The excellent news was that we had been off on an journey, and the even higher information was that I noticed a polar bear. By way of my binoculars she seemed like a vanilla blob, however I noticed her! She had simply caught a reindeer and was specializing in filling her stomach. Fortunately, the ship additionally comes with a high-power viewing scope that we are able to all use to see issues within the distance.
I put on two units of wool lengthy johns, a wool outer layer, two pairs of thick wool socks, a balaclava, a cashmere scarf, a comfy hat and waterproof down gloves with a skinny glove lining. The cruise line gives every passenger with this ultra-comfortable parka and waterproof boots. It was a bit of troublesome to stroll within the gear, however we had been heat.
Polar bears are awe-inspiring creatures, however they’re additionally some fairly scary animals. Earlier than they despatched us ashore on Zodiac, a number of members of the expedition had scouted the world to verify there have been no polar bears within the space. They established a fringe that we needed to keep inside and stationed lookouts armed with rifles on the edge.
One passenger requested why they did not use rubber bullets and we had been instructed the federal government required them to make use of actual bullets. Our objective is to see bears with out disturbing their habitat or threatening their lives.
Yesterday, whereas they had been scouting an space for us to return ashore, one of many scout boats was attacked by an enormous walrus, so the boat has been moved to a brand new location the place we are able to see extra wildlife.
Svalbard, Norway’s northernmost archipelago, now has daylight 24/7. So whereas lots of you bought to get pleasure from some fantastic views of the Northern Lights, we noticed none.
That is my minimal wifi functionality immediately!
thanks for studying!
