FIFINONO – a blog about cultural exploration

Driving towards the port in Akureyri, I recognized Plancius from miles away. This is the ship that took me to the end of the earth; the ship that inspired me to give up everything at home and begin this adventure. Resting peaceful, she waited patiently for the next expedition into the rough open sea.

Seeing Plancius again felt like meeting an old friend, bringing back my fascination, laughter, and epiphany moments in Antarctica. Now crossing the world to the other end, I couldn’t wait to be united again.

The Magical Northern Lights

The Denmark Strait was not as aggressive as Drake, but the waves still attacked the ship while sea birds glided into the horizon. I stood on the deck, watching the last Lumiere slowly swallowed by darkness, and the peculiar bright orange moon gradually rose from the other end.

Suddenly, a touch of neon green appeared, swaying, and dancing across the sky. It was soon embraced by a darker purple aura. Each color faded into one another, then joined forces to illuminate the world above us. Together they stretched and shrank, undulated like silk in the wind. It was almost dull to think the aurora is just collisions between electrically charged particles released from the sun. I preferred the legend that they are spirits of unborn children playing in heaven.

Into the Wilderness

Passing the breathtaking fjords, we got onshore twice a day to feel the untouched wilderness of Greenland. Unlike Antarctica’s magnificent white-blue binary world, Greenland is overflown with colors. The melting ice on the coastal plains makes way for a fertile landscape of lush meadows, flowers, and stocky plants. Red, orange, and violet wildflowers, lush green mosses were reflected in the tranquil lake, under the crystal blue sky. Hiking on the tundra was like marching on a soft cushy carpet. I walked carefully, worried to leave any damage on the delicate vegetation.

“Kasper, do you know what this flower is?” I pointed to the bright red leaves next to my muddy boots.

“Those? Those are trees, birch trees.”

I never thought I would be standing on top of birch branches.

The Arctic Animals

As winter was coming, wildlife was not abundant in Greenland. But the search for Muskoxen was an absolute treat. A species with over 600,000 years of history, The musk ox has adapted well to the harsh conditions in the Arctic with its extremely fine under-wool. Ironically enough, musk oxen have no musk glands and are not oxen, they are more closely related to the goats family. Following our expedition guide Gerard, we spotted a herd far behind the hill and tip-toed through the rift to have a closer encounter. Every time there was the slightest noise, those sensitive creatures would stop whatever they were doing, gazed ahead, and scanned the entire territory. They must have developed this defensive mechanism against the hunters and poachers at an early age. Thanks to the restoration actions we could still admire this ancient creature today.

The Iceberg Graveyard

As the ice sheet melts, glaciers shed pieces of ice into the ocean. When the newly formed icebergs arrive at the narrow fjords of Scoresby Sund, the gigantic jagged ones have no way to escape, creating an iceberg graveyard. While the chiseled smaller pieces slowly float out, creating one of nature’s finest art exhibitions. As our ship cruised towards Scoresby Sund, it was time for imagination to expand, medieval castles, abandoned shipwreck, angry face of a Samurai…  Occasionally, an iceberg would flip over or calve in pieces, triggering ripples across the calm ocean.

The Iceberg Whiskey

Coming back from the Zodiac cruise, our hotel manager DJ was waiting for us with a special treat: whiskey with ice cubes from a gigantic iceberg. Not sure if it’s a placebo effect, it just tasted amazing.

The Inuit Remains

The world’s biggest non-continental island has the world’s sparsest population. How the Inuit managed to survive the winter was fascinating. We found remains of an Inuit settlement abandoned around 200 years ago. The sites are well preserved, entrances can be identified. Locals needed to crawl through the icy hall to enter the elevated room. The living room was for work, and the bedroom was one stage higher to keep the warm air. Standing by the tent rings of stones, I tried to imagine how a family of eight or ten could squeeze in this tiny house, fighting the winter.

Meeting the Locals

The modern village in Greenland today are equipped with colorfully painted Danish cottages. We visit the unpronounceable Ittoqqortoormiit, the biggest settlement with only 400 inhabitants. We visited the museum and church, learning about the first settlers and the local lifestyle.

As pretty as the village, there was a sense of melancholy in the air.  Beer cans scattered around in the empty streets, wind attacked the lonely locked doors. Greenland has the highest suicide rate in the world, an average of 83 people in 100,000. Between 20% and 25% of Greenlanders attempt to kill themselves at some point in their lifetime. Is it alcoholism, depression, poverty, cultural clash, or perhaps a combination of all? Passing through the cemetery, I could almost see a confused young boy entering the overwhelming world from his isolated village; a hunter drinking alone in his darkroom after the recent whale hunting ban cost his job. As we righteously interfere with people’s lives, have we forgotten to ask how they really felt?

The Farewell

After a night of BBQ party and polar plunge, it was time to say goodbye to Plancius for the second time. She showed me again a different life perspective and a world filled with possibilities. From Antarctica to the Arctic, both my body and heart were in opposite places now. Once an ambitious over-achiever fighting for the next accomplishment, now an unemployed nomad burning every penny to explore the world.  When will we meet again? And when we do, where my heart will be?