Extracts from my daily log

Wed 4th
We arrived in svalbard at about two in the morning and setteld into our rooms we both had amazing views of the mountains and the old mine. We heaed to bed at around three thirty in the moring, though you never would have known it with the broad daylight outside our windows. Our first experience of the midnight sun! It was strangly fantastic.
Thurs 5th
Today we headed up the mountains to the worlds largest most northenly sattilite tracking station. We saw the largest antanie traking a Japennesse sattilte (i think!!). It moved really fast and was quite frightening at times but it was really cool to see.

This afternoon we went in to town for the first time it was really nice.
Fri 6th
Today was our saftey training day and it was great fun. First we were given a talk from one of our trainers about the dangers in this type of enviroment. Next we were taken up into the mountains again to the riffle range we were taught what to do when encountering a polar bear. Alex was very dissapointed that we didn't get to shoot.
Next we headed down to the dock to begin our other training while the teachers were being trained with the riffles. Our group did water training first. We were each given a survival suit at taught about what they were suposed to do and each took it in turns to go out in groups of six and try them out my group and i decided to swim back to shaw, it took a awhile but it felt great once you had done it.
Once we had left our jumers out to dry off we went to the next part of our training which was learning to set up a safe camp in svalbard it was really fun and i learnt alot.
Sat 7th
This morning i was interviewed by BBC breakfast it was live so alittle scary.
We then went to Svalbard museem it was really good and amazing to be able to be so close to all the animals in what would have been thier natural enviroment.

This afternoon we boarded the ice breaking cruise ship Polaris which is to become our home for the duration of the trip. It is really nice.
Our first landing was at a Russian mining settlement.
Sun 8th
Today was ur first wet landing in the zodiacs they are so much fun a absolutly love them we both do they are wicked. We laned at a place called Ny:london which was an old marble mine.
The next landing was at the most northnly settlement in the world. we visted the most northnly shop and most office too. However some of us (richard) were late back to baord the ship so it had left with out us. we had to get the zodiacs sent out to us. Late tonight we were all on deck looking out for wildlife and the most brillant thing happened... we saw a polar bear it was was so great and i am so happy it was amazing!!
Mon 9th
Today we hiked up mountains in Texas Bar and slide down snow and had the biggest snow ball fight ever it was so cool and amazingly great fun even the teachers joined in.
Tues 10th
We were due to hit the ice this morning at around 4:30am however when we all awoke and found that it was 7:30am and we had not been woken up to witness the boat hitting the ice we were alittle confused. We were told that due to a chance of course dueing the night we were not going to hit until alittle later on that morning. We hit at aroun 8am. Later 0n i was one of the lucky poeple who were allowed to climbback into an orange survival siut and be lift ed by crane to walk on the pack ice it was an absolutly amazing experience. Unfortunitly Alex was not able to do this due to the ice beginning to move.
Wed 11th
Last night we saw a walrus coleny it was really good. However you definitly smelt them before you saw them.
This morning we visted an old whaling station and learnt all about the old whaling industry. Me and tom also worked with a mariene biologist.
This evening me and Alex and the Henry Melish girls got a vidoe confence call to our parents it was nice to see them and tell about what we had been up to.
Thurs 12th
Today we went back to Longyerbyen so the jounilists could leave the ship and we could go to Unis and have a talk on sea ice, it was good.
This afternoon we got special permission to land on an island with lots of fossils and we were allowed to look for fossils and each take one each. We foud loads it was really interesting and freat fun.
Tonight was our last proper night togeather so we had a big party in the lounge it was really good,
Fri 13th
This morning we went dog sledding it was amazingly good fun and the dogs were so nice and so were the people they made us hot stew and cookies for lunch it was really nice. Even n=more so because it was one of the colder days.
This evening at about 6pm we went ashaw to a russain mining ghost town but because of the nature of the landing pratically everyone was carried part way to the beech. Me and Alex were carried by the captain.
Sat 14th
Today was the day that we returned home. The flights were ok and the museems we visted in Oslo were really good, but all day in the back of everyones minds was the same thing, what would ahppen when we laned back in England and had to say goodbye to all of our new friends.
Nearly everyone cried in the airport it was really hard we are gonna miss everyone so much.
We had an amazing trip it was just brilliant.Thanks everyone for making it so great.

Written by Kerry Newcombe (with the usual occasionally unhelpfull comment from Alex)