KHANDYGA

Khandyga is an important river port in the Russian Far East. There is no all-weather road from Khandyga west to Yakutsk, so, in the Spring, Summer and Fall, all traffic comes by river, up or down the Lena to the Aldan River, and then upstream to Khandyga. Supplies which don’t make it must be trucked from the Pacific port of Magadan (where we started). Almost all supplies which come from Central and Western Russia, including fuel for the many mining operations as far away as Ust Nera and Susuman, get distributed from here.

The homes we were invited to visit were warm and comfortable. The people were extraordinary hospitable. As in all towns and cities of Siberia, there are older areas where ancient log cabins are heated by wood or coal, and living conditions may be difficult in the winter.

As in Ust Nera, one can sense the Old Line Communists still abound – men and women who are perhaps only now feeling some guilt for the past and see no hope for the future. Perestroika is blamed for many current ills, but there is little concept for why the reforms were necessary.