Here comes the 2nd part of the feature on the «Soviet surf trip» by Mike Kew & Chris Burkard. Check it out in original or on Surlfine Hope you enjoy My translation (I Had Actually much fun Translating it) with a Couple of comments.

Less than a month, as I have translated and commented on the second part of article about the trip profikov in Russia. The original you can read here , but what happened in Russian - we read on.

By the way have already passed more than a month with my latest gurneys. It seems that no longer remember how to surf something. On Hainan just finished competition surfing Surfing Hainan Open, had a lot of friends, they say - the holiday was a success.

"It has always been a city of postponements and death,
and now he appeared as poverty-stricken, remote and isolated "
Paul Theroux (Paul Theroux), Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, 2007.

Russian voice: IMHO, Paul something not understood or simply out of luck to him. Vladivostok - a charming seaside town with a special character, located at the crossroads of civilizations on the roads of ancient Jurchen and the Tunguska meteorite. As once said pro-surfer Josh Mulcoy: "How San Francisco. Only better. "

Perhaps the late summer Vladivostok may look unusual - sunny, warm, windless and welcoming. But in February 2007. The center of the Far East of Russia showed Mr. Theroux, the famous travel writer, first crossed the Vladivostok by train 33 years, his stern face during his second visit in the winter slush, mud and stagnant gloom. In 2007 the city with a population of 600 thousand people are still upheld by Moscow at a distance of 6000 miles, but it was a completely different Russia. This isolated area, a remote culture was closed to tourists until 1992, when the Soviet Union broke up into independent states, trickling civil independence from communist wounds of the Cold War. Impressions Theroux on his second trip proved, however, untenable.

Russian voice: I'm saying.

Vladivostok in the middle of the New Russia, the largest country in the world is experiencing the liberal reforms of perestroika and glasnost, Mikhail Gorbachev, in August-September 2009 appeared the same brilliant and prosperous, as well as any other modern, cosmopolitan city, and closely resembled the San Francisco California. Picturesque buildings, graffiti, cross trolley line over the streets, deafening motorcycles, noisy men signalyaschie cars, roads with a steep slope, shouting alarm, the smell of gasoline, gulls, bird droppings, techno music, dirty overcrowded buses, railway, fascinating alleys, shady green parks, gesticulating statues, hills (in Vladivostok "hill") and port, container ships and the navy, dank fog and windswept sea bay. Geographically, referring to Asia, with China, Japan and Korea in the neighborhood, Vladivostok seemed a little vulnerable to the Asian influence. On the streets there were also Asians, but mostly this part of Russia was white. However, China has heard from plenty of cheap Chinese goods, Japan is notably seen in the fact that it blocked the coast from ocean waves, while North Korea was simply harmful neighbor, nuclear power, are very much present, as the gloomy cloud of pure summer sky.

Vladivostok - a magnificent city, where you can walk and stay for a while, but it is important to remember that the waves come to his remote coast only a few days a year. By world standards, the Russian Far East was one of of the most difficult places in the search of waves and we were lucky that we did wet boards. Two of our first day (BS - No Burkard) showed us a myriad of spots and potential breaks - from Vladivostok to the north coast of densely covered by forests of Primorsky Krai was ancient and therefore is not steep. Its beautiful beaches with white sand gently embraced by the surf reef flat, creased, poyntbreyki, whimsical underwater plates and gentle bichbreyki. One of them gave us a smooth offshore midday peaks. It was pure coincidence that we stopped there for lunch - after 20 minutes of surfing terms transformed from onshore porridge to pure crystal wall height of human growth. Fleeting illustration of what might be surfing in Russia, but rarely.

On our third day is when Burkard finally reunited with us, Californians Josh Mulcoy and Mile Lozness known the blue East Sea at the end of a bumpy dirt road (we went to Triozere under Nakhodka). And there is nothing they have not seen. Water had died under the Japanese blockade. East Coast of the rising sun was windy and the waves rocked, but the promise of forecasts about typhoons and storms in south-east, rainfall and 2-meter waves with a short period proved to be equivalent to the best spa solar weather, which only Russia can provide. The water is flat as a lake, and glossy like glass in oil temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit on the beach, topless girls in bikinis, barbecues, boats, besyaschiesya children, cold beer for a dollar a bottle into the stalls by the beach. We sunbathed and drank and hung out with Andrew and other children in his surfing station ( surf4you.ru ), improvise exciting football match on poselochnom island in the south ( http://www.chaikaclub.ru/ ). U.S. vs. Russia, from 10:9 in favor of the Americans! Thus flowed on our trip.

One morning we went to the far north, on the spot, as open as the wind and waves from the ocean (Triozere, yes). The way we were almost arrested because of the fact that we stopped for breakfast in a closed city.

Russian voice: and could be arrested and would have been way wrong. There is a town in Primorye Fokino - BUT, that is Closed territorial entity, where, as we later learned, can not stop, not only foreigners but also the citizens of Russia, because there are a number of base of nuclear submarines and in general a military secret. They say there at the entrance to the city even shield is a warning. Once we Valera had not noticed. We sit, in general, have breakfast at a roadside cafe ala "visiting the tale. Half an hour after our arrival at the cafe came to the police and asked to explain what it is we're seated with four Americans and some obscure musical instruments (have you got artists here, or what?) On the roof of the car (it's about the game). The girl from the police are unlikely to read these lines, but I want to tell her thank you very much, that was with us such a sweet and friendly, and sent to the world. And according to the rules we can to clarify the circumstances of the arrest and should have been fined 1000 rubles. with everyone. Given that the Americans were still without passports (except for one, very conscious - Mike Loznessa) we are lucky.

"And the waves in the forecast there" - he slowly said our guide as we sat in his car in the middle of the picturesque, but the calm bay, the road to where we took the 6:00 on a bad road. "This is bad" - he laughed. It was cool Valera, the first surfer of Vladivostok, pleased that he saw surfing Loznessa and Malkoya the previous day. They were the first foreigners that swept by the waves of his native city. Rejoiced and blonde Olga, the first uahini * Vladivostok, our trusted translator and coordinator. Although Valera knew better than anyone especially local conditions for katabelnyh waves during the remaining days we have a lot of false starts happened able to extinguish even the most persistent optimism. So we needed a typhoon never happened. Lightly blowing wind and scorching sun, and Buoyweather.com not leave any hope.
When the East Sea to sleep,
they slept like the dead
(Like a sack of sand).

* Uahini (wahine) - Hawaiian word that means the girl-surfer. Supposed to be pretty.

Warren Smith, Sidzhey Kanuha and Sam Hammer came later, but left without waves. Instead, we whiled away the time in the city, where they could be dissolved and lost in a sea of cheap vodka, cigarettes, hookahs and nightclubs open until 8 in the morning, new friends, excellent food and music and - for the unmarried among us - the most beautiful women in the world. "And let us drink vodka" - became our theme. In the end, time was distorted and soul of the city opened, and yet enigmatic character of Russia, far from the stubbornness of the Eastern Sea. It was an act of abstinence before the advent of the annual winter cold.

Burkard was shocked. He came all the way, endured detention and deportation, has been squeezed, both emotionally and financially. And with us, he could only watch as nearly a year planning this trip evaporates in the sun Siberian sky. Russian swallow the pill was not really easy - a huge, stable, insoluble unpredictable. The typhoon season in the East Sea fell into an early hibernation and shut the gates to the castle. We capitulated - Soviet surf trip ended.

"This land is harsh, to the weakness of the ruthless" - Valery Ivanov.

Russian voice: Something tells me that history will be continued. Where, who and when - we'll see.

Photos from Surfline.com:

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