A Trip To Iqaluit In Nunavut, A Canadian Arctic CityWritten by Clint Leung
In 2004, I completed two Inuit art buying trips to Iqaluit (formerly Frobisher Bay), capital of Nunavut, Canada's newest territory. For both trips, I flew out of Ottawa on Canadian North airlines. The other airline that services Nunavut is First Air. Only last half of jets was allocated for passengers as entire first half was for cargo. Being so remote, Canadian Arctic Inuit communities pretty well have to have everything shipped up there by plane or by boat during summers since there are no roads connecting to rest of Canada or even between each Nunavut community. The Arctic landscape from air was desolate, hilly and barren. As plane got closer to Iqaluit, airport's small terminal building stood out with its bright yellow color. The airport itself is within walking distance to rest of town. There are taxis that charge a flat rate of $5 per trip anywhere in Iqaluit. Interestingly enough, these taxis also pick up and drop off other passengers along way so shared rides with others are common here. There are several hotels in Iqaluit and rooms are generally clean, comfortable but quite basic. Accommodations and dining up north in Nunavut are both expensive. All food items with exception of local Inuit fare must be flown up from Canadian south. A carton of milk will cost about $10 in Iqaluit. Most Inuit locals cannot afford to buy overpriced fruits, vegetables and meat from south. Many local families still rely on Inuit hunters who bring caribou, seal and whale to table.There is only one high rise building in Iqaluit and it is used mainly for local Nunavut government offices. All other buildings are low rise, including hospital. The vast majority of residential housing is similar to cabins that are raised off ground because of harsh Canadian Arctic winters. Many look a bit run down with junk and disposed items piled outside. With fact that there are no lawns or trees possible this far north, neighborhoods are certainly not prettiest sights around. But one Inuit art carver told me that his government subsidized rent is only $36 per month. There are some small clusters of nice homes on outskirts of town. Some houses have husky dogs tied up outside and many have snowmobiles. In fact, roads, most of them unpaved, are shared by cars, trucks, snowmobiles, all terrain vehicles and people. During summers, Iqaluit can get quite dusty with all vehicles turning up dirt on roads. As a result, Iqaluit did look a bit nicer during my first trip which was during winter when city was in white snow rather than brown dirt. There is new construction going on since with creation of Nunavut territory, Iqaluit is growing as more Inuit from other Arctic communities are migrating to city.
| | Oh No! Summer Camp's Over... So Now What?Written by Gregory Hudson
Well, there is a name for it and it's called post-summer camp gap year travel! A mouthful to digest, but an easy decision to make! And as an after taste you'll have plenty of time to let it all sink in on your explorations of America. Once your summer camp duties have been fulfilled and you've squeezed every ounce of fun and satisfaction out of your time there, last thing you'll want to do is go home. So, what else is there to do in America? And what are you going to spend that hard-earned summer camp cash on anyway? America is a land of infinite possibilities. Since US has a staggering 12,000 available summer camps scattered throughout country, you'll have to consider which camp launching pad for your adventures is going to be. A good idea is to plan your route before deciding on camp you're going to be working at. Remember, with your J1 visa, you'll have up to ten whole weeks of travel time in United States. Spend that time wisely. Summer camp is a great place to meet people who actually live in America. They know country well so get their advice on interesting places to visit, especially ones that are off usual touristy trails. Since there are 12,000 summer camps to choose from and thousands of possible places to visit, here are a few options to help give you some ideas on your camp choice. Let’s start at Route 66 Route 66 is Great American Road Trip. “In addition to (working at) Camp America, I got to travel from coast to coast” says Bojan from Serbia. Many who leave camp start road trips in Chicago and end them on sunny beaches of Pacific Ocean in Los Angeles, California. Travel through a series of eight American states and landscapes that made West famous. You'll literally find thousands of things to see and do. It is highly recommended that you take your own transport. That way you'll be able to stop in various towns for as long as you like. If you're familiar with motorcycles, this is iconic bikers dream route; there is no other.
|
