Kulusuk is the getaway to East Greenland and opportunities for the adventures on and around the island cover everything from cultural encounter to extreme expeditions.
I read it on some tourism brochures and I'm sold. With the best plane window view ever, I knew I already fell in love with this land even before landed.
walking tour to Kulusuk village |
The first thing I did after checking into the only hotel in Kulusuk was joining the walking tour to the village. Guided by one of the hotel staffs, I walked about 6 km distance back and forth from the hotel - across the hill and valley together with some of the hotel guests. The island is actually small, only 8 km from north to south and 11 km from west to east.
cemetery with a view |
After walking over a hilly terrain, we stopped at the village cemetery on a small hill. It's interesting to find that all those white crosses are nameless. The body is only a temporary home, Inuit believes that life is eternal and death is only a transformation from one world to another. That's why they don't put name on the graves because the souls are on a journey to the other side. A world under water and earth, where there are plenty of seal meat and the sky rich on berries. According to them, hell doesn't exist.
When I mentioned to some friends that I was in Greenland, most of them were thinking about lush green island with colourful flowers. Nope, Greenland is anything but green. In fact it's mostly white with hardly any land at all. It's even pretty difficult for plants to grow that the cemetery is festooned with plastic flowers.
pathway to the village |
Summer in Greenland means thousands of crazy flies. These pain- in- the- ass tiny creatures would buzzing and swarming all over your face. So annoying that a lot of people opt to wear mosquito hat net. I left mine in the hotel and I happened to swallow one or ten flies also some stuck inside my nose and ear. While walking, I kept saying "shuuh....shuuh go away" and doing some kung fu motion to keep the flies away. Though it may looked funny, believe me, it was not fun at all!
abandoned dogs :'( |
Suddenly from a far distance I heard a long sad howling. As a dog lover, I recognised it well....it was a sound of dog crying. Naturally I walked faster towards the sound, curious to find what happened to the dog. My eyes noticed some movements behind a hill and I stood stunned in silence....feeling brokenhearted. There were about a dozen of sad faced dogs chained to a wooden thingy with a rotting seal carcass as their food.
"These dogs are being punished because their owner doesn't take a good care of them." I heard the guide were explaining to my group.
"How come the dogs have to be punished when it's not even their fault?" I could feel tears running down my cheeks. I had a mixed feelings of angry, sad and helpless for not able to do anything.
"The owners are too poor to even afford their own life and these dogs became aggressive from hunger and lack of love. Thus they are put in this 'prison' and will be slaughtered."
Kulusuk village |
Feeling devastated, I decided to walk away from the sad scene. I realised travelling doesn't only teach us to see beautiful things but also learning some bitter truths. Whether I like it or not, this is how the local lives, I have to accept the law and culture of this foreign land.
Inuits |
"Most of the Inuits here are pretty poor that sometimes they have to move from one house to another because they can't afford the rent." The guide told me. "They survived mostly from fishing and seal hunting."
Okay, now I kinda feel bad for blaming the dog owner earlier. The life in this village is actually tough. They hunt the seals and keep the carcass under the sea water. If it's not consumed within 3 days, they will feed it to the dogs. Besides hunting, the Inuits get some cash from selling handmade souvenirs. One of them is Tupilaks, 'scary looking' ritualistic figures made from wood, whale bones, tooth and reindeer antler points. In Greenlandic words, 'Tupilak' means an ancestors spirit. It's believed that a tupilak is a home for spirit and previously were used by the shaman to against a foe. Tupilak are often carved based on some figures from Inuit mythology. Pretty interesting, right?
Tupilak |
handmade souvenirs |
with some adorable Inuit kids |
I've just posted some postcards in the post office when I spotted some curious-looking Inuit kids. I waved my hands toward them and pulled a plastic full of candies out my bag.
"Come here. Do you want some candies?" I offered a handful of sweets to them. Though a bit shy, I could see their eyes sparkled with joy and nodded gleefully. They said some words that sounded very foreign to me. I don't know, perhaps they were saying a 'thank you' or anything. I ended up sitting on the post office step and eating candies with these kids. Too bad I don't understand Greenlandic language. Though I was happy to somehow 'communicate' with them.
interior of the church |
the only church in the island |
colourful houses |
cute Greenlandic dogs |
Kulusuk village |
Kulusuk is a remote, mysterious, extreme and a fairy tale like land for me. It seems bizarre yet I feel a strong bond with it. I could actually see myself staying here for a long term while learning about the Inuit life and culture. Maybe one day :)
FREEBIES!
