About Kamchatka

In August, it was Kamchatka. It ended up on my to-visit list because everything is different there.

It is the only place in Russia where you can see volcanoes and pristine wilderness, stunningly beautiful and unique in every sense. It is a place full of challenges in terms of travelling and accommodation, hence few visitors.

As we were rafting down the river, we saw several bears. They swim in the river and bathe in the geyser pools. You can easily come face-to-face with them – a dangerous encounter. Before setting out, the guide would check the pepper spray canister on his belt. It is used for scaring bears away.

As we were rafting down the river, we saw several bears. They swim in the river and bathe in the geyser pools

Kamchatka takes advantage of modern technology.

Here you can see Kamaz trucks featuring comfortable passenger compartments instead of truck bodies.

In Kamchatka, they fly helicopters that could be envied by managers and shift workers in West Siberia, where I travel for business frequently. To sum up, what was said about poor service in the Kamchatka of five years ago no longer applies.

Kamchatka is a waste-free zone.

Local instructors keep a close eye on tourists to make sure they “commit no nuisance”. There is practically no litter anywhere.

Every time leaving a camping area, our team of tourists together with the guides would comb the place for any waste and clean everything thoroughly. Smokers would put their butts in a special box staying with them during the whole trip. People understand that what makes this region unique is virgin nature.

Even the smallest kiosks selling pasties provide some information in English.

However, most locals do not speak English well. Still, there are many foreign tourists – they comprise at least half of all visitors and mostly come fr om Asia.

One third of the power generated is geothermal, i.e. coming fr om volcanoes.

Kamchatka is characterised by a lack of electric power, which is no surprise given that both coal and fuel oil have to be brought from the mainland, and that costs a pretty penny. However, a solution has been found, and Kamchatka has become home for Russia’s first geothermal power plant, which uses the energy of geothermal waters.

In addition, gas production on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk and relevant pipeline construction have enabled some heating and power plants to switch to natural gas, which also significantly reduces the price of electricity and ecological footprint.

The best restaurants are Korean.

When it comes to the quality of the cuisine, it is just as good as in Moscow. Here you understand who the main supplier of seafood in Russia is. Fish, crabs, oysters, scallops, sea cucumbers and other sea creatures are so plentiful, it can blow your mind. The cuisine is fantastic.

About traveling

Our group of fellow travellers met through our kids. As a “payback”, we take them with us to travel all over the country.

Such trips are also a means of thanking our kids for giving us the chance to meet each other and of educating them in a way – through exposure to nature, extreme sports, travelling across our vast country, getting immersed in the cultural and historical environment of the places we visit. We want to show our children the country that we knew and loved when we were their age.

It is not just about nature, it is also about history (though sometimes unpleasant, as is the case with the Solovki prison camp), economy and culture. I have arranged for my friends and their kids to visit SIBUR’s production site in Tobolsk, which is the most advanced facility at the moment. Now they feel really proud because they have seen first-hand how Russia’s economy is growing.

Such trips are also a means of thanking our kids for giving us the chance to meet each other and of educating them in a way

During one of our trips, the captain proved to be a little less professional than we expected, and we ended up with a hole in the raft and spent half a day waist-deep in cold water.

We were rafting down the Katun River in Altai. None of us were skilled rafters, not even the instructor, as it turned out. However, we managed to finish the route, and we were really proud of it. We put the little kids on the sides of the raft, so that they would not be sitting in the cold water, and the rest of us kept warm by rowing hard.

Thank goodness, nothing bad happened, nobody fell ill, and everyone was absolutely happy.

Once, we had a one-eyed captain who took our yacht through all the skerries and shallows of the White Sea. It was during our trip to the Solovetsky Islands. At night, we got caught in a Force 6 storm. Now I know wh ere the best place to avoid seasickness is: at the very bottom of a ship, as close to the keel as possible, next to the centre of gravity.

Thinking of clients.

Wanting to develop long-term and mutually beneficial relations and projects with our clients, we are thinking about inviting them to join us on similar, moderately extreme trips.

About polymers

In Kamchatka, 99% of what we used was made of polymers.

These are the most advanced materials allowing people to feel comfortable in aggressive environments (when it is cold, wet, windy, etc.). We experienced the benefits to the full extent: our clothes, footwear, boats, rafts, tents – all of these were made of polymers. I have been educating my friends on polymers for a while, and this presentation was more than successful.

What really made me happy was that a large portion of those tents, rafts and clothes had been manufactured in Russia.

In Kamchatka, they fly helicopters that could be envied by managers and shift workers in West Siberia

“Kamchatka”, August 2016

A kindless land,
A kindless temper,
An ocean so cold and dark,
Wh ere you can’t tell sand from ashes.
A soil with its life-giving water
And rivers as the eye can see,
Fast-flowing, turbulent and free
Among the mountains in verdure.
And there’re bears all around,
Surprised that men have here come,
Afloat, often passing by them,
Despite the river bends and rifts.
Oh, land so stunning and so beautifully wild,
Unlike your unattractive settlements,
It’s lucky that you won’t yield
To those who are mean and selfish
For countless years yet to come,
And you’ll give shelter only to the strong ones
Who treat you with obeisance and care.

Irina Guber-Komyshan

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