For a moment, I felt I was flying over the Moon. The ice-wedge polygons of Arctic Canada looked alien and the pingos resembled lunar craters. Somewhere on my right, I heard my friend Denise gush about how she first landed in Churchill, fell in love with the town and got married there.
Vijaya Pratap lives the ultimate summer dream – a visit to Arctic Canada. Are you ready to join her in the icy waters with beluga whales?
But for most people, it is not love at first sight with Churchill, a nondescript town with a handful of houses and a population of 800. People come here for the love of something else entirely – polar bears. And it was a polar bear that greeted us as we entered Churchill. But before I could pull out my camera, the big white bear disappeared, leaving us staring in awe. But the town is not called the polar bear capital of the world for nothing. Later that evening on Hudson Bay, I saw a mother and cub snugly cuddled up on the rocks.
Hudson Bay also has other residents – some 60,000 beluga whales visit its shores every summer. Clad in a life jacket, sitting safe in a boat with belugas swimming all around, my wonderful whale-watching time melted into a golden sunset. The merry creatures would pop up and go down in seconds, making it impossible to take pictures. I soon gave up trying and simply gazed in wonder, grateful to share this beautiful planet with them.
Sitting in a boat with belugas swimming all around, my wonderful whale-watching time melted into a golden sunset
The next day we ventured on a two-hour kayaking excursion on the Hudson Bay. Dressed in thick wet suits, we looked like a bunch of astronauts on earth. Our friend Tress marked the boundaries (green and red buoys in the river) but no one followed them. Once you are in the water – floating, paddling and watching beluga whales – the only thing you do is enjoy yourself. Carol decided to sing to attract the whales and we all squealed in excitement whenever they came close. As we made bubbles with our paddles, the belugas gurgled in joy, dunking under water.
And then it was time for snorkelling – my ultimate summer adventure in the Arctic demanded a dip in its ice-cold waters. I mustered up all my courage to take the plunge, to boast back home that I swam in the Arctic waters – that too with beluga whales! But my fears were allayed. The dry suit gives 98 per cent protection from the water’s icy sting. As I floated face down, I could hear the distant squeals and whistles of the beluga whales from inside the water. I even had one swim past nonchalantly as I held my breath.
But a visit to the Arctic is not complete without petting some huskies. A PowerPoint presentation marked our entry into the world of dog sledding, and a mile-long ride was made even more fun by the freshly baked bannock with cloudberry jam that followed after.
A couple Thomas Kutluk and Joy, regulars at the Lazy Bear Lodge, have become quite famous for their exchanges with visitors on Inuit culture. Descendents of intermarriages between Eskimo women and European men, their anecdotes are quite entertaining. Thomas recollected, “Even till the 1960s, we used to live in igloos. Ours was a large joint family, with my parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins all living in a twodomed igloo. The cooking fire would keep the igloo 10 degrees warmer. Even our clothes were made of animal skin.” “When I was small,” added Joy with a smile, “my grandparents used to scare us saying that if we stayed awake too long, the Northern Lights would snatch us away.”
All the while as Joy told her tale, I prayed to catch a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis. Predicting the lights on a clear night – though we knew we might have to wait up late – we baked a snowy chocolate cake and gathered around the fireplace in the yard. As Tim and Lucas sang, I stood in the open, covered in layers, trying not to shiver. Then around 11 pm, I saw it: A fluorescent green swirl unfurled across the black sky, the light coming in streams, as though they were blessings showered from heaven. I stood drenched in its glow for a long time before retiring for the night, content.
When to go
For polar bears, visit in October and November, when hundreds come to the shores of Hudson Bay, waiting for the ice to freeze. In August-September, the weather is warmer and one can see thousands of beluga whales. On-board the Arctic Crawler tundra vehicle, you can enjoy the vast landscape, while taking a close look at birds, the Arctic fox, the Arctic hare and polar bears. The elusive Northern Lights are never guaranteed, but in July and August they are seen on a clear night.
Where to eat
Lazy Bear, Tundra Inn, Sea Port: Northern specialities include Arctic char and caribou. Wild salmon is also a popular menu item.
Where to stay
Lazy Bear Lodge is a rustic and comfortable log lodge made of interesting woods from the area. They organise exciting summer and autumn packages.
Activities
Boat tours, kayaking, snorkelling, Polar bear safaris, dog Sledding
Getting there
Air India has code share arrangements to St John’s, Halifax, Montreal, Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto and Calgary from London.
Vijaya Pratap is a freelance journalist and a documentary filmmaker, based in Hyderabad. She specialises in the study of art, culture, history and wildlife.
Meet the Author – Vijayapratap
