More silly questions...

Back in April, I published part of a list of some bloody silly questions that a polar expedition guide friend of mine sent me. I was reminded of it on my recent visit to the Arctic, so I thought I would share a few more gems from it with you...

• Do polar bears come out when it is light?


• Do the icebreakers make those icebergs?


• Do the Vikings cause any ethnic problems in Norway these days?


• Do they have special charts for the extra ice in winter?


• Do they sharpen the bows to make it easier for the ship to cut through the ice?


• Do the crew sleep aboard?


• Does the midnight sun set above the horizon?


• Does the world spin in the other direction at the North Pole?


• Does this driftwood come from trees?


• Does this island go all the way down to the bottom of the sea?


• How tall is the North Pole?


• If all the lines meet at the pole how do we know where we are?


• If I toss a coin in the sea at the North Pole will it ever reach the bottom?


• If it is January at the South Pole what month is it at the North Pole?


• Is it so cold at the poles because the Sun is farther away?


• Is it the waves, which push the glaciers so far inland?


• Is the North Pole farther north than we are now?


• Is there such a thing as a female Sperm Whale?


• Is this island completely surrounded by water?


• They announced there were whales; why can I only see fins?


• What bird species made that pooh?


• What colour is that snow?


• What do the fish do when the tide goes out?


• What do they do with the glaciers in winter?


• What is the local time at the North Pole?


• What is the maximum reported speed of fast ice?


• What is the nationality of the Russian crew?


• What language is spoken at the North Pole?


• What makes that guano?


• When you said the Polar Circle was at 66½ degrees, is that in Fahrenheit or Centigrade?


• Where do the seals go when it rains?


• Who owns those glaciers?


• Why aren’t there any seat-belts on the Zodiacs?


• Why do the whales keep coming to the surface?


• Why don’t they build extensions to the historic huts so more people can get in at once?


• Why is that side of the ship moving but this side isn’t?


• Why is the horizon so bright at sunset?


• Why is this island uninhabited?


• Will I be able to buy postcards at the abandoned village?


• Will the whale surfacing at 10 o’clock be in the morning or the evening?


• Will you call me ten minutes before the next whale surfaces?

And I swear they are all real...