Where Yarmiks Roam

Russia Yekaterinburg Mission - Week 80 - September 17- Sept 23, 2018

Ahhhhh, the ferry. Actually the ferry was just fine; however, the process of getting on the ferry was challenging. So challenging, in fact, that Dad took to his laptop and wrote an essay about it which I will include here.

I have reviewed my emails from the RO-GO Ferry company, and this was the latest one we received

Me - "What time should we come to the port in order to board the ferry."

Them - "You need to be in Batumi office late afternoon for check in and documentation."

We clarified what "late afternoon meant to them - their response was 4-8 pm. Pretty clear.. Arrive between 4-8, check in, and....well, the actual words "board the ferry" were not included in their instruction.

Dad's account - On Monday, we checked out of the hotel at noon and left our bags at reception planning to return shortly before 4:00 to make the 3/4 mile trek to the ferry check-in office. We spent all or Georgian money with the idea of just walking up to road, dragging our bags behind us. We actually did that, but it proved to be more difficult than expected. The sidewalk was bits and pieces, interrupted by driveways and side streets, and, in most cases, no ramps between the sidewalk and the road. We were able to go 50 steps, stop, rest, change hands, walk another 50 step. We were wearing our backpacks, carrying our briefcases, and dragging our luggage on wheels behind us. By the time we got there we were worn out.

Mom went in while I watched the bags outside the outside door. After 15 or 20 minutes, she returned with an unhappy look on her face. It was the right office, the right guy was there, he registered our passports and checked us in, but the ferry wasn't ready to board...and wouldn't be ready until at least midnight, maybe later. And, he said, "Don't check out of your hotel! Go back there and wait, and we'll call when the boarding is ready." Excuse me, don't WHAT?? We had checked out of our hotel before the noon check out time, and we had all our bags with us. "Well, I'm sorry. You can't leave them here. Go back to your hotel, have reception call me, and I will give them instructions." Well, there was no way we were going to drag everything back to the hotel. And, we had no money left for a taxi. And, there were no currency exchanges or ATMs within sight. So, Mom watched the luggage by the outside door of the RORO office while I walked back to the first currency exchange window I could find, changed a US $20 (gotta love Ben) into Georgian GEL and walked back to her. We had to drag our bags about a block to find a taxi to take us the short distance back to the hotel.

Sofia and Christina at the hotel reception looked at us with surprised amazement when we walked back into the lobby. We explained what had happened, they called the guy at the RORO office to get instructions. They told us the same thing he had told Mom, that it would be after midnight before the ship was ready to board. They were very kind and gracious and told us to just hang out on the couches in the hotel lobby until the guy called. Another painful wait. They made us sandwiches and brought juice and cookies to try to ease the pain. We waited, tried to sleep, waited, waited, waited. The phone rang three times at midnight, but none of the calls were for us. FINALLY, the call came at 1:30 am. Christina took down all the instructions and wrote everything in Georgian - on a post it note - for the taxi driver. She also gave him the office guy's number to call for further instructions. We never would have have found this place without the taxi driver and his verbal instructions. Miracle of miracles and tender mercies, the taxi driver took us to the exact spot at the Port of Batumi to check in and board the ferry. The security guard at the port office even had information from the RORO office guy that matched our passports, so they let us in.

Have you ever walked onto a truck ferry as a passenger? Well, we hadn't either. After we drug our suitcases over multiple railroad tracks and gravel patches, - Mom was waiting for the wheels on our suitcases to 'fail'. We got to the steel ferry ramps where all the vehicles drive in. We just started walking up the ramps. One of the ferry crew gestured that we were going the right way. We showed our passports another time to a very official looking uniformed guy at the ferry entrance and we were allowed to pass. The guy from the ferry crew said he would help us as there were many stairways up to the passenger deck and there is no lift. He could see how much we were struggling. He struggled a little, too, as he got our suitcases up the narrow steel stairways. Finally we could see the city lights of Batumi.

