THE NORTHERN LIGHTS!

07.09.2009

I had an appointment to get a tour of the legislative assembly this morning, so I walked down there promptly in the morning. It was finally a beautiful day, not too cold and not too windy. I relished the sunlight today, the day before I was supposed to leave.

After the quick little tour of all things symbolic and related to the Inuit, like sealskin chairs and a building designed like a sled, I pondered on what to do for the rest of the day.

I asked the tour guide if I should go out on a boat.

"Oh no, nobody is out on the river today, it's too wavy."

Ok, so that's out. What about an ATV ride?

"Yes, you could do that, I will call the rental office and see how much it costs for you."

OK... thanks.

She goes away and comes back, it will cost $125 for the day. I guess that's not too bad. I decide to call Heather and see if she would 1) either let me borrow the ATV and take it into the wilderness (not likely) or 2) take me out into the wilderness after work (more likely).

It turns out that yes, she would be interested in joyriding her neighbour's ATV tonight. Okeedoke, see you at 5 ish Heather!

I decide to go and buy a parka and that wine glass for the lady whose Iqaluit glass I broke a few months ago. I find the wine glass easily, since there really is only one "gift store" proper here. There is a florist, but it doesn't have the kind of things I'm looking for. Anyway, that is cool, now I hope that Samantha will be happy with that.

There is one store where they sell homemade parkas. The daughter of an MLA in Nunavut is the owner and I hem and haw over which one to buy. Should I spend a lot or a little? I decide to spend a little, and buy a bright purple one with pink fur around the hood.

I decide that NO ONE else could pull this jacket off but me, therefore, it was made with me in mind, so I am really the rightful owner of this jacket.

Then, I try and find more things to do downtown, but can't. I decide to go back and nap until Heather is off work. Ohhhhhhh vacations. So lovely to nap in the sunlight streaming through Heather's window like a cat in the winter.

Also, probably a little like a cat, I snack on a little bit of whale meat that Heather has generously left for me in the freezer. Weird!

Soon Heather comes back and we pick up Siku for another adventure out into the wilderness.

I learn how to drive the ATV and Heather holds onto Siku in the back, we take it out to the end of the Road to Nowhere and teach Siku how to follow along. (He has never been on the ATV before). We walk up one ridge, only to be tempted by the next, which reveals another ridge, identical to the one before. We imagine what it would be like to be Inuit back in the day, constantly walking through the same terrain, almost like a Flintstones cartoon... over and over again, the same background. It would be enough to make anyone go a little crazy. Crazy enough to brave the insanely harsh winter up here, I say.

Soon, the sun is going down and we are getting hungry. I had received a tip to go to the Nova Inn for some fantastic food. This is certainly where I find it.

We take the Honda down to the hotel, lugging along our giant helmets into the fancy restaurant. It seems that everyone is staring, but I think that's only because it's rare to see two women riding around on an ATV together. I think it's rare just to see women around here actually...

Anyway, for $50, (a bargain if I do say so myself!) We get fancy potato skin appetizer, caribou steak that cause "tiny explosions of flavour in my mouth" with the best scalloped potatoes I ever had in my life and a dessert of strawberry/kiwi frozen mousse stuff.

We make friends with the waiter, Chris, who has just moved here from Toronto. Can you say culture shock?

On our way home, I look up in the sky and it is FILLED with green and grey colour. The northern lights! On my last night in Iqaluit, the sky is clear enough to see it!

It's not more colourful than in Yellowknife, but it's a LOT more monstrous. It just fills up the entire sky with dancing light. It lasts for about 30 or 45 minutes and just abruptly as it began it stops. I am too late for a video, unfortunately.

Me in the Speaker's chair