Anyone ever been to Nunavut?

[Bill McBlueState]

Speaking of Canadian geography, has anyone ever been to Nunavut? How did you get there? What did you visit? What does it cost to fly to a place like Iqaluit?

I'm becoming increasingly fascinated by the remote north of Canada. There's so much land up there!

[SmileyBoy]

1. Lots of people are moving to the Northwest Territories/Yellowknife.

Diamonds and oil, baby.

I heard that apartment prices are ridiculously high (Toronto-like prices) in Yellowknife (pop. 17,000).

And you want to know something else???

While Yellowknife has only 17,000 people, check out the city's skyline:

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

3. skyscrapers! neat...

..put that on a "guess the city" thread!

Until I surfed a bit and saw the Yellowknife pix I was thinking this was some semi-frontier small town.....

[SmileyBoy]

4. And here's Iqaluit (pop. 5,500)

Iqaluit's airport:

[Lisa]

9. that white thing on the left is the main hotel ...

for the government and executive types. I attended a conference there in the early 90s, and it was a horrible, pompous facility -- magnetic card key locks that didn't work, and a buffet with exotic tropical fruits. (sigh.)

Far more interesting is the "Old Town", the original townsite down by the lake. It's kind of behind the hotel and to the left. I think it would be way more fun to stay in a B&B down there. (My very first trip, I stayed in the Y, which is behind the cluster of office buildings.)

Cool places to visit -- the Territorial Legislature (spiffy building with aboriginal touches) and the Prince of Wales museum.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

2. They even have their own alphabet

Heres the "nunacom" keyboard layout:

[ForrestGump]

5. Was going to, but then I decided I'd have nunavut

(sorry)

[KamaAina]

6. I believe that HEyHEY interviewed for a job in Iqaluit

in his field, journalism.

Obviously he didn't get it but did get the one in Alta.

Then there was they guy in my Waikiki hotel (when I was still a mere tourist) who had an Iqaluit T-shirt (of all things!)

[Bill McBlueState]

7. Boston to Iqaluit

I can fly from Boston to Iqaluit with a layover in Ottawa for $1200... cheaper than I thought it would be!

[Lisa]

8. I was sort of in that part of the country, before it became Nunavut

Working north of Hudson Bay, in the late 1980s. Does that count?

Flying up there is VERY expensive, I know. (Compared with going to Europe, which has a lot more competition on the routes!) Even getting up to Churchill (rail connection) is pricey. Our team got a scientific grant, and most of it went on airfare.

BUT, it's truly amazing up there.