I arrived at Yakutsk airport at 8:30 this morning with some very heavy luggage, but in good spirits as my return trip had gone off without a hitch. All my concerns about how I would get all those parts and tools through Russian customs were for nothing as I just walked through the nothing to declare gate without any problems. It so happens that May 9th is celebrated in Russia as Victory Day and there is a big parade (a bit like Australian ANZAC Day) with wreath laying, and speeches by prominent people. We spent a couple of hours with Alexander, Maria and a very large crowd watching the proceedings. Nina got a lot of good photos.

After lunch (and for me a few hours sleep) we joined Alexander and Maria for an afternoon of sightseeing. First was Chochur Muran The Ethnographic Complex, its Russian name is Чочур Муран. This was a complex of log buildings with displays of various historical artifacts as well as a selection of live animals including ducks and sled dogs. The place is also a restaurant where Alexander introduced us to some traditional Sahhan delicacies; including a nice salad of finely chopped vegetables and reindeer meet, a dish of raw frozen white fish, and frozen fillets of colt meat. The fish and the salad were great but I am still acquiring the taste for horse.

Just nearby was a place called the Permafrost Kingdom which is a tunnel into a hillside where, because of the permafrost, the inside temperature is well below freezing and as a result the tunnel is used to house a large number of fanciful ice sculptures.