There is a certain enigma with far away lands. You need to see these lands, enjoy what they offer, relish the experience…however, what is probably most important, is to feel your presence in their midst.
We felt such in Yumthang, in Leh, in Egypt and now in Alaska. It is a land so distant, so mysterious, so inviting…it is aptly called, ‘The Last Frontier’. The indigenous Aleuts also call it ‘Alyeska’, ‘the great land’.
Earlier this year, our 5-year-old son happened to have Alaska as a topic of discussion at school. He came back home suggesting we make the trip in summer. While we made light of the comment, it stayed with us. As we approached our anniversary in May, we were tasked with identifying an ‘exotic’ place to travel. Our fancy for exclusive locations and the recent conversation with our son on Alaska, surfaced it again as a potential candidate. Very soon we were down to Hawaii and Alaska as contenders.
The fact that we knew fewer people who have been to Alaska as compared to Hawaii and that given a choice, we would prefer the mountains to beaches, Alaska was it. That being said, we are a family with a child, vegetarians and certainly not the most adventurous. Thus the travel had to tick the right boxes, in order for us to feel comfortable taking it on.
And so we researched, immensely helped by our cousin (who was originally proposed to travel with us). We had to select whether to fly into Anchorage and do road trips across land or take a cruise, stopping at ports for exploring. The former was decided against, as it was too early in the season, with most of the places still not accessible by land. It also required a much longer duration, considering in most places, you still need to take vehicle ferries to get through.
That got us to the cruise. Wanting to do most of the ports in Alaska that cruises go to, we decided on an itinerary that originated and got us back to Vancouver, taking us through Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan. This was 7 nights. We added 3 nights in Vancouver, making it a nice round 10 night holiday.
Vancouver is PRETTY, really pretty. It has snow clad mountains, is very green, has an ocean shoreline and plenty of places to see. We flew Newark – Toronto – Vancouver. On reliable advise from the airline staff of United (United Express from Newark to Toronto), we were checked in all the way to Vancouver and did not get our bags at Toronto. Even without having to get our bags, we barely made it to our connecting flight. Huffing and puffing, we were glad to have made it to Vancouver as scheduled…but, turns out, our bags were not as lucky. Apparently, we were to get out bags at Toronto, unless we were flying directly with Air Canada. Any other airline including their code share partners, you are to get your bags and check them in again at Toronto.
The airlines got our bags later that night, so it was not terribly bad. With a start like that, we were anxious as to how the rest of the holiday would be.
Since we reached evening of day 1 after a 10 hour travel, sight seeing started on day 2. We got an extremely informative cab driver on our way from the airport. He was from Algiers and gave us great tips on what to see and how.
We started day 2 with a visit to the Capilano suspension bridge, built in 1889. Website for the bridge reads, ‘The first suspension bridge was built 127 years ago by George Grant Mackay in 1889 with hemp rope and cedar planks. Don’t worry, we’ve updated it since then!’
Had it not been for this convincing note, we would not have had enough confidence to walk across it . You have a good 2 to 3 hours worth of things to see. We had some sandwiches & samosa at the coffee shop there and headed to Stanley Park.
Staley Park is a national historic site of Canada. It right in the midst of the heavily built urban landscape of Vancouver, much similar to Central Park in NY, except much larger. The park offers scenic views of water, mountains, sky, and majestic trees. It has beautiful beaches, wildlife and also an aquarium. We took the hop on/ hop off and traveled through the park, getting off wherever good pictures could be taken. Time permitting; one could spend an entire day here.
We continued on the hop on/ hop off for an entire city tour after that and by late evening, were able to get a very good flavor of what Vancouver had to offer.
Thanks to the cab driver from the previous day, Butchart gardens at Victoria, which was never part of our agenda, had found it’s place as a full day trip for day 3. We took an organized tour from Vancouver to Victoria, which allowed us 3 hours at Butchart gardens and a couple of hours at Victoria downtown.
Thanks to the cab driver from the previous day, Butchart gardens at Victoria, which was never part of our agenda, had found it’s place as a full day trip for day 3. We took an organized tour from Vancouver to Victoria, which allowed us 3 hours at Butchart gardens and a couple of hours at Victoria downtown.
Butchart gardens were created by Jennie Butchart over a century ago, at a site where her husband had established a limestone quarry. Having seen a fair number of botanical and flower gardens across Europe and other parts, we were beyond impressed with these gardens. An explosion of color and beauty, greets you as you enter the gardens. You will be in awe as you walk through the gardens and cannot but admire, how meticulously these gardens have been planned and tended to. Make sure you keep enough time for the gift shop as it will take a lot of will power not to but everything in there.
