ABOUT WORLD BLOG

NBC News World Blog aims to provide a dynamic look at world events and trends -- both big and small -- from NBC News correspondents, producers, and bureaus around the world. Online entries -- from text to video -- will explore news events and how they are shaping our world.

Regular contributors include NBC News correspondents, producers and staff based in bureaus across the world and on assignment.

Click here to read more about the journalists behind NBC News World Blog.



Stranded in Greenland...

Posted: Thursday, August 30, 2007 3:17 PM
Filed Under:

By Anne Thompson, NBC News correspondent

Update: Anne Thompson managed to get a seat on a plane out of Greenland on Thursday evening. However, as of 8:30 a.m. EST Friday, the rest of her crew - producer Mario Garcia, photographer Bruce Bernstein and his son and soundman, Curt Bernstein - are still stuck there and hoping to get on a flight home...

ILULISSAT, Greenland –  I had camped out on green ice sheet, ridden helicopters into glaciers where only a handful of people have been, scrambled up and down mountains, but nothing has been as challenging or frustrating as the Air Greenland strike.

We’re stranded on the world’s largest non-continent island.  "We" is our NBC News team – producer Mario Garcia, photographer Bruce Bernstein and his son and soundman, Curt Bernstein.

Today we were supposed to fly from Ilulissat to Kangerlussuaq and then on to Baltimore.

This evening’s flight to Baltimore is Air Greenland’s last scheduled flight to the United States until spring ’08. 

NBC News
The NBC News team soaking in some sun with some new friends in Greenland.

If we were in the states, we’d hop on another airline or rent a car and drive, but Air Greenland is the only domestic airline here and there is no highway system. There is not even a two-lane road connecting the few towns that exist. The only way you can get from place to place is by plane, helicopter, or boat.

We have too much gear to take a chopper. We could go by ferry to Kangerlussuaq, but that would take two days and we don’t know where we’d go once we got there.  We are hoping Air Greenland solves this problem fast but we aren’t optimistic.

So we’re off to shoot another stand-up and then hike to the fjord; if worse comes to worse, the innkeeper has promised me a tree for Christmas if I bake cookies.

Hope to see you all before Spring!

MAIN PAGE

Email this EMAIL THIS

Comments

As a child one of the places we lived was Laborador sort of a tropical version of Greenland, but there were no fleas either. Libya was a more unpleasant place to live because of them.

North Mankato, MN (Sent Thursday, August 30, 2007 11:54 PM)

Silly Tourists, Worried about yourselves.  You have no idea what's really happening on Greenland.  Dig deeper while you are there.  There's a story of oil and gas recently discovered offshore in the Davis Strait, gold and platinum, diamond and ruby, the last piece of ice on a buring planet.  An ethnic independence movement in conflict with a colonial government.  Open your eyes...  

John Doe, Seattle, Washington (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 12:01 AM)

Good plan, NBC!
Now, if only we could trick the lawyers as well as the journalists...

M Wilson, Nanaimo, BC (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 3:09 AM)

I would trade Mucalucs anyday to enjoy and spend time with you there!

J.Judge,Phila.Pa. (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 3:38 AM)

Where do they keep the airplanes when they're not flying for 6 months?  Is there more than one?

Terry, Salt Lake City, Ut (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 4:04 AM)

Maybe you should consult with the Amazing Race staff.I am shure they can give you some good ideas!

Max,South Carolina (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 5:11 AM)

i was at thule when the last of the peter kiewit
people wre leaving that was "fat freddy" i forgot what year that was. like the man said you if you can get to thule,you should be able to get a flight

jim yaich (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 5:29 AM)

I spent a full year in Greenland, Sonderstrom. I Loved it, the days and nights are beautiful, especially the nights because the air and sky is so clear. You will get use to the dark and in the spring is the best time.

Charlotte Smith (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 6:03 AM)

Wow, stranded in Greenland, that's a tough one!

But I agree with Kyle, I'd try to get to Thule Air Force Base and see if the military can give you a lift home. They'll probably charge a little moola, but it's probably better than what a commercial airline charges! heh.

Norwegian Cruises goes between Greenland and Iceland, if you can get to Reykjavik, Iceland you can easily catch a flight back to the States.

Or, contact the Canadian Coast Guard or Air Force who go up that way regularly and see if they'll pick you up if you do a story on them? lol

Good luck!

Eric, Bellingham, WA (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 6:33 AM)

I've always heard it was called Greenland because the discoverer wanted to make it sound enticing to get more settlers to move there instead of Iceland which is closer to Europe.

