Timber Tales     Week 09

I speak Russian! Well, I have no problems speaking with the dogs around here anyway. And there are dogs everywhere here. One in particular really likes to come by. I think he may have an eye for Xena.

Oh, so we are obviously in Chukotka. Its an amazing place already. Lots of snow, nice and cold, great conversations and really nice people stop by to meet us. They sort of treat us like we are famous around here!     

This time when the plane landed those nice border guards said hi again and looked at a few more of our ears. It wasn't long then we were loaded into the backend of an enormous truck by lots of Russian speaking people. Then we waited. For a long time. The plane took off. Paul was busy with those nice border guys. Seems like they had a lot to talk about. When we heard the plane landed again Nazca figured this meant Mille was in Chukotke too. I think she was right ok, but it sure did take a really long time before anyone came out to the truck we were in, but finally I did hear both Paul and Mille's voices.

It is really different here than anywhere else I have been - the snow looks almost the same, but the houses are mostly very tall and either grey and it looks there are no one in them, or they are very bright colors. Like pink and yellow.  There are these enormous trucks like the one we drove in, but also lots of little vans, and people are dressed up with big hats, and furry coats. Yesterday I was a little embarrassed when Beacon tried to play with one of the fur coats. He knows better than that. I think the women are really pretty and they talk so nice to me too.

We have so many visitors, at first I was greeting everyone of them, but I started loosing track. And I am also thinking I need to keep an eye out over the bay. There is a huge bay right where we are staked out. I see some water and I even saw a sea gull today. When there are sea gulls that means open water - which means I have to stay alert on my polar bear watch.

This team of Chukchi dogs came by with their driver on a small little sled. They had long coats like us! They did not look like those small racing dogs at all. Anyway, I guess a big race with thirty some Chukchi dog sled teams just came through here the day before we came to town.       

The story is that going the way we are heading about a day or two of travel, one of the sled dog teams got on the tracks of a polar bear and were trying to catch it. Not to smart if you ask me. I mean, polar bears are nothing to joke around with. And I should know - I stood nose to nose with one and have scared off a few in my days. Anyway, the snow looks fast and I hear the young guys, like Lightning, Domino, Buttra, Trigger, and Kodiak talk up a howl about how fast we are going to go. That may all be, but I know my job on this expedition - I am on guard for those polar bears, always one ear up and one eye open. That's what Mille keeps telling me too...