On boarding the Russian ship Mv Russ, at the top of the steps i stopped and turned round to look at where i was leaving then was ushered into a waiting area. I was asked to produce my passport my name checked against a list and i was allowed into the reception area, where a friendly Russian lady gave me a card with my cabin number on and gave me instruction how to find the cabin, the ship reminded me of the sort of freight ferry’s i used to take to france and northern Ireland from Heysham in the north of england, except this was much cleaner, it had a 70’s feel about the ship with dark veneer paneling and orange carpets pictures of other vessels that sailed the same route in the past were mounted on the walls. I knocked on the cabin door and entered, the tall man from in the immigration area was lying on his bed reading, he looked up and i said hello, i asked if anyone else was sharing with us and he didn’t think so.
His name is Itgen Hansen and is not an American as i thought in the immigration but from the Netherlands, Nijmegen city which i have driven through many times for Fransen transport when i used to transport pharmaceuticals to scandinavia, great times and Fransen transport is now a legend as it is not operating anymore it started in the Netherlands in the 1970’s in Moerdijk and i worked for Henk Buzink at their uk office in Kidderminster Uk.
Itgen is very tall he may correct me but i think he is around 2.02 meters tall and is very friendly, he is a pleasure to be around as he is so intelligent a fountain of knowledge in a non patronizing way, he is traveling from Nijmegen to Yamoto Japan over land and sea to visit a close friend Edwin Huits also from Nijmegen.
Edwin and myself get on really well and we soon made friends and i offered to give him a lift down to the south island as it would be an adventure for me and i didn’t know where it may lead me, my whole trip so far has been about going with the flow and one thing seems to lead to something else usually positive.
We went up to the dining room room supper and two tall blond lads with bum bags waited in front of us to be seated, as they were led to a table Itgen told me “I bet you they are Dutch” and when we sat down at the so called english speaking table where they put all foreigners everyone that doesn’t speak Russian ends up on the english speaking table.
We given a set menu brought to our table and it was done really quickly to get you in and out and cleaned up, no time to relax with a coffee at the table, the two Lads from the Netherlands had driven a skoda convertible all the way from Holland but the car had fallen apart with the bad roads so they were carrying on by foot to Japan then catching a flight home. The two Americans were indeed farther and son, the farther from Texas and the son from Washington, we exchanged addresses and i said i would look them up when i was passing through.
After supper Edwin and myself went on deck and it was dark now about 9.30 p.m. and we were steaming out of the port area, Vladivostock was full of lights and looked impressive, it is an incredible looking harbor similar in looks to Istanbul, it looks better from a distance and at night. Time aboard went fast and we talked allot about what japan would be like and tales of our travels in Russia, we took a wonder around the ship and Entertainment had started on deck 5, one man on a keyboard singing, then at 11 p.m. the Disco night club opened and the same man went up to Deck 6 and talked over all the songs, there were four drunk Russians watching the show, they raised their glasses as i walked in and i waved at them smiled and turned around and walked out, i was escaping this kind of hospitality i had had enough Vodka to last a lifetime.
Most of the people on this ship about 130 in all were Russians mainly men going to buy cars from Japan so they were now at this late time drunk car sales men mafia types hugging each other singing and young Russians being sick over the side.
My car was the only cargo on board, i asked to the purser if i could see my car and a crew member took me down to see it, the car was on deck 3 and was sure enough on its own parked to one side of the ship it looks tiny in this huge cargo space. Russia doesn’t export much to Japan but Russia has huge demand for anything it can from Japan so i guess they make enough money taking cargo one way and running empty back. Its the 27th of August,
The MV Rus Docked into Fushuiki near Toyama at about 10.30 a.m and soon after Japanese customs and a shipping agent boarded the ship, it wasn’t really a culture shock but of surprise as they were very happy to see us and they were highly organized, what a surprise after so many months in Russia, i kept thinking this was not going to last but they took control of the ship setting up computers in the main sitting room and starting immigration on board, Itgen and myself stayed in the cabins as the queue was too big to wait for immigration and customs had to go around all 130 passengers in the cabins too, the blue uniformed customs came into our cabin and checked our bags and smiled and wished us a happy stay. The intercom sounded and a Russian crew member said “Landcruiser Mr Timothy Stuart come now” so i went up to reception and was taken to meet a japanese agent who spoke no english and handed me a piece of paper with english on it, it said that a Carne de Passage had to be authorized by JAF the Japanese Auto Federation like the RAC in Uk and that i had to go the Toyama city about 40 klm’s away and that he could do this for me for $200, i declined his help and thanked him, as i already new this and was heading to Toyama to collect my document myself, to take a car into Japan you need a Carne de Passage, Paul Gowern at the R.A.C is the only person in the UK that can issue this, Japan requires you to buy compulsory vehicle insurance which is about £35 for 3 months so not allot, you then only need your registration document and international driving license, its easy really you don’t need to pay road tax like in eastern europe where you have to buy a year’s and they don’t need to see your MOT.
Itgen and i now went to immigration and they take your finger print and gave me a 3 month holiday visa and i had asked for 6 months, you can extend this so i am told.
You are now free to leave the ship and Itgen and i got our bags and proceeded off the ship and towards the train station about 20 mins walk from the Vessel.