Baffin Island: Pond Inlet
Pond Inlet aka Mittimatalik in the Inuit language is often called “Jewel of the Arctic” as it sits in the most picturesque settings imaginable – waterfront hilly terrain across a channel from the Sirmillik national park with over a dozen glaciers and snowy mountains (you can just sit here on the beach and admire the views of icebergs floating by). About 1600 Inuits live in the settlement, isolated and remote from civilization, especially on long and dark and cold winter nights of -40 Celsius (perfect time to play Inuit games, like sticking fingers into each other’s mouths and pulling to see who surrenders first as the narwhal oil lamp burns nearby). Hunting on beluga, narwhal, seals is the primary occupation, there is one school, one store, one visitor center. This ain’t New York, but cool nonetheless!
