I recently have been to Vladivostok. We've drove there to get used Japanese cars. And here is the story.

What it takes to get Japanese second-hand
- Pictures by Ivonne Howard -

  On June 12-17 I've been traveling to Vladivostok (470 miles) with missionaries in Toyota van. On 12th I have come at my bus stop at 8:45, and HiAce has approached at 9:20. I have sat, we've got acquainted, prayed and have gone. Except Gordon (the missionary I taught Russian language) there were Keita Takayama (missionary from Japan, his friend in Japan bought cars for us), Rex Durham (teacher of Bible college) and his wife Lori, Ivonne Howard, who teaches missionaries' children and two American girls of years 25-30, Suzanna and Hanna. They were supposed to work two terms in children's Christian camp near Arsenyev.
Haven't we been 30 miles away off Khabarovsk as the left front tire has exploded. Gordon who drove the van has decelerated by switching gears (brakes in such cases are dangerous), though HiAce jumped as mad, dashboard was shaking up and down.  We have stayed, have looked at a smoking tire and began to change with a spare one.

The spare was nearly bald and did not in still confidence. It was necessary to purchase the spare tyre somewhere for future. Keita drove next. Incidentally he got speeding ticket for $3.5 (speedometer in the van is broken). The next large town was in 40 miles - Vyazemsky, where necessary tyre was not found, except for one half-bold for $ 30. We have refused and have gone further. In Bikin (135 miles away from Khabarovsk) history repeated itself. Then we asked one driver where to get tires. He toldus, that we have passed tire shop. And we didn't see it indeed. The guy called to conduct us up to the shop. We have followed him and in that store pretty good used tires for HiAce for $24 each WERE FOUND. We have mounted them on the van, sent in a reserve two our tires , and two other have thrown out. Meanwhile girls have served the table and we had our ounch. Further we drove without adventures, except of stops at checkpoints, which have begun in Primorye �egion. We've been stopped in Dalnerechensk and Lesozavodsk, they were checking the passports of all foreigners. The road from the main route up to Arsenyev looks like dirt track, very rough.

  So all these obstacles have delayed us, and we arrived in Arsenyev at 9 in the evening. There is former pioneer camp near the city, which have been purchased by Send Intl. We drove there. I have never been in a pioneer camp :-) Gordon has shown us a swing, some other sites, including a toilet. He was in this camp last year. This week was last before kids will come, there's much what to do. We've been fed and have conducted in a barrack, where we should spend the night. Everybody went to bed fast, but have fallen asleep not soon. Those Americans have begun to play jokes one on another, Vonnie photographed by her digital camera, they laughed as kids! Well, it's good they're not kids, or they could have problems as they were laughing in the camp at night :-) It was raining in the morning, it became very cold, plus the bed was uncomfortable, and it was new place, and I always sleep badly in a new place.

  Have got up at 8, have had breakfast and having said goodbye to girls, have gone to Vladivostok. At departure from Ussuriysk we've been stopped again. Police checked the documents and have asked us to pick up the colonel up to Vladivostok. Well, we agreed. He has told us how to get to a customs.
  Drivers in Vladivostok are mad. Everybody drives without any rules. Both sides of roads are occupied by cars having parked, you can drive in the middle only. We have arrived to a customs around 3. Someone in Kabarovsk has advised to Rex to talk to a broker, which could do all for us himself, for money So we did. And he has told us, stay in that line. We have stood there about 1.5 hours, then Rex again went to the broker. I do not know, if second talk differed from first, but now broker has told us that it's not necessary to stand, we should come tomorrow after lunch, and he will do everything. It was necessary to find a housing. While we were in a customs with Rex, Gordon has found Vladivostok hotel nearby. We have reserved three double numbers at $35 each for 1 night (on greater term they did not give). I was in one room with Gord, Keita - with Rex, Lori - with Vonnie. All numbers were in 10 floor. A wonderful view from window has opened - the Golden Horn bay.
  I did not see the sea from the birth. I was so impressed, that started take pictures from the window. Also I never stayed in hotel. So it is interesting! But Gord said that all of them are identical, nothing interesting. Oh, really? And wnat about elevators, TV with MTV and Star Sports channel in English? :-) We ordered pizza by phone, we all gathered in one room having a meal, watching skate-board guys on TV and then went to sleep.
