First Pictures from Sakhalin Island
As I mentioned before, your humble blogger had for your benefit hand carried his Sony DSC-R1 all the way from Dubai, and hence is able to bring you some photos from in and around the town of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Click on a picture for a the full-size version.
The view from a colleague’s apartment looks nice in the evening sun…
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…until you pan the lens back and see what the view is really like! This is typical of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
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This is the ski-slope which has been built on the mountain just outside of the town. Although obviously not in use now, this gets very busy in winter.Â
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The view from up here was impressive, and gives you an idea of just how small Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is.
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The airport, with the sea visible beyond.
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Sillhouette of a piece of equipment left over from Soviet times, when this was (so I’ve been told) a serious skiing facility. Further up the road is an abandoned ski jump.Â
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Driving uphill on the wrong side of the road in dry conditions and hitting a tree head-on but not too fast spells one thing: drunk.Â
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We stopped by this lake on an afternoon trip out to the east coast.Â
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Russian naval cadets…Â
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…defecting to Japan.
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The Pacific Ocean! Last time I saw this was in August 2000, but from the other side.Â
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One lady owner, slightly damaged.Â
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Fishing is popular here. I don’t know yet if this is a hobby or a necessity for survival.Â
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Out of the wind it was pretty warm. In the wind, it was anything but.
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They look really nice… gosh, nice is not enough.
It seems to be a quite amazing place. Lookinf forward for more ^-^
Comment by curson — September 26, 2006 @ 3:11 am
The mountain views look like Missoula, Montana. If you don’t know how to ski, you’d better learn
Comment by Larry Barrow — September 26, 2006 @ 7:45 pm
Yeah, I really do need to learn how to ski Larry. Didn’t have much opportunity for that in Kuwait, but they had an indoor slope in Dubai which perhaps I should have gone to. Anyway, in the New Year I’ll get onto it, when the snow is thick enough.
Comment by Tim Newman — September 27, 2006 @ 2:55 am
[...] Tim Newman of White Sun of the Desert posts pictures from Sakhalin Island and writes about housing and other problems he’s encountered there: “We have managed to find a very nice apartment to rent for three months until we find somewhere permanent, which is costing my employers a mere $2,700 a month. Yes, you read that right. In a country where the average wage is around $300 a month, residents of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk can rent out an unrefurbished dump of an apartment for $1,000 per month, a refurbished apartment for $2000-$3000, and a new apartment for $3000-$5000.” [...]
Pingback by Global Voices Online » Blog Archive » Russia: Sakhalin Housing and Other Problems — September 29, 2006 @ 12:19 am
Hi Tim,
I am coming over to Yuhzno shortly to work, very interested in the ski slope? when does the snow hit the deck and how long is the season? do you know? anyway mate if yr still around when i get there maybe jan 07, i can get you snowboarding in no time…cheers
Frank. personal email.. funkykit@hotmail.com
Comment by Frank — October 22, 2006 @ 7:48 am
[...] The mountain’s Russian name is Gornii Vozdukh, which translates to Mountain Air, and is the site of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk’s only ski slope (there are in fact several on the same mountain). I took a picture of the main slope in the summer and posted it here. Since then it has snowed quite a lot, although not enough for the slope to be open to skiers and snowboarders yet. Anyway, I donned my Zamberlan walking boots, fastened on my gaiters, pulled on the rest of my hiking gear and set off straight up the side of the ski-slope. It was pretty hard work I can tell you, and about halfway the snow was getting too loose and too deep, so I instead walked the rest of the way along the roadway (which will shortly become impassable to vehicles). After an hour I had made it to the top, planted my Union Flag, shook hands with my sherpa, and claimed this peak for Britain. I share with you here some photos I took on the hike (click on a picture for a bigger version). [...]
Pingback by White Sun of the Desert » Gornii Vozdukh — December 14, 2006 @ 10:26 am
Interesting things to do aside from awaiting good skiing? Live in a ski resort now, so aside from the small hill, hoping other activities? Nordic maybe?
Comment by Jules — January 10, 2007 @ 1:10 pm
Sakhalin Island is the birthplace of “Yul Brenner” as well.
Comment by Craig — June 2, 2008 @ 8:59 am
I am working for come back.
Pelase..
Comment by Ahmet EKEN — June 17, 2008 @ 3:45 pm
Doesnt look as bad as people say! However I go to work on the oil soon and 3 months time the weather is pretty bad!
Comment by Paulski — August 14, 2008 @ 5:54 pm
[...] Sakhalin Island off the East Coast of Russia By Stuart Ginbey Today, I am fortunate enough to find myself working on an Oil Platform on Sakhalin Island and would like to share my observations of life in the remote regions of the world. Sakhalin Island is located North of Japan, off the East Coast of Russia in the Sea of Okhotsk. Nearly 1000kms long and 170km at the widest point, this island has quite a history and it’s inhabitation dates back to the Neolithic Stone Age. But the real story starts around 1679 with a colonization attempt by the Japanese. A treaty between Russia and China made no mention of ownership over the island so the Russians began to occupy it from the North with an Army made up of convicts from the 18th Century onwards. Japan settled from the South and this was the start of the disagreements over ownership of the island. When I first started working on the mainland 3 years ago, it was an absolute mission to get to site. I was working at the DeKastri Terminal and after landing in Khabarovsk, we would spend 18 hours in the back of one of these Kamaz trucks. Have a look at this video that I took during one of the quite moments. [...]
Pingback by Sakhalin Island off the East Coast of Russia « A Fortunate Life Travel Blog — December 13, 2008 @ 3:00 am
Sakhalin?Kuyedao?belongs to China?Russian is terrible thief
Comment by Kuyedao — February 14, 2009 @ 12:17 pm
tell me more about the island
Comment by Klaus Larsen — September 14, 2009 @ 11:41 pm