The Wandering Cinderella: time to say goodbye

we arrived in ilulissat by mid-morning. it was quite a busy harbor, so it took a while to eye a good docking spot. through the narrow passage, our dear captain navigated thru and expertly parked moonlight. it was so amazing.

we had our final briefing, to close off the trip. just cleaning up the rooms; that there is no more lunch onboard; that we will have a final farewell dinner at Hotel Arctic. we were free to do anything we wish otherwise. we then found out who's leaving when: karel, emma and pieter were all flying out tonight right after dinner. olivier, daniel and i were flying out the next morning to kangerlussuaq, but jonas is also joining us on the flight to copenhagen. peter, well, he's sticking around for one more trip.

we all pretty much headed out at the same time, but we're parked next to a fishing vessel, and we had a little chit chat with the captain. the boat was full of young scandinavians. apparently the kids are doing part-time work sailing out to greenland while working. they get to enjoy greenland, but they have to work for it - and working in a fishing boat is not easy. good on them.

the last time i was here it was drizzling, so i didn't have much chance to explore. just a quick visit to the grocery store for supplies. today we had perfectly blue skies and mild weather. a great day for a stroll.

i'm crazy about arctic cotton grass!

i also had a map from the hotel when we first came here and so i knew that there was this hong kong cafe in town. i was dying to eat asian food, so i tagged olivier along and we had lunch there. it was a nice little diner with a fantastic view. i had prawn fried rice and he had tom yum noodle soup. they were pretty good but the servings were huge, they're definitely not asian-sized. (again, no food photos)

view from hongkong cafe

we walked further around town and saw a nice spot to view the distant fjord. we had earlier passed by a grocery and agreed to buy some stuff for breakfast in the morning since we're flying out together, and i saw some local beers. the beers in moonlight were from belgium, and the beers in a couple of bars we've been to were from denmark. so when i saw these beers brewed in nuuk, i had to get them.

a perfect afternoon

we headed back just in time to leave for dinner. restaurant ulo is a pretty popular high-end restaurant in ilulissat (for lack of many alternatives i presume) so we had to book days ahead. there were indeed a lot of people when we arrived - tourists of course - and the waitstaff explained that we all will be served the same dish (as opposed to us having an option what dishes we like) since we're a big group. "we're starving, so just feed us anything, really" was what i thought.

serving dinner took a while, we were almost worried that those leaving tonight would have to go before food arrives. luckily they didn't have to. food was fantastic, albeit rather tiny. after dinner we bid farewell to the newlyweds and pieter. it's always difficult but inevitable in any trip. i hate saying goodbyes :(

a perfect company

before leaving, paps and i took advantage of the nice views outside the restaurant for a quick photo shoot. i wanted to send something to my mother in law that would thrill her.

and so, from 13 we are now 10. the night was young, and dinner was light, so rob suggested to go to this bar where they got pizza last time. we didn't get food though (i think kitchen was closed?) but we had beers instead. the group tried to rile paps into sharing juicy army stories haha. after some time more people poured in, and some bouncers reported for duty. we can imagine that this bar called naleraq is the place to be for locals to party on a weekend.

we figured it would get too loud for talking, so we headed back to the yacht. i was looking forward to resting soon because we had to leave at 7 for our flight. you should know by now, that every single time i'm thinking of going to bed early something always comes up. this time, mission arctic - our neighbors while docked - were having a little party. paps took a bottle of whiskey and announced that we will crash a party. ah, who can say no to the captain? :)

caught red-handed. and whiskey-handed.

soon after, cans and cans of jupiler were moved from moonlight to theirs. jan also brought some sausages. the neighbors were playing the soundtrack of top gun. altogether we sang and screamed ride..in..to..the..dangeeer..zoooooone!

beers before an early flight IS the danger

the fun and laughter and drinks and camaraderie were drowned out by the magnificent sunset unfolding. it was the perfect ending to this trip.

bliss.

my mind was doing a playback. it's amazing what three weeks together can do to strangers. when we came here, we were from all walks of life. there's a dentist who is also a record holder for ultra running. he's recently married to a property manager. one guy is a spokesperson for a political party in belgium (green) and his dad is a gifted man who performs sound healing. there's a lawyer, a pilot, and a photographer. and then, plain old me, a ~~clown~~ glorified fintech project manager.

in this trip, we were none of these (well, except peter, who was a professional photographer thru and thru). we were just a group of people sailing and hiking together. some cooked while the others prepared the table or washed the dishes. we shared food with each other. we drank a lot. laughed a lot. we enjoyed sharing comfortable silence together as some people read their books while the others just enjoy the beauty of the surroundings as we sailed.

i think that something about this trip, no matter how little, would change us. perhaps i'm speaking for myself, because this is especially true for me. this was truly the expedition of a lifetime.

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to sofie, willem, rob, jan (and paps) - thank you. i wish puffins wild success (i have no doubt!), and that more people like me would embark on such a memorable journey in moonlight. you guys are the minds behind the craft.

to sofie - you are a smart and totally cool and admirable woman. don't ever change!

to willem - your unparalleled passion for exploration is amazing. thanks for taking us to all these wild places that i never thought i would ever set foot on.

to jan - i enjoyed the 'pocket chats' that we have - you always do small talks even when you're busy working. i appreciate that. you're funny and sweet, you should put that on tinder!

to rob - i know we didn't spend a lot of time talking, but on those rare moments that you join the group, it was truly awesome.

to daniel and jonas - seeing you enjoy this trip together was an inspiration, and i wish to be that cool parent too, who'd get to travel with my son someday. and jonas - i raise my glass to you, you professional alcoholic ;-)

to emma and karel - you guys are crazy, doing a honeymoon with a bunch of oddballs like us! haha! kidding aside though, you guys are a powerful force! i hope that you did not regret spending your honeymoon with us. (p.s. i still want to be your kid in my next life) (p.p.s. emma - i still dream of that chocolate mousse and cobbler)

to peter - thank you for tolerating me for being your roommate! our room was a mess! i truly enjoyed the moments we spent chit-chatting, exchanging personal stories about relationships and what not. thanks for always encouraging me to find joy in the midst of my hiking pains :)

to pieter - i said it before and i'll say it again, i am forever grateful for the introduction to QOTSA! i will always cherish our music moments together (but still hate you for seeing all my favorite bands in concert). don't forget your pinky swear on beers next year.

to olivier - thanks for looking after me throughout this journey. your positive energy is infectious. i always smile when i'm reminded of you, mister sunshine.