Hey! I still keep some knick knacks that I bought during the trip. So, time for freebies it is!
3 winners will be chosen randomly and will get a package of postcard & keyring from Greenland plus passport cover and luggage tag.
Here's how to join:
1. Make sure you have followed my instagram @debbzie_leksono or twitter @twitdebbzie
2. Tweet this sentence >>> #GiveAway souvenirs from Greenland + passport cover & luggage tag. Join on www.debbzie.com! cc: @twitdebbzie
3. Don't forget to leave your email address and twitter or instagram user ID on the comment box below. So you'll be the first to know when you're chosen as a winner. Hurry! :D
Closing date: 30 November 2014 (closed)
Congratz to @shintaries @gypsysoul04_ @septimelia :)
Itu bongkahan2 es nya keren yaaa macam di pahat2 trus rumahnya sederhana tapi colorfull warna2 nya kece
ReplyDeleteiyaaa, macem2 bentuk iceberg-nya. Cakep banget sampe speechless :)
DeleteAwww. What a magical place. The scenery seems so perfect with its colourful establishments. So sad about the dog.
ReplyDeleteMy twitter account is @danirachmat email dani.rachmat@outlook.com.
will tweet after this. :) thanks!
Yes, it's a magical place for me :)
Deletekalau masuk blog ini selalu bikin iri perjalanan luar negerinya.. ngak apa apa lah... walau belum sempat ke sana saya dah cukup baca blog ini... baca blog ibarat menjelajahi dunia eropa...ma kasih mbak...
ReplyDeletebacanya sambil make a wish aja, semoga suatu hari bisa sampe sini juga. Aku sering begitu kalo baca blog orang lain :)
DeleteRusuh lagi ah klo ada giveaway nya kak Debz, hihihi...
ReplyDeleteSeneng baca petualangannya kak Debz di Greenland tp kasian pas bagian ketemu anjing2 yg dihukum :(
Setuju jg dg kata2 "The body is only a temporary home, life is eternal and death is only a transformation from one world to another and souls are on a journey to the other side"
TOP lah pokoknya blognya kak Debz #ngerayu :D
ratrindra@gmail.com
@ratriic
hahahaha.....pake ngaku mau rusuh disini *kirim Tupilak buat Ratri* :p
DeletePerasaan di poto freebiesnya ga ada Tupilak *merinding*
DeleteAmpuuuun kaak... :D
kan Tupilaknya khusus buat Ratri, kakakaka :p
DeleteJangan2... Tupilaknya yg request minta dikirim ke aq :D :D
Deleteemang mau ditaksir Tupilak? hihihi
DeleteNdak mau kak, saya tidak mau mengganggu hubungan kak Debz dg Tupilak... *sok wise* hahaha...
Delete*jitaq* :))
DeleteAKU AKU AKU MAU IKUT! hihihi.
ReplyDeleteEmail : lohh.sharon@gmail.com
Twitter : @lohsharon
Instagram : @sharon.loh
Yay! Sharon ikutan jugaaa :D
Deleteanjing ya lucu2.. knp gk dibawa pulang 1 ci..
ReplyDeleteasik ikutan kuis lg ah...kali aja yg mau b'day baik hati mau kasi ke diriku
email : agung_real@yahoo.co.id
twiter/instagram : @agungkristiono
kalo bisa pasti udah kubawa pulang semua :'(
DeleteWew... tdk seindah yg kubayangkan sebelumnya ttg greenland. Kecuali bagian es nya yang masih membuatku melting (krn gue hidup di negara tropis jadi melihat bongkahan es dimana-mana masih menarik. Hahaha..#satire) Tapi one day kalo dikasi kesempatan ya pengen kesana juga mencicipi pengalaman yg cakep seperti tulisan debbzie di atas.
