At 10:45 we dropped anchor just off shore from Sisimiut. Another ship, the Bremen, was tied up at the only available space along the pier. At 11:00, first off the ship were those of us going to the ghost town of Asaqutaq. Shortly thereafter our Polar Cirkle boat operations began. It was a quick ride to shore and a beautiful partially cloudy day to explore Sisimiut.
When exploring Greenland there are constant reminders that this is still very much a hunting and fishing society. Just outside of the dock area were three Greenlanders selling cariboo meat. Hunting season for cariboo and muskox begins in August. Piles of cariboo meat were placed neatly on flattened cardboard boxes on the side of the road. Just along the sea wall there were two fresh cariboo hides.
Just after our historic hikes to Tele island began at 15:00, the Bremen set sail and the Fram moved to the pier. It was a great day for a hike and our World of Greenland guides, Christina and Jorn educated us on the early Dorset and Thule societies that first occupied the area. Our hike took us by the local kayaking club where young Greenlanders are keeping the art of building Greenland style kayaks alive. Just before we left the dock at 18:00 we were treated to a kayaking demonstration. The two kayakers were obviously very skilled.
What a great way to start our travels in Greenland
