Sue's Travels: July 2011

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Return to Reykjavik, Iceland - 21 July 2011

I woke up despite no wake-up call as requested. After breakfast, we met for the hike to the Hunting Wall. The Hunting Wall story goes back several hundred years when there were Rain deer in Greenland. The hunters would hide behind a rock and show antlers which would encourage the rain deer to come to them and then the hunters would herd the rain deer between two rock walls.

Our guide was concerned about keeping our feet dry which didn’t apply to me since I was wearing my Antarctic boots. Consequently he tried to take us up and around every patch of potentially wet lad of which there were many. The climbing and walking were not exactly easy for me, but I stuck it out not that I had any choice since we were not on any path let alone road. We finally got to the hunting wall and were told the story, which had to date back several hundred years since there have been no rain deer in Greenland for at least three to four hundred years. After we reached the location and were told the story, we were served coffee or tea and cookies.

On the trip back a group split off taking a different route which they felt would be shorter. The guide’s path back was actually shorter since he didn’t assume that everything was wet. We actually got back before twelve when lunch was served and we made it back faster than the group that split off.

After lunch, we headed to the airport where we boarded the Icelandic Airline plane to Reykjavik’s local airport. There was a mix-up about which hotel we were supposed to be in causing us to go from one hotel to another and then back to the original one! I was upset that there were no bell hops to carry my luggage and the tour leader brought it to my room.

Polar cotton - a flower that grows in Greenland

Satelite Dishes for community

The group that walked to the hunting wall

Walking to the Hunting Wall

Walking to the Hunting Wall - no path available

At the Hunting Wall

Supposed burial place of a hunter - Susan, the group leader, climbing up to it

Stopping for coffee, tea and cookies

Kayaks on the water

View from dining room of Kulusuk Hotel

Kulusuk, Greenland - 20 July 2011

The best laid plans of mice and men oft gae astrang. It turns out that there was no way we could take the boat to Kulusuk because there was too much ice in the fjord. We were offered another walk which would have been too strenuous for me. One of the men suggested a boat ride in the harbor which cost about $90. Most of the group elected to take the boat ride. We were taken out to the area where we could see how thick the ice was that prevented us from going to Kulusuk by boat. It was quite cold on the water. I had two pair of slacks on and wore my Antarctic jacket with liner. We returned to the hotel via van for lunch. I was very tired for no explainable reason and told the team leader that I was going into the lounge to nap and please wake me when it was time to leave, which she did.

The helicopter ride to Kulusuk was uneventful and after our luggage was delivered to us, we were taken to the hotel. The hotel is owned by the same family that owns and runs the hotel in Tasiilaq. It is not fancy, but quite functional. I am satisfied.

I rested for a while and then we walked into the town of Kulusuk, which has a population of about 300 people. There is a school, a doctor, a general store, a souvenir shop and a church. The church predates the village. Apparently some sailors were ship wrecked in 1923 and they used the wood of their ship to build the church, which is typical of Greenland. It is blue for the ocean, red for the sun and white for the snow. The pews are moveable so that the church may be used for other purposes as well. I had requested that we be driven back to the hotel, because the walk into town proved a bit tiring for me. Our team leader arranged the ride, which was not originally on the schedule.

Dinner was served buffet style at about 6:00 pm. After dinner an Inuit lady came and did some traditional Inuit Drum Dancing, which is different from any other dancing that I have seen.