ReplyDeletechrys_tanta@yahoo.com
@JunitBamoeth
aminnnn. Semoga bisa jalan2 ke Greenland juga ya :)
Deleteselalu ga suka kalo baca ttg hewan yg dibuang, dibunuh, diburu bgitu.. apalagi hewan2 yg sbnrnya bisa jd sahabat manusia kyk anjing :( Seal jg lucu bnrnya...makanya aku juga paling bnci nntn acara2 ttg hewan2 predator gitu mba... ngerti sih, itu udh rantai alam... tp tp ga tega :(
ReplyDeletesama Fan, aku juga paling ga tegaan kalo liat binatang luka atau dibunuh :((
DeleteCi Debzzz mau passport cover nya yang lutju bingitsss donggg ;-) ... plus diksh foto ci Debzz yg paling tjantik jg boleh
ReplyDelete:-D
Email: timothy.wpawiro@outlook.com
Instagram ID: timothywpawiro
Twitter ID: @timothywpawiro
XOXO
:-D
*kasih foto Tupilak yang tjantik* :p
Deleteyuni,indri02@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteIG nd twitter : @yuuunique
thanks udah join :)
DeleteEvery time I see photos from Greenland I say I want to go but end up not doing it. I will for sure in 2015.
ReplyDeleteGreenland is a beautiful place worth to visit. Hope you'll make it soon :D
DeleteYa Tuhan Indaah bangeeeet, paling adem buka ini blog kalo lagi tripsick. hihii
ReplyDeletekalo honeymoon disini, dunia bener2 milik berdua lho, hihihi
DeleteEmail: tuty.utut@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteTwitter: @tuty_utut
IG: tutymohamad
thanks udah join :)
DeleteCantikk bangett kak... Gerett akohhh kesana plissss kakkk ... *gelendotanKakdebz*
ReplyDeleteTwitter: @debby_Nadia
Email: debbynadiap@gmail.com
aku juga rela digeret balik kesanaaaa #ehhh :p
Deleteya ampun, ya ampun .. colorfull banget, Kak Deb .. astagaaa .. ngeliat via blogmu aja aku bahagia, gimana kalo kesana langsung .. lucky you .. ;)
ReplyDeleteemail : noerazhka@gmail.com - twitter account : @noerazhka - IG account : noerazhka
aslinya jauh lebih cantikkkkk, Noer. Ai pol in lope :p
DeleteLove traveling too, i hope i can travel like you do
ReplyDeleteEmail : zulidadwi@gmail.com
Don't stop dreaming and make it happen :)
DeleteKak debbie, sejujurnya baru kali ini aku gk suka baca postingan kk. Well even i can't hv dogs but i love them. I never agree if they're being victim of humans with anything reason! But if it's cause of culture, wht should i do?
ReplyDeleteTapi aku penasaran kak, desa unik ini lebih dingin mana yah sama Rjukan (kota di Norwegia yg tiap tahun hewan"nya sampai beku saking alamnya kejam) ato Longyearbyen (saking dinginnya org disana dilarang meninggal, blhnya di kota tetangga yg suhunya lbh manusiawi. Di Norwegia jg).
Walaupun baca posting ini sambil nangis, tapi aku bahagia krn kak debbie sll bs jd motivator aku. Aku jg ingin foto norak brg salju
Ditunggu ya kak kiriman saljunya setoples,
Email: nintya.ramadhini@gmail.com
Twitter: @NintyaSR
Insta: @nintyaramadhini (i'm your stalker)
Aku juga sedihhhhh banget pas liat ekspresi anjing2 ini. Beneran mereka nangis sampe melolong, minta dilepasin. Kata guide, mereka udah seminggu diiket disini dan kalo gak ada yang nolong bakal dibunuh :((
DeleteKemarin aku ke Kulusuk pas summer, jadi biarpun dingin masih oke lah. Ntar ya, aku kirimin salju pake termos es :p
Huff. Udah ah gk mau bahas nanti nangis lagi yg ada. Hoo gitu. Tapi disana sinar matahari ada kak? Bener ya kak tapi smpe sini udh cair yg ada haha
Deletepas summer sih terang terus langitnya. tapi ntar pas winter hampir sepanjang hari gelap dan dinginnnnn >.<
DeleteNice story, Deb... Entah kenapa lihat kompleks makamnya nggak ada kesan serem, malah keceeee banget. Ehmm tanah kubur di sana murah nggak ya? *nyicil tanam daun emas* hehehe
ReplyDeleteCoba ikutan freebies-nya ahh...
