Well, I thought at first to invite you to Moscow but I honestly think it will be a little...ummm..tired after World Cup 2018 %-) Then I started to search through the pictures of the places I have been to - Thailand and Bali, France and Portugal, India and Egypt, United States... and all of a sudden I realised how much I miss my hometown!
Khabarovsk - a city on Amur river
Khabarovsk's Cliff
Among the popular touristic facts is the fact that Khabarovsk is printed on a respected 5 thousand roubles note (wich is approx. $86 USD)
Khabarovsk's cliff is on the front side of it and the 4km auto/train bridge is on the back side. This bridge is a part of huge Trans Siberian Railway - 9,289 km long! The largest train network in the world connecting two opposite sides of Russia - Moscow and Vladivostok (it has connecting brunch lines to Mongolia, China and North Korea too!). The way from Moscow to Khabarovsk takes 7 days by train. I have made it to my hometown dozen of times when I was a student. And I'm telling you - there's no better time to read "War and peace"!
Bridge over Amur River
Khabarovsk is the capital of Russian Far East but it's not a big town with population something like 600 000 people.
The Ponds
Ok it's green and cosy but why so cool? The answer is - because it's cool!
Far Eastern Museum and the view on Amur river
Khabarovsk has been called the most sunny city in Russia (Who hasn't lived in Moscow or Saint Petersburg won't understand the hype). The sky over the city is either clear or has fascinating scenery.
Holiday traffic
Sunset after the rain
It's hot in summer here (+25C) and cold in winter (-35C). And it does make you feel the year cycle!
High angle streets could make you think that's San Francisco (the church and snow won't)
The last day of boat season
Khabarovsk is the most expensive city for life in Russia. That greatly resonates with the looks of city dwellers.
The locals then...
Nanai women north of Khabarovsk in XIX century
...and now
my friend Alexandra
The price is nothing to Korean, Japanese and Chinese tourists. There's plenty of them all times of year. Well in Pacific region we all love to visit neighbors and China is seen on the left bank of the Amur river. For Khabarovsk's citizen it takes 40 mins boat ride to get abroad. Chinese guys like to come here too for grate trading possibilities, besides - so many cool clubs throw big parties with big Europe names take part in Khabarovsk!
Yeeeah! Drinking in cool expensive bars too!
Why ladies? Men have gone fishing!
And who could resist! Amur River (Hei-lung Chiang or the Black Dragon river in chinese way) is the longest river of the Russian Far East, and it ranks behind only the Yangtze and Huang Ho (Yellow River) among China’s longest rivers. Scientists have found that it's basin is many millions of years old - can you imagine how many weird old guys are swimming in it?!!
The black river
One of the old folks - Kaluga. I couldn't find the other picture but our dog fits in it's mouth!
Another dude - the relict Auch or chinese perch!
Auch was in the Red Data book with Mandarina duck and Himalaya bear for many years until it's population has finally encreased.
Taimen
Fish trading and fishing itself is big here. In my childhood I don't remember meat steaks - only fish ones! And try guessing what was the best gift from parents to their student daughter? 3 liters jars with red caviar of course!
Shabby countryside that lives with fishing
and breathtaking views are fisherman's dream too
It is now so and it was so thousands of years ago. Amur is feeding people for ages! 75 km north of Khabarovsk there's a small Nanai village Sikachi-Alyan on the bank of the Amur. The place is famous for its neolithic petroglyphs (masks) carved on the surface of basalt stones. Our country house (dacha) was just minutes on a boat from that place - it's really cool to see and touch those stones. Scientists say the carvings could be same age as pyramids! My brother's early pictures had the influence of petroglifs
Prehistoric deer run by my bro
Petrogliphs as seen by my father - artist Yuri Dunsky
The Amur basin lies in taiga zone with many relict plants such as Komarov's Lotus, Ginseng - the golden root, Aktinidia Kolomikta, Kantopanaks. They all are in the Red Data book. Most of them help of really bad diseases and what is really amazing - have lived millions of years ago and somehow survived! Komarov's Lotus is one of the four lotus species left in the world.
Lotus - a flower growing in Buddha's footprints
Taiga - I'm sure you know! - is a place for living for now dangerously disappearing Amur tiger. In fact - there's only about 500 adults left.
A page from a book made by my dad
But I wouldn't like to meet one to one at least with one of them! So don't go to taiga without a guide!
The best guide, a fisherman and an artist - my dad Yura Dunsky
Oh! By the way - my dad has taken all of this beautiful photos! So if you wanna see or know more - just come visit him in his art-place when you come to Khabarovsk!
