An Arctic adventure to Spitsbergen, Svalbard

Scandinavian Airlines is one of the three airlines who fly to Longyearbyen airport. And only with the SAS youth discount that we’re able to realize this crazy trip to this archipelago in the Arctic, halfway between Mainland Norway and North Pole.

Spitsbergen is the largest island, with Longyearbyen as it’s main administrative area.

On the 7th July, SK4496 flew North to the above of Arctic Circle .The journey from Oslo Gardenmoen airport to Longyearbyen airport takes approximately 2 hour and 50 minutes.

I checked the time before the final approach and the watch says it’s 2330. It's close to midnight time and the sky is still bright, which is no different from a day. We experienced this interesting natural phenomenon, ‘The Midnight Sun’, which is when the sun remains visible at local midnight.

I'm challenged after a minute after getting out of the plane when the wind swept and took heat away from my body. I took my EOS 1000D, and quickly snapped a picture of the plane against the snow capped mountains before making our way indoors to the hall of the Longyearbyen airport.

‘Velkommen, take care of Svalbard’ by the Government of Svalbard.

After collecting our baggages and changed into appropriate thermal wear, we proceeded to the Longyearbyen camping site which is about

300m away. I took fast steps, down the moderately gradual Tundra hill and towards the service building.

After check-ins and payments, the friendly staffs issued us with sleeping bag. Arctic cotton grass and Moss Campion and be found beside the big white tents. An attempt to capture the Arctic grass in front of the Norsk Polarinstitutt (picture, bottom right), resulted in two wet patches on my knees.

The temperature outdoors was about 5 degree celcius on average. And that’s excluding the wind chill. I got into the green sleeping bag, zipped up till only my face is exposed, and took a short nap. My own body heat was trapped in the green sleeping bag and nothing beats this warm and snug feeling on a very cold and windy day. I could literally hibernate all day.

After waking and washing up in the morning, we took the SAS bus to Longyearbyen town, which is 4km away. I’ve decided to buy a pair of hiking boots for warmness, safety, comfort and aesthetic reasons.

Looking at posters of Polar Bears made me miss my 2 Japanese Spitz very much.

We had a long walk back to the campsite. The coldness ate into me when I felt numbness, dryness and pain on my face when the cold wind blew relentlessly on my face.

I've lived near the equator for most of my life.

And now, I'm in a place approximately 1300km away from the North Pole.

To be continued...