my boot story

ok.... I have to tell my boot story! I bought these Red Wing boots in Nelson for the Sakhalin 1 project in Russia that I was assigned to during summer of 2004. They were the most comfortable boots I've ever owned and over the course of the first 6 week rotation in Chayvo those boots and I put on many miles. Upon returning home after the rotation I went to the shoe store where I'd bought them to purchase boot grease so they would be waterproof for the next rotation. The lady looked at me and then asked 'are you the fellow who bought those Red Wings a couple months ago?' My reply was 'yes, those are the most comfortable boots I have ever owned!' She started to laugh then replied 'did you find yourself stumbling alot?' I said no, the boots are excellent. She then said ' you better check your boots when you get back to camp to confirm the right boot isn't a size 13 and the left a size 9 1/2.' I laughed and said 'there's no way the right boot could be size 13! I'd be tripping and stubbing my toe if that was the case. I put on way too many miles in those boots to not notice such a size difference between them!'

to make a long story short: when I arrived back in Chayvo the first thing I did was check the boots. I nearly fell over when I compared the two and realized the right boot was a couple inches longer than the left! Then, of course, I had to work for 6 weeks in the odd sized boot! Now that I was aware of the size difference I seemed to be stumbling and tripping over everything! When I returned to Nelson I took the boots into the store and the lady howled when she saw them. She gave me the proper fitting right boot but now after 12 weeks of work the left boot was scuffed and worn so here I was with a brand new right boot and a scuffed up left boot! So she offered to polish up the left boot and she did such a good job I had almost matching boots. Of course by then it was winter in Chayvo so we were wearing snowboots! The Red Wings sat on the shelf till spring but provided endless chuckles throughout the winter for all of us. The boots survived Russia and then spent 2 years on the hard Marro ground in Barbados till the heels broke apart and I had to retire them. I left them for a Bajan to repair and I bet they are still being worn. So thats my Red Wing boot story!

nothing can prepare you for a 15 hour train ride...except alcohol

To endure the 15 hours you'll need lots of these! eat some Pringles drink some Baltica's...life is good!!!! okay, those little green Heineken's are tastier but these work too!

Nogliki Train Station

What do you do to amuse yourself while sitting hours at the train station in Nogliki waiting to board the 15 hour southbound train to Yuzhno Sakhlinsk? If you have a few spare bucks in your back pocket try entertaining the local kids who come down to the station to beg foreigners for change. They really are good kids and won't try to steal your wallet. Thats the task of the older brother who lurks in the background waiting for an opportunity to lighten your load. Buy the boys a lollipop at the station kiosk and watch their eyes light up as they bite into the hard candy.

As you sit in your bright yellow chair and stare at the green walls the steel gray egg carton ceiling starts to make perfect sense. Then you notice that everyone has a warm Baltica beer in hand and a sackful of spares for the train ride. The kiosk sells beer but a better choice is to wander over to the grocery store east of the station for the best selection of beer, wine, and hard liquor. After 6 weeks of sobriety the first beer vaporizes. So does the second. And so on.....

Its time to visit the facilities and today is your lucky day because the state authorities have made significant upgrades to the station bathroom. Keep in mind that everyone who travels north to Chayvo on the train must pass through this station and a good percentage of them use this bathroom. Theres a train every single day of the year so we're talking about thousands of travellers. This is a photo of the co-ed toilet on my first visit to Nogliki. No throne just a trough in the concrete floor that you straddle or squat over. To add to your discomfort is the lack of door and the building has no heat. This is Siberia after all!

Here is the upgraded facility. The tiles are freshly painted and the pink toilet paper bucket is a colorful addition! Nice! Trust me, after a few of those luke warm Balticas this is a welcomed sight! You don't want to walk around in bare feet mind you!

The interior of the Nogliki Train Station is a colorful mix of yellows, greens, and greys. I just love that metal ceiling! I could stare at it all day. I wish I could take that ceiling home, my life would be complete....

After 6 weeks of long hard days Anatoli and Andre are ready to head home to Khabarovsk for some much needed rest and relaxation.

Siberian Tiger.....damn!!!

As requested.....a close up of the beautiful Russian woman dressed to kill in the Siberian Tiger outfit. I only followed her a couple miles, honest! :-) Yuzhno has some of the most beautiful women on the planet!

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.

Sakhalin Island experiences

Many people ask me about the experiences I had while living and working in Russia. I'd be happy to share some of my experiences because it was an exciting time in my life and I met many wonderful people in Russia and Korea during this time.

I was hired by Veco Alaska to work on the Sakhalin 1 project in the Russian Far East so after several weeks of preparation during summer of 2004 I boarded the 13 hour Korean Air flight from Los Angeles to Seoul, South Korea. After a brief stop over at Incheon airport it is another 4 hour flight to the city of Yuzhno situated on the south end of Sakhalin Island. Company staff met me at the airport and by van we travelled into the city of approximately 200,000 residents. The first task upon arrival is to secure Russian currency as credit cards and such are not in general use. Lada, our company rep would direct the driver to an area where the money exchangers would trade tattered Roubles for crisp new US dollars. I never used the bank system on the advice of Lada and was informed that we got a better exchange rate using the black market traders. I must admit the first time was a little unnerving as these gentlemen were heavily armed and for obvious reasons. It was business as usual for them and over the course of the next 20 months would become that for me as well. Arrival day was usually spent at the Sapporo Hotel in downtown Yuzhno getting acclimatized to the culture and with several hours before the train departure I would often walk over to Sakhalin Center which is the headquarters for the major oil companies doing business in the Russian Far East. There are several good souvenir shops and a restaurant serving delicious omlettes. The 15 hour train ride to Nogliki was always an experience. We would travel first class so there'd be only 2 sharing a compartment. For some reason there was no heat control in the compartment so it was always unbearably hot and you'd be forced to leave the door open which did invite thieves on several occaisions. At Nogliki we'd be met by the company Kamaz 6-wheel drive truck for the 6-8 hour ride to Chayvo. Road conditions were always a factor in determining how long the ride would be. I have memories of the Kamaz barrelling through mud holes that would have swallowed any other vehicle or the blizzard when travel seemed impossible with several feet of snow on the road. Our ultimate destination was Chayvo where ECC-Veco was contracted to Exxon to construct roads, drive piles, underground utilites and such during construction of Sakhalin 1 Onshore Processing Facility. At that time this was the largest foreign investment project in Russia. My job was to supervise the Russian Surveyors and provide training in the operation of the high tech surveying equipment which they had never seen prior to this job. They were using equipment that would be in a museum in Canada. It quickly became evident that they were excellent surveyors and only lacked exposure to modern equipment. When I arrived in Chayvo during summer of 2004 there were about 300 Russians and Expats in camp and at the end of my last tour there were 5,000 people from Russia, Turkey, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Phillipines, Canada, US, Kazakstan and others. It had truly become an international village. We worked 42 days on and 12 hours per day so at the end of the rotation you were ready for 3 weeks off. Nothing felt better than climbing on that train for the ride back to Yuzhno and flights home. Upon arrival in Seoul the excitement was starting to build and touching down at LAX was always such a relief. Only 5 more hours of air travel and I'd be home. I'd always have to overnight in Vancouver due to flight schedules but with every mile I was closer to home!