Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

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Galapagos Islands (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) are a archipelago of volcanic islands in pacific ocean near the equator 972 kms away from mainland Ecuador. Galápagos name originates from a Spanish word for saddle, after the saddleback tortoises. Large part of the the islands and as well as the surrounding waters form Galapagos National Park. These islands have a vast number of endemic species which were studied by Charles Darwin in 1835. His observations contributed to Drawin's theory of evolution by natural selection.

You will have to fly into Baltra or San Critobal Island airport from the main land. There are atleast two well known ways to travel within the islands. You can stay in Santa Cruz and/or Isabella Island and organize day trips to other island. The other more popular way is to book a cruise that will take you to various islands. I will talk more about the later, because that's what we did. Needless to say both options are expensive mainly because this is a highly sought after tourist destination.

We booked online through www.galapagosislands.com, our cruise was a 5d/4n on M/S Fragata. Our captain and crew were polite and helpful. The boat itself was clean. The rooms could have been more cleaner, but we were inside for only 6/7 hours to sleep at night. Most of our time was spend on the islands or in the common room. Our guide Manuel was very passionate about the flora and fauna around his home. He was knowledgeable about the wildlife and had only one rule. "You touch the animal and you will sit in the boat, no Island visits for you" he said and I agree completely with him. The animals/birds on these islands are very indifferent to humans. They would just lay around and go about doing their business. I guess that is what makes Galapagos a special place. You will get to see a lot of birds and animals at a very close distance in their natural habitat. 

We visited and we saw..

Day 1 - Bachas beach - Sally Lightfoot crabs, brown pelicans, American Oyestercatcher, marine Iguanas and couple of other birds.
Day 2 - Genovesa Island (Tower/Bird Island) - Fur seals, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Blue footed boobies, Red footed boobies, Nazca (Masked) Boobies, Frigates, Galapagos Owl (yes a Owl hunting in daylight) and Mocking birds.
Day 3 - Isabella Island - Flamingos, Galapagos giant tortoise, Galapagos sea turtle, Lava lizard, Sea lions (and pups :)), Galapagos Penguins and more Marine Iguanas. We also saw a very nice Giant Tortoise Hatchery.
Day 4 - Plaza Islands - More Sea lions and many pups, Land Iguanas and Swallow tail gulls.
Puerto Ayora - Charles Darwin Station

While we were at Genovesa Island our boat generators died, even the secondary one. So we had to rush back to Santa Cruz Island (Puerto Ayora). We were put up in Hotel Ferdinandina, Its a good hotel with a very nice staff. We stayed at this hotel at the end of our cruise.


Pictures from the trip: https://picasaweb.google.com/radhikanshuman/Ecuador2011GalapagosIslands
 
Expense for 2 people:
Flights: LIM-UIO-GPS-LIM      - 1350$
San Francisco de Quito Hotel  -     43$
5D Cruise M/S Fragata            - 2720$
Galapagos Entrance Fees       -   200$
Galapagos Shopping and Tips      -    317$
Total Galapagos expense        - 4630$

First impressions of Cuzco and 4day Inca Hike to Machu Picchu

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Cuzco is at a elevation of 11,200 feet (3,400 m). It was the capital city of the Inca. It was at the middle of the empire which reached towards Quito, Ecuador to North; Lima, Peru to its West; La Paz, Bolivia to its east and Norther parts of Chile/Argentina to its South. This was the largest empire in the pre-Columbian America and empire’s reign in South America lasted for just 100 years (1438 AD - 1533 AD).

Narrow streets of Cuzco

Cuzco a beautiful city with cobbled streets and some of the famous Inca walls still intact. There used to be a Palace (rich with tons of gold) where we have the Cathedral of Santo Domingo right now. Inca civilization is said to have had 11 million residents. Spanish General Francisco Pizzaro invaded this city in 1532 with a few hundred Spanish warriors and crushed the Inca civilization. There is no art or written information about the Incas since they had only a oral language, Quechua. But we know for sure that they were a advance civilization in the 'New World'. This is evident in their construction and their knowledge of astronomy.

