travelling from Incheon, South Korea to Yuzhno on Sakhalin Island

Incheon Airport near Seoul, South Korea is a beautiful modern facility. When time allowed I'd access the transit lounge and for a few dollars have a hot, relaxing shower. I spent several nights at the June Hotel in Incheon which has free shuttle service to the airport. The Korean people I met were very friendly and went out of their way to make my visits enjoyable. The airport was filled with electronic gadgets and camera shops and you could even buy a fancy sports car at the auto dealer. We used to joke that leaving Korean and flying into Russia was like leaving the modern world and travelling back in time. It wasn't far from the truth and maybe that was the appeal of Russia for me.

The Yuzhno International Airport was the point of entry into Russia. All passengers from the plane would funnel into a waiting area and then wait their turn to be processed through the 2 inspection wickets. Once through that area we'd go through another set of inspections and then proceed to the x-ray machines where our luggage was inspected. Patience is definitely a virtue.

The streets of Yuzhno are filled with cars and buses. The Russians take great pride in the appearance of their vehicles and there are no automated car washes so along the highway there are people with buckets who, for a small fee will wash your car by hand. I really enjoyed exploring the city on foot and discovered many interesting shops including the 'Hollywood DVD/CD/VIDEO and California Jeans' store where you can buy music, a movie or a pair of jeans.

The wide tree-lined sidewalks in Yuzhno are wonderful and sometimes the scenery is spectacular. It never ceased to amaze me how the Russian ladies could navigate those icy sidewalks wearing high heels in the dead of winter. I'd be wearing snow boots and barely able to stay upright and they would glide by as if walking on dry pavement.