Monday,
July 4, 2016:
Tracy Arm Inlet and Juneau, Alaska:
We put our
clocks back one hour before we went to bed last night as we would be arriving
in Alaskan waters and crossing a time zone line at 2. 00 am. We also set our
alarms for an early start as we were told to arrive in the Crow’s Nest—the highest Observation Deck on the ship—at the crack
of dawn to spy whales. Not to be daunted by the hour, we were at our stations
as planned at 6. 30 am to bag good seats.
Whale-Watching
at Dawn in Frederick Sound:
At
6.30, there were not a lot of folks in situ,
but as the half hour passed, the place got packed with cruise passengers and
the Crow’s Nest became full. We had
armed ourselves with hot chocolate and small pastries from the Café attached to
the adjoining library and feeling quite content at that hour of the day, we
trained our sights and our binoculars at the horizon and hoped to see whales.
The
secret to whale watching is abundant patience. We were in Frederick Sound at this time—a fertile feeding ground for whales
who eat for 22 hours of the day—who knew? Since they find rich food in these
waters, there is good chance of spying them. Rick, our Cruise Director, told us
what to look for—a head of mist rising above the water is a clue as the mist is
left by spouting water issuing from the whale’s blowholes. Even while waiting,
we had views of the mountains and the little islands that dot the Sound—so
there was a lot of visual interest.
About
twenty minutes later, we started to see the mist and within ten minutes, we
were fully into whale-occupied territory. The spouting water was frequent and
very often we saw the turns of the great mammals in the water. On at least two
or three occasions, I saw their tails stick out of the water and then plunge
swiftly back in. They were not too distant and in a couple of cases, we actually
saw their backs glide through the shallow waters. It was a very rewarding sight
and worth getting up early to spy. With humpback whales spotted, we are left
with four of the other sea creature to see as part of the Big Five! (The others
are Orca—or Killer—whales, sea lions, Dahl’s porpoises and otters).
Breakfast
in the Lido:
It
was time to go in search of breakfast for cruising through Tracy Arm would
continue for about four hours. We made our way to the Lido and since I spied
the Full English Breakfast offered with the kind of tenderloin English bacon I
like and the fat sausages that the English call Bangers, I decided to have one
of those—both the bacon and the sausage were very tasty indeed. We also go
freshly squeezed orange juice as the decaff coffee on board is not the best at
all. With breakfast accomplished, it was time to go out in search of a few ship
board activities that would keep us happily occupied until we disembarked.
Culinary
Demonstration featuring Baked Alaska:
Llew
preferred to get back to our stateroom for a nap as he suddenly felt sleepy
while I headed off to meet Alex who was demonstrating the making of Baked
Alaska, the famous dessert that everybody loves but rarely makes at home. The
chef happened to be Suraj who was originally from Goa. He took forever to whip
up the egg whites (which made me wonder why he had not simply used a mixer as
all of us would do at home!). The finished dessert was browned with a blow
torch. The entire operation took about 20 minutes after which I headed off
elsewhere.
Discovering
the Klondike Gold Rush:
I
was keen to find out a bit of history about the Klondike Gold Rush and when
Cruise Director Nick made a presentation on it, I went off to listen to what he
had to say. Sadly, he was nearing the end of it and I too suddenly felt very
sleepy. It was time to return to my stateroom for a nap. About 20 minutes
later, feeling very refreshed, we went off to Lido Deck to participate in the
Great American BBQ being held to celebrate July the Fourth—as, of course, it
was American Independence Day. With breakfast sitting quite heavy in my tummy,
it was time to think about more food.
The
Great American BBQ on Deck:
Long
lines of other passengers, all determined to fuel up before disembarking and
spending the day at Juneau, did not think so. With plates heaped with corn
bread, bread rolls, the ubiquitous coleslaw and potato salads, baked potatoes
with sour cream and chives and bacon, BBq-ed spare ribs, chicken, steak and
lovely well-seasoned peppery salmon, they were heading to their pool side
seats. Llew and I followed suit and found blueberry cobbler and red, white and
blue cupcakes also offered for dessert. I could only take a very small sample
size helping of a few things before it was time to head off to the Reception
Desk to make arrangements to get off the ship for we had arrived at Juneau and
the cruise terminus and its accompanying buildings could be easily spied across
the narrow inlet of water.
Arrival
at Juneau, Alaska’s Capital:
Our first day getting
off the cruise liner saw most passengers wanting to race off and explore. And
although tiny with the feel of a one-time prosperous frontier town, Juneau
offered a whole lot to see and do. But, as it is also popular with cruising
companies and offers only a limited number of berths for disembarkation, our
ship was anchored a few meters off shore.
An
Experience of Tendering:
As
a result of our location, we needed to be ‘tendered’ ashore. This is the
process by which passengers board small boats that then ferry them to the pier
where they can disembark and begin exploration. It is not an easy task to get
over 2000 passengers off a huge cruise liner and on to small boats—the
allusions to the evacuation of the Titanic
are inevitable. Fortunately for us, Christine, the Cruise Director, had offered
to get us swiftly off the boat if we came to see her as soon as we were ready
to get off. We took her up on her offer
and were ferried over to land on the very first boat that moved away from the Nieuw Amsterdam to get us to Juneau. It
took no more than ten minutes and was a very smooth operation as we joined
about fifty passengers on board to make the crossing past another HAL boat in
the water—the Westerdam.
