#travel Arctic Canada Lonely Planet
[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] this is probably as far north as I'll ever get it's the land of the Midnight Sun hardly anybody live here it's freezing in in winter it's pitch black all day this is Northern Canada and I'm on my way to the [Music] Arctic Canada is one of five countries that lie within the Arctic Circle his northernmost point is only 50 Mi away from the North Pole starting in the province of Quebec I fly from Montreal to Yellow knife in the Northwest Territories then North to Bon Island where I Trek to kimaru before ending my journey and Ki karuak [Music] if you're flying up to the Arctic Montreal is going to be your first stop it's an island seven times the size of Manhattan and after Paris is the biggest French speaking city in the [Music] world Winters here can be really severe in fact Montreal has more snowfall than any other big city in the world temperatures can be as low as -30 and schools close down electricity has cut off for days and the government spend $50 million a year just clearing the snow from the roads so in the mid 80s they built a huge underground city 20 mi of heated passages half a million people use it every day and it's linked by a massive Metro System you can spend the whole winter in Montreal and not change out of your [Music] pajamas Montreal is at the heart of the province of Quebec which has been a French Settlement since the 17th [Music] century there a backpack is down there is it it's that way yeah okay I'll carry on [Music] anyway have you got room for me right all we've got left for tonight is a room in the party room party room yeah that's right how much is that no wor 14 bucks for tonight yeah okay yeah all right beautiful okay where's that uh the party room is just down the corridor there on the left hand side right Okie do I'll check it out see you later [Music] please shut your mouth [Music] as well as the French Montreal has over a dozen ethnic [Music] communities well if you like your food then you better drop everything and come to Montreal now cuz luckily it's almost got every dish that you could imagine and I'm going to try it all it's got a l large Chinese District nice tasty Italian nice bit of Greek and obviously the French cuisine oh [Music] bag of course you got to come down to the Jewish section to try their most traditional dish which is the bagel this apparently is the best shop in town open 24 hours a day all the locals eat here and it's fresh hi Joe hey morning is it fresh oh great I hear word is it that there's a bit of rivalry between there and New York Montreal bagel Wars well they see that you know but when you got a wood Boy oven handmade how could you beat that you know that's got to be the best in the world is that what makes it the best yes they're hand rolled and they're boiled in Honey water and then they're wood want to try yeah trick the trick is who come on don't do that no no I was just joking go ahead listen start here that's ni around you grab it this end grab it here turn it around your hand around your hand get yeah cut it then stick it together and you got your first maybe Bagel not bad not [Music] bad is my one ready yet does that come out just about ready it'll be $2 for this $2 yeah oh wait wait here's here's yours is that it yes as you can see didn't have the Magic Touch on you it's almost there yeah you can have it for free that one okay enjoy for free enjo cheers the next morning I headed out a Montreal in search of one of Canada's most famous creations [Music] Canada is famous for producing maple syrup and they've even got a maple leaf on the national flag most of it is made here in the province of Quebec and in March when the sap Rises everyone comes out the big cities and heads to the sugar Shacks North American Indians call this season the sugar Mak Moon and in fact they were the people who taught the first pioneers who came to Canada how to make the maple syrup place like this still does it traditionally and what's good it gives board and lodgings and food to Travelers that come here in exchange for hard work oh got here eventually hey where all the way from from England my god well not all the way way welcome to the show thanks I'm looking for a bit of work well I can handle a few uh can you handle can you hold yourself up yeah just oh PR tough guy yeah how are yeah what what sort of work could be wrestling or something yeah yeah Maple wrestling picking picking the trees and bringing in wood [Music] Ian Ian that's score a five what quarter to 5 is it yeah come on all right right I'll be down coming okay see you later [Music] yes come on over here what we doing get your hands out of your pocket I just got up come on let's go to work I'm coming all right all right God you like a slave driver man come on let's go on what are they for the buckets oh they get the sap get the the sap the sap the tree I used one of these as a toilet last night I couldn't be bothered go the outside bit oh that makes sense that won't affect the light no no no not not at all if it's yellow we won't use it yeah I we'll show you how the how it's done initially we T the Tre and then uh you you put the sticker in here we use a hammer to it's coming out a lot in it of course like this yeah and then we put the that is so simple I love it how does that get turned into we boil it on wood fire and then we just boil and boil and boil until it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup Can I taste that see what it tastes like yeah take the bucket and drink it it tastes like sweet Spring Water yeah 40 gallons HH oh and my lips are going to get stuck to the it doesn't matter doesn't matter drink it did you really drink it yeah of course I drink it I didn't drink it all come on drink it Apple syrup has produced 80% in all of the Canada in Quebec