Rod Fayetteville, Ark (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 6:59 AM)

POOR ANN! STUCK WITH ALL THOSE MEN AND NOWHERE TO GO.

W. SHEDECK,NOCONA,TEXAS (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 7:34 AM)

My husband works in Greenland at the Nalunaq Gold Mine with Procon Mining Group. They fly in and out of Greenland all the time through a private charter called Provincial Airlines. Maybe they can help you out. Head office contact info is: Procon Mining and Tunnelling Ltd. #108 - 4664 Lougheed Highway, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5C 5T5 Phone:(604)291-8292
Miners are very resourceful people!

Sandy, CANADA (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 8:15 AM)

Quit your whining!!!! It is this type of behavior that makes people across the globe laugh at Americans and think we are a bunch of fools. You got yourselves into this mess now get yourselves out of it and try to do it with some pride and dignity. Success in life depends on how well you handle Plan B and reading some of these threads there seems like there are alot of Plan B's available so pick one and go home and stop wasting our time trying to make us feel sorry for you.

Tony Cimaglia, Fort Pierce FL (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 8:16 AM)

I spent 4 months in Greenland. We played touch football while the snow came off the ice cap on July 4th.

Hopefully you will be home before you experieince a phase 3 storm with 120 mile per hour winds coming off the ice cap. It took me an extra week to get home since the storms prevent planes from flying in to pick us up. Say hello to the giant artic hares up there for me. When the sun starts to disappear that when you start to get concerned. Hope to see you home soon!

Ron Liebscher, Ambler, PA

Ron Liebscher, Ambler, PA (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 9:02 AM)

I found a way out for your grew, broadcast a special report that a new oil field has been found there that will produce 10 million barrels a day, watch how fast the our goverment gets there, trust me you'll be home for lunch!

Mark Hawkins, Palm Springs, Cal (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 9:42 AM)

Give me a break...Are you guy's really that bored??  This country is doomed...  Freakin media dorks.

John Washington DC (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 10:02 AM)

If NBC can't afford to hire a private plane for its crew to get home, I'd consider finding a new employer!  And, if I were a stock holder of NBC, I'd SELL!!!  As obviously NBC must be about ready to go bankrupt.  This has got to be the biggest joke of a story I've ever read.

Stan, Vista CA (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 10:24 AM)

Just jump up and down and flap your arms about a bit and then you might not feel so terribly cold.

Eddie Crook .Suffolk UK (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 10:39 AM)

Let’s be professional, find something to do! Turn a weakness into strength!  Don’t walk around BALD and feel sorry for yourselves, shave your head and look like a sex symbol!  Good photojournalists, as I am sure you people are, will find a story and document it.  Whether you admit it or not you do represent the American ideals, freedom of expression being one of them.  I would say to you “open your eyes and look around you”, the story is out there, find it, show it, express your selves like only Americans can!  Be safe and happy hunting!

paul (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 11:14 AM)

ohh too bad you're not home. We've been wakeboarding all day, it's beautiful! Send me a postcard from the glacier :)

Brooke Johnson, Rocky River, OH (Sent Friday, August 31, 2007 1:36 PM)

Hi there every one
the strike has ended. and those who were supposed to fly to baltimore will or have already travel home throug either Copenhagen, Denmark or Keflavik,Iceland.
www.northgreenland.com

Adam, Aasiaat. Greenland (Sent Tuesday, September 04, 2007 10:26 AM)



SEND A COMMENT

PLEASE READ: All comments must be approved before appearing in the thread; time and space constraints prevent all comments from appearing. We will only approve comments that are directly related to the blog, use appropriate language and are not attacking the comments of others.

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):

Your name, city and state (John Doe, Seattle, Wash.): 

 Your e-mail address (jdoe@msnbc.com):

Your website (it's okay if you don't have one):

Remember me? (We'll keep it private)

TRACKBACKS

Trackbacks are links to weblogs that reference this post. Like comments, trackbacks do not appear until approved by us. The trackback URL for this post is: http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/trackback.aspx?PostID=340431

ON LOCATION

More World Blog

Recent Posts:

Archives:

Categories:

Syndicate This Site

Add World Blog to your news reader:
live.com xml
myyahoo msn
bloglines newsgator
google

External Links

Interactive

Fight for Iraq
Learn more about the ethnic, religious and political power plays in and around Iraq during a briefing of the region led by NBC’s Richard Engel.

DAILY NIGHTLY

The Daily Nightly
The blog of "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" features a daily post from the broadcast's anchor and managing editor, as well as contributions from correspondents and producers around the world. Go behind-the-scenes and learn how news is gathered and produced for the broadcast.

MSNBC Weblogs