Miller Round the World Day 3

---

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 but is nice and clean inside. The rooms, although obviously recently redone, are very small.

Some free time before dinner, so we ventured out to explore the local area. Huge contrasts, from crumbling tenements and ranshackle shops to modern buildings. Infrastructure (roads, sidewalks, drainage, etc.) is clearly very bad. In contrast, citizens are smartly dressed, particularly the women.
 
Back at the hotel, we enjoyed a buffet dinner at a restaurant attached to the hotel, the Coliseum with a Roman theme. Highlight was salmon with crab sauce. Also served was bacon-wrapped chicken kabobs. 
Pretty much everyone's inner clock was messed up at this point and we were very tired. Retired about 10 pm local time and slept like logs -- until a drunken party at the hotel woke us up about midnight. They even set off firecrackers in the parking lot! And the revelers returned about 3 am as well. In spite of these rude awakenings, we slept well. 

---