yeah that's why when the women are looking for a sugar daddy they come to C that's what you're here is it that's what I've heard man [Music] I'm leaving Montreal for the melin island a group of 12 Islands Northeast of Quebec it takes a whole day to get there and you have to change planes loads of [Music] times I confess the real reason why it came to the melin islands was to see lovely little furry seal puppies cuz in Winter the beginning of March that's when they're all born on the ice field it's not cheap to get there but it's a must and I had to go for it helicopter turn [Music] [Music] I had to fly out over 60 Mi of solid eyes to get to the seals this place used to be a hunting ground but now the only people that come here are tourists here I met up with Ron who was a bit of an expert on sales this place this is unbelievable there we are we finally made it this is great isn't it oh man it's lovely you see all the sails and everything h where do they come from well these seals have arrived from the Canadian Arctic and Greenland they move with the ice when the ice is forming and coming down the labrador sea I wonder they're so fat if they just lays around on the ice and it floats down to here well actually no they swim in front of the ice Edge puppy puppy look that that's my first one right Inc extraordinary so the little guys are born here uh right pupping season starts around February the 25th how long does it last the pups are weaned after 12 days how come they don't freeze to death man we got super skin they must have super well they got a big layer of blubber of fat you know which is I'm freezing yes but you're not quite as fat as they are and and they they're coated the blubber is about that thick Under the Skin So they they don't suffer with that and how old is this pup would you say this pup is probably about 3 days old he's not quite very yet but he's got a nice white coat nice white color I think we should get close to that one and see if he's a is a good little guy yes yes he going to bite your hand up CU they got teeth no they don't have teeth so don't worry see oo that one don't like being touched come on there Uncle come come on oh he recognizes me come on come here where you going oh go wow he's he doesn't mind it really she's just playing hard to get oh yeah go okay I don't usually use the word sweet but that is sweet I'm G all slashy I gone all Broody that's scary [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] wow how much is it the helicopter in here uh the whole package is all three meals and this and two sing trips and I think it's uh about 1,000 plus Canadian yeah so it's very fair good pair of boots that's really all you need the rest they Supply you and uh these things nothing can blow through them they keep you good and warm I got really close to one I sat down on the ice and it actually came up to me and then I could take my glove off and really stroke it it's really soft it's lovely [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] in oh get some boiling water my lips stuck a oh I love it yeahoo [Music] [Music] here we are and where are you going today we're off to Yellow I are you ready for the weather what's funny about why does everyone do that every time I say everyone laughs I'm off the Yellow Knife Yellow Knife yeah yeah Yellow Knife have you heard of it have you heard of yell KNE yeah yeah I've heard of it what's wrong with that why does everyone laugh when you say going Yellow Knife Jack you've been there it pretty far in ours yeah it's cold up there is that what- 40 - 44 is it it's a 9-hour journey to the Northwest Territories known as the great white nor the capital is situated on the great slave Lake it was built only 50 years ago by Pioneers looking for gold [Music] oh jeez well I've certainly landed right in the heart of the Arctic in fact oneir of Canada is permanently frozen in ice all year round up north there hardly any roads so you got to fly everywhere and that's where I'm heading it's the capital in fact it's the only City in the Northwest Territories Yellow [Music] [Applause] Knife I'm looking for cheap accommodation and I was told that this part of town is the place to come to it's called ragged ass Road it's actually the original road that started Yellow Knife off and it's called that because when the Pioneers first came in here they'd have all holes in their trousers and it all be hanging out and that's why it's ring ass [Music] R for $20 a night you can house it for people who have gone away and The Visitor Center will give you their names woo hello hi is it Tony yeah that's me yeah oh that's cool hi there morning I think I'm taking over your house for a couple of days hopefully anyway yeah is that all right that's fine I guess excellent you better show me the ropes then what okay um we got the kitchen over here oh yeah yeah and uh I keep the water in the blue pale yeah where where'd you get the water from outside outside they yeah this like a water hole there yeah oh there it is God can't simply just have a cup of coffee you know from a machine oh x 100 broadcasting live from the 1999 Caribou Carnival i' like to welcome everyone from out of town from in town everyone's just having an amazing amazing time oh my goodness it's a heatwave breako the thong if you're coming down to the Caribou Carnival CU got uh partly cloudy skies and it's- 8° right here in yell [Music] you this is the new dance from London every everyone doing it come on girls don't pretend you don't know it woohoo get hands like that what's this about this is the computer bhing area oh no no I want to get the screen there's so many rules to this game I'm getting confused I love love it I love it [Music] woohoo I just joined a group of Japanese tourists and we're all going out of town to see the rora Borealis I said it which is the northern