Back from the USSR

Precipice is sailing home. We were able to visit two other towns besides Providenya and we did about 25 miles of walking. We had an amazing time in Russia and felt welcomed there. Our check our procedure was just as lengthy as our check out procedure, but they did come down to the boat and we didn't have to go into town going to office to office as some more southern countries (like Mexico) require you to do. The border guards were efficient and friendly. They also provided a"free of charge" 24 hour guard of Precipice. We could leave the boat behind and not worry about somebody messing with it. The biggest bummer of the stay was we were not allowed to have visitors on the boat because technically our boat is an extension of US territory and the visitor would have to have a US visa to enter. People from the town were also not allowed to take pictures of our boat. We weren't allowed to take pictures of our guards either. We did get to visit and have tea in several peoples homes and were warmly welcomed. The day before we left we got to visit the local school and found it clean and well maintained. Of all the buildings in town, the school was in the best condition. The principle gave Deb, a teacher for 15 years, a tour of some classrooms and the children were well behaved and polite, if not even a little shy. We should be back in the USA tomorrow morning. It will be interesting to observe the check in procedures of our own country compared to Russia.