Back to Petropavlovsk...

today in order to exchange passengers for the second leg of our expedition cruise along the northern Ring of Fire. Passengers that will continue on the voyage explored the local fish market where smoked salmon was being sold:

Later in the afternoon we traveled north from town, deep into a birch forest, where we were entertained by Alexi, a self-proclaimed herbalist. He shared his knowledge of local native plants and regaled us with song as he smoked fresh salmon to share with us:

I've forgotten how many shots of vodka we tossed back with this cheerful fellow, but our visit ended entirely too soon as we made our way back through the city at the foot of several imposing volcanoes: