Blogs from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Far East, Russia, Europe

Advertisement

Europe » Russia » Far East » Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky October 5th 2010

October 1 to 5, 2010 --- Kamchatka Russia When we arrived at the business terminal in Toronto it was like old home week greeting former fellow travelers from previous “Around the World Tours” and meeting new people who we will travel with for the next month and come to know. In Vancouver again we greet people we also haven’t seen for some time and meet new voyagers. The next day is our longest in the air; Vancouver to Anchorage Alaska for refueling then on to Kamchatka. We have passed the international date-line losing a day which we will gradually regain as we continue flying west. It is immediately obvious that this area is not use to the arrival of many tourists since it took well over an hour for the sixty of us to clear customs. ... read more
Typical Kamchatka apartment
Moose antllers turned into art
DSC05291

Europe » Russia » Far East » Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky October 4th 2010

Woke up much refreshed. Breakfast in the hotel's tiny cafe, completely unprepared to feed 60 people more or less at once. People basically had to fend for themselves. Knowing Russian is a definite asset, as the staff knows no English beyond "thank you" and "welcome". Back on the bus and off we went for our city tour, with Ziggy describing the main features of the city. First stop was the city museum. Although old-fashioned by Western standards, it was loving done, focusing on the region's rich natural beauty and flora and fauna, as well as its almost-extinguished aboriginal peoples. Next stop was a bank where our team leaders exchanged money for us en masse. We then visited an official souvenir shop, whose wares ranged from tacky to exquisite. Violet purchased two matreshkas (Russian nested dolls) and ... read more

Europe » Russia » Far East » Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky October 2nd 2010

Got up at 6:30, packed and went down to a buffet breakfast. Shuttle back to the airport and off we went. Three hours to Anchorage Alaska for refueling before heading out across the Bering Sea for another 3 hour flight to Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka. On the way, we crossed the international date line and so suddenly it is Sunday.    Scenery as we were landing in Kamchatka was incredible. Rugged snow-capped mountains poking out of the clouds. Very long wait to get through Russian customs. The inefficiency of the Soviet era is alive and well. Shuttle bus to hotel, about a half-hour drive into Petropalovsk. On the way we get acquainted with our guide, Igor aka Ziggy, an extremely nice young man  He studied English here and in Alaska  Our hotel, the Avacha, looks rather shabby from outside ... read more




Tot: 0.049s; Tpl: 0.003s; cc: 9; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0201s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1mb