Nunavut Canada Expedition begins
Today marks the start of the 9th Young Explorer Expedition – this one to the east coast of Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada.
Today eight YEPs from around the world and the Mike Horn Team head out to Clyde River to meet up with Pangaea and her crew.
Mike and the team have an exciting 3 three weeks ahead of them as they explore the Arctic regon of Bafffin and study the ecosystem, flora and fauna of this spectacular region.
Log into the 'Classroom Club' (https://www.mikehorn.com/en/yep/pangaea-classroom-club/) and share with us your questions. Read the YEPs blogs and view their photos. We want you too to participate in this journey of a lifetime.
Blog written By Zula – Sunday, August 14, 2011
The longest day of my life…
Best wishes from Canada! My frist impression: it's flat. Second: there are lakes everywhere (what you can see from the sky). Third: it was supposed to be cold. Wearing my 3 jackets, I feel like put into a stove.
This evening we had to do some last shopping before we leave for the region where a can of cola is an approximate cost of 5 Canadian dollars. Quite a lot of fun, 6 Young Explorers and almost the whole Team running around the supermarket, buying food for the next 3 weeks! We also had an organisation meeting, explained our expectations, needs. I'm sure that the best adventure of my life is just about to begin!
I also had a chance to talk to a man living in Resolute, Nunavut. He's American, but has a deep understanding of the local culture, as his family are now Inuit. He tought me a lot about approaching the aboriginal people, their customs, faux-pas and how to make a good first impression. First lesson during this expedition.
Blog from Henko (written in Ottawa)
Last night we went to the local Walmart and bought about 10 shopping carts full of food for our expedition, everyone was wondering what we are going to be doing with all that food! As we explained for what all the food was we could see the amazement on their faces , as most people from Canada, probably 99 percent never get the chance to visit Nunavut and the arctic region of their own country, it made me feel honoured to be able to experience this life changing expedition!! short list of what we bought: 200 oranges, 200 apples, 5kg of powdered milk, 5 kg of butter, 4kg of tang mixture to drink, and allot more!!
Today started a bit rough as we had to get up at 6 in the morning and prepare our bags for our flight to Iqaluit and then on to Clyde river. We had to find space for all the food that we bought at the local Wall mart in Ottawa to fit into our bags!! This involved a bit of strategic planning but in the end we got everything sorted and ready for our departure!
Unfortunately my bags did not get to the hotel last night and this morning i heard it was still in Washington…. hopefully they will send it up to Clyde river tomorrow, We had quite a tuff time checking in with all our over sized baggage's! also our whole supply of butter was confiscated. But that was not the end of the drama for the day… when we got to Iqaluit to transfer to go to Clyde river we were sitting on the plane, the captain announced that there was not enough fuel to go to Clyde river so we are stuck in Iqaluit for today and tomorrow, hopefully we can fly to our final destination then and meet up with the rest of the team at the Pangaea! I'm so excited to be able to finally go on the magnificent Pangaea sailing vessel!!! We spent the afternoon exploring the town and was amazed bout the amount of rubbish lying around…
Tonight we will have a nice and early bed time and we are aloud to sleep late tomorrow! Everyday is a new and exciting experience! LOVING it!!!
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What have we learned so far while traveling with Mike Horn and the team in the arctic region of Canada" as with everything in life you have to be prepared in what you are going to do! this includes that all your documentation should be in order and that you should plan ahead for when you are going to go to the airport and check in, when will there be a shuttle to the airport and everyone should work together as a team to get everything done faster, here follow a few tips on traveling as a group together:
~Check your flight details and make sure that you will be on time, it is better to check in in advance so you can have some stress free traveling.
~It is better to keep all your traveling documents, such as passport and your boarding pass together.
~Never leave the group without telling someone where you are going and what your plans are.
~Never leave your bags unattended to prevent anyone using you as a mule to carry illegal or prohibited items through the security check points.
~When packing your bags it is important to pack all your liquid substances in zip lock bags in case it spills and does not cause you unnecessary hassle's.
~Keep all your traveling documents in a safe and easy accessible location in a organised manner, a easy file works best for me!
~Make copies of your passport, identification and keep them in your suitcase for in case you lose your original documents.
~Give a copy of your travel itinerary to a friend or family member along with contact details.
~As i have learned keep a spare pair of clothes in your hand luggage as all my equipment and bags are still stuck in Washington DC!
~always respect other travelers and look out for each other that are traveling with you! It is always interesting to befriend people that are with you in the plane and there stories and what brings them to this part of the world! And it does not matter what the situation is it is impotent to ALWAYS to keep calm and to NEVER GIVE UP! Try and negotiate with airport staff if you have any problems. But in the end the most important factor when traveling is to take all the beauty around you in and to enjoy every moment!!