Weren't we supposed to be home by now...

We awoke to warm temperatures (-13 C) and blowing snow with limited visibility in Resolute Bay. The ATR plane (a modern version of a Hawker) was on its way from Iqaluit so we had breakfast and settled up with Aziz. We headed out to the airport and checked in with Mavis at the First Air desk. Now it was a matter of waiting for the plane to get in and then to see if it could get out again.

The airport was quite busy with a Twin Otter arriving from Grise Fiord and the ATR coming in for us. Lots of families were waiting for their friends and loved ones. A Hercules transport plane had brought in a military group last night and was getting ready to leave. Keeyoon caused quite a commotion when he decided to go outside and take pictures of the Hercules. Unfortunately, the Twin Otter and the ATR were due to land at any moment. Greg, Mavis and another of the First Air guys were knocking on the windows to try and get his attention. Finally, Greg had to go out and drag him back inside. In Resolute, you have to remember that one side of the airport terminal building is not just outside it is the runway where the plane and heavy equipment are operating. It was like deja vu all over again fifteen minutes later, when one of the Korean journalists did exactly the same thing.

The plane came in and the visibility was not so great. First Air decided to load the plane in hopes that the skies would clear by the time they were done. The plan worked and we were able to fly out at 10:45 AM. The skies were generally clear for the first 2.5 hours of the flight but then we went into heavy cloud. About 4 hours later, we landed in Iqaluit. Generally, the flight was good but it was a little bouncy when we came in to land.

We checked in at the Discovery Lodge hotel (the place where we could find rooms in Iqaluit) to find out that we had been spoiled at the South Camp Inn. The internet at Discovery Lodge was solely by modem at full long distance rates. The alternate was the library but we found out that it was not going to be open until 1 PM tomorrow (about 15 minutes before we are due to leave Iqaluit). The temperature was only a few degrees below zero and it felt positively balmy and tropical. Keith, Annemarie and I headed off for a walk to explore the thriving metropolis of Iqaluit (6000 people!). Keeyoon spent some time visiting with the Korean journalists.

When it came time to find some dinner, we discovered that there was a shortage of caribou in Iqaluit. The "fine dining" room at the Frobisher Inn was rather expensive and didn't have any caribou. We went to the Kamotiq Inn which is housed in a geodesic dome. They had caribou but it was frozen and would not be ready for steaks until tomorrow. We found it was odd to be in a community where you could have a drink with dinner. The alcohol appeared to be fairly controlled - people were allowed to have a certain number of drinks with their dinner and then they were cut off. The Arctic Char was good and the portions were Nunavut sized (huge!). Also, there was a steady stream of local artisans with carvings, paintings, dolls, and seal skin mitts coming through the restaurant to sell their wares.

We are hoping for clear skies for the trip south tomorrow afternoon.

Best regards,
Kaley.