Vladivostok! Monday 3rd of January 2011!

As our train stopped at the last station, Vladivostok

My voyage is unfortunately nearing its end as the train slowly crawls into the Vladivostok Train Station. It will certainly take some time to get use to not feeling the stumbling of the carriages on the dusty, worn tracks; the shrieks as the train crawls into the stations; the sharp whistle of the conductor echoing in the deafening silence of the surroundings; the cozy cabins; the faint snoring of my cabin mates and the distant joyous chatter and laughter of other travelers; big frosty window glimpsing into a mysterious, beautiful world, revealing its broad story through the passage of time. Melancholy and a flicker of glimpse rose uncomfortably into me, my feelings no longer distinct or accurate. Instead I glued my eyes to the window, taking in the last minutes of the adventure as if it were my last.
Here is a little poem I composed:

          Memories.

A beautiful shell dripping with salt water from the oceans. An intricate snowflake slowly landing on your flushed cheeks.
They flow with secrets as their dusty covers are opened, revealing mysteries safely hidden in the passage of time.
As their mysteries are slowly revealed, melancholy, joy, anger, frustration are released in a tornado of feelings. 
They enable one to live the past as well as the present, perhaps mystifying the difference in between. 
Memories wrinkle and fade, disappearing in between those worn leather covers again perhaps sneaking out once more to grasp you with past souvenirs.
                                                                               Memories.
My notes on Vladivostok: 
Population: The population of the city is about 575 000 inhabitants.


Climate:The temperatures distinctly vary with extreme temperature in the winter of -13'C to warm but not ridiculously hot summers, averaging 20'C. I think that I will be quite fine with not having to deal with extreme cold temperatures for a while!


Culture: Vladivostok is home to numerous educational institutions and 7 universities! Vladivostok has a branch to the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Far Eastern University. Since the city is situated near Korea, Japan and China, it play a role an important national military and industrial port.


Economy: The city's main industries are shipping, commercial fishing, and the naval base. Fishing is almost four-fifths of Vladivostok's commercial production. The main export items are fish, grain, sugar, coal, timber products, ferrous and non-ferrous metals and ships. The main import items are food products, medicine,clothing, footwear, automobiles, household technical items and ships.