Folks and Photos

From Narsaq we travelled west along a sheltered inner passage with beautiful sights (see iceberg photo) and then northwest in a very rolly Davis Strait. Now we're stopped at Ravns Storø waiting for north winds to fade. We reflect back on some of the people we've met so far in Greenland.

Freddy the policeman - he's on a temporary three- month posting from Copenhagen - enjoying the slower pace. There's a lack of major crime - just the crime that comes with many northern towns where the indigenous folk have lost their bearings and are unprepared for today's world. He worries that the young people are only the Greenlandic tongue and will not have the skills they need to survive.

Nils and his trees

A French documentary maker - making a TV programme about the choice which may now be open to Narsaq. It could bring a solution to employment and the poverty of the town. A rich deposit of Rare Earth minerals has been located near the townsite and an Australian company wants to build a mine … it would take years to fully exploit and would bring the opportunity for real and long-term prosperity with it. The big problem: uranium would necessarily be extracted along with the rare earth. Greenland is a Danish protectorate and unless Danish lawmakers change the current stance against any use of nuclear technology.

Table decor

Nils and his tree stand at the Village party … the trees you will see (we can only post one picture out here in the wilderness) have stayed in Nils nursery for seven years and are only now ready for re-planting. Nils is financed in part by the Danish government to collect trees from other arctic communities which will grow in the S Greenland environment. He has trees from Canada, Alaska and Siberia.

Narsaq Hotel Restaurant … the owners love their countryside and instead of flowers or (worse) plastic flowers, they have local plants as decorations on their beautifully laid-out dining room. Even the lowly dandelion has pride of place on one of their tables. Larry had delicious muskox steak, and I had Greenlandic crab.

Met at the ferry dock … a band of musicians going home from a gig in the 'South'. After the ferry trip and an airplane ride, they'll have to take a dog team to get to their Northern home.

Mr. Greenlandic reindeer … he literally waltzed down the mountain next to where we were anchored. He's moulting, so his piebald coloration fit right in with the rocks. He has incredibly skinny legs and HUGE hooves. Also seen: minke whales, a seal.

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At 05/07/2013 18:49 (utc) our position was 62°43.60'N 050°24.62'W