b'JONATHAN VAN BILSENWatching the bears provides endless entertainment.Likemanyofyou,IhavemissedIshouldexplain,thereasonpolarRights,whichhasfantasticexhibits travelling, and jumped at an opportunitybears gather in Churchill, is its location.showcasing the history of civilizations in to get on a plane and visit somewhereThere is a small section of HudsonsCanada. different. My destination was Churchill,Baywhichfreezesearlierthanany- Ishouldmentionthat wasying Manitoba,homeofthelargestcon- where else, and it is the southernmostmuch easier than I expected. I simply gregationofpolarbearsonwesternsite of Arctic ice on the planet. showed my vaccination proof, breezed Hudsons Bay, and accessible fromThe polar bears, all six hundred to athroughsecurity,andfoundmyself where we live. thousand spend their spring and sum- ready to board the plane in less than mers lethargically foraging for berries.20 minutes. It was the same process on I say lethargic, because they do whatthe returnight.they can to conserve their energy, in an- The town of Churchill was more or ticipation of their winter seal hunt, whichless as I expected. It is a typical North-begins sometime in November. ern Canadian town of 600 to 800 people Seeing polar bears in Churchill canof whom 60% are indigenous and the be tricky. If you are too early, the bearsother 40% consists of Europeans, Chi-have not yet arrived. If you are toonese and people from the Philippines.late they will have made their wayTheLazyBearLodgewasgreat. onto the ice for the winter hunt. It isIt is a massive log cabin, built out of recommended to arrive somewherereclaimedwood,inthelate90s. The between mid-October and mid-No- rooms are comfortable and feature tel-vember, and I decided to ventureevision, Wi-Fi and double beds.out the last week of October. The next morning I boarded an Arc-Although there are two ways totic Crawler, a million dollar vehicle de-get to Churchill, the most commonsigned to traverse the tundra in search is by air. You can take a train fromof polar bears. The Crawlers are large Winnipeg, but it takes 42 hours, andinside with a stove, toilet facilities and a zigzags all over the place. The moremakeshift kitchen, where they prepare practical method isfrom Win- your lunch, hot chocolate and cookies.ying nipeg directly north. Theight is justWhat more could I want?underthreehoursonapropellerAtthebackoftheCrawlerisan plane, operated by Calm Air.outside area known as the Snack bar Thebestwaytodothetripisfor polar bears. This is where tourists through one of the lodges in Church- stand to take photographs unobstructed ill.Theyarrangeyourtransportationby glass. I was fortunate the weather from Winnipeg including accommoda- waswarm(between-1and+1)and tion, some meals and all the polar bearblue gray skies. There was no snow as viewing you could hope for. I chose Lazyyet, so my timing was perfect. Bear Resort, as it appeared to offer eve- Weheadoutabout20minutes, rything I was looking for. when we came upon a polar bear with Spending a night in Winnipeg washer cub, lazily sleeping amid the lichen great, as it gave me an opportunity to visit the Canadian Museum for HumanPlease turn to page 64FOCUS - DECEMBER 202163'