlian is 10 times higher than Europe. And I believe it. Since I get on the road most days - I generally see at least one accident a day, some horrific. And despite all the education we are trying to pass onto the Russians, they won't wear their seatbelts and the combination of this and their driving habits sends many Russians through their windscreens. Besides that, they drive at extreme speed on roads that can't take it, they overtake blindly and most of the cars on the road look like they've just come out of a demo derby. And a big reason that there are so many accidents is that the majority of locals drive right hand drive cars (because they are cheaper to buy) and road rule is to drive on the right hand side. Thus, to overtake a car has to pull half way out to the other side of the road to see if anything is coming...and in many cases there is and a head-on ensues. Its absolutely shocking the number of smashed up cars that you see on the side of the road. It seems that after a serious accident, the car is "written off", which in this country means you just leave it where it lies after performing three backflips and rolls down a bank.

Another interesting fact in Sakhalin are the traffic police. They are posted randomly around. The majority are in Yuzhno, and to the south towards the LNG plant. But a few villages to the north have a police post. They are a hang-on of the soviet times, where all cars drive slowly past the checkpoint whilst 2 police men standby watching each vehicle pass. One has a rifle, the other a little batton to wave in any vehicle they want. It seems that the whole reason they do this is to try make a bit of money off people who haven't got all the paperwork together (licening etc) and don't actually care about the poor conditions of the cars, the insane speeding, or dangerous driving. And what's a joke is that in the colder months, the police checkpoints just shut down....so not controls at all when the roads are slick due to ice and snow, and the accident rate is horrendous. Have a look at this: http://englishrussia.com/?p=287#more-287

Weather-wise, I've been impressed. I have been lucky. This is Siberia, and in winter this place is extremely cold. But the summers are really very nice, just short. So far, I've done 2 months here and got by in just a t-shirt. The winter is not far away now, and I am expecting that in a few weeks it will snap and the temperatures start to drop rapidly.

A quick few comments on Yuzhno. It's the biggest city in Sakhalin, and is home to many shops and restaurants. Its not too bad, a descent variety, but things are generally expensive - catering to the influx of expatriates now living there. It is a fairly clean city, the traffic mad and you can't get a smile out of no-one, but otherwise not a terrible place to live. Night-time is a different story, as it can get a bit dangerous. Russians, after a few bottles of vodka, tend to like to target expats strolling around late at night, there have been increasing muggings recently. But if you stick to a registered cab, you're fine. There are some good bars and nightclubs, but very much expat oriented. They cater to most sporting events too....except the AFL grand final!

Alcohol. This is a problem here in Sakhalin, and in fact all of Russia. Alcoholism is rife. Russians drink themselves to death, regularly. Most of the accidents and fatalities I have heard off have involved alcohol. Men and women here drink all the time, and way too much. On my journeys to the camp in the morning I stay at my friend's place in Yuzhno, its not uncommon to see people drinking at 7.30 in the morning. A drive through Yuzhno takes past drunk people staggering around all times of the day, some passed out on the curb. And apparently in the winter its a lot worse, as they get drunk, stumble out into the snow storm, pass out and freeze to death. Come spring each year, bodies start appearing as the 6 m of snow melts away. The average male life expectancy in Russia is 56 years.

Well that's a bit of taste of Sakhalin for you. It's a very interesting place to be. But, I have only 3 more days and then I am off back to Holland for a month's break. Plans are still forming at present, will let you know how I enjoyed it in my next update.

Until then....

Comrade Steve