A Photo of the Khatanga City Marker Founding the Northern Siberian City in 1626.

Here we stand in front of the official Khatanga founding marker.  Founded in 1626, the Siberian City of Khatanga has a long history of Arctic explorers.

Anan, me, and I can't remember who the other man was that went for a walk around the Northern Siberian City of Khatanga the first day that we have arrived.  We walked everywhere and took a lot of pictures.  Everything was very strange.  We didn't speak the language, we didn't know the laws, and we just didn't know anything about the city.  As we walked and I was changing the film in my camera, the zipper on my coat got stuck and I couldn't fix it.  I walked into a store and there was a very beautiful Russian woman who fixed the zipper in only a few seconds.   This lady was my friend the whole time that I was in Khatanga, both before we went to the north pole and after we returned.  I don't know the ladies name but she and her husband both, were real nice to me.   One day I went there to get a bottle of wine and her husband asked me where I was from.  I said Chicago.  He replied, "Chicago, El Capone, Bang, Bang, Bang."  Yes, even in Northern Siberia, they know who El Capone was.    I turns out that everyone that I met in Khatanga was very nice to me and treated me like I was very welcome.  I really appreciated this.