September 12 - 18, 2016
After our
“wild” night at Zuma Karaoke, Monday it was time to get back to work. The day
started with a breakfast meeting for the Canadian and US Delegations. Wendy had
offered to pick me up a few things in Canada so I had a care package of KD,
cold meds and ingredients to make the promised chocolate chip cookies for
Jason! Then it was time to put together the gift bags for our Russian hosts
before heading out for a meeting with Canada’s Honorary Consul in Vladivostok,
Mrs. Tatiana Demenok. We were treating her to lunch at Zuma (hopefully not in
the Karaoke Bar!). I knew that name was
familiar. As Tatiana told us all about Vladivostok, we shared a lovely lunch
topped off with a fantastic dessert platter.
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| Dessert ... |
Then we were
off for a quick tour of the city including a trip across one of the newer
bridges to Russky Island to check out the University. Since we are scheduled to
go to Russky Island (and possibly the new world-class aquarium) later in the
week with our Russian hosts, Tatiana decides that a trip to the beach is a
better idea. I am trying unsuccessfully to stay alert in the warm car but the seven-hour
time difference is still kicking my butt so I nod off now and then. Luckily
Diana and Wendy have more stamina and are carrying the conversation as I doze!
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| Shamora Beach |
The beach is
quite fabulous and well developed with cottages for rent of various sizes and
shapes and a range of restaurants as well. We grab a nice cup of tea and then
head back to the hotel. There is time for a quick nap before we meet the gang
to decide dinner plans for tonight so all is good.
We head back
down the hill toward a Georgian restaurant called Два грузина (Two Georgians) that is recommended by the hotel staff.
We decided to make a reservation so we would be expected to avoid the
excitement of last night!
Dinner is
great with the usual Khachapuri followed by some lovely grilled shasliks and a
salad. Georgia is one of the oldest wine regions in the world; producing wine
for 8,000 years so decided it was time to try some Georgian wine. The bottle of
Saperavi I shared with Hala was quite tasty so I can add Georgian wines to the
list of things I like in Russia.
Back to the
hotel for an early night as we will meet our Russian hosts tomorrow and the
schedule includes a group dinner so it’s going to be a long day! We are met at
the hotel by two members of the Russian delegation that have flown in from
Moscow and picked up at the hotel by a beige Hyundai bus with cheery gingham
trim. The meeting is held at the All-Russian Center of Plant Quarantine and
there are a number of Russian colleagues from both agriculture and forestry
departments to greet us.
Our
discussions are facilitated by two translators who help to bridge the language
gap. The discussions were productive and informative as we learned about the programs
for monitoring and risk mitigation, as well as the entry requirements for North
America. The day was punctuated by great quantities of food with breaks that
featured everything from caviar to local bird’s milk chocolate and a rather too
substantial lunch. We exchanged gifts before heading off; our Russian hosts had
gifted each of us a beautiful tabletop book that weighs about 5 kilos. Luckily,
I have a single flight and some room in my luggage so I can bring it home with
me. Not sure all the rest of the books were as lucky.
After the
formal meeting closed around 5:00, we boarded the bus and headed to Okhotnyy Dvor (Hunting Yard) for dinner.
Okhotnyy Dvor is decorated like a
hunting lodge with “trophies” hanging everywhere on the walls but there is also
a lot of bling so it’s a bit of an interesting contradiction.
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| Okhotnyy Dvor |
The Russians
are fantastic hosts and wave after wave of great food arrives at our table;
salads, meat, bread, vegetables and potatoes. The highlights, which are served
much too late to be enjoyed, are the shashlik platters – one highlighting the
sea (scallops, squid, cuttlefish, and shrimp) and the other the land (pork,
lamb, chicken, and beef). The table is laden with food and the inevitable
bottles of vodka, wine and pitchers of Морс (Mors) a traditional Russian drink made
of fresh berries, sugar, and water.
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| The Gang! |
The evening
is very enjoyable and over too soon but tomorrow we are back at it so we hop
the bus back to our hotel and head up to the rooftop bar for a nightcap or two!
I made the mistake of drinking some bottled water at the bar in between vodka
shots – the water is almost twice the cost of the vodka. Only in Russia!
Wednesday
morning is a bit drizzly and we are headed to the port for an inspection of the
traps used to estimate moth populations. Sadly for the experts, there were no
moths in the traps or anywhere to be seen. Next stop is a small boat for a
“cruise” around the harbour before heading to Russky Island. One of our hosts
finds a bottle of vodka and some snacks - the Russian equivalent of hair of the
dog – опохмелка. Most folks were pretty restrained the evening before but a
chut chut of vodka doesn’t go astray!
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| Vladivostok Harbour |
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| The morning after the night before ... |
Back on
land, we head to one of the cafeteria style restaurants for lunch before our
trip to Russky Island and the recently opened Primorsky Aquarium. The aquarium features
exhibits, educational programs, marine mammal shows, beautiful parks and
waterfalls, shops and cafes, as well as research laboratories. We didn’t find
Nemo or Dory but there were lots of other sea, river and lake life!
