We were up and at breakfast earlier this morning, not only attracted by the bright sunshine but also in anticipation of starting the process of getting the truck. At 9:00 we met with Svetlana and an insurance agent. Over the weekend Svetlana had prepared all the documents we would need for releasing the truck and the insurance agent was going to provide the last piece of the puzzle - 3 months insurance for 3000 rubbles (a bit under $100).

Then it was off to the port where we called on FESCO to get a final copy of the "released" Bill of Lading ( this signifies that the shipping company FESCO are happy that they have been fully paid) and then to customs to lodge all those documents Svetlana had prepared. We sat in the waiting area while Svetlana hopped around from one official to another but within 40 minutes that process was complete. Next steps; her boss Yuri had to do something related to our truck that she was not authorized to do and Yuri and I would need to present ourselves at FESCO late in the afternoon for me to sign some more papers. Until then we were free.

So it was tourist time and the day was encouraging, bright warm sun with a slightly chilly wind. A walk along the main drag (Svetlanskya), a visit to a submarine museum (S-56) and lunch at a cafe/pizzeria - nice pizzas. This was followed by a ride on the Funicular to the high point of the city where some buildings associated with the Far Eastern University are located (and a lot of students indicating that not all classes have been moved to Russkii Island) and from where we had a wonderful view of the city.

We got back to the hotel just in time for a phone call from Yuri - it was time for the next visit to FESCO. We really did not understand what happened at FESCOs office except that there seemed to be some change in procedure and one of the office staff had to take some of the documents to the port storage yard where our vehicle is parked. He undertook to call Yuri when that was done. Indeed we heard from Yuri a couple of hours later that the papers had been delivered and that he (Yuri) would collect us at 10:00am tomorrow to go get the truck.

Around 8:30pm Vladimir dropped by on his way home from work to make some suggestions of people and places we could visit. He had tentatively arranged with some of his friends along our route to meet with us and show us some of the local sights. As you can imagine we are delighted by this opportunity and responded very enthusiastically; though we both felt a little embarrassed as we have no way of repaying his hospitality.