Cruising Part 3

I was reflecting on my trip and realized I missed a piece about connection. At the hotel in Vancouver there was a roof terrace and we decided to end a satisfying day with a few drinks and snacks from the 7Eleven there. Enjoying the late afternoon sun. There were other folks there, two people who turned out to be New Zealanders. Jokingly I asked if they knew Diana when they said they were from Wellington. And yes they did, very well as she was a relative. Such a small world. I ended up having a couple of messages with her on Messenger and we're hoping to connect for a proper chat. Diana was one of my Wellington crew, the crew I had the best time with. There are pics here from our 2014-15 adventures. 

Juneau. We had planned a lighter day here and a wander around town. The first stop was the Mendenhall Glacier. Being from New Zealand it takes a lot of glacier to impress me and I found this one a little underwhelming. It would have been lovely to have gotten closer. The wander along the track was refreshing, chatting with Mesh and enjoying the waterfalls. On the way back to town we had the best treat, a salmon bake - lots of lovely salmon. The salmon was very red and a little overcooked for me so I asked for an under done one for seconds. The lady slaving over the hot fire was delighted someone else liked salmon cooked less and we had a chat as she prepared the best salmon for me. The area around the Gold Creek Salmon Bake was lovely too as we wandered along Gold Creek to the waterfall and toasted marshmallows over the fire. 

Back on the bus feeling very full, we headed to the Red Dog Saloon, an iconic venue in Juneau where duck farts were the order of the day. Duck farts are quite delicious shots layered Kahlua, Baileys and whiskey. The waitress recommended we had a go at the reindeer farts too, similar but with a minty addition. The bar was really busy with lots of historical memorabilia on the walls, hanging from the rafters, on the floor and everywhere with a flat surface. The bear hanging behind us looked fierce, sad to see his pelt stretched out on a wall. Jane booked us a whale watching trip with a local tour operator. I was feeling sleepy so not too enthused, that and I'd seen heaps of whales from my Gold Coast balcony. I was so pleased she booked it as we got to see a very special event, whales bubble net fishing. 

Bubble net fishing is unique to Alaska. It's amazing to watch a pod of humpback whales lay their bubble net then leap up, mouths open, to catch the fish they captured in their net. The seagulls and seals are there for their share, dodging the wide open mouths. I got some amazing pics and I'm in the process of editing these so here's a video with an explanation instead. Much better represents this amazing spectacle. The pod we followed had 18-20 whales as was larger than the whale boat crew had seen in a while. Lovely to see the crew so engaged and enjoying this as much as we were.  

We headed back to the boat big smiles on our faces. I was looking forward to checking my photos on a big screen and regretted not having my iMac at home to process these. The evening promised more entertainment, food and cocktails. It's a tough life this cruising! Next stop Skagway. 

Playing with filters - Humpback fountain

Waterfall watching

Mildenhall Glacier

Our very large and fierce bear companion 

Duck Farts at the Red Dog

Cruising Part 2

After the fine dining the night before the buffet didn't quite do it for me. Being a pescatarian, a vegetarian who eats seafood, the range was a bit limited. Surprising given we were in the land of salmon, large crabs and other seafood delights. I managed quite well in the end, standing in line, chatting with folks and finishing off with the best sorbet. The evening entertainment was great with a cabaret style show followed by drinks at the front of the ship in the Skyline bar. 

Icy Strait Point and a small fishing town called Hoonah was the next stop and again it was heaving with people. We queued for the gondola and went up a small rise. Icy Point's high point was the free internet to make WhatsApp calls, something I couldn't do on the ship. There was also quite good coffee and I enjoyed it on the beach watching out over the water. Hoonah on the other hand was lovely. Hoonah is a largely Tlingit community on Chichagof Island, located in Alaska's panhandle in the southeast region of the state. It is 30 miles west of Juneau, across the Alaskan Inside Passage. Hoonah is a short wander from the commercial busyness of Icy Point and a welcome relief. I wandered there on my own taking pics along the way.

At Icy Point there was great excitement as a humpback breached just offshore and played a while for the audience it attracted. Imagine my joy when another breached near me on my wander to Hoonah, scaring the group of paddlers who had the front row seats. I took lots of pics, not crowded by people, and got to hear the whale song as he leapt about. What a magical spot the canoeists had. I had considered going out with a local guide but decided staying dry and having a wander was a better idea. Bugger! 

I visited some local crafts folks in Hoonah and had a lovely chat about their place and New Zealand and the similarities, right down to some of the art works and media. I explored for a bit chatting with some local fishermen and wandered back to the ship along the coastal path. Apart from the whales and bears, I wanted that iconic shot of a bald eagle flying. I looked up to see one flying towards me and beginning to bank around. The quick shots I took didn't quite work as I'd hoped but I had a second chance as he flew to a nearby tree. I watched him for a while and got some good close shots then off he flew. Bald eagles are really big and my zoom missed his wing tip so the second flight pic wasn't great either. 

Back to the ship and onwards to the next destination. Kiwis are a bit of a tribe when out in the world and the cruise director told us there were 23 of us on board, plus one dancer. Kiwis also know each other from somewhere or are related to/friends of/live in the same town as someones mutual friend. This trip was no exception. I met Wanaka (not his real name) while getting a burger. His wife and Jane went to school together and hadn't seen each other for years. In their party was a former All Blacks coach and NZ hero and his partner a national netball player. The dancer came from Christchurch, my old city, and that was just half the NZ crew. Laughs were had with stories exchanged over cocktails. They loved my bears in the stream video so I shared it. They'd paid a lot for an excursion and hadn't yet seen a bear or eagles. 

