Alaska Trip.

We had been on a cruise to Alaska for a week early this month. Since I was always very skeptic of the whole cruising experience thinking that I will feel trapped, confined and way too far from land to feel safe, I was actually surprised that I had a great time and enjoyed the whole expedition. I felt that cruising is a great way to travel with a toddler, compared to taking a flight or driving. It is easy to keep them entertained.

Our ports of call were Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan in Alaska and Victoria BC in Canada. Each town had different things to offer. Skagway was a very interesting town with its Klondike Gold Rush history. Ketchikan, has the most number of original standing totem poles, scattered throughout the town. And is also called as the 'Salmon capital of the world'. It was truly amazing to see thousands of Salmon swimming upstream in the creek. Juneau, the capital of Alaska has the Mendenhall Glacier - one of the few Glaciers which is easily accessible by road. We visited the Butchart Gardens in Victoria BC and saw the last fireworks for the season. Our trip was almost during the end of summer but still the weather was just perfect. It did not rain in any of our ports of call even though we were warned that this time of year it might have already started raining. Cruising the Glacier Bay National Park was a true Alaskan experience and the wildlife there is unbelievable. We spotted a bear walking down the grassy area in the mountains and just as we were leaving the bay there were a lot of seals, otters and whales swimming along us.

This trip was a very last minute decision and most of the planning was done by my cousin and we just got on board on a whim. The experience in the cruise was more than what I had expected but I should say I was a little disappointed with the Alaskan scenery. Most of the glaciers have started receding and it did not quite take my breath away as I had envisioned - thanks to Global warming. It was a pretty laid back trip and we didn't do few things I wanted to do like the dog sled riding on the frozen river or the helicopter ride, since we had our little one. But that is for another time when we go back to explore more of Alaska's wilderness.