Local girl with her pet Baby Alpaca. Both were really cute

We had initially thought of doing a 2 day hike but after a very good recommendation (photos and blog) of a 4 day hike from a colleague we decided to go for that. We read about few adventure tour companies in Cuzco and emailed them about our plans. One of them llamapath responded fast and precisely with what we were asking. Many of the companies who offer this trek do their job well. What drew us towards llamapath is that its owned by a former porter (Joselo) and its wholly owned by Peruvians. Keeping all their profits witin the country and in turn helping its own people. They take care of their folks very well. We will see that reflected in their work during the trek.

Preparation for the Hike

In my opinion there would be hardly few who can be 100% physically prepared for this hike. The terrain, elevation and the weather make it challenging. At the same time all these characteristics make it even more enjoyable. Surprising isnt it.

The rugged Andes are a sight to behold, it looks challenging to see the huge granite mountains carve deep valleys but it feels like walking in the heaven once you are on the top. It rivals the Himalayas (Hope to see the Alps soon). Weather.. winter seems like a favourite time for people to do the trek since it does not rain and sky is almost always clear blue. To me its brutal walking in day time with the Sun hitting you, specially climbing the Dead women pass (13,400 feet) and another one on the same day. Summer is cooler since it rains more frequently during the night time and is clouded during the day.

Cuzco at night

Its recommended to strengthen your core muscles for couple of months before you embark on the journey, specially if you want to make it enjoyable :) .Try to hike with a day pack for at least 8/10 km few times. We managed to do very few small hikes before the final one and were kind of exhausted on the brutal 2nd day.

Its also recommended to stay in Cuzco for atleast 24 hours before you start the trek. Its good to get used to the elevation, we were not too bothered by elevation other than a slight headache while climbing up to our Hostal Marani in San Blas (another high reco).

Hostal Marani was build in 2000 by a Dutch couple who came to Cuzco and never left. They have build more than 20 schools in the higher Andean villages and 20 bed burns ward in local Cuzco hospital. Their staff was very helpful it felt like a family run hostel. We have heard similar recommendations for Nino's Hostal.

Group photo at first camp

Day before the trek we had a orientation at the llamapath office. We were surprised to find out of the group of 13, 11 were Australians most of them medical students in their early 20s and as we would later find out half of our age in terms of agility. It was a fun group. During the orientation Raul Ccolque our guide explained to us the trek, good/brutal stretches and that we would have splendid food. He explained to us that even though the end destination is one of the most famous places on earth its the journey that defines the destination, it makes it even beautiful, very wise words. We were highly impressed by Raul throughout our trek. He showed great passion while talking about his country's culture, Incan history, Peruvian politics and that Pisco sour is Peruvian and not Chilean. Marcelino Alcca our assistant guide was also not far behind. We were impressed by his knowledge of Flora and Fauna that Andes has to offer in this National park. He named many orchids and birds which we saw along the way. We were slowest in the group and he stayed with us in the end and also started with us earlier than the rest of the group. He was encouraging us all the time when we looked down and out. This is a very valuable skill to have in a guide.

The trail map

Overall the hike was one of the best I have done in my life. 2nd day was a living hell whereas 3rd morning was like walking in the heavens, every day the breakfast/lunch and dinner was simply amazing. On the last day we woke up at 3am to be one of the first groups to line up for the National Park gate to open (5:30 am). We literally ran the next 3 kms to the Sun Gate to have our first clear view of Machhu Picchu and its surrounding valley. What a location. It took them close 40 years to build the city. The only way in and out of the city was through two Inca trails. Its was hard to see this city unless you were on the trail, which the Incas demolished from km 82 to Dead Woman’s Pass. That is the reason the Spanish never found the city. It was ‘discovered’ exactly a century ago (in 1911) by an American, Hiram Bingham. He was looking for the last city of the Incas, which is Vilcabamba but as it turns out this was one of the important city in the Inca civilization. Its so because of the artifacts found at this place. It shows that this was a cultural bed of learning science, medicine and astrology. Its sad that they had to abandon it when the Spanish invaded. Today it’s a home to numerous Lamas and birds, day time it has close to 2000 tourist that visit directly using a Train/Bus from Cuzco and to about 200 souls like us who take the 4 day ‘pilgrimage’. 

