MAIN CHARACTERS
Can one say "main characters" when the biggest stars have four legs and two humps? Maybe not, but Torarin says he loves Bor like a brother.
Here is at least some information about those who are part of the Arctic camel.
Bor & Bestla
Bor and Bestla are two Mongolian camels (also called Baktrian Camels) that were bought from a camel farm at Öland in Sweden. The thick wool is adapted to cold winters with temperatures down to 50 degrees below zero in Mongolia. The wool can be used in textiles and ropes. Milk from the female camel is very nutritious and an important part of the diet in parts of Mongolia.
Bor and Bestla were quite small when they came to Akkarfjord in 2012. From the first day they were treated as family pets. No one has tried to weigh them, but male camels can get up to one thousand kilos, and the camels in Akkarfjord are now full grown. They react right away when they are tempted with treats from the feed bowl. On the other hand, they are not so positive if someone wants to try to teach them "camel manners".
Torarin
It is through Torarin that we experience the history of the world's northernmost camels. He was 6 years old when Bor and Bestla came to Akkarfjord. When we started filming in 2014, we asked what he wanted to do when he grew up. He had not decided but believed that stake jumpers and mountaineers were current choices. The reason was that he would get up high and get a good overview.
A year later he had more desire to become a drummer or alpine skier. He doubted that he would be the world's best alpinist: "Because there is no slalom trail in Akkarfjord". But he thought he could become a world-class drummer. He is, of course, a drummer in the school band "Akkisan". Occasionally he treats ukulele, vocals and other instruments.
But first he wants to learn to ride a camel.
Svalin
Svalin is Torarin's three-year-older sister. When we started filming in 2014, she was 11 years old. She strongly disagreed with anyone who believed that camels are creepy, because she thought they were cute and looked a bit like dogs. Not the kind you bring in the school bag. You understand...
Svalin very much wanted their camels to have a camel baby. She is very good at drawing and painting. Today she is 16 years old and has moved 1000 miles away from home to go to high school in Steinkjer. She chose a school far away to be able to do more with drawing and painting. Fortunately, she lives with close relatives.
Øystein og Oddveig
The parents of Svalin and Torarin are originally from Oslo and Trøndelag. They ran their own design agency in Hammerfest, when they bought a house in Akkarfjord for a penny. For several years they worked to put the house in habitable condition. Then the whole family had become so fond of Akkarfjord that they moved to the small village with 70-80 inhabitants and a school with 10-12 students.
Here they have a lot to do. In addition to being camel owners, they have bought a disused salmon slaughterhouse and a farm that they will transform into an ecological center of adventures.
Mandak og Adyia
In Mongolia we meet Adyia who owns 140 camels and about as many other animals as goats, sheep and horses. He and his family are hosting when Torarin and his family come to look for a camel trainer.
Mandak is an interpreter with a good sense of humor that spreads good mood around him.
With the help from Adiya and Mandak, Torarin and his family experience a lot that is very different from everything they have previously experienced. And as it turns out difficult to get the super professional camel trainers to believe in camel herding near the North Pole, Adiya and Mandak finally agree to help the camel owners from the far north.