6. A stimulating rest day at the Big River, lots happening....
"Kamchatka Peninsula" by Bike and Kayak
Tue 24 Jul 2012 07:38
I was disturbed in the middle of the night but the sound of a largish animal approaching in the long grass: Full alert, time to implement bear procedures: With excitement (rather than fear) inside me, I start shouting "Hey Bear", but the noise keeps coming. I shout louder and more assertively, check down at my sickle, and eventually all is quiet. At regular intervals I continue the "Hey Bears" and after 20 or so minutes, I believe all is safe, and I can go back to sleep. That wasn't so easy as my mind dealt with all the possibilities and realities. All good mind training, and preparation, and soon I fell asleep again.
I woke at 6 30am staring at a huge amount of mozzies outside my tent inner shell netting, trying to get in... Hey man, it's going to be a hostile environment out there, time for full armour dress, longs, balaclava the lot. A car arrives, and soon I hear the ferry approaching, 1 passenger and 1 car onboard (It's small, and can only take one car.) The car drives off, the teenage boy passenger walls off and stops waiting near my tent. He can speak a bit of English, and I gather he is waiting for a mini bus that will take him to the main road where he'll catch the bus to Milkovo. He is doing some academic work there.
I walk around the area trying to solve the 'animal n the night'', mystery, but no fresh prints, I can only assume whatever it was came along a well used animal path in the long grass. Oh, well, an unsolved mystery, but good practical outcome!
I check my map and see it shows an interesting looking road that connects the village across the river with two others eventually joining the main road just before the turnoff to Esso. Maybe I should do that....
The ferry leaves with the car and returns empty within 20 minutes while I'm busy with breakfast. The weather is not so good, it looks like it might rain. The full of character, ferry captain, gets off the beached ferry walks along the narrow river side track below my tent. There he hauls in his secret rope, which has a gill net attached with a successful night's catch of four, good size, salmon. I go down to chat and see the fish, and as he chooses the best two, planning to throw the others back, he offers me one, but I decline. We chat, and he clearly can't believe I'm cycling to Esso I ask him about the secondary road I 'd like to take, but he is adamant there is no road and that way around is impossible. "Ok, good idea, not practical!" His car customer arrives and he heads back across the river again, telling me the service resumes at 3pm.
It's now drizzling, I'm quite settled, enjoying my riverside home, so declare today's a rest day! I retire to my tent, for a decadent day reading, and relaxing...very, very special, it feels luxurious and well deserved!
Around 1pm I hear someone arrive and wait near my tent. I put my head out, and it's a 20 something, well presented, guy on his own, with a small knapsack. He can speak good English and introduces himself as 'Andrew' It's drizzly with rain so I invite him in to share the protection of my one person tent! Amazingly we both fit in sitting facing each other, and his bag under the cover of the vestibule. He tells me his story: He is from Kazhakstan, moved to Russia a few years ago, and is on an adventure east with his friend and girlfriend, soon wife to be. She stayed in Petropalovsk Kamchatka, and hi and his friend are 'doing' the whole of thee peninsula. They are salesmen, selling their gypsum ornaments and gemstone bracelets and necklaces to pay for their adventure. The deal is that they have to visit every village and try and sell their stuff! His girlfriend is based in PK, but is also selling their stuff. I ask him to see the stuff, and like an old school travelling salesman he opens his knapsack produces a display suitcase and shows me the gypsum goods. All pretty unique, spiritual, nature of religious in form, with long mythical stories attached. I felt a pang inside me to buy, so ended up with a lucky turtle! He then closed that case and showed me the big ticket gemstone necklaces! Hmm, they honestly were nice, but I wondered where the customers for both lots of goods were in these self same, poor Siberian villages I'd visited. I could see he was a born 'used car' salesman, as he was confident he'd make sales, and also be able to 'bum' a room from each village he overnighted at. His level of focus and realistic plan for life was impressive for his age group. He told me that after this he would settle down with his girlfriend and they'd start a family. He articulated to me how this adventure was designed to help them learn about themselves and how to connect with others, life skills they felt were important for the future. Good on him, he was out there, taking responsibility for himself, being challenged, being rewarded, and having fun. It's a far cry from the 'daddy pays for a gap year' approach many young people almost expect today. He lived in Nevosibirsk City, somewhere in central Russia.