Pictures from the trip: https://picasaweb.google.com/radhikanshuman/Peru2011LimaCuzcoMachuPicchu

Expense for 2 people:

Flights : SFO-LIM-CUZ-LIM-SFO - 2800$

Hostal Marani : 3 Nights               -   142$

llampath 4 day Hike                      - 1340$

(this includes basic hike fee 520$x2, extra porter 120$,sleeping bag 30$x2,Huayan Picchu tickets 60$x2)

Misc :                                            -   350$

(this include cab fare, lunch/dinner in Cuzco, porter/cook/guide tips etc)

Total Machu Picchu expense :     -  4632$

Facts about Peru:

• Population of 28M about 9M live in Lima, yes you read me right about a 3rd of the population lives in one Urban area.

• Chile, which is considered by many Peruvians to be a not so friendly neighbor owns and operates many big industries/infrastructures in Peru. This includes ‘Peru Rail’ which is the only way to get to Macchu Picchu, even if you take the hike you have to take it on the way back.

• Pisco Sour (really sour) and Ceviche (raw seafood marinated in lime) are the most sought after drink and food.

Arizona May 2011 - Sedona, Page and around

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Trip Tips
1. Fly to Phoenix or Flagstaff AZ.
2. Sedona, AZ is a beautiful town to drive through.
3. Highlight of our trip - Antelope Canyon; if time permits visit both Upper and Lower
4. Try not to squeeze in both upper & lower in one day
5. Sunset at Horseshoe bend, Page AZ - must see.
5. Drive through Marble Canyon

Chapel of Holy Cross, Sedona, AZ

Day 1
We started early in the morning, started driving north of Phoenix towards Sedona. First stop was the Visitor center. It was very pretty driving through the canyon. After a brief stop at couple of the vista points we went up to Chapel of the Holy Cross. Parking up near the chapel is plentiful and its a short hike to the Chapel. The view was awesome from the Chapel. We spent close to 30 mins up there and really enjoyed it. If you have time to visit only one place in Sedona then this should be it. After a satisfying lunch at Tara Thai Cuisine we started 3 hour drive towards Page AZ.

Horseshoe bend, Page, AZ

About 4 miles south of Page (just outside of the city) there is a small board on the left which will take you to one of the most spectacular views you have ever seen - The Horseshoe bend. A short hike (1 mi.) through sand. You will need to have good shoes to walk through the dry sand and obviously  need to be moderately fit. A glimpse over the edge will make your day. Few words of caution: there are no lights so please make sure you have a flashlight if you are planning to go near sunset, if you are with kids please keep them close to you there are no warning boards or railing near the edge its a straight drop. You will have to get very close to the edge to get the whole wide angle. After spending 30 mins there we headed towards our Hotel Super 8 at Page AZ.

Entrance to Lower Antelope Canyon

Stunning views inside Lower Antelope Canyon

Day 2 and Day 3
We were very excited because we were going to visit the Lower and Upper Antelope canyon on these days. Both are amazing canyons with some similarities and many differences. We could not decide which one to go, so we planned to visit both of them on separate days. Remember to carry adequate amount of water and some energy bars, you will spend close to 2 hours inside the canyon. You can get a tour tickets (cash only) at the entrance, you can opt for a photography tour as well.
Both the Canyons are ~8 miles from Page AZ and across the road from each other. Location

Seemed like sunset at Monument valley

Inside Upper Antelope Canyon

Lower Antelope	Upper Antelope
Both canyons should be visited near noon time. Tours which start at 11/11:30 am.
Less people visit this canyon its narrow in parts and you will have to climb up and down on small steps. This canyon is dark during early morning and late evening plan to go during noon	Plenty of people visit this one, its very popular as its easy to navigate and you will see many light shafts during and after noon time. It narrows on the top and is broad at the base.
Photography tour is 2 hours inside the canyon, you start of with a guide but then you are left alone and can return by yourself to the entrance by 2 hours, through the exit at the end of the hike	Photography tour is 2 hours and you are supposed to be with your guide the whole time. For us it was only 2 of us with the guide and he showed is very good angles to shoot inside the canyon. He was also very helpful in navigating other while we were taking shots. Highly recommended to take the photography tour. Recommend going on weekdays to avoid crowds.