The little
bus that could is good for short rides around Vladivostok but it is a bit
crowded for the four-hour jaunt to Nakhodka! At the halfway point, we stop at
the rest stop for a pee break, snacks and a stretch. The rest stop has a range
of services including a few older ladies selling their delicacies. Sadly the
toilet is a “squat” but when you have to go you have to go! One of our Russian hosts
buys us all a cob of corn to nibble on.
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| Rest stop |
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| Where's the throne? |
After a
quick stop in the woods on the outskirts of town to check out some moth traps,
we arrive in Nakhodka around 12:30 for lunch. Official travel is not good for
the waistline! The lunch is a pre-set menu and very tasty so we are well-fueled
for the afternoon’s activities. The restaurant is selling its homemade Хреновуха
(horseradish vodka) so I pick up a bottle to make Bloody Caesars with when my
sea shipment arrives.
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| (Empty) moth traps! |
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| Horseradish vodka |
Back on the
bus for a quick drive to the port where all the traps are again empty. Next
stop is a small “tug” to transport us to the ship where a crew of Russians is
conducting their inspection to confirm there are no moth eggs on the ships that
are headed toward North America.
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| Russian inspector at work |
Getting on and off the ship is a bit dicey but
not as scary as I had feared! The inspectors are almost finished their work
when we arrive so we watch them complete the final stages before heading back
to shore. It’s about 4:30 so there is a chance we will be back at the hotel
before midnight. But no there are activities including a dinner at 6:00
planned.
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| Onion domes in Nadhodka |
The foreign
delegations request a lighter dinner and are assured that we will have a small
snack and head back, lol! When we arrive at the Penthouse Restaurant, a trio of
nice salads, some bread and salmon await us and we think that will be our light
snack. Not so! Very soon, the parade of food begins with seafood platters,
platters laden with all manner of meat, roasted vegetables, fresh vegetables, Khachapuri,
fried cauliflower arriving in one-minute intervals until to table is full and
food has to be stacked on the arms of the chairs we are sitting in. At first,
we try to politely try a bit from each plate but it is impossible!
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| Seafood Platter |
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| UNCLE!! |
Fully
stuffed, we board the bus around 8:00 for the long drive home. When we roll in
at midnight, there is no interest in nightcaps so that’s a wrap for the day.
It’s Friday
and our last day of meetings starts a bit later in recognition of the long day
yesterday. More interesting discussions and we wrapped up early in the
afternoon. The Canadian and US delegations decided to treat our Russian hosts
to lunch as they had been really kind and generous and we wanted to
reciprocate. We ended up at Syndicate;
an American-style steakhouse. The
restaurant design captures the spirit of 1920s-30s America, the time of
Prohibition with photos of gangsters, musicians and actors lining the walls. We
had a businessman’s lunch washed down with mors and some chut chut shots of
vodka before we bid adieu to the local staff.
On our way
back to the hotel, we made several diversions to see the sights and also to buy
some souvenirs of Vladivostok to take home. First stop was to pick up some of
the local chocolate птичье молоко that we had enjoyed during our meeting breaks.
Vladivostok
is the home port of the Russian Pacific Fleet and the largest Russian port on
the Pacific Ocean so next up was a trip to the Army Surplus Store where you can
pick up all things Russian Navy (uniforms, insignias, etc.). While there, many
folks bought one of the iconic striped shirts (telnyashka) worn by the Russian
Navy since the 19th century.
Next stop
was the lookout where you can find a statue of the inventors of the Cyrillic
language, Saints Cyril and Methodius and a large souvenir shop built into the
side of the hill selling all manner of Russian souvenirs.
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| Saints Cyril and Methodius |
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| The "Girl" Bridge |
The last
stop (and for some the most popular) was a vodka store to load up on Russian
brands that are not available in North America. Back at the hotel, I managed to
get all of my treasures packed away before heading to the rooftop
restaurant/bar for a few drinks and snacks with the gang. It was bittersweet as
we were all going separate ways.
Saturday
morning pickup for me was 6:00 am so I was up with the sun only to arrive at
the airport and find my flight was delayed by 1.5 hours. Oh well, not much to
be done except to settle in and wait. The long flight back was uneventful and
Evgeny was waiting for me at the airport when I arrived to take me home. Luckily,
the Moscow traffic wasn’t too crazy for a Saturday afternoon and I was home in
good time and calling my Mom to wish her a Happy Birthday! Saturday was a lazy
day followed by and early night as now my body thinks its seven hours later
than it actually is in Moscow. Hello jetlag … I haven’t missed you.
Sunday
morning, Eva and I headed off to Gorky Park for some Pho at the open restaurant
under the bridge which was sadly closed for the season. Undaunted, we charted a
course for the Israeli restaurant that I had tried last month and had a nice
brunch. My sea shipment is being delivered tomorrow morning so I spent the rest
of the day, clearing space for the multitude of boxes of stuff that I thought I
would need. Time will tell if my beautiful, spacious apartment can accommodate all
of my treasures!