We were brought in to the Purser who inspected our passports once again, had us sign some forms, gave us keys, showed us to our rooms and told us breakfast would be between 8 and 9, ship's time (which we found out is an hour earlier, due to the fact that the ship, the Дружба, is out of Bulgaria.) We took half an Ambien and were down for the count! The light rocking of the sip lulled us to sleep

We were startled at about 7 am by a knock on the door and a voice telling us that Passport Control was on the ship and we would need to bring our passports to the officer's mess. We quickly finished dressing and looked out our window to find we were still in port!

The uniformed passport control officials studied and scanned our passports and put them in a pile with other passports. They excused us, saying that they would be keeping the passports for us.

And so our ferry journey began.

We spent two days on the ferry - it was really pretty boring. We slept, took pictures of sunrises and sunsets and, sat on the deck and enjoyed the fresh air, and ate.

We appeared to be the only tourist type passengers on the boat. About 10 or 12 drivers sat at several tables they had pulled together in the back of the dining room. Their tables were piled with food which looked like it had been brought on board by them. Also included were several gallon jugs of good Georgian Vino. I know it must have been good because one of the drivers offered it to us and told us it was good Georgian vino. We courteously declined, and he offered us Coke instead.

Another time one guy brought over to us two plastic cups of vodka and graciously gave them to us with a big smile. We accepted them but discretely poured the contents into an empty water bottle. These drivers were very friendly and boisterous and talked a lot and loudly. We think they may have been slightly drunk most of the time. But on the last day, at breakfast, they were very business like and ate quickly and hurried off to get their trucks and be on they way.

Here's pictures of the dining area.

Our room

In the hallway

and some of the food.

Breakfasts were awful - old cuts, cheese, and corn pads

After the first breakfast I just ate bread/jam and fruit that had been saved from the previous day at dinner

Dinners and lunches were: roast pork chunks, sauce, and fries and cabbage salad; chicken and rice and shredded salad; beef stew; and stuffed peppers.

Our deck and us lounging

Entering Burgas

Leaving the ship

In Burgas we stayed with Elder and Sister Brinkerhoff, recently of Dallas, Texas. Dirk and Lori are Humanitarian Volunteers just like we are/were, and they graciously invited us to stay with them for two nights before we rented a car and headed north.

They live in a big apartment building just like we did - which looks kinda sketchy just like ours did, but inside, the apartment has been completely remodeled and modernized (like ours wasn't) and is super nice.

Their external door/entrance

Lobby and elevator - looks like all the old buildings in Kaz and here too.

An interesting thing we learned is that when someone dies, their families make these posters and mount them in the hallway. And these notices are left up for months.

Thursday - our first day, - we walked along the Black Sea Coast which was very similar to what we did in Baturmi - just on the opposite side. Batumi's park and promenade were much more glitzy and the beach was made of rocks. Here, the atmosphere was a bit more relaxed and there was sand!

And doughnuts

On Thursday we decided to take a tourist excursion boat out to Saint Anastasia Island. (Really, besides walking along the beach and going to this island there isn't anything to do in Burgas).

Train station and cool old building.

We finally found the right pier or dock after wandering for a while.

Got our tickets and since we had to wait for more than an hour, we decided to eat lunch at this casual restaurant where the floor is covered with rubber playground tiles because, it is.....a playground for children.

But we ate outside and had pasta!

Our boat came

Inside the boat

The ride to the island was into the wind and was a bit rough. There were about a hundred kids on the boat with us, along with chaperones. They'd come on two big tour buses - it was like field trip for all of these kids who did not look Russian, or Kazakh or Bulgarian or Georgian. I think they were Roma. Anyway, they were super excited and at the same time very obedient. When ever a chaperone corrected one of them, that child obeyed instantly.....with a smile. For some of the kids, it must have been their first boat ride, and their eyes got glassy and they became very subdued. Their chaperones were expecting this and started handing out plastic bags, and yes, a bunch of the kids lost their cookies.

And we reached the island which in past history has been a monastery, a church, a prison, a military base, and is now a tourist destination with a restaurant, gift shop, museum...and maybe a guest room or two.

The kids all sitting around someone who was explaining everything about everything.

The lighthouse

Inside the church.

