The Town of Okhostk

A visit to Okhostk township seemed like a relaxing idea and I was looking forward to it. Firstly though we had to ride the bar into the river harbour and it proved more challenging than expected. Going the long way round the breakers was the best option and I was vastly relieved that kayaking to town had been given the thumbs down! Scarey, to say the least.
The town itself was rather unprepossessing, grey, shabby and rather dingy, not helped by the fact that we zodiacked in past many broken down and rusting hulls of yesterday's ships. Greeted by young dancers on the dock brought the whole environment to life though and was a wonderful introduction to town life. We visited a museum, finding many fascinating relics from the earliest days of Eastern Siberian life, information about Vitus Bering's activities and a significant absence of any mention of Stellar.
Moving onto the town square with its inevitable statue of Lenin, we then went to the school and community area where we were treated to a feast of dancing and singing, the enthusiasm and quality of which would be hard to equal anywhere in the world. It was really hard to equate the colour and music with the drabness of the somewhat depressing surrounding. We were treated to blinis and soft drink before the dancing and then wonderful dark bread and fish soup afterwards. What an experience!
The first zodiac back to the ship rammed the gangway, damaging its pontoon plus stoving in the railings on the gangway; serious indeed. It's all the process of being repaired as I write.
This afternoon's talk on the Sadness of the Gulags has been postponed.