Where the Heck Am I?

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I'm in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, a city whose population is directly inverse to the number of letters in its name. This city is isolated, and it took me just about all day to railroad here. There's one small airstrip, which Korean Airlines miraculously flies out of. I'm here, eating dirt, and staying at a hotel which may better be described as "a collection of boxes with beds". Why I went here I don't know, but I guess it's time for a HISTORY LESSON!

Formerly ruled by Japan, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk was a poor and remote town until oil was descovered there, at which point the United States liberated the heck out of it. Er, I mean ExxonMobil and Shell moved in and built hotels with names like "Strawberry Hills".

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Photos

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk