On February 7, the sailing vessel of the circumnavigation expedition of the Tomsk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society left the Thai island of Phuket and headed for the coast of India. In two weeks, Evgeny Kovalevsky and Stanislav Berezkin, together with a new temporary crew member, Filip Alekseev, expect to reach the harbor of Cochin.
Residents of Phuket, as well as Russian tourists, came to see off the participants of the expedition. About 30 people gathered at the pier in Chalong Bay Marina. All of them were accepted as shore crew members, and they tied traditional bandanna team scarves around their necks.
65c390c733876721f7e0aec72eb6e9591.jpg
The stay of the representatives of the Russian Geographical Society on the island will leave a mark in the memory and hearts of Thai people and Russians. The crew of the circumnavigation held several exciting events here as part of people's diplomacy, which became an important part of the project.
Evgeny Kovalevsky, Stanislav Berezkin, and Yulia Kalyuzhnaya, the head of the expedition's coastal headquarters, told about the goals of the project, about the history of Russian geographical discoveries, about our beautiful country, and how the crew was received in different parts of the globe, to students of the local university, students of the Russian school, and ordinary Thai people, friendly and affable by nature.
65c3911b32bdfc4a5ea85b74e67acb8af.jpg
On February 3, a meeting was held at the Russian consulate, which was attended by the crew of the round-the-world expedition "Following the paths of Russian explorers", Russian Ambassador to Thailand Evgeny Tomikhin and Vice Governor of Phuket Sattha Thongkham. The travelers told about their unique experience, presented memorable gifts with the project logo to all participants of the event. The vice-governor of the island expressed his desire to see the crew off.
“I would like to thank you for visiting the island of Phuket during the expedition. Russian language and culture are given special attention in Phuket province. We are glad to welcome tourists from all over the world here," said Sattha Thongkham, addressing the participants of the expedition.
65c3908f76f863329a5cb60fdebc39f26.jpg
On July 1, 2021, Siberian travelers Evgeny Kovalevsky and Stanislav Berezkin set off along the route of the first Russian round-the-world expeditions of the 19th century: Ivan Kruzenshtern’s (1803-1806), Yuri Lisyansky’s (1803-1806), Otto Kotzebue’s (1815-1818, 1823-1826), Vasily Golovnin’s (1817-1819), Fedor Litke’s (1826-1829), Faddey Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev’s (1819-1921). The international project of the Tomsk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society "Following the paths of Russian explorers" is dedicated to the 250th birthday anniversary of Krusenstern and the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica by Russian sailors. These events for a long time determined Russia's leadership in the development of the oceans and the discovery of new lands. You can learn more about the project and provide all possible assistance in its implementation on the website of the expedition.