  The next day, on Thursday, before lunch time we visited here and there in city, have had a meal of grill chicken, I have wiped HiAce, which was looked like a pig, and then we went to the customs. The broker has told us that inspection of cars from our ship was not accomplished yet, therefore there's no sence to do paper work. But tomorrow... And we have gone to the same hotel again, (only for 1 night!). Now we with Gordon have appeared in 11, and others - in 9 floor. Have thrown our junk in and have gone to the city, have looked the military ships in the harbour, memorial - submarine S-56 on land. The pizzas in hotel were our meal. After dinner Gord wanted to take a walk, and I went with him. He has taken with himself a bottle from out of Coke. We went to the Sporting bay, where I finally washed hands in Pacific Ocean, and Gord took a piece of Ocean in a bottle. I'd like to do that too, I have found a bottle and has scooped a little bit from the Japanese Sea, too.
  On Friday the inspection hasn't been accomplished yet. Have gone to have breakfast (chickens again). By advice of the broker we have went to the chief of a customs, Rex has outlined a situation to him, we're Americans, nothing we know, we live here third day, when we'll get our cars? The chief promised to help, he phoned someone and has sent us to him. This man wrote a note, and sent us to a storage, to the first floor. Rex and Keita showed that piece of paper to a storage man and he allowed them to come in and look for out cars. They have inspected them, the customs officer have recorded serial numbers, but have told, that the papers will transmit to the second floor only after lunch, at about 3 o'lock. Incidentally Rex has told, that instead of 16 tires, which were sent by the Japanese who bought those cars for us, in the new van there are only 10, and there's nothing in other two cars.
  Bummer! By the way, actually the inspection was already accomplished when we came first day, it's just because those guys could not read number of engine in the van, it was considered that our cars not inspected. What a guys! We have gone to have cheeseburgers for lunch (it was my first cheeseburger). By the way, all the time we drunk only coke, fanta and sprite. So I've been missing the tea!
  At 3 afternoon, surely, nothing was done. We went to the chief again. He found one guy, spoke to him, the guy have found our papers and have made everything as soon as possible. We have signed the agreement with the broker, he has required a whole bunch of copies of the Rex's passport, etc... He has told, that Rex shouldn't have cars at his own name, it's better to have them arrive at Russian name. Also it was impossible to arrange cars at the different people. We can do it only in Khabarovsk. But at least we made certain progress! A bit later we find out, that the tires should be paid in the other place, at Marine station (2 miles away from Customs). Well, says Rex, probably, they have dragged off 6 other tires to Marine station, that we have not forgotten to pay for them.
  We jumped without delay in HiAce, (thinking, now we'll get there and back, we'll receive cars and will go up to Ussuriysk at least. We come, we discover a place... 15 minutes after they closed: Friday night, you know... O-o-oh... Back to the broker. He speaks, well, in the morning go for tires, then come to me, everything will be already done. Gordon again went in our familiar hotel. And again 3 rooms only for 1 night - now everybody are in 10 floor again. Again pizza by telephone, Gordon has left to take a walk, I have gone to go for a walk with Keita. We went to Marine station, have looked at the ship at pier, it's probably has come recently - loaded with cars, though it's passenger ship. At this time everybody, and Rex especially, began to use the word nightmare very often :-)
  On Saturday we went to Marine station. They have opened 45 minutes later than the should . The woman - customs officer has asked us to write announcement on inspection of tires, has asked the Rex's passport, has given us printed paper on 16 tires and 4 rims with the indicated sum of the duty. She has asked, how we'll pay, rubles or dollars. Rex says, dollars. And she has printed in the paper: $42. And she sent us downstairs to inspectors. Surely, he who we needed was absent. Another guy told us that he has to inspect the ship unloading (the one we saw yesterday), therefore is necessary to wait. For long. Until our inspector will come. After lunch. Then Rex has made discovery (ha-ha-ha), that here (in Russia) there is no system. Each officer is the chief for himself, and it is impossible to track a course of your matter.
  We went back in the customs. The guy we needed wasn't there. Wee thought that if the guy will come to there, but it's necessry to inspect tires here... Nonsense! We have waited, then have gone back to Marine station. There was a bunch of those who were waiting for our officer. We have looked at a unloading of the ship. Nobody was against the fact that basically in forbidden zone walk people (we weren't the only - there was a big crowd). Morning officer from the ship has approached to Rex and has offered him A CUP OF COFFEE. Rex doesn't drink coffee at all but has agreed for the sake of good relations. The guy has told, finish your coffee and come to me. He has seen a trouble of the Americans. They came to him. He without any inspections has written to them the necessary papers, we passed them upstairs to woman, to pay. There we found out that it is necessary to pay in the customs, and tires are there, too. But why then we had to go to Marine station???
