Now 8500 klms east and six hours ahead of Moscow, in delightful sunny Khabarovsk-very Mediterranean/Californian with nice tree lined boulevard and no concrete blocks in the centre. The main drag leads to a great park on the banks of the mighty Amur river-China across the way. Like Australia a caucasian island in an Asian sea-hotel TV has Japanese and Korean channels-sushi everywhere-bad for a fish hater-but found a slick bar for the cool set where I can get a lamb shank and spuds for 30 dollars.
Had to happen-there he was resplendent in his Billabong t shirt in the hotel lift-a real live Aussie and thus ensued my first fluent English conversation in 6 weeks. He was from Perth and so told me all the news of importance from Australia-how the Eagles and Dockers were going and named the 4 AFL coaches whose contracts had ended. He is a consultant pilot/aircraft engineer who was working on the Kamchatka peninsular-up north-accrediting or otherwise Russian airlines to carry BHP/Rio-Tinto staff.
He told me where, when I get to Vladivostok, I can buy a kilo of Crab for $25 and drink beer with it-shades of Sydney in the 60s-sitting in the gutter outside a Manly pub eating prawns and drinking the afternoon away-oh the folly and stamina of youth!!
No comments:
Post a Comment