среда, 16 апреля 2008 г.

Anisimovka.



I have one special place where I feel switching off the world. It's 3 hours away by car from Vladivostok in the Sikhote-Alin Mountains (main mountain system in Primorye). That's truly magic place.
Everyone can feel this. There is a main mountain called "Pidan" (not really high - about 1300 m above the sea). All "ezoteric people" addict to conquer this mountain. I've never been on the top. I'm not ezoteric) Oh, may be a kind of) But I prefer to spend all my winter weekends in the small house in the taiga...
The Host of this house is Sergey. He is great person. Retired he's still full of energy. He is ex-KGB agent (true!), has been around the world and knows a lot of amazing things. Every time he has a new story to tell. His house in the wintertime is always full of guests. That's me in the corner in zebra sailor's t-short (or it's dress?)

There is a slope in this place...

...so most part of them are skiers and snowboarders and "mountain conquerors" as well.

Sometimes there are about 30 people in 3 small rooms! New Year party. Sergey with his guests:

Sergey likes girls. Girls like Sergey) This shot was made 5 minutes later new year chime. It's about -20 C. The guy at the left is Sasha, Sergey's son. He is
definitely his son, isn't he?

Well...I'm skier, snowboarder and mountain counqueror at the same time. Yeah, my life is so complicated).

I've been on the top of Falaza mnt. (it's close to Pidan and 100 m. lower) few times and even had a kind of countrycross. It's snowing even in the may!

It's awesome in all seasons...


Winter is great...
But I much prefer to go there when it's fall or spring. Nobody's in the house and I just lay in the small room on the 3d floor whatching through the window:

Ok...It's not 3d floor, it's lavatory)
In the eveving we spend time playing guitar (mostly Sergey and another talented people, I have no any musical abilities) and seating around campfire.

Oh...and there is a place for barbecue. "Shashliks" are sooo tasty.
Another reason to love this place is banya! What can I say about Russian banya? You should try it to understand.

In the worm season Sergey is building and renovating and improving his property. He made all this by his own.


And he's making "samogon" (home made vodka) and perfect cat meat for "shashliks":

Hehe...just joke)
It's truly magic place: lamps are planting right on the trees) I'm so happy that I live here and know about it.

четверг, 10 апреля 2008 г.

And the winner is...

Today Vladivostokians were discussing only one subject - price for fuel. Gazoline (92 octane) costs $1.15 now (yesterday it was 5% less).
As you know Russia is the country with one of the largest reserve of oil in the world. (6% of all world oil).
For example
Venezuela - 3 cents per litre, Iran — 9, Libia — 13, Saudi Arabia — 16.
Another group - 10 countries with subsidies but in less volume.
Azerbaijan — 46, Trinidada and Tobago - 43, Ecuador, Angola, Nigeria, Malaysia, Bolivia, Indonesia, Siria and Argentina - 62.

And third group - with high taxes. USA - 62, Kirgizia - 64, China - 69, Kazakhstan - 70, Republic of Korea - 71, Belorussia - 79, Tajikistan - 80, Ukraine - 81, Canada - 85, Uzbekistan - 85, Georgia - 86, Australia - 93, Armenia - 96, Moldavia - 97...

And...Russia, Vladivostok: $1.15 per litre. Yeah, we won!

среда, 9 апреля 2008 г.

вторник, 8 апреля 2008 г.

Sailboat "Nadezhda".

"Nadezhda" means "hope" in Russian. This ship is always staying in one of the Vladivostok's harbours. Sometimes they use it for promotions.
That was a promotional yacht race among Vladivostok's companies. And at the same time first "avral" (making sails) for young students of Vladivostok Marine Academy.
It was nice - a lot of photographers and journalists (that means free promo beer and wine and some snacks) and funny boys. And perfect sunny day of september.








пятница, 4 апреля 2008 г.

Child in the window.

This is one of the old Vladivostok buildings that I like. (Yes, people still live in wooden houses here:) It's not so old as the buildings in european cities, but for us it's The History, because we are only 147 years old) This girl looks really weird...Like she came from old postcards.

четверг, 3 апреля 2008 г.

Something about Russian spring.

We have a proverb that Vladivostok is situated on "latitude of Crimea and longitude of Colimia" (it's Magadan - coldest part of Russia). So sometimes we have +40 degrees in the summer and the sea gets iced there in the winter. Ok, not whole the surface - only one bay (there are three bays - on the left, on the right and inside). Notice: we are not in the artic circle!) There is a spring view from my office window. Ice starts to crush suddenly. And one day I've seen bright stripe of the water!













Every spring a lot of idiots (mostly consist of firshermen and children) are trying to sink in the cold water. Even whole cars are sink. Fishermen just want to fish till the last moment. Children like to play on the ice floes.
This is 12 years old boy on the ice. We've seen him through the window and called rescuers (they are ready to go every moment, because they know it happens time and again).

The boy was floating for 40 minutes. Piece of ice was getting smaller and smaller.
Snow was starting. Getting colder.

And when it seemed he was staying right on the water the boat with rescuers was coming and saved him.
The boy didn't want to tell his name. His mom was thinking he was at school)

среда, 2 апреля 2008 г.

I like strange photos)

There is a first of them.
"Cats don't like to be photographed".