We hit the casino at some point, not my thing but I borrowed a fiver off Jane and set about winning around 100USD on the pokies, very helpful to my limited budget. We watched the most amazing sunset from the Skyline bar, the sun not completely setting and providing us with the most colorful sky and shoreline. The pic below is taken after 10pm. Next stop Juneau. I was beginning to enjoy the gentle rocking of the ships as we cruised in calm waters. 

Peaceful coffee on the beach with the best outlook

Paddlers ready for an adventure........

Surprise! Humpback feeding and playing just offshore

The fleet ready to go

Totem at Hoonah 

My eagle friend - Still working on the flight pics

Sunset from the Skyline bar

Cruising Part 1

Summer in England can be a little fickle and this year it has been! Since the lovely days in June following royal exploits, I've had the good fortune to enjoy the Guildford Festival listening to opera on a balcony dated back to the1600s from the cobbled street below; celebrated birthdays, mine and others; wandered canals visiting Norman castle ruins, picking blackberries and enjoying the swans and other wild life; and going on a cruise from Vancouver to Alaska. I was never sure about cruising, and have made comments about my first being when I'm 90 and in need of someone cooking and cleaning for me! I also knew this particular cruise went to places not accessible by road or rail so when Jane asked, I jumped to join.

Jane is the best travel companion and she had two friends with her this trip so I joined them exploring Vancouver and surrounds for a few days before heading to the ship. Roll back a bit to the flight over. Flying from Gatwick direct, I got a window seat for the day time flight. The view was amazing flying over Iceland, Greenland and Canada. I sat glued to the window and took a few pics of the glaciers, snowfields and ice bound seas below. Greenland was white? My seat mates were a father and son from New Zealand, now living in the UK, and they shared how they go to Canada to see their son/brother and to go mountain biking and hiking. The inability to travel lately has meant this is the first time they've gone in 3 years. Much excitement and another separated family story to add to my extensive collection. 

I've added some photos from the plane window below. They are of course not the best pics through a window but  I hope they give some idea of  immensity of the snow and icefields. Vancouver, well I've always found expat Canadians to be the very best of peoples and getting from the airport to the hotel showed me ones at home are too. It was my first time in Canada so I relied on going by train and then wandering with a vague idea of where I needed to be and asking people. Such lovely conversations were had and I found the hotel just when I was ready to expire, it was hot you see and I was dressed for the plane! 

Vancouver, what an interesting place. Jane and friends' hotel was in the central city and, while it was okay, the surrounding streets were not always. I was surprised to see so many homeless people and the open drug use in the streets. People doing meth and other drugs taking up the whole footpath and squabbling amongst themselves. Jane did some research after seeing catatonic people standing bent over and found there was a new drug which makes people into zombies? Not a good scene, and watching the poor ambulance first responders dealing with this was confronting. 

On the plus side, we did an evening ghost tour and learnt about the history of the place. I didn't realize how relatively new Vancouver was as a city, not much older than some NZ cities. Getting to know Mish and Bonnie over a lovely pasta and cocktails was great, welcomed and fitting in with this group who had journeyed up the coast from San Fran to Seattle then bussed across the border. We also took a trip out to the Capilano Suspension Bridge and had a wander through the park there. What a lovely spot in the sunshine. 

I've wandered alone so often I'd forgotten what it's like to have a suitcase minder, where I could wander off for food and loo without having to take my bag. This trip it was a small carry on for me but the others had bigger cases from longer trips to manage. The ghost tour made negotiating the city easier as we went past the key spots on our wanders. The busses and trains also took us where we needed. 

Boarding the cruise ship was easier than boarding a plane so soon we were on board and ready for a cocktail. Apart from the four I boarded with, there were other friends on the boat, ones in for a surprise as my joining them was a well kept secret. Pina coladas all round as we caught up on all the news and enjoyed some food, buffet style with lots of choice. Then we were on the way, pulling out of the harbor along the most scenic waterway. The first evening was getting to know the ship, fine dining and hitting all the bars. Fine dining, imagine not being able to choose which starter you wanted and getting both choices delivered. Made the most of the lovely food slow dining with friends and some fine wine. 

The next day was a sea day and then it was Ketchikan on Revillagigedo Island, a place only accessible by sea, to hunt for bears, salmon and eagles. 100% strike rate as we watched a mum and baby cavorting in a stream chasing the enormous king salmon coming up stream with bald eagles looking on waiting for some left overs. Wow moments after wandering through the forest and seeing bear sign on the sides.
Later we got to see a large male black bear in the creek running through the middle of town. He was testing the water looking for food and had quite an audience. Unfortunately being in town meant he was a risk and the rangers had to chase him back to the wild, and if not, put him down. Sad really as we're in his space.  

For a first shore excursion it was magical, except for the number of people disgorged from the ships in port. People wandering around shopping and eating, meaning this small town was packed and noisy. Cruise ships are such a big boost to the local economy and they had been missed during the stay at home period we've just had so we were very welcome. The driver shared with us how the seasonal labor market worked in these town, students coming to work the season and heading back for university or work as the winter closed in. Not sure I'd like to winter over in the cold and dark although this island didn't always get snow, in part because of it's maritime location. 

Flying over Greenland

Steam clock - Vancouver 

Cruise terminal - all aboard!

Under way!

Cabin buddies 

A rescued bald eagle 

Ketchikan Stream.........

Complete with large bear

Ketchikan village