Twitter : @halim_san
Email : halimsantoso84@gmail.com
IG : halimsantoso
tanah kuburan idaman ini emang, Lim. Cantik banget ya :D
DeleteHi, kak! This is my very first time ever to read about traveling to Greenland. And voila~ it captivates my heart. Surely I wanna give a shot to visit Greenland someday. The Inuits may seem to survive their life so hard, but their life is actually so colorful; make outsiders look at them with a wide range of perspectives. And yes, just like what we can see from the colors of buildings there (oh, that captivates my heart the most!), colors become a language for them; to tell everyone how deep and mysterious they are. And we will stay curious and curious.
ReplyDeleteThis is actually also my first time visiting your blog, kak. Just like the Inuits did, this post makes the grade to captivate my heart, and I think I will start kepo-ing previous posts haha.
And please count me in your freebies!
Email: septimeliautami@gmail.com
Ig, Twitter: @septimelia
Fb: Septi Melia Utami
Thanks for stopping by, Melia :)
DeleteSemoga betah kepo-ing my blog ya, hahahaha.
sebelumnya cuma tau lewat IG, tapi pas udah tau blognya ternyata lebih iwoow lagi <3
ReplyDeletevery inspiring to travel oneday ^^
dan Kulusuk ini oemjih oemjih indaaahnya..though their life is pretty poor, but God gives them an invaluable pretty scenery.
ditunggu knickknacks nya ciciii awesome <3
iyaaa_tya@yahoo.com / IG=iyaaatya / Twitter=iyaaatya
thanks udah join kuis yaaaa :D
DeleteCinta deh,, Kak Debb...!!skalian nimbrung pengen souvenirnya,, hehehe...
ReplyDeleteEmail : frebinasari_yuki@yahoo.com
ID twitter : @Frebina_4JieSPi
makasih udah nimbrung :)
DeleteHello Mbak Debb!
ReplyDelete*selalu muncul kalo ada freebies* hahahaha.
Itu di cemetery-nya kalau malam, gelap dan horror nggak, Mbak? Dan yg jelas dingin banget ya pasti.. Bisa kelihatan dari bongkahan-bongkahan esnya.. Hiiii. Anyway, gambar rumah-rumah yang colorful gini pernah aku liat di wallpaper hp temenku. Nggak nyangka, kamu bisa ke sana beneran Mbak. Gak cuman liat dari HP orang doang, huhuhu.
Keep inspiring yah Mbak Debb :)
Twitter: @shititsemily
Instagram: @shititsemily
Email: shititsemily@yahoo.co.uk
gak serem sama sekali tuh cemetery-nya. Hotelnya malah ga terlalu jauh dari kuburan ini. Kemaren kesana pas summer jadi ga terlalu dingin. Kalo winter sih katanya cuma bisa diakses naik dog sled gitu :)
DeleteKeren ya rumahnya Warna warni, jadi ingat film the secret life of walter mitty
ReplyDeleteTwitter: @tiantosurizu
Email: Sulistianto.id@gmail.com
ah bener! kayaknya walter mitty ada yg lokasi di Greenland ya :)
Deletei just realized, on that cemetery there were beautiful flowers bouquets right?
ReplyDeleteitu dari pelayat atau memang udah ada di situ dari awalnya yah ci deb? soalnya kalo dilihat-lihat hampir semuanya ada bunganya
Instgram: @meidianakusuma
kalo aku dapet, aku di whatsapp langsung yah :*
*mau cup luggage tag* ahhahahaha milihh
mereka pake bunga plastik, Mei. Udah dari pas ngubur dikasih bunga. Soalnya jarang tanaman atau bunga yang bisa tumbuh di tanah sana, hihihi
Deleteeh ity ada yg miripp maxxiii *nunjuk ke foto terakhir*
ReplyDeletelebih nakal maxi tapinya. Eh, maxi nyariin kamu lho, Mei :p
Deletehaloo mbak debz :))
ReplyDeletesalam kenal :D
aaak suka banget sama foto2 cerahnyaa
yang foto makam latar laut itu bongkahan esnya kayak bebek gowess deh kalo dilihat sekilas :pp
dan rumah-rumahnya cantik banget atulahh warna warniii gitu
btw ikutan ahh bagi-bagi gratisannya
ig @travelenno
twitter @retnoandriani
email travelenno@gmail.com
salam kenal juga. makasih udah ramein kuis freebies ya :)
DeleteWhat a wonderful experience, Deb! Have never visited Greenland, I wish so much I could go one day...!
