Alaska,
Our first encounter with Alaska was the sweet Taxi driver that picked us up at the Anchorage airport. He did not have much hair on his head, but did have facial hair, a beard. Soon we would notice that many people around here have facial hair, well, the men, that is, especially mustaches. He gave us lots of info on where to go. Start with 4th Ave, its like the old town, with some bars, lots of fur shops, some gift shops, and other stores that sold huge boots and super thick socks, a weird feeling of being in a cold wild west.
This trip was with my Mom Sara, her relatively new boyfriend, Shalom that I met for the first time and Lauren. Hmmm, my Mom with another man, also the first time for me.
We walked through the Weekend market, where more furs and animal skins appeared. The claws of the wolf, reaching the floor, its teeth showing, eyes in place, just the meat missing. I do hope someone enjoyed the other parts as well. The antlers of other animals turned into sculptures, mostly eagle like, some more fur coats and lots of Alaska T shirts and caps, along side the famous Ulu knives, crescent in shape with a wooden handle. Very alluring, some even came with specific cutting boards. We did buy one later on in Ketchikan, but had to give it away as I completely forgot it was in my carry on.” I will dispose of it for you at no charge” said the security man at the airport, making sure I fell like he is doing me a favor…
Food, well, that is always one of the first things I explore, it does reveal much about the place, people and culture. Fish and seafood was for sure what I was looking for.
At the markets there were lots of deep fried fish, with some fried onion rings and some more deep fried fish, and a few fish chowders as well. Meet was abundant as well, including Elk and Reindeer. We found a restaurant that seemed busy and ordered. A big crab salad with hard-boiled eggs, cucumbers and actual real mixed greens, a big portion of Salmon with some boiled potatoes. Food was good, felt fresh. I did not seem to wonder if the crab was imitation or not. I had a feeling I will not suffer from lack of omega 3 on this trip. Around us we saw lots and lots of crab legs, huge plates. Even the few that ordered steaks got steaks that were a much larger size that I have seen before. No doubt that animals are the main sustenance in this part of the world.
The museum of Anchorage was a delight. Beautifully done, with lots of info on how the natives lived and live here. Too bad it takes so long to realize how much the new comers did to destroy and change the locals as they took over the land, and finally to try and restore some of the original cultural beauty that was here. The resilience of the people sure kept amazing me, how they managed to live here for so many generations, under such extreme weather conditions, before all the new technologies arrived. So much of survival was dependent on community. The more technology advanced the more communities, and personal encounters seem to vanish. Communities turn into online friendships. Now that I have over 800 friends on facebook, does it mean that I have a great community life? Or is my community, my computer and myself? Will my community help me when needed, can I ask for a hug?
After the museum we took the coach to Whittier where the grand ship awaited. It seemed huge to me, even though I was told it’s not the biggest one out there; 2300 passengers and 800 crew members. We pass a passport control and then on to the ship. 14 or even 16 levels if you count the upper decks. Maybe more down below that as a guest I had no access too. Elevators, dining rooms, casino, shops, theater, bars…can you tell I was shocked? That it is my first time?
We sailed off (with no sails) in the afternoon.
The cruise was a delight. No cell phones, I checked email only once, constant food, a little gym, grand amusement, which was pretty good with lots of fun dancers and music, movies, sushi and desert buffets, tons of Alaskan food, (fish that is), and all this is before we even got off the ship to explore.
Maybe because this was an Alaskan cruise I loved it so much. The crowd was mostly older, a few teens, but not many children or people in their twenties. That led to a relative quiet journey. Lots of time to sit in front of the floor to ceiling glass right over the ocean, walks around the open deck on the 7th level, and even shows that involved a bit more music from the 60-80’s…(hmm, starting to feel old). Don’t get me wrong, I was totally up for a super amazing dance party with some house and trance, and I love people in their twenties, but it was still nice to be on a ship where it was not all about getting drunk, and that the atmosphere was pretty calm and smooth.
The cruise was going through the Inside Passage, a passage of water that goes between the main land and huge long islands, absolutely magnificent. Even when we were just on our way to places, we passed along the vast ocean, nice mountains, and lots of snowy peaks, glaciers, sunsets, and forests.
We stopped at Glacier Bay, to see huge bluish glaciers pretty close, learned about their formation and saw maps of what it was like before. Global warming is real! We continued to Skagway, a little town that inflates dramatically in the summer. We got to understand the White Pass, learn a lot about the gold rush days (that were actually very short lived in this area), see a black bear (cinnamon really), and amazing nature. Water falls, streams that change their color according to the source of the water (glacier or spring water), a one sided hanging bridge to allow the other side to move as the earth moves, and watch the picturesque train ride along the mountain, seemingly a toy train.
Juneau, the capital was a much bigger town, but still small enough to wonder around by foot. We went on a whale watching tour after my mom insisted, “Shalom really wants to see whales”. It is true; we did not see that many whales or adventurous wild life from the huge boat. Mostly we saw it when taking excursions. We were fortunate enough to enjoy seeing these magnificent creatures in the wild.
In Ketchikan we wondered though the famous creek road, saw lots of totem poles, and enjoyed seeing enormous amounts of Salmons everywhere (swimming that is).
Really I want to mention again the food on the boat, as it was such a big part of the cruise. The buffet was so abundant and so rich with options that it’s just hard to return to normal life. The formal dining room was a 5 star level, amazing food, but of course less options. I love giving options in my yoga class and love options in my food.
We concluded our trip in Vancouver, and I’ll save that for my next entry.
Hope you enjoyed the cruise and please join us again on the Island princess where the food is awesome and the dancers a delight.
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