I sought out this episode for its visit to Utqiagvik, AK, formerly known as Barrow, the northernmost town in the States and a place I'd love to visit someday.
I hadn't been aware of Stephen Fry, but he's a most amiable tour guide in his travels, which took him to Seattle before the Arctic Circle.
The pitstop was fortuitous because a group to which I belong will be meeting there in August. I learned here that I should visit the lively Pike Place market for delectable eats, and seaside piers for some seal-sighting.
Having arrived in the 49th state, Stephen stops first at Kodiak Island, whose Orthodox churches can be traced to when Russia ruled the domain, which, far from being the "wintry waste" that Stephen had feared, is interesting and attractive at every turn.
We see lots of snow, of course, in Utqiagvik, some colorful, simply constructed buildings, and a "Free coffee to Barrow tourists" sign, but, given the exotic locale, I wish Stephen had shown us more of the burg. Where does one dine at 71 degrees north latitude, and what do people do on a Saturday night?
Instead, Stephen leaves town with hunters of bowhead and beluga whales (22 "strikes" are permitted by international law each year). The hoped-for haul -- enabled by 60-pound "whale guns" (whatever happened to harpoons?) -- feeds the community, which is why one hunter said he opposes offshore oil drilling. (Yes, I well remember the disastrous Valdez spill of 1989.)
Our guide has a wry and self-deprecating interview style, and he's not afraid to look dumb. After asking whether the whale pursuit is navigated by the stars, he's told, "By the stars, or GPS." Indeed, technology is a necessity where there is little blacktop, and snowmachines -- Alaskans never say "snowmobile" -- seem to have replaced coursing mush dogs.
Next, Stephen heads to Hawaii, without explaining how exactly, leaving the viewer to wonder if there are regular flights between Anchorage and Honolulu, a possible temptation for locals.
In this next destination, we watch a caged Stephen gamely snorkeling with sharks, and, later, walking through tropical forest with an island native, to whom he apologizes for the 1778 landfall of Capt. James Cook. "It's the curse of tourism to destroy what it most desires," he muses.
Stephen proceeds to experience a luau, complete with whole roasted pig, lulling hula, and ukulele strains, before heading to the Big Island and its Mauna Loa Observatory, one of the most powerful on Earth, and aimed heavenward at some 14,000 feet.
Amazingly, Stephen scarcely mentions Hawaii's world-class surfing scene. From past trips there, I know that on the north shore of Oahu in winter, it's a spectacle of nature.
Still, I'm glad to have made Stephen's acquaintance, and to have learned more about wonders of my world.
I hadn't been aware of Stephen Fry, but he's a most amiable tour guide in his travels, which took him to Seattle before the Arctic Circle.
The pitstop was fortuitous because a group to which I belong will be meeting there in August. I learned here that I should visit the lively Pike Place market for delectable eats, and seaside piers for some seal-sighting.
Having arrived in the 49th state, Stephen stops first at Kodiak Island, whose Orthodox churches can be traced to when Russia ruled the domain, which, far from being the "wintry waste" that Stephen had feared, is interesting and attractive at every turn.
We see lots of snow, of course, in Utqiagvik, some colorful, simply constructed buildings, and a "Free coffee to Barrow tourists" sign, but, given the exotic locale, I wish Stephen had shown us more of the burg. Where does one dine at 71 degrees north latitude, and what do people do on a Saturday night?
Instead, Stephen leaves town with hunters of bowhead and beluga whales (22 "strikes" are permitted by international law each year). The hoped-for haul -- enabled by 60-pound "whale guns" (whatever happened to harpoons?) -- feeds the community, which is why one hunter said he opposes offshore oil drilling. (Yes, I well remember the disastrous Valdez spill of 1989.)
Our guide has a wry and self-deprecating interview style, and he's not afraid to look dumb. After asking whether the whale pursuit is navigated by the stars, he's told, "By the stars, or GPS." Indeed, technology is a necessity where there is little blacktop, and snowmachines -- Alaskans never say "snowmobile" -- seem to have replaced coursing mush dogs.
Next, Stephen heads to Hawaii, without explaining how exactly, leaving the viewer to wonder if there are regular flights between Anchorage and Honolulu, a possible temptation for locals.
In this next destination, we watch a caged Stephen gamely snorkeling with sharks, and, later, walking through tropical forest with an island native, to whom he apologizes for the 1778 landfall of Capt. James Cook. "It's the curse of tourism to destroy what it most desires," he muses.
Stephen proceeds to experience a luau, complete with whole roasted pig, lulling hula, and ukulele strains, before heading to the Big Island and its Mauna Loa Observatory, one of the most powerful on Earth, and aimed heavenward at some 14,000 feet.
Amazingly, Stephen scarcely mentions Hawaii's world-class surfing scene. From past trips there, I know that on the north shore of Oahu in winter, it's a spectacle of nature.
Still, I'm glad to have made Stephen's acquaintance, and to have learned more about wonders of my world.