ReplyDeleteGreenland is so beautiful, Lily. I hope you will visit it one day :)
DeleteJadi pengen ke Greenland nih , mudah mudahan keturutan
ReplyDeleteemail : agus_gayungan@yahoo.com
twitter : @agusmulyono2011
IG : @agusmul2012
aminnn. semoga bisa kesini juga ya, om Agus :)
DeleteTraveling really demands us to always be prepared for anything, including seeing things that can break our hearts. But there's always a reason for what we see, and as you said, for the people of Kulusuk life is already tough.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I really love those icebergs, seemingly floating near the land. What a magical sight! Ah Debbie, you're one of the very few Indonesian people who have been to Greenland, I believe. Where else will life take you? Somewhere exotic? :)
In Kulusuk seems like there are more icebergs than people. And yes, icebergs is beautiful. I could spend my whole day just gazing at them. My ultimate dream destinations are antarctica and ethiopia. Hopefully it will come true one day :)
DeleteIG @NURAULIA25
ReplyDeletetwitter @nurauliaaa
email nuraulia251010@gmail.com
Semoga dapet hadiah lucu dari kak Deb :)
Good luck! Makasih udah join :)
DeleteJadi pengen ke greenland :( ngeliat bongkahan es batunya jalan kayanya seger.. hehe
ReplyDeleteEmail: trifunnyjaizah@ymail.com
Twitter: @tjfunny
IG: @triff_
Udara disana non polusi. Seger banget :)
DeleteWonderfullll bgttt
Deletechemarcenda@yahoo.co.id
Joined this giveaway
ReplyDeleteHope to win these items! Btw Kak Debbzie foto-fotonya dan ceritanya selalu amazing !
Hope to go there one day... tapi yang mau banget itu ke Verona, City where Romeo and Juliet story takes place
:)
My instagram : @cdesiani
Twitter : @cdeci96
email : cdesiani@gmail.com
Verona is also a pretty city. Hope you will visit it one day :)
DeleteHi Cici yang selalu kece! Cerita dan foto-fotomu selalu bikin pengen kelayapan melulu :P
ReplyDeleteBtw, my e-mail is: josefine.yaputri@gmail.com
Semoga bisa menang souvenirnya! :P
kamu kan emang selalu kelayapan, Sefinnnnn :*
DeleteI've never heard the Kulusuk village. I've only just knew it after read Debbzie's blog. By the way, how cold the weather in Kulusuk village? I saw the snowball had float in sea water. I thought it is very cold. And then the house is pretty cute with colorful.
ReplyDeleteI was there during summer, so the weather was just great. Not too cold :)
DeleteAlthough in summer, I think it's so cold because in the north of equator dude.... Basically I never felt the four seasons. Hehehehe...
DeleteKak deeeb, ngga mau buat travel book gitu? :((( terus bikin gathering buat sign buku sekalian share travel stories nya :c
ReplyDeleteTwitter: @farahhfzh
IG: farahhfzh
Email: keybeoms@yahoo.com
aminnn, doain ya. One day bakal nulis buku juga :)
DeleteSuper awesome!
ReplyDeleteTwitter: @melisamds
Ig: melisamds
Email: emailnyamelisa@gmail.com
yes, it is :D
DeleteHello debz :D
ReplyDeleteJoin your giveaway, wish me luck
Twitter: @shintaries
Ig: shintaries
Email: shintaries@gmail.com
good luck, Shinta! :D
DeleteHeeeey Deb! Fun adventure & amazing shots you snapped there. What camera gear do you use? :) Anyway, my e-mail is salthair-dontcare@outlook.com and my twitter/instagram account is @gypsysoul04_
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anna! I use Canon G11 and Canon 650D :)
DeleteWahhh... villa Kulusuk keren ya... Colorful gitu :D
ReplyDelete*kunjungan pertama, kayaknya bakal betah nih*
Sekalian ikutan GA nya, boleh kan, mbak?
Twitter: @siimisfil
E-mail: v2ituaza@yahoo.com
Terima kasih ^^
Salam kenal...
Salam kenal juga, Selvia :)
Deletewah...ini tempat memang sangat khas yah ...
ReplyDeletesalam mba debi kunjungan pertam ku kesini sangat menarik baca tulisanmu
Salam kenal, Ajie. Makasih udah mampir sini yah :D
Delete