After the amazing tour of the canyons we visited Glen Canyon Dam. This is kind of a sister dam to the bigger and older Hoover dam near Las Vegas. It has similar construction details. They did find a lot of fossils of flying reptiles during the construction of the dam.

Panorama overlooking the Glen Canyon Dam, Page AZ

While driving back to Phoenix we drove through Marble Canyon which also has some stunning views. Take 89A towards 20 miles south of page to reach here.

Marble Canyon

Navajo  Bridge over Marble Canyon

Alaska Day VII-VIII: Whittier & Alaska Railroad to Grandview

1.5 mi tunnel to Whittier - port town

 The second last day in Alaska, we headed out early in the morning to take our cruise into Prince William Sound. You can book in advance with them, but usually they are available unlike the Seward cruise. If you are short on time, we would recommend skipping one of the two cruises. In favor of our decision, taking both was helpful, cause the weather in Seward was awful, and we had to stay indoors most of the time - couldn't see much. 

The tunnel to Whittier opens one way every hour. It  is advisable to reach before time, so as to make it across. Else you might need to wait an hour to get past to Whittier. This tunnel was made in world war II by the army;

Prince William Sound Glacier

Whittier was used as a secret port by the American army. The town has only 1 residential building which is connected to a school and other essential amenities; during winter the residents don't need to leave the building in order to go to work or school - convenient! Prince William Sound has loads of glacier, and you shall start spotting them almost 15 mins into the cruise. In Seward, wildlife is more prominent, Glaciers are less in number. We saw plenty of otters in this cruise, playful and relaxed. They use stones to break open shells. The cutest animal we've seen - naughty and intelligent. Near the Glacier we saw hundreds of otters, lying on the calved ice. They have the thickest growth of fur, that protects against the cold.

Otters watching us

On the way to Prince William Sound, we stopped by a  Salmon hatchery. These teams of fishermen collect  up to thousands of Salmon in an hour, during the peak season. The Salmon come here to spawn. They are caught just before they die naturally. The experience of this ordeal was worth the cruise ride.  Another biggie especialy cause its so cold are the refreshments they serve - fresh cookies, with hot chocolate - yummy! On the way back from Whittier, we stopped at Portage visitor center and got some souvenirs. A very well maintained center - must visit, if in the area.

Salmon Hatcheries on the way to Prince William Sound

The last day in Alaska was  low on activity. We visited the Alyeska ski resort and then took a train ride from Portage to Grandview. The train experience is worth it. Alyeska resort not so much. We visited Alyeska, because it was near our bed and breakfast and we had coupons for the trolley ride. If you have the time and wish to see the turn around arm and the surrounding Chugach mountains from an elevation, go for it.

The train tickets for Alaskan rail rides are available online. The ride is around 2 hours to and fro from Grandview, and the view is worth it. The entire experience of the train ride is like none other. 

Experiencing Alaskan Railway

We met quite a few military personnel in Alaska, touring with their family, who were visiting them. It was quite an experience talking with them. Interacting with the locals of a region you are visiting makes i he trip even richer. We made the best decision of staying at Bed and Breakfasts in Alaska. It was cheaper and much better than any hotel. 

The train to Grandview has two levels. You can sit anywhere. The lower level enables you to take pictures at the ground level - a much better perspective than the upper level.

We were back to portage station by early evening and headed towards Anchorage right after. On the way, we made a  last stop at the railway museum. Its easy to miss it, so keep an eye for milepost 115. The museum is an open area along the turn around arm on the left side of the highway - Potter Section House and Historic Park, Mile 115 Seward Highway. The snowplow train is truly majestic. Must see.

