Iqaluit, Day 5: Gone Fishing

The weather has been really pleasant since my arrival, so yesterday I was invited to join Louise and William on a fishing trip out on the land. It was awesome! I learned how to drive a snow mobile and they put me into a traditional inuit caribou jacket, pants and mitts. Seriously, if you have a problem with people wearing real fur - don't even go near the Arctic. But once you're clad in fur, you will understand why this is so popular in cold weather conditions. You're in this cosy, warm and windproof bubble, surrounded by icy winds and snow and burning sun.

We followed the river towards north for about an hour, best part of it was: We drove ON the river. Frozen solid! We passed some of the most beautiful winter sceneries I've ever experienced. Everything here looks like meringue sprinkled with dark chocolate flakes :)  

It's like walking in a big scoop of stracciatella ice cream!

Louise, Blandina and William

An Inuksuk ("Like a person")  is a stone landmark
you can find occasionally on your way through the land.  

Once we arrived at the desired fishing spot, the snow was shovelled off the frozen surface of the river and with the help of a motor drill a hole was cut into the ice, which was almost one meter thick! My initial worries of breaking through the ice were swept away immediately.

We drank the fresh water directly
from the river - ice cubes included! 

Ready for jigging!

Fresh catch of the day

I did some target shooting with William.
He's a hunter since he was a child.

Not too bad at all, eh? No vienna sausage is safe from me ;)

After a thoroughly inspiring day out in the fresh air and clear skies, we packed our stuff and travelled back to Iqaluit before sunset. Believe me, I had a super sleep afterwards!!

Iqaluit, Day 4: Working

The last two days were mainly spent on focussing on work, so I just share a few pics today.

A giant narwhale skull

Fancy seal skin ladies boots.
Price starts at around 450,- $

Craft shop in Iqaluit

There's so much sunshine!

A view of Iqaluit. You can see the igloo church,
the yellow airport in the back and the whale blubber school.

The frozen sea

Iqaluit, Day 2: The cost of arctic living

Today I was confronted with the, pardon my french, insane prices of everyday life in the Arctic. I knew beforehand that nothing up here will be cheap due to high import costs. But coming from Ireland, which I already consider being a bit on the pricey side, it was a little bit shocking to learn what people actually pay here on a regular basis. Good thing is, when I return to Ireland I will be so used to arctic prices that the shopping bill won't hurt anymore ;P

So, today we went shopping for groceries. See for yourself...

Fresh food junkies have a hard life!

... chocolate junkies, too

Seriously... wtf?!

I totally bought one. Had no other option!

No insult inteded, but this is DEATH in a can!!

A little bit of home for a reasonable price.

:D

My shopping cart in total...

... and what I ended up paying.
Honestly, I was expecting more!

Iqaluit, Day 1: Arrival

At around 12 noon I landed in Iqaluit at the border of the Arctic Circle. The most remote capital in the world. The only city without traffic lights and only accessible by aircraft or boat. Allegedly an emergency landing site for the Space Shuttle, persistant rumours say.

And what am I doing here, you might ask. Well, that's a long story and it started some day in 2006 when I received an e-mail from a small publisher called Inhabit Media in Nunavut, asking if I would be available and interested in doing some illustration work for their Inuit Mythology Project. Since then I have been regularly producing art for them and recently they decided to bring me up to the Arctic for a month to work closely on projects and do research. Besides being totally over the moon about it, I cannot express how grateful I am for this once in a lifetime opportunity! So I decided to write about every day I am spending in Iqaluit. To value and treasure everything I learn here.

Right, the weather was marvellous today. Sun all over the place and mild -5 Celsius. It doesn't feel cold at all and the air is fresh and crisp and smells of ice. This is the house I am staying and working at for the next weeks:

My office is well set up and ready, I brought my MacBook with me, my tablet, pencils and stuff. The walls in the house are decorated with various original artworks from artists that worked on the Inuit Mythology Project. Plus, there's a real skull of a polar bear in the kitchen!!

After I settled in a bit, I took some pics of the neighbourhood and then they took me out for dinner to the Frobisher Inn where I tried my first arctic char. A delicious fish I have only been painting so far. And apparently it's not that easy to enjoy alcoholic beverages here. There are no off-license shops where you can pick up a six-pack or the occasional bottle of wine. You have to go into a licensed bar or restaurant if you want to have a pint. And that's pricey! So, yep. I guess I have to do without my "Feierabend-Bier" for the time being ;)