My Time Capsule: Greenland: Taking Off & Landing

28.8.14

Greenland: Taking Off & Landing

Kulusuk, July 2014


gazing out of my plane window

This is definitely the best flight I've ever experienced thus it deserves one whole individual blog post. You may already know that I hate flying so it's just unusual for me to say I enjoy my flight. So what did beat my fear of flying? Come join me in this journey and you will find out.

Welcome aboard, fasten your seat belt and I hope you enjoy the flight :)


Air Iceland Fokker

I couldn't sleep before my flight to Kulusuk because the weather in Reykjavik was kinda crazy. It was raining hard the whole night and I kept waking up to the wind howling strong and heavy outside my window. The sound of tumbling aluminium chairs and tables from the outdoor cafe making it even more daunting. I was quite sure my morning flight on a small plane (Fokker) would be very bumpy or it could be canceled due to the bad weather.


well, hello Greenland! 

But no, I was wrong. Who am I to judge the weather anyway? Turned out the flight was very smooth and pleasant. As my plane was descending towards Kulusuk, my eyes widened in awe. There were countless of icebergs floating in the crystal blue ocean, bounded by a row of brown rocky mountains covered with snow. I noticed a couple of whales were floating on surface, perhaps it was their sunbathing session. I wish I had a telephoto lens to capture them. The view from above was too beautiful it felt surreal to me.


approaching Kulusuk

it felt surreal!

Wow! We are going to land on the gravel runway! I was telling myself....still in awe. I don't know about you but this is my first time landing on an unpaved runway.  As expected the landing was a bit rough and bumpy with a sudden brake because the runway is short. I would normally cringe in this situation but I didn't because I was lulled by the stunning views.


gravel runway at Kulusuk airport

Kulusuk International airport is only a small terminal building which host a tiny cafeteria and a duty free stand. Passengers are only allowed to pass through the hall immediately before boarding or after the arriving passengers have been cleared from the hall. Quite an amusing experience to me. The airport is on a mountainous island surrounded by ice filled waters in the least populated part of Greenland. And to make it even unique, all passengers have to walk to Kulusuk hotel (the only hotel in the island) because the hotel van just for transporting the luggage and disable people. It took me 15 minutes to walk to the hotel because I kept stopping to take pictures. I really love this quirky experience!


greeted by this gorgeous scenery at the airport


walking to my hotel

almost there

Kulusuk hotel

view from my room

summer sunbathing, Greenland style :p

airport window

taking off

it's hard to say goodbye

till we meet again, Greenland




On the day of departure, I left Kulusuk with a heavy heart. I really want to stay longer. I even consider about getting a job in the hotel and stay there maybe for 6 months to learn more about Inuit people (population of 250 people in Kulusuk village) and their culture. Greenland is really a fascinating place. I will definitely come back to explore other cities. It's not a goodbye but it won't long until we meet again, Greenland :)

23 comments:

  1. Wow gorgeous views! Would be so awesome if you could work at the hotel Deb! I'm guessing there will be many interesting stories on the Inuit :)

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    1. I'm smitten, Gy! Kulusuk is remote and I found it very peaceful plus there are a lot of dogs there *grins*

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  2. *melongo*

    stunning view! can't believe it! ada teman yang sudah menginjakkan kakinya di greenland, pulau luas di utara bumi yang hanya saya kenal dari peta saat pelajaran IPS waktu SD dulu :)

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    1. aku juga masih melongo kalo liat foto2 Greenlan, Mi. Kudu harus mesti balik sana lagi pokoknya :)

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  3. Seru bener yah pemandangannya, dari foto udah keliatan dinginnn banget dan langitnya biru ceraaah bagussss :D, btw itu jarak airport ke hotel beneran bisa jalan kaki aja? berarti di hotel sering kedengeran bising pesawat mundar mandir, apa sehari cuma dikit penerbangannya?

    itu pesawatnya juga kecil yaah, *aku belum pernah naik pesawat kecil* kalo sama pesawat yg biasa kamu bulai balik Sby - Dps gedean mana deh ci?

    duh aku banyak nanyaaa :))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. walkable kok emang, Mei...apalagi pemandangan bagus jadi ga kerasa. Kedengeran emang suara pesawat tapi ga bising banget, secara cuma sedikit pesawat yg mendarat di Kulusuk.
      Pesawatnya kecil, hampir kaya pesawat yg ke pelosok2 Indo gitu :D

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  4. Sublime!

    Honestly, saya baru tahu kalo mau ke Greenland bisa dari Iceland..
    Dan, seingat saya Greenland masuk wilayah Denmark (CMIIW).
    Jadi kalo mau visit ke sana butuh visa apa ya?

    "It's not about the destination, but the journey"

    makanangin-travel.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
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    1. info yg aku pelajari dari sana, Greenland itu negara otonomi yg mandiri tapi masih diakui sebagai wilayah Denmark. Mereka udah ada ibu kota dll gitu sih. Kalo visit pakai visa schengen yg ada tulisan valid untuk Greenland.
      Dari Reykjavik ada beberapa penerbangan dalam 1 hari ke kota2 di Greenland seperti Kulusuk, Ilulissat, Nuuk dan Narsarsuaq :)

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  5. Wow, that scenery is just spectacular! Can't believe you got to see some whales before you'd even got off the plane too, that's amazing!

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  6. Your latest adventures blew my mind, seriously! You do everything what I've been dreaming about for the past few years. Amazing landscape!! Greenland is on my bucket list. How long did you stay there?

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    1. I had only 2 days to explore Kulusuk. Make sure to book Kulusuk hotel at least 6 months in advance. Lots of visitors don't get any rooms so they only do a day trip and back again to Reykjavik or other cities in Greenland

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  7. utterly brilliant! what a simply amazing place! thanks so much for sharing!

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    1. You're welcome. Greenland is really amazing :)

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  8. Anonymous29/8/14 23:43

    oh no, fokker!!!
    the hell out loud machine sounds nearly deft me for sure, but i guess your "fun" flight must be worth even more when you know what you dealing with once you''ve landed

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    Replies
    1. yes, the machine was pretty loud but it's worth it lah :))

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  9. beautiful Greenland, although it doesn't look green :))

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  10. hanya bisa mengaguminya tanpa tahu kapan bisa ke sana hehe... suka ama pengalamannya..ngiri

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    1. semoga suatu hari mendarat di Greenland juga ya. Aminnn :D

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  11. totally in looppppp ini ciiiciii with Greenland <3
    travelling bukan lagi soal pengen liat menara eiffel ato menara pisa..tapi sekarang soal pengen ke Greenland oneday
    hfuwhfuhfu God grant my wish ^,^

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amiennnn....semoga doanya terkabul ya :)

      Delete

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