Thermokarst lakes in the surroundings of Yakutsk. (Photo: K. van Huissteden)The flight to Chokurdakh which can only be described as funny and unusual was just as I expected.Half of the aircraft is filled with luggage and various items, the remaining available space filled by passengers.

 

Ko, sits by the window taking pictures, capturing the most interesting features of the region, first the thermokarst lakes gaining ground within the larch forests, then the Lena river, followed by the steep slopes of Verkhoyansk mountains and finally the intricate network of the tundra water bodies and the aeolian erosion and deposition of sandy sediments close to the river banks.

 

 Landed. Passengers disembark from the plane loitering by its tail and waiting for the back door Buy Cialis to be opened. We all remove our own luggage from the back of the plane and drop it on a rudimentary cart, then we move on to the airport where we complete the paperwork with the border police.

 

On the way to the north: (from the right) Ko van Huissteden, Ron Lootens and Roman Petrov waiting to check at the airport in Yakutsk. (Photo: L. Belelli)A police man spots my Italian passport and gives me the nickname Al Capone, I try to put on a half smile before leaving the office to a waiting snow mobile.

 

The air is fresh (-13oC) with moderate winds, we just got the end of a perturbation which brought some additional snow, yet conditions are forecast to improving tomorrow. We move into the village to buy some supplies and then we go to the "hotel", waiting for the next morning.

 

 

Luca