We should have arrived in Cherskiy by now, but due to some back ups and delays at the Yakutsk airport we were unable to complete the last leg of our journey as scheduled.  The trip had been going too smoothly anyway, according to Max, so this helped balance things out nicely.  We spent most of yesterday in the Yakutsk airport, moving (and sleeping on) the pile (Operation: Massive Blockage), but did get to see a ceremony where a shaman blessed the new airport terminal and had a lot of opportunities to continue talking with the PIs and each other about projects.  We also added two more members, Valentin and Varvara, to our group.  After learning that we would be staying in Yakutsk for the next two nights (there are no flights to Cherskiy on Saturday), we were taken to a very nice hotel near Lenin Square (we are actually split between two hotels because the group was too large to fit in one).  After some dinner it was great to get some real sleep, having slept very little since waking up in Moscow 30+ hours earlier.

The group is still in good spirits though, and today we are planning to do a bit of sight-seeing (probably around Lenin Square and the Lena River), as well as continue to discuss project ideas. All the down-time in the airport yesterday was a great opportunity to talk science, so I’m sure it will continue today.  We’ll be making the most of our time here, and with any luck we’ll be in Cherskiy sometime tomorrow.  Kate is taking very good care of us, as always.