Diomedes: The Island at the world
A 67 degrees below zero one can get a bit annealed. Little Diomede Island has a habit of punishing the visiting, is usually a bad mood, with twisted gesture on ice, polar winds puffing claiming his desire to be alone, lost to follow one of the corners of the world. Here, men we feel out of place.
We wanted to find the most remote Alaskan Eskimos, but the igloos have been melting in the heat of a heating subsidized by the state and to the cabins stationed on the banks of the rivers have been abandoned to their fate. The Eskimos pilgrimage south, to big cities where they find a human refuge and joy of alcohol, prohibited on Indian reservations in North America.
But, there is a place that still resists the weather and the reason. I do not remember which of us had the idea of traveling to the Diomede Islands. Anyway, there we drove a 25 Jan., after drinking three beers, two planes from Fairbanks and a helicopter from Wales, the westernmost city in America.
The largest of the islands belong to Russia and the U.S. Small, that was where we landed. Both are in the middle of the Bering Strait, one beside the other, the latest front in the Cold War Over the world who ever lived. Just three miles separate Asia and America at this point, three miles that some have tried to cross unconscious. In winter, the weather turns the sea into solid plates, in an area "walkable", but the capricious currents break the ice and engulf the dreamers and adventurers. Some intrepid also succumbed to attack by polar bears and other, simply, have died of cold, frozen.
They are in the middle of the Bering Strait, one beside the other, the latest front in the Cold War Over the world who ever lived. Just three miles separate Asia and America at this point.
These are just three miles but this is perhaps the most puzzling of the world tour. Whoever gets to avoid the risks and rewards reach a triple honor: walk from one continent to another on the sea, cross the border between West and East of the planet and also, time travel. The largest of the islands live on one day in advance about the Eskimos of Little Diomede. "Here you can hunt and eat a bear tomorrow today". The phrase is an American Eskimo, rifle in hand, guarding the white horizon Bering Sea. The line of the universal date change separates the two islands. This is, literally, World's End, and the end of the world is scary.
The village is inhabited by Diomedes 140 Eskimos live in houses frosted. Out, ice covers everything: the boats buried, the snow plows, roofs and to numb the eye of men.
We stayed at the school, sheltered from the radiators and the hidden face of the council of elders inquisitor Eskimos who were charged 600 per ride for his people with a video camera. The journalists were not welcome here and they showed all answering our questions with an icy silence as the landscape.
Those people were the children and grandchildren of former gunners, hunting of bears and whales, descendants of the warriors who were greeted with a rain of spears to the first European explorers. The Dane Vitus Bering Strait ended by naming the most widespread theory but claims it was the Russian Seimon Dezhnev the first white man to arrive in the islands. To us it did not matter, because in that place feels any pioneer, wherever a browser or timeless sense of time is unclear.
The paucity of the Eskimos was just one problem. The usual gloom to the recording did not help. Dawn at eleven and nap time it was dark, so every day we spent five hours between the beaches of ice and the two streets that cross the village. But the main adversity reached the North Pole: the wind blowing without restraint and conjured up in the cold to cause paralysis to every living thing floating around. Almost 70 degrees below zero wind chill.
At one time stood still, took off one glove and pulled his fingers something like a lens of ice which prevented him from seeing. He had frozen the liquid in one eye.
My camera operator, Alfonso, could hardly be handled with gloves, but they were insensitive hands in seconds. At one time stood still, took off one glove and pulled his fingers something like a lens of ice which prevented him from seeing. He had frozen the liquid in one eye. Then, replaced his glove and continued to record, without saying anything.
I had to make a presentation on camera, but could not vocalize because I was stiff from the cold. After several minutes came our producer, José Luis, I shouted to run to school. My nose and part of my face was completely white. They were the first signs of hypothermia. The cameras stopped working shortly after and had to thaw before continuing objective recording. That's when I asked: "What the hell am I doing here?”
And just at the moment, children came to play in the street, running on snow, making ice slides, disarming our morale of adventurers.
As the days passed, Eskimos gesture relaxed with our presence. Witnessed almost on tiptoe dances where the men play a drum made of whale guts and women seduce a few young people still resist on the island. It is a game where statistics can leave you without a girlfriend, without comfort and without a future.