We did Canada Place the following day, including the FlyOver Canada show. Taken from their website, ‘FlyOver Canada utilizes state-of-the-art technology to reveal some of Canada’s most awe-inspiring sights as you have never seen them before. You will hang suspended, your feet dangling, before a 20-metre spherical screen while our film whisks you away on an exhilarating 8-minute journey across Canada, from east to west.’
This is a must do while in Vancouver. It is simply the best ride/ show we have ever been to. Not sure if there are other shows such as this but if only all cities/ countries could create such rides, showcasing their best, it would truly be brilliant.
Afternoon of day 4 brought us back to Canada Place to board our first cruise. Airport like check in, long queues, plenty of waiting; about 2 hours after we started, we were onboard. We were traveling on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam. The vessel has a classic, understated elegance and a relaxed vibe. As first time cruisers, the highlight for us was friendly service and easy navigation within the ship. We had taken a suite, which allowed ample living room and plenty of space for storage. The balcony was spacious and comfortably accommodated a coffee table, 3 chairs and lots of space to spare.
The itinerary was Inside Passage sailing on day 1 and 2, Tracy Arm and Juneau on day 3 (9 hours in town); Skagway on day 4 (11 hours in town), Glacier Bay National Park on day 5, Ketchikan on day 6 (8 hours in town), followed by Inside Passage sailing on day 7, reaching Vancouver early on day 8.
Juneau is Alaska’s capital. There are no roads connecting the city to the rest of Alaska or to the rest of North America. This is due to the extremely rugged terrain surrounding the city. Juneau is thus an island city, even though it is located in Alaskan mainland. Downtown Juneau is at sea level, with tides averaging 16 feet, below steep mountains, which go up to 4,000 feet. Atop these mountains is the Juneau Icefield, a large ice mass from which about 30 glaciers flow.
We were picked up at the harbor and taken to where the Whale watching trip began…super excited. It was a small 7 seater boat, felt like a speed boat. In about 25 mins, we traveled a fair distance. The tour was confined to waters around Juneau, not going into open sea. Before long, we saw a pair of hump back whales, a mother and calf. Calves are curious, excited creatures and are far more visibly active compared to grown ups. This one did numerous dives within a short time, allowing us to capture it’s moves comfortably on video and pics. Mountains all around, Mendenhall glacier visible, snow peaks at a distance and giant whales performing…it was surreal. The tour lasted 4 hours and we were back at the harbor.
We roamed around downtown, walked in and out of many beautiful shops, bought souvenirs and were back on the cruise well in time.
Skagway the following day was low on expectation. We were to do a 6 hour road trip to Yukon valley. The weather was exceptional. It was crisp and sunny…a good 50 degrees. We had a small group of 10 people including a warm Brian, our guide, whose Skagway anecdotes were super funny.
Quite sure, my vocabulary is not broad enough to do justice to the beauty we experienced. I do mean when I say ‘experience’ and not ‘seeing’.
Mountains, snow capped peaks, lakes, many many shades of green, variety of flora...truly breathtaking.
We had lunch at Carribou crossing and drove on to Emerald lake, probably nature at it’s prettiest.
The unbelievable colors were made more stunning with the sun shining bright.
We got dropped back at the downtown.
Had a quick bite and went about appreciating the local shops. The Russian connection to Alaska is very evident in the shops, with many of them selling Russian artefacts.
The next day was entirely on the cruise as it sailed through Glacier Bay National Park.
The last port of call was Ketchikan…the first city of Alaska.
Ketchikan is named after Ketchikan Creek, which flows through the town, emptying into the Tongass Narrows, a Y shaped channel. It is a quaint town and allows for plenty of pictures and shopping.
The small size and a window seat, meant almost being suspended on mountains at 4000 feet.
Flying over waterfalls, mountains, forests…never seen anything like it AND have never been as scared. We landed on a mountain lake…could get on the aircraft rafters and take pictures.
The last day was about relaxing on New Amsterdam, our cruise ship on the Holland Amsterdam Line. It had everything you would expect from a cruise line…nice restaurants, decent number of entertainment options, both for kids and adults and pools. It offers a traditional cruising experience, which steers clear of rock climbing walls and waterslides in favor of timeless touches like fancy afternoon tea and elegant formal nights; friendly and relaxed atmosphere and attention to service. The layout is very well designed…a combination of classic, understated elegance, a relaxed vibe and easy walkability, which made first-time cruisers like us feel right at home.
So, it is a long travelogue…probably the longest on the blog. But it had to cover Vancouver, the cruise and the largest and most awe-inspiring state in the USA.
Does this visit move up to the top of our favorite destinations…Venice held the spot so far followed by a close second by Egypt? I would say an emphatic yes…not to say the other destinations have moved away but the sheer scale of natural splendor humbles you!!
