The Dong Chun itself is like a piece of the far eastern land. The ship and the crew is very Chinese. It operates between Zarubino, Russia and Sokco, South Korea. For me, it was a way of skipping North Korea as there is no way of riding a motorcycle as a foreigner in this weird country. The lights of the seaside towns was all I could see of it.
The voyage takes about 16 hours excluding the amazingly long waiting time as they load and unload cargo. It took about 7 hours to leave the port of Zarubino.
It’s not cheap. Customs fees on both ends, freight, passenger ticket, insurance, document preparation, import tax and even something called stamp fee, totals up to nearly 700 dollars. That is with the economy class, where you sleep on the floor…
I met three young Russian guys who seemed to think that vodka was the best cure for long hours of waiting. We got drunk even before the ship had left the port.
4 Comments
1 Dave wrote:
Ship’s are not known for a speedy start, or stop. At least from the pictures this one is clean.
Quite the adventure, I’m happy you have the resources to make it happen. Enjoy, but be cautious so you can enjoy.
Dave
2 Kris Brophy wrote:
Congratulations! Rock on, dude.
3 KYURI wrote:
Hello,
I am trying to find the full description about this ferry but I cannot. I would like to take my dog with me but I am not able to find the information that may say if pets are allow on board.
had you seen some dogs traveling on the boat while you were traveling?
thanks for the boat description.
4 Erdem Yucel wrote:
Kyuri,
I’m sure I haven’t seen any dogs on this ferry. The passenger compartments in the standard and economy class are not designed to accommodate any animals. Basically, you sleep with other people who are probably not accustomed to have pets around them. But don’t be discouraged by this. Maybe there were first class sections with private cabins I had not seen. And maybe they don’t care if you take your dog inside… You should find the contact number of the office in Vladivostok and ask them. They’ll tell you for sure. I wouldn’t be surprised if they make you follow standard customs procedure with animals since this is an international ferry between Russia and South Korea. Your dog may need some vaccinations, paperwork and even travel in some other section of the ferry with luggage etc… I’m sure this was something done before. Good luck.