  We went to the customs. Meanwhile broker has made all documents, we went to a cash department. It was about 5 o'clock, even if we'll get cars, we won't get home today. Again it's necessary to look for hotel. Have paid to the broker, have paid the duty for cars and for tires. Here, by the way, those $42 have caused a problem, because we had only $100 notes, and casher had no change, and we couldn't pay in rubles, because in the paper it said in human language - in dollars... A nightmare! How it was solved, I don't know, I stood in line to another cash department - to pay for parking of cars in storage! Furthermore for these 4 days we ate and slept a great lot of money, and all cash that we had has hardly sufficed to pay the duty. There right in a hall of the customs at the table three guys sit and exchange bucks for roubles, and nobody arrest them, though I know for sure that it's illegal (I has asked about it a policeman in a bank). We exchanged all bucks for rubles, the heap of money, $5,900. Rex has paid the duty, has paid to the broker ($25 for each automobile). If not the broker, we should stay in many other lines, in which remaining people stayed. Though we had to have pretty run about, in spite of the fact that the broker, according to the agreement, should make all by himself.
  I began to fill in the orders on issue of automobiles from storage, I copy there data of Gordon's HiAce from the certificate of the vehicle What's this? A "body type LN107"... But actually Toyota HiAce has an H series, not N! Rex speaks, go on write "as is". I write, but I say that I am sure, that's mistake, and we will face a problem in a future (by the way, I was right about problems). He went to the broker, they correct the mistake, I re-write the order. We put the documents in cash department of storage, and there they go: where is the order on issue of tires? Go to Marine station again. As a bullet we flew there, went downstairs, to the pier. There our guy at last has appeared but he is not so necessary to us anymore. And the coffee fellow has signed to us those orders.
  Back to the customs. We pay in cash department of storage, we obtain most important, but most simply looked paper, by which they will give us cars. We are going downstairs in a hurry, because the time approaches the end of labour day (customs is open everyday, but Traffic police has a rest on Saturday and Sunday, therefore they won't give us temporary license plates, but we have been told, that it's possible to drive without plates for 5 days after a customs).
  We ring in a metal door, we give them papers, Keita and Rex disappear in darkness of storage. And, what a miracle, there appears Rex in his 1992 Toyota Sprinter Carib 4WD AV-II (kind of Corolla Wagon), of grey-green color, with ABS and 1.5-liter 16 valve EFI engine. Then Keita has appeared in Vonnie's 1994 Subaru Legacy Station Wagon TS, it has 4WD, ABS too, but it's 2.0-liter, dark-cherry. Meanwhile Rex drives Gord's 1991 HiAce Wagon Super Custom 4WD 2.8 D Auto. Oh dear, it has a moonroof! And Gordon absolutely doesn't like this - his kids will kill poor moonroof. The full package of what he didn't want: diesel engine, automat, sunroof, plus windows with dark film! The duty for HiAce was $3,000 - as much as the van itself! All cars are with a/c, central door lock, power windows, they look not bad. Most of all I liked Subaru. But we found out that there're only 12 tires. We ask, and where 4 more? And they told us: it was only 12 of them , those 10, what you saw, plus we found 2 more (for Subaru, on beautiful aluminium cast rims) - they've been taken away by mistake (oh, indeed?). In Japan only 12 have been loaded. Where does he know, was he there?
  More shortly, they simply stole 4 tires (as we know now, all - for Carib and 2 for Subaru). Rex ran down to the broker and he told that if we'll complain, our chances are zero, since. under the act of inspection of tires there were 16 of them. Though now I think, well, we could say they somebody could steal them after inspection. Well, it is unimportant. We had no time to spend trying to find the truth, we needed to hurry up home. We have checked cars, have verified levels of liquids, incidentally have found out, that from Carib they stole jack also :-) We have sat and went to the hotel. There were no free rooms at all. Were dropped to 2 more hotels - same. We have decided to go to Ussuriysk while it's not dark. But we need the cash.
  While have found bank machine, another hour has passed. Finally we left! Bye-bye, inhospitable Vladivostok. And thank you for those who have helped us - even here there are normal people. Carib goes first, followed by Keita and me in Send's HiAce, then Vonnie in Subaru and Gordon.
