2005 Alaska and Siberia

Reaching the Kamchatka Peninsula to begin the Siberian discovery trip entails an uncomfortable and exciting ride on the charter flight from Anchorage to Petropavlovsk, the capital of Kamchatka, aboard a Russian Tupulov aircraft operated by Magadan Airlines. If you want to fly to this part of Russia, Magadan is your only choice. It's a four-hour flight in very uncomfortable circumstances. The plane was incredibly loud, much more so than any other flight we have ever taken. The seats were not padded just wooden benches with a little fake leather fitted over them. The seatbelts were primitive and the plane had no amenities at all save for the smiling stewardesses who offered Russian food, juices and water. It seemed like an old flying troop ship! However, we did arrive safely at the desired destination so not too much grumbling emanated from us passengers.

We then joined our expedition ship for our cruise up the Siberian coast and then back to Alaska. We met friendly people along the way and saw large tracts of coastline where only the wildlife inhabited. Read on - it was a unique experience - possibly not to be repeated in times of political stress.