The Snow-plower train

We headed to Anchorage for our flight at night. With some time to spare on hand, we visited the downtown to see the two wood carved Tatum. Again worth some pictures, if you have time.

Last day in Alaska comes to an end, after an amazing 9-day trip.

A trip to Alaska - check! 

Winter trip to see magical Aurora Borealis - still on the list!
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Alaska VI: Alaska Conservation Center and Glacier Hike

Delicious Boatyard Restaurant Breakfast, Homer

On the Next morning, we took it a little easy, after the exciting excursion in Katmai National Park. Homer is a very small city with a chosen few restaurants. Most of the guide books list the best ones in the city. An awesome breakfast place we would recommend if the BoatYard - the place for a wholesome omelet breakfast. 

The Bald Eagle at Alaska Conservation Center

Homer has its own Islands and Oceans visitor center. Its worth a visit. Very informative and well maintained. If you have an hour to spare, do stop by. After the visitor center and breakfast at boatyard we hit the road again - back to Girdwood. The next 2 days we had a booking at a very cozy Bed and Breakfast near Alyeska Resort. On the way we planned on visiting the Alaska conservation center and

Portage Visitor center and a part of the receded Glacier

a hike to the Byron glacier. The drive from Homer to Girdwood is around 2 hours, and its the same way that we took from Seward to Homer. The wildlife conservation center is right at the end of the turn-around arm and just before the road on the right that takes you to Whittier. We highly recommend this place. It has a range of Alaskan wildlife that you can experience up close. And its a non-profit organization that takes in injured animals and releases them once they recover. Few are never fit to be left into the wildlife. You can drive or walk to view these animals enclosed in fairly large areas similar to their own homes. The Chugach Mountains in the backdrop make this place very serene and picturesque. We spent an hour here and headed towards Portage glacier

Glacier melt on the hike to Byron Glacier

and the Byron Glacier hike. Exit the center and take the road towards anchorage, the immediate right towards Whittier, will take you to Portage Glacier. The Glacier has receded a lot, all that is visible from the visitor center is a small iceberg. We did not take the boat to the Glacier, as we had the Whittier cruise planned for tomorrow. Instead we planned on hiking to a near-by Glacier - Byron. 

The 

 

Reached Byron Glacier

Portage Visitor center closes around 6pm, we didn't make it. So we decided on coming back tomorrow, after the Whittier cruise. The hike to Byron starts a mile inwards from the Portage visitor center. In stead of hitting the road for Whittier, take a opposite way. There was a warning for Bear siting in the region. Both of us were pretty apprehensive. But read the reviews of the hike, we built up some courage to take it head-on. The trail  was stranded at 6:30 in the evening. Half way through, after seeing no one else around except some rustling of trees, we hastened our stride. The hike was indeed scenic, but scary in the evening. We suggest you to plan it in mid-day. It can get cold, so take some extra warm clothes.The Glacier had receded too, but we could feel the chill of its surface from that distance. This hike it not a must do. If you have an extra couple hours and want to get closer to nature, do it.

Fireweed - most common site in Alaska

That was almost the end of our eight day in Alaska; until we ran into the beautiful fire-weeds against the majestic Chugach mountain range. The shutter bug in us made us stop to click away in the last few days left in Alaska. A complete contrast to the lively fire weeds in the turnaround arm area are the barren salt lands with dead trees. The earthquake of 1964 in Alaska shook the region for 7 mins with a strength of 9.2 on the Richter. The land sank by 8 ft. and the salt water

that rose up, killed all the trees in the area. Seeing these trees, you can still feel the agony of 1964. Ended the day on a happy but sad note, that day. Tomorrow we head to Whittier into Prince William Sound to see loads of Glacier and otters.

