In the airport in Yakutsk, Russia today, our Polaris Project Expedition leader, Dr. Max Holmes, gathered everyone around him and started his announcement pointing out that few scientists do research in the Siberian Arctic because it is difficult to even get to the Siberian Arctic.
Earlier in the morning, we had arrived at Yakutsk after a five-hour flight from Moscow that had left Moscow at about 8 pm on Thursday. Since our longitude today changed from 37.62° E to 129.75° E, we had passed through six time zones during our flight (Each time zone is approximately 15° of longitude, which when you are at high latitudes is much easier to pass through. Look at a globe to get a better feel for this!). This means that instead of arriving at Yakutsk at 1:00 a.m., we lost those six hours and arrived at 7:00 a.m.!
There goes another night of sleep!
Needless to say, this meant that we essentially lost our Thursday night’s sleep! Those of us who had flown from the western half of the U.S. had already lost our Monday night to our first red-eye flight to New York. A bit tired and expecting to leave Yakutsk at noon on our last leg to Cherskiy, we sat down at the airport to wait a few hours. However, our flight was then delayed to 4:00 p.m.
So what do you do when you have 8 hours to wait in a small airport?
At first, we were all a bit bummed by the delay. However, it was a beautiful day so we headed outside. As it turned out, the Yakutsk Airport was holding the opening celebration for their new terminal adjacent to the older terminal we were in, so we went to see what it was all about.
The new airport terminal in Yakutsk, decorated for its grand opening.
The Blending of Cultures in Asian Russia
The ceremony turned out to be a blessing for the new terminal – literally. The inside of the terminal building was first blessed by priests of the Russian Orthodox Church – a testament to the European influence in Russia.
One of the Russian Orthodox priests at the opening ceremony.
Then, in a outdoor ceremony more indicative of the local Asian ethnicity in the region, the terminal was blessed in a traditional ceremony performed in song by a local Shaman, accompanied by beautifully adorned young ladies from the area. This was followed by speeches and fanfare. It was exciting to witness such an appreciation of diversity at a public event.
A Shaman uses traditional dance and song to bless the outside of the new Yakutsk airport terminal.
Stuck In Yakutsk – For a Couple of Days
After the celebration, we headed back into the old terminal to check in for our coming departure. Much to our chagrin, after waiting 8 hours in the Yakutsk airport, our flight to Cherskiy was canceled as the airlines was short just one important item – a pilot. Tonight, they are putting us up in a hotel on the other side of town, which gave us a chance to see more of Yakutsk than we thought we would have the chance to see. It appears that the next flight we can get will be on Sunday morning.
Tomorrow, we will see what happens! Ever the flexible and upbeat leader, Max has come up with several ideas for our day in Yakutsk tomorrow. First, I think it’s time for a good night’s sleep!