TravelWorld International Magazine, Winter 2021 - The Magic of the Holidays

SANTA'S
In the land of the
midnight sun,
the landscape is
eerily alive, stars
twinkling among
sentinel trees.
NORTH POLE!
Not Fake News!
Story and Photos by B.S. de Bunker
(Alias: Bennett Root, Jr.)
he rumors start earlier every year, now well
before Thanksgiving, just like the ads for
diamonds, drones, and dolls. I guess they
are an improvement over the rumors and attack ads
whenever we have an election, but these seemed just,
well, mean-spirited. I was hearing it rumored that
Santa wasn’t real, and the North Pole workshop was
just an urban legend. Perhaps it was the Grinch and his
boys, or Scrooge and his social media team. “Fake News!” they
said. “BS” (as in Bushido Samurai) I said.
The faint green curtain
moving through the sky
suggests a sumptuous
light show was on its way.
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Fake News! Fake News! Just because it is reported on Fox doesn’t
always mean it is “Fake News.” I’d heard these rumors before, but I
wasn’t buying it. This was a job for B.S. (Billy Smith) de Bunker. I
called the TravelWorld editor and got an assignment (no expenses
paid) to check it out. I proceed directly to plan my trip to the
North Pole—red-eye into Fairbanks, snowmobile to Fort Yukon,
dog sled to Artic Village… I was determined to find out once and
for all whether Santa’s workshop was really at the North Pole, and,
well, whether Santa himself was real.
After the usual battle getting to Fairbanks (not the flight so much
as getting into the airport and finding parking), I grabbed a cup
of hot coffee and a cinnamon roll from The Cookie Jar and then
started checking the usual sources, local newspaper archives, and
locals at Fairbanks watering holes. Soon enough, I ran into my
new best friend Bernie, a friendly old-timer who said he could set
me up at his resort “to get adjusted,” while he got me the forward
lodging and transportation I would need to get on to the North
Pole and see for myself, once and for all, whether Santa was real
or just more fake news.
Nothing better than a hot cup of coffee and
a cinnamon roll, especially after a red-eye
flight. It is gooey but is it good!
Bernie was amazing! He guided me to a great
place with all the amenities. He also booked my
transportation and guides for the North Pole.
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