The Goliath Expedition

We are getting there! The last few days have been very busy trying to tie down all these floating elements, get everything to where it needs to be at the right time and making sure I have the right cash in hand. We got lucky with the flights, the flight to Pevek was delayed due to bad weather in Pevek. This has afforded me the time I need to get everything squared away this end and it’s been a bit of a Chinese puzzle, largely due to the language barrier, but I’m getting better at it.

At the moment all my equipment and supplies of food and fuel are waiting in storage for the flight to Pevek, paper work done, including that needed for the fuel, which is always a headache. Remember the plan now is just to push for Cherskiy as we cannot get the supplies from here into the next Region unless everything is rerouted via Moscow and requires agents in Moscow to reroute. There are two flights to Pevek, one passenger, that I will fly on, and one cargo with my equipment. Which one flies first we don’t know, nor when they fly. Right now we hope the flight will leave tomorrow Saturday 26th weather dependent .

We got plum lucky with the sled been flown into Anadyr. A problem with the paper work meant I had to pay over $400 on to receive the sled. After working with customs agents on Russian paper work for 1hr 30min the stone faces customs boss turns up quickly looks over the paperwork turns to me and tells me just to go and wishes me good luck, to the disbelief of the other customs agents who looked at each other confused. We dodged that bullet, looks like we have friends. Also spent last night in the hotel kitchen with the FSB officer who interviewed me and Dimitri in Laverentia after the crossing and two of his friends doing the vodka thing a very different setting from when we last spoke very interesting night.

So far the cost to get to this point from Alaska $2,300 (not including supplies and equipment)

Getting along very nicely with every one this time around. No word on Dimitri yet. Weather about as predictable as a woman, clear skies and sun today, windy, bitter cold, yesterday snow storm white out.

Karl