Port of Tasiilaq

Harbor trip

Harbor View

Tasiilaq's garbage dump

Ice flow shapes

Helicopter taking off probably for Kulusuk

View in harbor

Me on ship

Me on ship without sun glasses

Close up of me on ship

View in Fjord

Mountain along fjord

Ice flows with mountains in background

Getting off ship

Helicopter to Kulusuk

During walk in town of Kulusuk

Flowers along the way

walking to Kulusuk

Town of Kulusuk

Different view of town of Kulusuk

Port of Kulusuk

Working dog chained in front of house

View of Glacier

Inside local church built in 1923 before the village was established

Outside of church built in 1923

Drum Dancer in traditional attire

Drum Dancer in Action

Drum Dancer in Action

Tasiilaq, Greenland - 19 July 2011

Today was the hike through Flower Valley. I managed to walk down to the place where we met with the people coming via van. We met at the local cemetery. The traditional Inuit method of burial was to throw the body into the sea, because to the Inuit the sea was heaven. The sea provided most of their sustenance. Since converting to Christianity, they are now buried. The problem is that the ground is frozen most of the year. The way they handle that problem here is that they lay the body on the ground and cover it with dirt and rocks when they can’t dig a grave.

The Flower Valley has these very small flowers which if you don’t know to look for them, you won’t see them. I found the walk strenuous because parts of the path were very narrow and one side was steep, which with my fear of heights made me very nervous. I was pleased that I got as far as the waterfall before turning around to go back. I met the trip leader at the cemetery where we were told that they had called for the van to take us back to the hotel. Walking these roads is rough. Driving them is worse. They must be somewhere between thirty and forty five degree slopes!

After lunch, I walked down to the tourist center because I wanted to buy something from Greenland for my dividends. I found a sort of doll for Muffin and a little bear for Avi. We walked back to the hotel taking our good old fashioned time. After arriving, I headed to my room for a nap. I then planned to head to the sitting room to read, but a group was sitting near the bar socializing, so I joined them. I am impressed with the intellectual caliber of the people in the group.

Tomorrow we head for Kulusuk by boat. It should be interesting.

Flowers in Flower Valley - Nature Hike

More Flowers

More flowers in flower valley

View down valley

Flower Valley

Waterfall in Flower Valley

Waterfall further down Flower Valley

Flower Valley Waterfall

Note modern stroller

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Tasiilaq, Greenland - 18 July 2011

Today has been a very busy day. We got up, had breakfast and left the Hotel Borg at 8:30 am to go to the local Reykjavik airport. Our plane left at about 10:30 for Kulusuk, Greenland. Despite the relative closeness of Greenland to Iceland, there is a two hour time difference. I haven’t bothered to reset my watch. After landing in Kulusuk, we had to wait for our helicopter to take us to Tasiilaq because there had been a death which required use of the helicopter and there is only one helicopter in eastern Greenland. Half the group went in one group and the group I was with had to wait about an hour for our ride to Tasiilaq. We finally arrived and a minivan came for us and our luggage. The dining room was supposed to be closed, but they kept it open for us. The luncheon meal was a very nice fish platter which included shrimp and lobster which I gave to one of the other people. There was herring and some other fish which I didn’t recognize, but I liked.

After lunch I bought internet time. They charged about $15 for an hour. In checking my e-mail, I used about 28 minutes. Perhaps I should have bought more. At 3:00 pm local time, we headed down hill. The first stop was at the location where they make the figurines. They use bone or antler, because if they the tusks of animals, they could not be brought into the United States. I fell in love with a wooden carving of a man in a boat and bought it for $60, which may or may not be excessive. Our next stop was at the local museum. Considering that the population of the town is about 1,900 people, the museum is quite well done. In addition to the displays in the museum, there was a seal skin boat and a turf house.

We then went on a walk around the town. As we walked, we passed some Inuit men who had caught a seal and were in the process of butchering it. Nowadays, they do not do anything with skin, because they cannot sell it for enough to make the work involved worthwhile. What the people don’t eat, they feed to their sled dogs. Effectively nothing goes to waste.

We continued walking and saw the local hospital, which appeared to be rather large for the size of the town. The police station is also large for the size of the town. Apparently there is a problem with drinking, which leads to other social problems as well including child abuse.

Walking back to the hotel was exhausting. I felt like I was walking up the side of a mountain. I really enjoyed the colorful houses. They really brighten up the landscape.