lights and um you can't see it in town because of all the light pollution so we're going to go out a few miles and hopefully see setting anyway hi there it's going to be cold all right [Music] why there so many Japanese people coming people just interesting like Japanese hasn't so many curiosity but everybody never see in Northern so people come up Yellow knife and uh second reason is like an airfare is quite cheap right I'm going to try and explain this the Aurora Bor hour or Northern Lights occur when the Earth's magnetic field interacts with the solar winds this generates an electrical energy look at that that that one there keep changing you see it on the pictures in the postcards and it doesn't mean anything no until You' seen it it's like there's no guarantee that you'll see them but the best time to look for the Northern Lights here is from December to April oh look at that b there oh m is M oh oh it's like God it's like some unbelievable effect from Star Trek oo [Music] [Applause] this is brilliant you know you're in a small town when they Yellow knife for reports puppy kicked by pedestrian and they still haven't found the culprit and down here's a picture the puppy trying to lick its leg and pelvic area where he was kicked disgraceful I'm going to find out we' done [Music] it I'm flying even further north to ban Island which lies in the Arctic Ocean in the province of nuner the Eskimo or Inu people call it our land and it's the only territory that has ever been peacefully handed over to its native people I'm heading to the capital the Calla [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you know when you're a kid and you learn about Eskimos and you know that they're in now and you see all the pictures of igloos and things you think yeah I want to go and see that but holiday yeah you don't come in for a holiday I tell you it's it's great it's beautiful [Music] [Laughter] [Music] hi I'm Lucy I I'm 15 I'm in 10th Grade I live in 18 years old I live here in I'll be graduating from high school in June and hopefully go off to an art I shoot kibou car I'm a half breed my mom's Enoch and my father's Scottish and uh I work with my mother show them how what they did on my life I'm really happy in my life thank Jesus Hallelujah [Music] throat singing is an ancient Inu tradition passed down through [Laughter] generations the lowest temperature ever recorded on earth is -8 9° at - 70 if you smile your teeth will crack at - 60 if you throw a glass of hot water in the air it will come down as ice at - 40 it three times as cold as your fridge freezer today it's - 30 and I am freezing I was telling my friends back home just when when you think of me here you just know that I'll be cold boots it's the number one thing you lose toes if you don't have the right boots this is an example this is what you get when you he you high stuff out nice little bit of fur around there this is the stuff you bring from England look at that open it up freezing I've got I've got nine layers on on cold I count my fingers every night to make sure they're still 10 let's talk frostbite frost bite we don't want to get frostbite ever had it uh I've been cold yeah but not frostbite so that might be close to hypothermia the best way to avoid frostbite is to eat lots and drink lots cuz basically you need to keep your F your furnace going your body the reason you want the zippers as again I have zippers here and then the jacket so you can ventilate because if you sweat yeah you die if you start to feel sluggish sluggish and irritable yeah do you get irritable no no if you start doing that and walking around aimlessly and and and screaming silly words those are signs so honestly those are signs of hypothermia well we need to get our sled down there so why don't we come up here and we'll grab this yeah if you could pull this pretend you're the KN dog and I'll push the sled from behind how long we going four days like this yeah we'll go for maybe a week you'll be okay you ready let's go cheap skates first man you ready to hook up yep I'll give it a go yeah good boy get out good girl Heather perfect and now she's in harness [Music] ready it's a 4-day trek from aala to Kimo across a plateau known as meta incognita the dreaded unknown Denise Martin was the first Canadian woman to reach the North Pole on foot so she's not a bad person to have Along on a trip like [Music] this oh man be running [Music] y got good dogs good dogs what what brings you to this kind of environment well I grew up in the prairie so I think I I mean I really love just the sense of space and the Big Sky I love working with the dogs I mean I I've been working grew up with dogs did you grow up with dogs well no no I grew up with but uh what's that guinea pigs had a whole herd of them you said but of them down the street was a bit [Music] oh [ __ ] wa who W that was mental oh my God so do you think it's about time you learn how to drive these dogs yeah first tip is that you need to know the name of the lead dog his name is nor winds Nixie North winds Nixie shorten it to Nixie Nixie n IX I Nixie okay the calls you turning right yeah that's g g so you would say G Nixie g g g yeah g g Nixie H is left ha Nixie Nixie ha niie to get them going because you're pretty upbeat and you're excited about them you want them to be happy and get some energy you'd say hi cup hiup hi cup that's it yeah hi cup yeah Nixie come on Nixie that's oh who okay come on hike up hi come you hi come on hi ha ha ha ha just get him going straight for a bit and then tell them to turn they're getting a bit confused I think hike up hike up good dogs good dogs your voice is a little too uh mean for them a bit come on guys let's go g g tell them he's good all all right tell him he's good he needs good next good next good do perfect come on hi honey yeah man look at me well got