"Travelling From Beyond the Canadian Arctic" Aopaq's Profile

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The Canadian Arctic can be a cold and foreboding place but also very beautiful in a unique sort of way. People who move here either love it and stay for many years (I am on my 13th) or leave after a very short time. If you can handle a lack of amenities such as movie theatres, a variety of stores, low quality fruit and vegetables and of course high costs, this is the place for you.
With that said, the Inuit people are very welcoming and the culture extremely interesting. Of course problems such as alcohol and drug abuse, teen suicide and lack of employment occur but that can be found anywhere in the world. Considering what the government did to the Inuit people only about 60 years ago, it is no wonder that they are still going through such growing pains.
However, if you can afford the flight costs and have an interest in Inuit art and culture, travelling to this part of Canada is a unique experience. One should also realize that Nunavut covers almost one-fifth of Canada's total land mass but is home to only about 30,000 people in 26 communities.

Other Facts About Nunavut (these are averages)
Kilometres of highway: 20
Unemployment rate: 22% Cost of two litres of milk: $7.00
Cost of one apple: $2.00 Cost of a loaf of bread: $3.00
Average per-capita income in the Nunavut area: $11,000
Languages spoken: Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun, English

Tundra Summer

Colourful tundra flowers

Although the Arctic is dominated by a long season of snow and cold, there is a thriving summer period during which the tundra wakens with vigour. Patches of colourful tundra flowers dot the landscape as they struggle to flower and spread their seeds. The skies are also full of different bird species as they migrate north. This is a vibrant time of year but relatively short. The biggest downside are the mosquitoes and black flies that dominate the land at this time of year. Make sure you bring a bug jacket or stock up on repellant!

My Current Travel Interest - The Middle East

Friendly tea house owner

Since I first travelled to Iran in 2005, I have developed a strong interest in seeing and trying to gain a better understanding of the Middle East. I have been trying to get another Iranian visa (unsuccessful as yet) so since that time I have visited Syria, Oman, and Northern Iraq.
My trip to Iran introduced me to the Muslim world which is so very interesting in itself. However, meeting people in Iran was the true hilight and I soon realized the it is indeed a country of contrasts. As the current regime is trying to instill more fundamental Islamic values, many people are interested in a more moderate system and continually fight a silent war against the extremist views. When I visited, it was still a relatively moderate government and so I was able to interact with people a bit more. And this is where all my media-influenced perceptions were quickly broken down as I met Iranians from all walks of life. As I had heard, Iranian people are very friendly, genuinely kind and, like me, only really interested in a happy, comfortable life for themselves and their families.

Northern Iraq

Iraqi university students

Most recently, I went to Northern Iraq (Kurdistan where I again met unbelievable warmth and kindness from the Kurdish Iraqi people. in particular were a group of university students who I spent quite a bit of time with and a family in the small towm of Amaidya who took me in as almost one of their own.

Intro Updated Sep 4, 2007
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Comments (28)

uglyscot Mar 9, 2008 at 11:26 PM Report Abuse

Thanks for visiting my pages. if you liked them try my tour of the northern archaeological sites . They are amazing and I'm still under their spell .
northeast80 Sep 10, 2007 at 11:46 PM Report Abuse

Thanks for dropping by my Hull page, haha Coronation St. :-) That's in Lancashire, there's a friendly rivalry between Lancs. and Yorkshire, we can't get past the Wars of the Roses all those years ago. I like the photos of your winter, amazing.
maria_hz Sep 10, 2007 at 11:47 AM Report Abuse

Yep, the meteorite site is something the locals are excited about. Apparently bird watchers too, as a lot of migratory birds camp there on their way north/south. Your place does sound exotic to me :)
hayward68 Sep 8, 2007 at 5:53 PM Report Abuse

Thanks for the comment on my Mongolia page! It was an incredible experience and I hope to return someday, possibly by taking the TransMongolian train.
monina_c Aug 30, 2007 at 10:48 PM Report Abuse

Yeah! It's good argument for not learning anything.
Deus_ultima Aug 30, 2007 at 6:38 AM Report Abuse

like the dogs. I was following Catherine Pinard closely during the Yukon Quest. Love the whole thing.
michaelayne Aug 28, 2007 at 2:21 PM Report Abuse

The sun dog and the nothern light photos are great. Thanks for checking out our homepage.
horsinround2 Jul 8, 2007 at 10:41 AM Report Abuse

Awwww... such beautiful dogs! I've enjoyed reading about their different personalities!
craic Jun 22, 2007 at 8:46 PM Report Abuse

i thought you were talking about australia in the non grog thread
satara Jun 22, 2007 at 4:49 PM Report Abuse

You're back:) Thanks for your comment on flickr.