Kamchatka Day 1

Hi Everyone

It seems like I have not spoken to anyone for a long time, but its only been around two months ago since we last touched base. It’s time to wake up and follow me.

Where am I going now? Would you believe Kamchatka. Most of you have never heard of Kamchatka and for good reasons. Kamchatka is not a desired destination. First where is it? Kamchatka is located on the east coast of Russia north of Japan. Kamchatka is also in the last time zone of Russia or sixteen hours ahead of the eastern time zone in the US. There are no resorts nor any reason for most people to go. You have to rough it in the wilderness. Tent camps and bathrooms wherever are the norm and forget about showers. So why go? Most of us would stop right here and not continue. Kamchatka has twenty percent of the grizzly bear population in the world. It is sockeye salmon season there now. Meaning that the sockeye salmon swim up the rivers to hatch their eggs and then die. The grizzles have a feast and eat for the coming winter when they got into hibernation. Kamchatka is also the home of numerous active and almost active volcanoes. Some of them are spewing lava and there is an app that tracks their lava activity. Kamchatka is also the home to the biggest ice cave in the world. There are also amazing landscapes, huge mountain ranges and glacial lakes. I personally do not know what I will experience and find here but I do know that that this area has always given me room for thought and heightened my imagination.

I start this journey Saturday August 3. Am leaving JFK on Aeroflot for Moscow. The flight leaves at 7:10 PM and arrives in Moscow at 11:20 AM Sunday August 4. We then go through customs and immigration. By the way, getting a Russian visa was an experience just like getting a Chinese Visa. The application was about ten pages long and you needed a letter of invitation from a Russian citizen. I got the visa in March since I wanted to have lots of time to sort out any problems if any. We then have a five hour layover. At 4:45 our next flight leaves for Petropavlovsk Kamchatka. We arrive in Petropavlovsk Monday August 5 at 10 AM. According to my itinerary total flight time is twenty hours at 30 minutes and then add on a sixteen hour time difference. Wish me luck. I am flying premium economy. Hopefully this will help.

The next time I will speak to everyone will be from Petropavlovsk on Monday August 5. I am sure that internet service will not exist once we leave Petropavlovsk so I will still write my daily blogs but publish them when I return. Return is Monday August 19.

Wish me luck on this journey and adventure.

By the way, my Instagram account is going great. Please follow me at larryblau1949.

Love

Larry

9 thoughts on “Kamchatka Day 1”

  1. Read up on what to do if you confront a grizzly. Have a great time, my friend!

  2. I remember when Russia shot down an airliner that strayed too close to Kamchatka … nice to know you are flying there on purpose, complete with “permissions”. Can’t wait to see it through “Larry’s Eyes”!! Marvin

  3. wow, this sounds like a very exciting trip, glad we get to read about it thru your eyes because those flights would just about ruin us! be safe, can’t wait for your blogs. Be safe, Nancy & Tim

  4. Hi Larry
    I wish the old woman in me was as strong as you old man
    Safe journey
    Mary Jane

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