Another man invited us to dinner polar bear meat, that has the texture of a steak anyone with a fishy aftertaste
After, walk through the town that nevertheless retains its church, his nurse and even a laundry, for the Eskimos do not lose faith, health and decorum in this place lost in the corners of a world map. Endure each day recording storms and enduring ice shrapnel shrapnel seemed to blizzard, Camera thaw often, stumbled in the snow and planted the tripod on solid waters of the Bering Sea, like someone sticks a banner to conquer impossible dreams.
Maybe that's why, those warriors, that and just playing war in the Play Station, decided that after all could help foreigners. Just ice fishing with one of the young and the same evening, another man invited us to dinner polar bear meat, that has the texture of a steak anyone with a fishy aftertaste. The weather also gave us a truce at the last moment and the ice gave in to a timid sun during the morning when we were, allowing us to glimpse for the first time the blue sea water more ruthless than I've ever seen.
Children gave us walrus bones and even the council of elders went to the heliport to say goodbye. As we took off, I saw them go the last greetings, the last stronghold of Alaska Eskimo, anchored there on the end of the.
Comments (41)
Bea
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Fantastic post!!! Your blog is too addictive!!!!
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Javier Brandoli
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It should be mandatory for all who fail to heed this page watch the video and read this story. You can not always see how to live in the world
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ricardo
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Brutal. Exceptional testimony. The word and talent do not freeze even in these hostile ice. Congratulations and thanks Dani.
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Daniel Landa
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The truth is that the place itself is so impressive that it's hard not to portray or have unusual is the island of Diomedes. Thanks to the three!
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Miguel
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Very good chronic
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Cotito
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is incredible as was full of snow
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Dany
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It must be magic reach such a remote… 🙂
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Daniel Landa
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The truth is that it is unrealistic, oneiric… so yeah, I prefer the magic of impossible places!
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Lydia Peiró
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This was one of the programs that impressed me. It was almost unreal.
Response to a question at a islander, that said something like did not you leave raised? I was surprised how naturally they said no, because he had always lived there and was home. Even in the most adverse conditions, humans and even forfeited adapts to change their lives.
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Iria Coast
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2 Wonder Years,51 countries visited, kids are worth much!!! Keep it up!!
Muack! 😀
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Laura
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Happy new year Daniel and company!!!
Hopefully this year delighting follow us with stories and pictures as amazing as the Island of Diomedes.
Thanks and regards
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Daniel Landa
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Happy New Year, Laura, you too, try to continue traveling to the remote web. VAP is a meeting of people concerned so here we will.
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jomca
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Fantastic. One of my favorite chapters in a world apart. And in these wbe so well told by dani. Thanks
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Iria Coast
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Happy añooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOO 🙂
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Gloria Bárzana
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I've studied a lot about the Eskimos and for some strange reason I always wanted to cross the Bering Strait. Sincerely, outweigh the desire knowing the real challenge posed! and wonder: Am I nutty???
Have you heard of a group of Eskimos who still lives “the former”? A hug and thanks for sharing the world with us.
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Daniel Landa
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Hello Gloria. The truth is that there are few in Alaska Eskimos living in the traditional way. You have to move to Greenland or Russia to see something more primitive and do not know if you will stand a igloo, but I encourage you to go to the Bering Strait. I guess if you batty, but that's the fun is not it?
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María Cristina Ortiz
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I'm passionate chronicle pc. on the islands. In julio/2012, visite Alaska, adentrándome in its territory. I wanted to verify certain concepts. And I did!
Greetings
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Flavio
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Hello, interesting. I'm producing a TV program and spend x there. As I can contact you? I would see if you can give me advice! Thanks! Fkavio
ff@africala.org
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Mayte
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Hats off to this gorgeous image and each episode of A World Apart. Thanks again, Daniel, for such best gift
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Daniel Landa
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Thank you Mayte, to accompany our adventures!
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Mayte
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Soy unable to lose a solo program, last year saw each juueves at night and on the afternoon of Friday on TV2. In this issue recente I enjoy every Friday and saturday. I am absolutely engachada! It makes me very short each episode and I'm sad to be thirteen and many more. My sincerest congratulations to achieve a job well done and bring it to our screens with the delicacy debanda luxury sound and that narrador.Gracias
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Daniel Landa
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Thanks Mayte. Since mention, just tell the musician's documentary A World Apart is Iván Palomares and the narrator is called José Barreiro, two off series! Certainly, in this section VaP., I would like to remind you that Nacho Sotomayor puts music to most video and certainly for me has been a discovery!