the hang of this not even looking at the dog hey hey oh mix it lead dog go W wo wo wo wo whoa okay down down don't come don't come crawling around get down guys get down you give me no respect when I was trying to go left did you if you really want them down yeah you're going to have to get up and tell them down one that looks like Strider but it isn't down hether Heather Heather I was thinking about Good Girl [Laughter] [Music] home you jump down what a day right this is the start of the day putting all your layers on you got pair of socks then you put plastic bags on so when your feet sweat condensation stays in loads of layers synthetic stuff like this I think I'll be wearing two jackets today this is the first one to stop the wind but it doesn't keep the terribly warm that's why I got this down jacket three pairs of gloves B of clava A pair of goggles with a nose B stop snow blindness oh there we go wow look at that exposing Lake there nice in an average day you can actually travel about 30 mil by dog sled but it can be [Music] [Music] tricky w w you think that was a hard one you should look at this one it's about 30 foot that was easy oh okay great there she did I say I had her I don't know and I'll give it a little flip you're I'm pushing that way but looking that way okay that's one it's all yours yeah you're going to I have no control over what you're doing there okay Ian okay I'm going to release the dogs I've got a feeling this just ain't going to [Music] work oh let's mix it side come on nice go that's good doggy come on oh it's I'm going to kill [Music] you we finally reached our destination kimaro [Applause] [Music] Kimu is a small community of 350 people most of them still make a living from hunting fishing and soap stone carving this is salame and she's going to tell me what's going on today what's all this about well this is um seal cutting contest and it happens every year at tup time what's turnip time well it's a spring event that happen every year to welcome the coming back of the Sun [Music] sh hunting is still a necessity here as it forms part of their staple diet [Music] [Music] [Music] final leg of my journey is up to the northeast of Bing Ireland but first I had to drop off a bundle in a callow okay we all listening up cuz I'm only going to say this once right you've got three safety exits that's down the aisle the first doors the second doors the day that you just pull the handle you find your life jackers under the seat take them out pull them over and pull it tight try to pull it tight L you got that right have a pleasant fly if there's anything you want I'll just be at the end okay what was that no there's no film God bless you it's a short [Music] flly talk about economy [Music] class W wa hey have a good time I will do thanks a lot that was greaty after dropping the dogs off I carried on to my final destination and broen Island it inuent name is [Music] karak wow there's nothing out here look at that the sad thing is this is the only time I'm going to be above the Arctic Circle that's that's like imaginary line that goes around the earth parallel with the equator but right at the top around the North Pole it's where the Sun never dips below the Horizon in summer 24 hours [Music] daylight I've come here in search of the polar bear the best people to take you out on a trip like this is paly Lucy and his grandson Jason oh you good chance to see one today hopefully here's the man hey right there Lucy good today yeah we see polar bear yeah okay where where do I sit oh oh right I I'll sit on the back bit [Music] Happ [Music] [Applause] [Music] they definitely tracks yeah bad tracks so this is a polar bear footprint yeah yes well how long how long ago was it here can you tell up would look good yesterday afternoon yesterday afternoon that how can you tell you can tell because this is Frozen now it would be soft like this if it was fresh po Bears walk alone and move constantly sometimes up to 50 m a day [Music] Theo we go get [Music] well is pal is taking this the sco and he's gone over onto the ice cuz he's seen the polar bear over there and he's going to flush it out what's happening J out in the distance there where whereabouts by that big bit of yeah yeah but can't see nothing he's gone behind some ridges is he what has the polar bear gone off do you think gone away gone too far out too far out I is too rough to be chasing polar be today yeah what about arctic fox no no rabbit no all right don't worry about it then don't worry about it yeah come all this wait to see one don't you worry about J yeah I'll I'll be back on the sco yeah you laugh go on you laugh go on get out of it forget it polar bears you never well I never did get to see my polar bear but they are out there well that's it all I need now is the Mega months and somewhere warm to sleep so we're looking for a place where the ice is good we're going to build ourselves a little [Music] Igloo make it in half an hour reckon [Music] it's great it really looks like I know what I'm [Music] doing oh it's so warm in there I can't believe it now I know why people survive in this landscape for so long me I think I last about 4 minutes [Music] [Applause] I know this is going to sound mad but I actually much prefer this kind of climate almost anywhere I've been I love the cold weather I love the snow I love the mountains I like the freshness in the air cuz it makes you feel more alive I love a place that's like vast open space face and hardly anybody living here and picked up a lot new more skills right you ready come on mixy up and I'm off to the North Pole woohoo come on H North North is that way it h h North is that way we going south W something come on hey hey come on I know you're the ring leader come on hey hey TI come on hey ah good dog go s that way good dog good dog [Music]
2024-08-08 16:49
