But before our schtick, we were to take a tour of the garden that Uragus had planted with the help of kids and community members. Our tour guide was a little girl with a bright pink shirt and a long red stick for pointing at things (or snapping our attention).

The benefits Alexandra pointed out that had resulted from these combined projects were, increased scientific knowledge, community engagement and biological preservation. Brilliant! I want to steal that and make it our new tagline.

We had made our presence felt in Vladivostok, now it was time to take our act on the road.

We’d seen this event on our itinerary prior to the trip and not thought much about it, but now it was being billed as a much bigger deal that several higher-ups would be attending, the U.S. Consulate for Vladivostok among them.

              We woke early, after what felt like the best night’s sleep I’d had in years.  Evenings in Vlad are on the cool side, perfect for sleeping.  After a rather strange breakfast of buttery succotash pasta, a fried chicken leg, and fried egg, we headed over to the botanical garden to have a look around and tag along on a series of tours lined up in honor of “Environmental Education Week”. 

Greetings from Vladivostok, Russia!