It may sound weird, but Sakhalin wasn’t my final destination. Actually, I was aiming for the Kuril Islands, but it was impossible to get to Iturup Island without stopping in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Just after we had arrived from Moscow, I immediately regretted that I didn’t have enough time to explore the island and the city. Sakhalin is a magnificent place for an adventure, a cool photo shoot and a great gastronomic experience! Now I am dreaming of coming back. I managed to do as much exploring as I could in just the two days I spent there. Now I’m going to tell you about them.
There was supposed to be a lot of mud and it was supposed to be fun! So it was. Except I had never been so filthy. All the Sakhalin off-road dust was in my hair. It also scratched my sunglasses (that’s why you should pull the visor of your helmet down!). The white one-time-use suit given to me at the “Start-DV” office got super dirty and seemed to collect all the thorns. I brought about two kilograms of clay and mud on my boots! But it seems like the aim of this event was to get all filthy. Or why was I crossing the brooks and the deepest puddles riding an ATV called “Kvadropride”?
We were driving somewhere near Elochki Village; during our adventure, two cars were damaged — the seat belts had ripped. Also, one of the cars was thrown off the road because the guys didn’t manage to drive there as the road was so tough and the speed was so high. But so many landscapes changed along the way — a forest drowning in grass, an old Japanese railway, country houses where I would definitely want to steal some pears if I were there in summer. We also saw dark railway tunnels, where the snow hadn’t even melted by May! We were getting stuck in dirty and deep puddles in the forest — don’t even ask me why — just for fun!
The price should be checked with the organiser before booking. The price includes transfer from the hotel, a uniform, insurance and a USB stick with pictures.
An-2 is, of course, a reliable vehicle, but the fact that it was pretty old was freaking me out a bit. I had never flown such planes, but when I saw those brutal but charismatic pilots from the Centre of Technical Sports, I relaxed. The plane could accommodate just a few people — actually, 12. A 13th one could not get in no matter what. The seating arrangement was comfortable for the legs, but disappointing for the eyes — we had to sit with our backs towards the windows, when the views were so fascinating! And it was necessary to fasten seat belts. The pilots instructed us and firmly asked not to open any doors during the flight and not to leave our seats without permission.
Actually, the permission was given already two minutes after takeoff. So, we quickly unfastened the belts and glued ourselves to the windows, moving the chequered curtains away — it was cosy, by the way! According to the plan, the airplane should have flown around part of Sakhalin Island. Endless green forests, hills, Lake Izmenchivoye, the waves of the Strait of Tartary, Cape Velikan and the old lighthouse.
On the other side — La Pérouse Strait, which separates Russia from Japan and Sakhalin from Hokkaido Island. It’s clearly visible from above that Sakhalin looks like a fish. Soon after takeoff, the pilots allowed us to film from the cabin; it was a rare chance to see the world through the pilot’s eyes. After circling above the island for an hour, we returned to Pushisty Airport (which means “fluffy”), and the landing was soft too, for sure. Who created such a name? I am sure they were geologists — only they could give such a deep meaning to a name!
The price for a flight on an An-2 is on request. The price of scenic flights should be checked with the Pushisty airfield / Centre of Technical Sports before booking.
Curious seals were swimming around our small boat watching us with interest. Just after we had started our voyage, we saw their heads above the water. The Gulf of Patience is a really brutal place: there were rough and tall pines along the shore, and dark waves were shaking the boat pretty strongly. Sometimes the ice can appear there at the beginning of May; it appears unexpectedly and rapidly and disappears the same way.
It’s chilly in the humid fog, but it’s alright in a warm, huge-size windproof jacket. Fishermen come here, to the “Aquamarine” base, to fish and catch some crabs; it’s half an hour away from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, and another half an hour is spent on parking, changing and transferring to the boat — and you’re in the Sea of Okhotsk. Plus an 8-hour flight from Moscow. But it’s worth travelling so far; it’s probably the best Sakhalin can offer. Especially when you’re waiting impatiently for another trap to appear from under the water, finding it by GPS and guessing how many crabs can be found there and which kinds.
It was a surprise for me that there are five kinds of crabs that are edible in that area (well, that’s fine for me, it was my first time in the Far East). All the crabs were instantly cooked in a big pot in the backyard. My favourite ones were the Hanasaki crab and the Blue crab, although I tried all of them.
The price for crab fishing at the “Aquamarine” base starts from 10,000 roubles per person.
Travel reportage
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