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Mayte
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Thank you for such detailed information and for your quick response. If I say I'm enganchadísima, because believe me when I say that I inquired about the author d hacetiempo music and discovered some partw reading choice narrador.Y d J.Barrientos as I see and I shall look vistp documentaries. But this is why…A world apart! And what WORLD!
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Mayte
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Daniel, please, My apologies for the above message falltas, quise decir José Barreiro, I heard her voice in advertising and is also unmistakable, a success of your trabajo.En more about the music…hair stand on end…is provided cuidadísima
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The travel magazine with stories Ushuaia is not the end of the world » The travel magazine with History
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[…] I could not help grinning nostalgic by the sign. I knew the end of the world, I thought, is called Little Diomede Island and is far from […]
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Bertha.
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Thanks for everything, Daniel. I've been hooked on these small islands are curious sea. I can not imagine life as it should be nearly 70 degrees below zero, and more with the horrible heat I'm going through now. I wish you could visit Uelen, because the location of this town is very curious. I do not understand how some people can live in such enclaves.
Greetings.
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Mamen
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I totally agree with Mayte. In a travelogue should say that the best are the images, but still these great, what has me glued to the TV every Friday is music, the narrator's voice and entertaining narrative. Congratulations on such a wonderful job. And today the last chapter ...... Pity! Will there be a fourth issue?
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Daniel Landa
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Thanks Mamen! Well hope you have a continuation. Course, I, in case, I have the case made!
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Carlos Montaño Pardo
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Friends, I live very close to Bolivia and the Bolivian ecological reserves, the famous PARK MADIDI, you have 2 income: one Rurrenavaque population and the second by Apollo, I live in Apollo, to reach my people must first from La Paz in fleet, the trip takes 14 hours, the landscapes are incredible and you climb up 4.700 m.s.n.m. and slowly lower to the 1.400 m.s.n.m. after reaching my population, You can enter the park in just 2 hours in mobility and get down to the 530 m.s.n.m. the experience is unforgettable.
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angels
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Internet browsing and reading recently about the first humans and theories about the peopling of the Americas occurred to me googling about Bering Strait today, I found that the only narrow stand 2 islands in the ice that runs around, I happened to investigate whether they are populated or some crazy ever visited and oh coincidence I found this site.. Bordering madness of you, transported me beyond where most tourists would not go but a genuine adventurer yes, Thank you for this space and I'm reading other entries that seem equally spectacular. Greetings from Argentina.
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Diomedes: The Island at the world
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[…] Diomedes: The Island at the world […]
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Deadlines
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I do not like I love to see this island thanks
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John
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I think sensational, only sorry that the text is confusing because the translation is literal and horrible.
Preferred to read the original text.
hug
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Fernando
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Today they have the 2 the documentary is impressive!!
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Charly Carreon
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But huevotes to go to that godforsaken place. I left my girlfriend and because I'm distracting with things and between the google maps, I went to the end of the world, it is, I wanted to escape, and I found these two islands in the middle of nowhere, I told my grandfather went out there. I caught my attention like this all ice, although there are pictures where you see green and all good, It should be a short spring and summer. I'm doing my savings to go, the stationery and iimprimir one of the images to put in my room. I like to live there, just said that I would not want to do that. In order, were a few moments to forget that. hehehehe.
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ramon acosta
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hello daniel as is done to get Wales to the Diomede Islands in Analik are 32 km
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ramon acosta
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hello daniel as is done to get Wales to the Diomede Islands in Analik are 32 km by sea ,,elicotero there is going each 8 days
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Nicolas Crespo
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Desde Mérida, in the Sierra Nevada of the Andes in Venezuela convulsed, Congratulations to Daniel for so meritorious scientific work and, by testing your body the magnificence of the highest creation of God: the human body, the ability we humans and some animals of biologically adjust homeostasis (balance changes) to survive in inhospitable places, where in this case, temperatures of -67 . I know what it's like under those conditions, despite being well sheltered, on the occasion of being in Chicago, Buffalo and Niagara, in the winter season. Success in their upcoming raids to important places.
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Daniel Landa
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Hello Ramon:
You said it, there (or had) a helicopter company Evergreen flying once a week, at least in winter. I guess in summer there will be boats that go there.
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Daniel Landa
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Thank you very much Nicolas! Course, a scientist at Diomedes would have a great opportunity to study how the Eskimos survive in these conditions.
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Rosa Angelica
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Simply wonderful, thanks, I must say that I love this type of information search, I have been fascinated, know of these places I love, thanks thanks.
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