And thus ended our two days in Burgas, Bulgaria

On Saturday we head north and plan to stay at a beach resort apartment that belongs to Berik who was one of our neighbors in Astana. We only ever talked to him in the parking lot - and once he went with Dad to a bank to try to sort out a problem with an ATM which did not give Dad any money but the receipt says it did. Anyway, when Berik heard we were going to Bulgaria, he sayid "You can stay at my apartment!" And we accepted. We'll see what happens on Saturday when try to find the apartment and try to talk to Berik's friend who has the key.....oh, a lot of unknowns. One unknown is whether or not we will be we will be able to publish our "regular" post on Sunday night. So....I am going to publish it on Friday night. Who knows, I may publish a two-day report and just add it to this one at a later time. We're going on a road trip tomorrow!!!!!!!! Do you know, in Russian, there is no expression for "road trip".

Well, silly me! How could we think that there would not be WiFi at Barik's resort condominium. We have excellent connection and so I will now add two days on to this post and publish it two days later.

SATURDAY - First of all - here are the Brinkerhoffs...Dirk and Lori....with whom we stayed in Burgas.

Dad and Elder Brinkerhoff rode the bus to the airport for the purpose of renting the car. It was really nice that Dad had a companion who knew where to go and which bus to take. And.......Elder Brinkerhoff is a frequent customer and thought we might get a discount on the car.

But a bit of a back story - Dad got an email late Friday night from the car rental place saying..."sorry, but there is anew requirement mandated by the government, (Alex Cernik, our travel agent, says it is a bunch of bunk) and we must have either an International Driver's License (think Triple AAA) or have the driver's license translated in to Bulgarian.....and it will only cost about $30." Well, forget that! Elder Brinkerhoff says that his rental agency has never asked to see an International Driver's License (and he has one) and that Dad should rent the car from his guy. So they did. And they got the whole week for $100 less and unlimited mileage. It was a super win for everyone---us especially.

So, we said good-bye to our friends, went to the parking lot, loaded two suitcases, day packs, and brief cases and got it the car..........it it the first time in 18 months that Dad has been behind the wheel.....Enter key card.....push button.......and the car hummmmmssssss. Honestly, for the first time in eighteen months I felt like a shallow American - I am in our car, we have a map and a phone....we are free to go where and when we want. And we headed north!

Hadn't gone very far when we both determined we were hungry. Oh no---KFC on the left or McD on the right??

Genuine American fast food!

We drove about an hour north until we got to the little place of Saint Vladis. It is really a huge resort condominium/apartment complex - like hundreds. There are no stores or shops or fruit vendors, but the big buildings (like ours) have their own restaurant and pool and spa stuff. And, now it is off season, so there are very few people here -- nobody in the pools, but there are sun bathers and a few swimmers down by the water.

Across the main highway which, lucky for us, is right in front of our complex, there is a big grocery store. We went and bought cereal and milk and fruit for breakfast...and a couple of doughnuts. Check out this rabbit food salad.

Later on in the evening, after we discovered that there were no simple restaurants nearby, we went back to the store's deli and bought two pastas for dinner.

Off to the beach!

We knew which side to stay on.

The beach is not spectacular - Hawaii is TONS better - but it is the Black Sea, and that is now checked off my bucket list.

I didn't swim but I did wade. The water was cold and the wind was blowing.

SUNDAY - we had two destinations that were further north on the coast. One was a monastery that was built into the rocks of a cliff, but we learned it was closed on Sundays and Mondays. The other was Kaliakra Cape which is part of a nature preserve.

But, before we even got close to those, we saw a brown sign post announcing "Ruins!" So we stopped at this fortress.

The really interesting thing is that it is located in a modern-day neighborhood as evidenced by this picture where the apartment building's patio is overhanging some uncovered ruins.

There were some interesting places.

this grape press and a big pot in the ground.

And a nice view to the north.

After traveling for another two hours (two lane road at 35 mph) we came to the Kaliakra Cape.

It is a beautiful cape....but not even close to a lovely nature reserve.

There were some ruins laying about, a lot of cars, three tour buses, wedding photographers, and souvenir shops....I did not note any migrating wild birds.