CONQUERING THE ARCTIC NORTH POLE

So the wanderer in me is dying to escape again. I was born a wanderer and I will continue and choose to be a wanderer.I am beginning to believe that I am the unmistakable nemesis of some famed explorers eons of years ago- one of whom is my all time favorite: Ferdinand Magellan who ,by history accounts, supposedly discovered the Philippines accidentally by shipwreck.Whether that is true or not, I'll take it ,if only to indulge myself to be remotely and wishfully associated to someone who made it through history books.But where is my next conquer? I've had it with big cities-San Francisco,New York, LA,Paris,Rome,London even with my own little city in the Philippines called Laoag. But why the North Pole? It's not definitely a case of my unyielding FATAL ATTRACTION that I dream to pursue this wilderness adventure but for a long while, I had always been curious what Greenland and Iceland is like.These are places that any person, especially a woman in my category and age range , will not dream about for a much anticipated vacation .There are all kinds of reasons not to go to these God forgotten and forsaken lands.The unforgiving,treacherous weather of avalanches,snowstorms,icebergs and glaciers that extends miles and miles away in length and in depth is enough to discourage and scare anybody to explore and set foot on these desolate places.Why will I even venture to tackle and haggle to go? Part of the reason is my unfathomable stubborn edge - the mentality of " I believe I can attitude, my refusal to yield and settle to something mundane and ordinary and my strong conviction that, yes,I am able to conquer these lands. Man (but in my case, woman) against nature and against all odds is not an impossibility.Surely, this land is mine,God gave this land to me. Exodus is my anointed theme song these days.hahaha! Keep on dreaming ,dreams are free. After all,dreams fueled the insatiable longing of the Vikings to conquer the Arctic and discovered Iceland and Greenland.

These are places you only read( if at that) in fiction stories of elves and the ghouls ,the spirits and the unknown forces.So why do I even dare? Part of the attraction for me is because of the mystery these places conjure in my curious wandering mind.The northern hemisphere is definitely not anybody's favorite vacation spot but curiosity gets the better of me so here I am ,going ,roaring and ready to conquer the elusive North Pole.If I don't return home in time for Christmas dinner, you know I've been lost in the wilderness and probably lost in translation with the indigenous Inuit people in Nuuk,Greenland .In another case scenario , either, I am happily dining with the elves in the North Pole or it maybe a good idea to start and rev up the engines of the rescue operation team.

Like a modern day Robinson Crosue , which I hallucinatingly imagine myself to be, in a female form , I started mapping out this trip with utmost care in details and paraphernalia. Went to my local Walmart and Ikea to buy winter gear, a compass, winter coats and hiking boots ,gloves,mittens and mufflers with hoods that can withstand against subzero temperatures which oftentimes go down to -70F. Extreme cold temperatures is as foreign as a tooth fairy to me and my only exposure to a subzero temperature is with a cryostat freezer that I have handled in my laboratory work for frozen specimens. Of course there is always the first time and it will be on this wild and wacky trip to the North Pole. I am not taking any chances .You don't mess around in the Arctic circle with flip flops and lame flimsy clothing that I am used to wear in my native laid back California.No such thing as too many cooks spoil the brew when it comes to prepping my winter gear .California Dreamin isn't calling, rather Iceland and Greenland Dreamin is the more appropriate tone.

Finalizing the details of the trip was a mixed feeling of anticipation and can't wait attitude.A two hour flight from Sacramento to Seatac airport in Seattle with Alaska Airlines .Then, a 3 hour layover before embarking on a long non stop 10 hour connecting flight direct to Reykjavic ,Iceland with Icelandair.Reading the word Icelandair alone , as i printed my flight itinerary , already stirs my mind with all kinds of winter images and we are not even in the middle of October yet.I wonder what will be the menu served in an economy class cabin of Icelandair? Fermented shark which Iceland is known for ,is probably a good possibility for dinner or nothing like freshly caught and slaughtered Moby Dick slices for breakfast.Stay tuned for Mel's continuing exploration of the roads less travelled.