Anxious to not miss the ferry we said our good-byes and he went outside to wait for it's arrival. I returned to my reading, with thoughts of maybe doing a quick there and back to see the village the other side. I was nicely relaxed, chilled out and adequately stimulated by my unusual environment. After Andrew's ferry, it soon returned again, beached up and was clearly waiting for someone's arrival. I went onboard chatted to the kapitain, and offered him some chocolate, and he invited me into his cabin, which is also the wheelhouse /bridge. A true sailor's home, complete with an erotic painting of a naked woman. We laughed, joked and shared our passion for boats and the water. I asked him if I could do a there and back and he confirmed it was all ok, and somehow he had a plan for me but I didn't know what it was. I did understand that he was waiting for a car, and somehow it was all linked. He was a good person and I could see I was in caring hands.
The car arrived, and so did the rain. He went down to speak to the driver who'd now reversed his car onto the ferry, and next thing he beckons me down to the car, and I realise he's organised me a lift deal. Turns out the village is 3km from where the ferry drops us off. Great deal, we'll worry about getting back later, I can see there is some plan. I get in the car, the driver moving his load of boxes that take up most of the room in the car. We introduce ourselves, and I see he has a strange nervous facial twitch, that is very distracting. I gradually get to understand that he is the village bread delivery man. He's from the last village (Atlsobo) on the the non existent road my map showed and I was wanting to take. His wife makes all the bread and he delivers it! I was with the right man, soon I'd be returning with freshly backed bread for my riverside dinner! Once off the ferry it was a narrow snaking road that tunneled it's way through thick birch forest, running into cows and sheep along the way, eventually stopping in a very quaint and organised village centre. I'm not allowed in the back entrance to the shop he delivers the bread to, and am directed around the front to the customers' entrance. Well the door is closed and 6 traditionally dressed elderly women are waiting for the 5pm opening, while being 'entertained' by 'my friend' Andrew's salesmanship! He looks a bit agitated and not real happy to see me: Probably struggling for a sale, and not wanting another 'touriste' to make things worse! I sense it's best I move on and go for a quick exploration of the village. It's probably the best one I've seen, little derelict infrastructure and apparently a strong farming culture. The now standard, brand new children's playground focal point of the village centre, and young kids playing happily on the slides and swings.
I'd better get back as my friend probably wants to return asap. I get back to the shop, it's 1 minute past 5pm, door still closed but as I arrive the village women open the door and direct me to enter before them. Hmmm! I get inside, the door slams shut, and it's just me and the proprietor, a short, distinctly Chinese featured, woman, but clearly with a strong village heritage. The mix of European and Asian cultures seems to have taken place right here in Siberia, very interesting. So I'm getting a private, first up, touriste, buying appointment...That's a bit over the top. Anyway, my driver friend's bread is right on prime display and the bread rolls look amazing. I buy a batch, plus other stuff, and watch as the proprietor adds it all up on an old ones, tens, and hundreds ball counter! Amazing!
I pay head out through the door, and there is a rush by the old women to get into the store... I'd been given special treatment, butt wasn't sure why?
Anyway 'my driver' was waiting, maybe that was the reason, and soon we were on our way back to the ferry. All I pleasant experience and I thanked the ferry captain for making it possible, and my driver for thee lift. The whole experience inspired me to take time out on my cycle tomorrow to do the 10km there and back to his village.
It seems like it was a great decision to take the day off, as the rain has moved off, and I had another great sunset at the riverside. Also, the visions of bad roads, corrugations and pebbles, hadn't entered my mind the whole day.
I had bought a Russian schnapps and the normal hearty evening meal with schnapps and amazing fresh bread topped off a special day.
I went to bed, excited about the 60-70 kilometres ahead to the turn off to the awaiting paradise of Esso!