                                                                                 

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Alaska V: Katmai National Park & Homer

 Recommendations:

•        See Bears up close in their natural habitat,  with cubs playing and wrestling, in Katmai National Park.
•        Highly recommend Emerald services to fly into Katmai. It is not accessible by road, you either fly or take a boat.
•        A day’s flight into Katmai with guided hike to see bears is $600 per person.
•        Homer highlights: art galleries, fishing or hiking to glaciers (in kenai fjords across Kachemak Bay)
•        Must visit: Homer’s visitor center, cups café and sourdough express café. Highly recommend Boat yard café for breakfast – delicious omelets.
•        Homer and Katmai can get cold and cloudy, so look ahead for weather updates.
•        Stay at: Driftwood Inn, with discounts on 2^nd night with Northern Lights coupon. 

Katmai NP from above

While we were doing research on our trip to Alaska, we stumbled upon a few pictures of Katmai National Park. We were awe struck. We had to go there. Then we checked the prices; awe struck again - $600 per person. Bears have always amazed us, and seeing them in an untouched natural habitat, was a dream, esp. if its grizzlies in Alaska. Come on, we have to have to do this! So there we were on the fifth day of our trip, headed to Homer – capital of Halibut fishing. Homer has a few private companies that take chartered float planes to Katmai. We were lucky to book Emerald services, with the most humble and educated crew of Chris, Sarah and our guide Dave.

It takes nearly four hours to reach Homer from Seward; the drive is beautiful. Keep some time to spare, cause in peak season, traffic tends to back-up in narrow roads. We reached Homer late in the evening, after stopping at the ‘welcome sign’ to view Kachemak Bay, we headed to Driftwood Inn, our home for 2 nights. This Inn offers discounts for 2^nd nights with the Northern Lights coupon. The rooms are like ship units, but they seemed to have perfected the art of utilizing space. There’s a small beach towards the backyard of the hotel, perfect for a campfire.

Emerald Air Services at Homer

Next day we picked up egg muffins from McD, packed lunch from a Safeway near by and drove to Emerald Services. After a warm welcome and introductions, they gave us hip boots for the day. The floatplane lands on water, and one needs these boots to wade through water, onto land, without getting drenched. This was our first experience in a 6 person floatplane, a rather noisy experience at that. Even those we wore pilot style head phones, the engine was so loud, that we could hear and feel the window vibrate. But nonetheless an awesome ride to one of the least explored land in Alaska and the most beautiful one too. As we flew over the ocean, we spotted a few whales, spurting water. Our guide, Dave pointed out dormant volcanoes and active glaciers.

Cubs playing

We landed near the Hallo bay, on the western side of the park. Most of the crowd goes to Brooke’s falls, which is accessible from the eastern side, through Kings city. But that area is very crowded and does not enable one to see bears up close. Our pilot took off after dropping us and promised to meet back at the northern side after 6 hours. The moment we landed, we spotted Bear footprints as well as those of fox and wolf. Wilderness was creeping in on us now. Soon after a break is the natural restroom covered with knee high grass, we hiked towards the interior of the park. In our hike we spotted multiple Bears, similar to seeing cows or goats grazing around in India. They didn’t seem to care about our presence, except a few curious young ones.  There were a couple of 2 year olds digging for clams in wetlands; they seemed to play more than work on lunch though. As we walked further, in the beautiful backdrop of glacier, there were 2 mamma bears with 2 cubs each. We enjoyed our packed lunch along side them, as they chewed on the grass carelessly. Seeing cubs play and wrestle was something so wonderful, words can’t do justice to.

Teenage bear running to catch salmon

Next we hiked towards the stream, hoping to see some Bears in action. Katmai bay is so green and vibrant in colors, that even without bears, it’s a habitat worth a visit. Do make sure you leave the park as you found it. We suddenly heard growling at a distance. Some of us were taken aback, but Dave assured us that it was a lunch fight, for the sparse Salmon in the streams. Seeing them run in the stream to catch fish was like watching Nat Geo feature live – and it indeed was. We later had to cross the same stream where a few bears were running around, trying to grab fish. On the way out, we spotted another Mamma bear with 2 yearlings. Bear cubs stay with their mothers until there are a couple years old.

