2005-04-03 - Goodbye Kolymskaya
3 Apr, 05 - 20:04
GPS-pos: N68°44´ | E159°14´ | Alt: 1 M
3rd of April today, Sunday and the temperature was -32°F this morning. It is -10°F right now, 7 p.m. We´ve pitched our tent at N 68°44´18.2 and E 159°14´28.4, right next to the winter road heading east to Cherskii. We´ve put 24 relatively easy km;s behind us today.
When we passed the museum this morning, embarking on our last stretch to Ambarchik Bay, all our friends where there, waiting for us. Even our great pal, the puppy Gote, was there. He had, just as we had, put on a lot of extra weight the last two weeks. A table full of local delicacies had been made to honor us. We stuffed ourselves. Again. When finished, our friends walked us down to winterroad, where we said goodbye. Our pulkas filled with an extra 2 kg;s of sun dried fish, cookies, dried reindeer meat, blood sausage and a giant of a dessert, a 2 kg blueberry cake! And a liter of vodka. Not for drinking purposes, but to use as a offering to the Gods, when the going gets tough.
´´We´re collecting money´´, Rima, the head of Kolymskaya hollered after us, ´´so we can rent the vehicle in the village and go to the airport in Cherski and say goodbye to you when you leave to go home.´´
Lot´s of locals came to our flat yesterday, to say goodbye and wish us the best of luck. Amazing people!
Right now, where back in the tent, hassling with the stove again, who´s running poorly on Russian fuel. We expect a cold night again, below -40°F. But having had the privilege to come across genuine people like these along the Kolyma, who cares? |
