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11 Months Later … Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Южно-Сахалинск)

Cathedral of the Nativity, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
(Кафедральный собор Рождества Христова)

I have obviously neglected this blog for a long time. Life got in the way, and I got out of the habit. My goal is to start posting again somewhat regularly, and, who knows, I may even get a guest post from some fellow travelers for my blog. As far as a life update, while I still have some old stuff I want to post about Kyrgyzstan from my Fulbright days, I have accepted an ex-pat posting in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia, a small city in Far East Russia located north of Japan. It is actually located on a large, mostly mountainous island between the Japanese Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk. The Okhotsk side continues into the Pacific Ocean.

Fireworks from my friend’s apartment celebrating Yuzhno’s birthday

I have been here for just over three weeks now and am starting to get a feel for the place. Unsurprisingly, there are some cool sites, statues, and the like. Chekhov is a huge deal here because he spent a period of time on the island and hence there are a bunch of monuments and various buildings named after him. Furthermore, there is a clear influence from the 50 years of Japanese rule of the southern half of the island, including my city.

View from Gorny Vozdukh

My favorite feature is the ski hill (Горный воздух – Mountain Air) that literally is part of the town. Obviously, no snow right now, but you can still take the tram up for some absolutely beautiful views. I am pretty fired up for winter, as there appear to be some awesome lines available for ripping. I am going back home for a wedding in a couple weeks and will be bringing my skis back with me.

Korean Fried Chicken from Хангук Гван

The food has been fine so far. I have found some cool restaurants that may eventually get their own post (Georgian, Indian, and Korean Fried Chicken!!!) and they have places that make an honest to god American style burger and pepperoni pizza. Finally, there are a lot of little joints that sell their own beer. Some of it is very good; some of it is interesting.

Sea of Okhotsk, Плаж “Солнечный” (Sunny Beach)

While I have been working hard during the week, the weekends have been fun so far. Yuzhno has a fairly large film festival that lasts between two weekends. The highlights for me were watching the band “Несчастный случай” (roughly translates to Accident/Misadventure etc.), whom I am told are moderately famous, and watching the 2018 Palme d’Or winner, Shoplifters, a wonderful, yet melancholy Japanese film (with Russian subtitles). The city also celebrated their birthday with a weekend long street festival (solid, very similar to festivals in the US). Furthermore, I took a trip to the beaches near Okhotskoye (Охотское) on the Sea of Okhotsk (no clue where the sea ends and the Pacific begins to be honest). The sea was beautiful, as were the beaches on the large freshwater lakes nearby. It featured a sunset to die for and my friend brought his golden retriever. Finally, I have found American ex-pats who like college football, which means unlike last year, I am not alone in watching Ann Arbor from afar. Bless up. Go Blue.

Sunset over Озеро Хволисекое (Lake Khvolisekoye)
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Golf In Kyrgyzstan

Me putting on the 4th green. Photo taken by John Flott, 7.22.2017

The obvious choice for my first post would be to write about Issyk Kul. However, I need practice blogging (Feedback Welcome) and it’s Sunday of The Open Championship so: Golf in Kyrgyzstan.

Yesterday, two of my buddies (John and Blake) and I decided we had to check out the only golf course in Kyrgyzstan: Кленовый лист гольф клуб (Maple Leaf Golf Club). It is owned by a cordial Canadian named Ed, who was nice enough to introduce himself to us during our pre-round meal and give us the story of the club. To paraphrase: In the 90s, Ed was working long term in country and the idea was basically born out of being told it was impossible one joyful 4th of July night at a bar in Bishkek with some American expats. He took this to heart and has been running the course from that point on.

John and Blake walking the first fairway. 7.22.2017

The course itself is 9 holes (and a driving range), however each hole has 2 tee boxes to give it an 18 hole feel. Considering it is the middle of summer in Bishkek (can hit 40 C (104 F) without anyone thinking it’s odd, dry, and sunny) and I assume the access to golf course equipment is limited and expensive, the course was in good shape thanks to the fact they are watering the course at all times. All lies in the fairway were good and the rough close to the fairways was generally decent. The greens could use some work, but again the limitations make this more than understandable. Flat out, I have played on courses that were less maintained and in much worse condition in the States many times. The course is located in the foothills providing fresh air and wonderful views of the mountains.. We only played 9 holes due to the heat, but had a wonderful time. If you love golf, I certainly would recommend.

The view from the 7th fairway. The entire southern view of the course is mountains.

What really makes this place is the atmosphere and friendly service. Yes, it is an expat spot where you hear a lot of first-language English speakers, but it is clearly just a spot kept going by a small, loyal community, of expats and locals, who love the game. There were also plenty of people who seemed to come out just to eat and hang out, which speaks to the quality of both the atmosphere and food.

Looking at the clubhouse from the first tee.

The meal – Best Hamburger that I have had in Bishkek. It was cooked on an actual gas grill. They had a stocked bar with one beer on tap, but lots of options in bottles.. It appears they had other food options, including local favorites like shashlik. While I didn’t use the service, they advertise that they will bring beer out to you on the course if you call in. Finally, the patio is very comfortable and relaxing.

*Note: Plenty of posts won’t read like a travel blog, but if I am writing about about something I experienced, I see no reason not to pass on some details of the business.

Information:

Name: Кленовый лист гольф клуб
Location: Maybe 15-20 kilometers Southeast of Bishkek
Website: https://www.facebook.com/mapleleafgolfcoursekg
Phone: +996 559 777 766
Transportation: It seems many players drive but we took a taxi, 350-400 soms ($5-6). From an app, it does look like a marshrutka might get you close, but it would be an awfully long ride.

Cost:

9/18 holes – 1200/2000 som ($17/29)
Rentals – I think 400-500 som ($5-7) – My clubs were in very good condition.  
Balls (Used) – 50 som a piece (a little under $1) – Note: Balls are valuable, if you hit it out of the course (easy to do on 1, 2, and 7), locals may try and sell your ball back to you. Some enterprising youngsters were doing this for 20 som when we were playing.
Caddie – 350 som ($5) – Caddies appeared to be popular, however I did not get one myself.
Range: I didn’t check the price, but it looks very nice.
Note: Everyone walks, it appears the club has one cart which is used by the owner.

(Note: This is an expensive outing in Bishkek, however it would be cheap golf in the States)

Restaurant:

Prices: Average
Service: Good
Food: Excellent

Recommendation: Absolutely. Food is very good, views are good, and you get to play golf.