  We've been driven to Ussuriysk for 2 hours. There we went to one hotel - there are no rooms, we tried another one, named Ussuriysk, - they have rooms, but one guy at parking, having found out that we are Americans (actually 50% of us) has told us that that's bad hotel. Also he has told us to follow him and he will show us better place. There were no rooms either. He wanted to give us addresses of a couple other hotels but we didn't know the city. Rex told him that we'll pay $3.5 for showing us a places. And he went in his van and we followed him. In one place there were no rooms, and in next place they had rooms. And just for $7 a room. The hotel was far away from downtown, small, but looked nice. The security guard has took care of our cars, having told to park them closer to an entrance. The manager was flattered by visit of the Americans, and Rex didn't miss a chance to take advantage of it, having hinted on it's not bad to have som meal. There was nothing it the hotel. I mean, neither cafe, nor restaurant, but she has tried to ring up somewhere, where it's possible to order food, but there answered no one. The local habitues of hotel tried to explain to us how to get to downtow, where there are restaurants, but anyway we didn't understand. Then the security guard sat in his car, we got in Send van, and the fellow has shown us a road up to restaurant, has agreed with administration (they knew him), we've been conducted in 3rd floor (on first 2 floors it was noisy), there were 3 separate cabinets. We have sat, have ordered and had a meal. Beauty! It was 10 pm. A road to hotel was found without problems, as our Gordon has drawn it on a way to restaurant. We went to bed with intention to go away at 6:30.
  So we did. Having thanked for hospitality and having asked a road to Khabarovsk, have departed. Soon, after refuelling in one of the small-sized towns of Primorsky region, I had honour to drive Send van as Keita has gone to replace Vonnie - she was tired. I drove since 8 to 10 am, up to the next stop. In Vladivostok Gordon has purchased sunglasses for me, and I wore them atop of mine glasses, and it worked. We've been often stopped by Traffic police, they checked new cars. At the boundary of Primorsky and Khabarovsk regions we have stayed to have a shish kebab, approximately for an hour. Soon, between Bikin and Vyazemsky, after a refuelling I again sat down in a driver's seat and it was decided, that I'll drive up to my home, and then Keita will drive. Only 80 miles remained. This time I felt myself more confident but anyway I felt a little fear. Though I had to "fly" at 75 mph (judjing by my sensations, speedometer doesn't work). Especially overtakings were hard. So we have reached the turn to my home, which all have passed straight. I blinked with headlights to Rex, who drove before me, and we all stopped. We have agreed, that Rex and Gordon will go further straight and we with Vonnie will go through my district., we have made U-turn and gone. Before that I drove second, following Rex who had speedometer working, but now I drove first, because I knew the road. And right before the city line there was a place, where the speed is limited 37 mph, though it's country side, where it's OK to drive at 56 mph. I have slowed down alittle but I don't know how slow I go now. Moreover, ahead of me couple of cars were doing the same speed. But I was the one who got bad luck. The policeman (I wonder where from he popped up?) stopped me and showed me a speedgun with numbers 79 (49 mph) (or, maybe it was a speed of those cars?) and he also asked me to pass to his car, hidden in a bushes. There another guy already got punishment. The second inspector has asked me a question, where do I hurry to, but I have thought, that this question, probably, rhetorical. So I didn't answer I have given them $1.72, they have presented me the beautiful speeding ticket that I will have on me forever, and we have departed. Keita had time to occupy the driver's seat, so that my trip has concluded. He safely has taken me to my home, and they have gone further. At home I was at 6 pm. And couple days later I realized that none of the pictures I have taken during the trip was OK :-(
  Next week we've tried to get license plates, we got 3(!) more inspections of the cars (Gordon also faced problem with that N-type chassis again, because officer didn't pay attention that wrong data was corrected and used wrong number for new papers, but now it's OK), the officer said to Gordon that he ought to tear off dark film from side windows, because here it's not allowed (but there are thousands of cars that have that film even on winshield and headlights!!!). When we torn off that film, we realized that the glue remains on windows and the worst thing is that you can't see through it and we plus we couldn't wash it away with gasoline, paint thinner, acetone, etc. "Are you satisfied?" - I asked the officer "Now we can't see anything through it." He said, "Well, I understand that it's nonsence, but we can't register your van with that film." They have pretty good rules, aye? 3 weeks later he finally got those plates, because of tons of papers that they needed to work with.
That's it.