We docked at 7 am, but had been told the Russian immigration is very thorough and talks hours, so we should not expect to be allowed out until the afternoon. As a result, we had a slow start to the day with breakfast in the Metropolitan restaurant then got ready, just in case we were called early. Alison had just left the room to get a Sudoku at 9:50 when our number was called.
We went down to deck 4 to collect our passports and found there was no queue and it was quiet at the gangway. Once ashore we had another passport check but there were only a half dozen people in line. Alison was going to take a photo of the ship but was told that no photos were allowed. We were out by 10:10 am and stopped at the information desk where the girl spoke good English. On the way out of the terminal building, there was a group of natives singing and dancing.
Our first impression of Petropavlovsk was that there were a lot of derelict abandoned buildings. We saw what appeared to be wild dogs roaming the area. We walked into the centre of town and there were few shops and the ones we found were closed. Detouring to walk up a hill to a lookout, we found a new walkway that was still under construction and seemed out of place compared to everything we had seen so far. There were also a lot of families out walking up the path. At the top, we found an observation area that was closed off due to construction. There were workmen who seemed to be assessing the project and not actually doing any work. A little further on there was another observation deck where we could see out. Alison decided to hand out the Canada pins we brought with us to a young family. There was also a monument commemorating battles. After descending the hill, we continued along the road.
We soon came to a small open area with more monuments, then to a much larger open area with a statue of Lenin. There were more families on the beach and we watched a paraglider land almost on top of us on the beach. We decided to walk to a church that we could see on the next hill and it was quite a walk and slog up the hill. The area around the church looked like a junkyard and the church seemed out-of-place. Nevertheless, it was surrounded by scaffolding and being renovated. Around the side, we found a door and went in. Inside it seemed like a normal orthodox church, which was, in contrast, the outside where it appeared totally gutted. There was a lady cleaning the floor who tried to explain that it was Easter in Russian and Alison could follow some of what was being said. There was also a small church shop we looked out. Back outside, we found two rather large modern guns positioned to defend the town.
Walking back into town we passed a group of children playing soccer, then walked along another road parallel to the one we came in on. There were a couple of shops open and inside a general store, all of the products were on shelves behind glass. We dropped down to the first road and went into a church we had passed on the way in. The church was derelict, but there was a small log building in front that now housed the church. Outside we met a tour group and found Dennis and Nately. We listened to the guide explaining how the government had destroyed or abandoned the churches and they were now being rebuilt.
Making our way back to the ship, we found a tourist shop open which had been closed earlier. Alison spent a long time inside and emerged with a few fridge magnets which together had cost only $2. By this time there was a steady stream of people coming along the road away from the ship. We mad our way back to the ship and joined a long line to check passport before boarding. We also needed to hand in the passports for the exit check process. Back on board, we had lunch, after which I went for a nap in the room.
In the evening, we went for drinks in the Rendezvous lounge on deck 4. Our usual Cosmos lounge was being used by the Russian immigration officials. Over dinner, the California couple, Bill and Katherine, on the next table was missing and we talked to the other couple from BC. The show in the evening was a magician. His performance was okay but reminding me of a street performer.
Chris's Wanderings 