Leaving on a Yak 40

Today we left Petropavlovsk for Almaty. Who knows when we will be able to return.

We met Marina at the hotel restaurant for lunch at noon. Mama tried Borscht for the first time. She is happy to report that it is "f'kusna". Tasty!! I didn't even really taste the beets. Mostly the tomatoes, onions, peppers and the creaminess from the sour cream.

1:30 p.m. and we loaded up our luggage for the ride to the airport. We left with less luggage, one duffle bag rolled up and put inside the other one. At the airport, Tom gave Sergei, our driver a UGA cap. He's already given him an Atlanta Braves cap a few days earlier.

We had a smooth flight to Kokshetau and landed safely. Katya did great, she didn't seem the least bit scared. She enjoyed seeing how small everything was. We were able to sit in the front row, which gave us much more legroom.

In Kokshetau, Rhonda Hicks and her son Ian joined us on the plane. We were so glad to be there to help her out. Ian is such a cutey.

After we got to our apartment, we went to the Ramstore for supplies. After shopping, we went to the food court and got a pizza to go. We chowed down we got back to the apartment.

Bedtime came way too late, after 10:30 p.m., and we were all worn out.