Someone may ask me: do I travel by myself? The answer is Yes.
Except for the graduation trip, I prefer the budget travel alone, with my family or with friends.
I like to arrange the itinerary by myself and I think I do well with that.
Maybe I am a egoist that I always insist on what I planned to do, such as arranging the holiday in Norway one year ago.
But I'm still reasonable.
How many people could decide their holiday so early? I don't know.
However, that is not the matter of your money or the days for holidays. It's all your decision and will.
I'm not rich but I get the strong will for the journey no matter how much it would cost.
As for the trip served by the travel agency, if the schedule is what I want, I will also consider it.
The budget travel doesn't means that you have to take the local transportations or drive by yourself for all the journey.
Otherwise, no one could explorer the Arctic by himself. You must join the cruise.
The main point is that you do all the decision and choose what you want by yourself.
We still need help from others for the accommodation, the dinning, the transportation and etc.
Thanks to the Gadventures, I have great Arctical experience for a week.
Just as the bear doll laid on the recieption desk, it's a little sad to say goodbye.
After the final breakfast, all the guests are transported to the airport or the Radission hotel.
In my original plan, I'm supposed to stay at the Longyearbyen camping beside the airport.
The purpose is to watch the wildlife such as the reindeer, but the expedition has already given what I want.
So, it seems not necessary to go camping.
Therefore, I change the plan.
Before finding the accommodation for the next two days, I go to the bird colony for photographing the arctic tern.
About the wildlife photographing, I still have to learn more.
Though the equipment, especially the lens, is important and the knowledge and skill are also necessary, the key is the patience.
You have to try any location and any angle for a good view.
The composition is quite complex even you have read the books.
Today, I want to try a way for photographing the arctic tern: to photograph under the arctic tern before it try to attack me.
This is a special method only suitable for the aggressive bird.
Except for this, my schedule todat is empty and free.
Walking on the road nearby the bird colony, it's easy to be attacked.
Of course, I hold the red pole for the protection with one hand and hold my camera with another.
The distance would be very close, so you don't need the telescopic lens.
Trying for a few times, I get the images I want and thus finish the photographing.
After all, I also don't want to bother it for a long time.
Since the only thing is finished, the next is to find my accommodation.
Among all the accommodations, Guesthouse102 is cheap but also far from the town center.
It's not ideal for walking to the main street and bird colony, as carrying heavy bags or food would be very tiring.
Besides, I also want to try different accomodation.
Under such a consideration, I go to Mary-Ann's Polarrigg that is not far from the town center with the reasonable price.
However, I could not find anyone and the reception such as I go to the wrong place.
Maybe today is sunday....Well, I don't know.
Because the rests are all hotel, I book the Spitzbergen Hotel regardless of the price.
Sometimes, it's fine to enjoy your life well. The money could ne earned anytime.
The internet speed is much better in this hotel, and my first thing is to watch all the e-mails and messages since I didn't access to the outer world for a week.
I also upload some of my photos to show the excellent scenes of the Arctic to my friends.
In the morning tomorrow. Yes, it's already tomorrow.
After I finished the affairs on the internet, I took a walk on the main street yesterday.
It's fine even without any exciting activity. The nice temperature, the sunshine....that's good.
The street was in the silence but I met Susan and the crews with brief hello.
Sunday was also the day they welcome another group of tourists for the expedition.
The leisure should be precious for them too.
You don't have to fill all the blanks on your schedule.
Even I only took photos of the arctic tern and strolled freely, it's just fine.
Walking on the street on Monday morning, the tourists are numerous.
Some tourists may left here, but some tourists also came here.
One of the shops displays a big polar bear model outside.
No matter it's helpful for the business or not, it's for sure that the tourists are all interested in taking photos with the bear.
I book the dog sledding in the afternoon.
Before the activiity, I go to the bird colony again.
This time, I'm waiting for the catching moment of the arctic tern on the lagoon.
There is an arctic tern flying to the lagoon for food for several times.
So, I wait for the moment in a reasonable distance.
It's a pity that the focal length is not long enough and it's also hard to predict the exact location where the arctic tern flys downwards.
When you notice its action by eyes, there is only a short moment to get your camara focusing the surface of the water.
I try until the arctic tern flys away, but I don't get any ideal image.
It's a mystery for me that may be answered by the experienced photographer.
Three o'clock in the afternoon, it's time to see my favorite animal, the dog.
You might think that the dog sledding should be the winter activity.
In fact, it's still available in summer for the dogs could drag the wagon instead of the sled.
They are really powerful~~
Being Picked up by the Svalbard Husky, we go to the dogyard first.
The sledding dogs here are mostly the Alaska Huskey that is friendly to strangers while the Greenlandic dog might bite you.
Every dog has its own name. I don't know how could the manager remember all the names for 40 dogs.
The region for the sledding is called Bjørndalen, Bear Valley, on Svalbard that is about 8km west-southwest of Lngyearbyen.
Precisely speaking, we drive on the path at the mountainside toward the airport where the powerplant is nearby.
The wagon is already in the start location, so the dogs are delivered here in the cage.
After harnessing the dogs for the sled team, we are ready for a drive.
By the way, you are welcome to harness the dog on your own.
In the halfway, the dogs will need water supply for the sunny day is hot for them.
And we also encounter the dog fight for the dog crash that one of the dogs is not willing to run after that.
Thus, this dog stays on the wagon with us.
I take an interesting image while the dog is sitting in front of the driver.
Heading toward the airport, this area is where I also want to explorer.
Nearby the Longyearbyne camping is a beautiful sea accompanied with lagoons and birds.
Basically, the birds are not different from those in the bird colony.
In this aspect, giving up to camp here is the right decision.
Otherwise, I won't enjoy the sledding now.
The activities I joined in Longyearbyen, including the hiking southward the glacier, the city sightseeing, and the dog sledding, cover all the areas around Longyearbyen.
Finally, I could leave here without regreat tomorrow.
By the way, though the camping site is not far from the airport.
The steep track is not good for the tourist with the heavy luggage case.
The long coastal road is easy but longer, and the only way to arrive here is to call the taxi.
A special challenge, the naked polar plunge, welcomes the tourists from all over the world.
The offical website has the records from 2010 to 2012, and you also see some pictures on the facebook "Arctic Naked Bathing Club".
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