Flying over four-peaked glacier

As we headed back to the beach for our ride back home, we looked back to the vivid green grasslands, surrounded by volcanic mountains and white glacier seemingly flowing from snowcapped peaks – it was heaven visited! The weather was in our favor for once, and we had the perfect sunny day with absolute visibility and least wind. Our pilot, Chris, decided to put a cherry on the cake on our way out  of Katmai; he flew past the four-peaked glacier and through the peaks – enticing experience. By the time we got home, we were in no state to keep awake. A quick stop at the artistic café sourdough express for delicious halibut dinner, and we crashed in bed.  Tomorrow we drive north towards Portage & Whittier.

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Alaska Day IV-V: Turnaround Arm & Seward

After the wonderful evening at Lake Lucille we headed out south, towards Anchorage for our next part of the trip. We stopped at Iditarod Headquarters @ Wasilla, Iditarod is also know it as 'The Last Great Race on Earth'. From Anchorage, in south central Alaska, to Nome on the western Bering Sea coast, each team of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher cover over 1150 miles in 10 to 17 days. They had many Alaskan Huskies there including small pups. It was fun to sit in a "sledge" which had wheels and pulled by these amazing dogs.. Well thats all you can do in summer. This provides the dogs with much needed exercise so that when winter comes they are off and running. This place has a small gift shop and a lot of history on Iditarod.

After that we went to Eklutna 20 miles south of Wasilla, there is a famous Russian Orthodox cemetery probably the most photographed cemetery in Alaska. The confluence of Orthodox Christianity and Athabaskan native practices resulted in brightly coloured spirit houses. The person in charge of the cemetery was a very friendly Romanian man. He talked with great interest about the spirit houses at its history. This cemetery is currently used by the local people of Russian Orthodox and Athabaskan origins.

We had lunch at Chiang Mai Thai Restaurant in Anchorage and moved on to the scenic Seward hwy. The last gas station on this road is at Girdwood so make sure you fill your tank up. The road is simply amazing. It goes through the Chugach mountains and valleys. On the way we stopped at bird point and beluga point. The beluga whales in cook inlet do not migrate, they stay at the same place all their life because of that they are genetically different from all the other beluga species.

The drive until Seward is spectacular, or so we heard. We enjoyed only half of it, as weather played a spoil sport that day, and we didn't see much towards Seward. About 10 miles before Seward there is a right turn that goes to Exit Glacier. There are few trails which take you next to the glacier. The weather had changed dramatically and was amazing. The 1.2 mile (one-way) hike was like a breeze. Many times there are black bears wandering in the area so rangers tell you to take extra caution. That means if you see a bear in front of you DON'T run. Crap in your pants if you want to but don't run. In most cases the bear will just smell you and walk away but if you run you are game and in short distances bears can run like Usain Bolt. Make a lot of noice and make sure if you are in a group you are together so that bear thinks its something big and lot of people ; it will run away. We were lucky enough to not see any bears and went very close to the glacier. It felt like being in a super market's frozen section near the Glacier. We could not stand there beyond 10/15 mins. Exit glacier is a must see. You might not get a chance to get this close to a such a big glacier.

We stayed in Harborview Inn, nice hotel and staff. Later that night we walked around Seward's charming little town. We had nice pizza at Chirsto's palace for dinner. Next day early morning 7:30 AM we had to reach the Kenai Fjord cruise for our 6 hour excursion to the bay of Alaska. The weather was not really good and we thought the cruise might be canceled. It started on time though and we were greeted by two Killer whales as soon as we were out in the bay. The highlight of the cruise was a stop at Aialik Glacier and see a hugh hunk of glacier carve. The seas were rough for a little part of the trip and it was very windy and pouring. Not a good day for the cruise.

Again back at Seward we went to the Seward wildlife center. We had the coupon from the Northern lights book for one free ticket. The best part was watching Alaskan birds from up close. The puffins were amazing. We cant really see puffins up close out in the ocean but here they were just few feet away. Amazing experience.

Then we headed out of Seward but not before grabbing a Eggplant sandwich at Apollo restaurant, it was delicious and very different from what we have had before. Next stop Homer Alaska for some Bear watching.
-- A


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