Exploring
Franklin Street:
One
of the benefits of attending a number of the shipboard presentations the
previous day, was becoming aware of the free ‘gifts’ offered by many of the
jewelry stores that line the streets of Juneau. Most gifts take the form of
charms which can be hung from a bracelet—and are, therefore, a sought-after
perk. It also allows passengers to walk the length of Franklin Street, the busy
shopping artery that leads to the bus terminus and to the Mount Roberts’
Tramway which passengers can ride to get way up high on a towering mountain
that overlooks the city and provides bird-eye views. We did not think spending
the $35 per head that it costs to get to the top was worthwhile.
Instead we marched into
the souvenir shops to find a T-shirt for my brother, postcards and magnets—our
usual fund of souvenirs—and to move on. It was interesting to note that almost
all the jewelry stores are manned by Indians from India who make Juneau their
home for just 3-4 months of the year (the summer cruise season) and then push
off to the Caribbean Islands for the rest of the year. We entered into
conversation with one of them who used to live not far away from my home town
in Bombay. Their wares take the form of precious jewelry and semi-precious
stones set into jewelry and once they provide you with the free charm, they
turn their attention to other customers as soon as they sense that we are not
the in the market to purchase.
Off
to the Mendenhall Glacier:
Our
main aim while in Juneau was to make the trip a few miles out of town to the
Mendenhall Glacier which is the closest we will get to a glacier on this trip
as we have not booked any of the pricey helicopter or floatplane rides that
actually put cruise passengers on the glaciers themselves. Using Lonely Planet and Trip Advisor, I had discovered that the least expensive way to get
to Mendenhall is by Juneau’s public transport bus that costs a mere $2 per
passenger per trip. However, this bus does not get all the way to the glacier
and passengers are required to walk the last one and a half mile of road
leading to the venue.
The second alternative
is to take one of two ‘shuttle’ bus services run by private operators from the
bus terminus. One is called the Glacier Shuttle (aka the White Bus—which is the
one we took), the other is called the Glacier Express (aka the Blue Bus). Both
cost the same amount ($15 per person one way which makes it a pricey $30 round
trip for a journey that lasts no more than 20 minutes each way). Still, it
takes passengers to the very entrance of the little state park—so all said, it
is the best bet.
We
entered the Juneau Visitor Information Center for maps and advice and were
directed to the bus ticket counters from where we purchased our bus tickets to
the glacier and headed a few meters ahead to the bus stop to board the bus.
This stretch of the city was simply crawling with cruise passengers and there
was a bit of chaos all around as folks tried to find their private tour
operators, the public bus stops and the tram terminus for the cable car ride up
the mountain.
Bus
Ride to Mendenhall Glacier:
All
private bus operators are supposed to give a running commentary to the glacier
and back. Ours, a young girl with little interest in her job except to see that
passengers boarded the bus in a queue, said absolutely nothing except to warn
us about bears and not getting too close to them. Once at the stop, we were
pretty much on our way as we followed the throngs to the venue. The twenty
minute bus journey is uninteresting but for the meadows filled with wild
flowers that follow you throughout and the vistas of the mountains all around.
Exploring
Mendenhall Glacier:
Juneau sits at the bottom of what is
known as the Juneau Icefield and one of the features of the icefield is the
Mendenhall Glacier. It has been in steady recession over the past century and as
global warming has melted much of it, what is left behind are icy waterways
filled with glacial water. You hike about ten minutes and arrive at the very
nice but very crowded Visitors’ Center that offer maps, rest rooms and
souvenirs. And then you have two options: you can walk about five minutes and
arrive at a viewing point that offers good photo ops against the backdrop of
the glacier (which is what we did first) or you can hike to Nuffy Falls which
we did later—or you can do both.
The glacier is not as
impressive as the many we have seen in other parts of the world on our travels
(the Columbia Icefield in the Canadian Rockies is vast and amazing and you can
easily walk all over it; the Fox Glacier in New Zealand near Haas was
incredible in its size and the fact that you can easily hike over it without
spending a small fortune on helicopters or floatplanes). Still, the lovely bright
blue that we spied at Mendenhall’s base (caused by moraine or debris that has
accumulated over centuries) was a first-time sight for us and it was lovely.
Once
we took our pictures, however, it was time to decide whether or not take the
mile-long hike to Nuffy Falls—a 45 minute round trip. Since we had time on our
hands, we went—not really knowing what to expect. It turned out to be the most
fun part of our day.
Hiking
to Nuffy Falls:
The
hikers’ path to Nuffy Falls is very well marked and very well-traveled. There
were scores of other walkers for company—of different sizes and ages—and they
all coped well. Along the way, you pass by an abundance of wild flowers: large
white daisies, purple hollyhock lookalikes, loads of unripe berry bushes. The
air is cool and bracing but after a while you will find that you do not need a
parka even though you are in close proximity to a glacier (a fleece is enough).
About 20 minutes later, you arrive at the Falls and they are truly a
spectacular sight. This is because this is the closest I have ever got to a
waterfall—you are literally within a couple of feet of the tumbling water and
can reach out and touch it. Needless to say, the water was ice cold. The blue
base of the glacier is only a few feet away—so there are lots of good photo
ops. But the place is constantly mobbed and that takes away some of the sense
of being secluded in a pristine wilderness. Still, it was a fully worthwhile
hike and easily recommended.
Return
to Juneau and the Ship:
We
followed passengers on the reverse journey to try to find the bus stop that
took us back to Juneau. By this time, it was about 4.30 and the early tourist
excitement had calmed down in the city. We spent about hour or so looking into
a few more shops and landmark establishments such as the Red Dog Saloon that was once a prospector’s favorite haunt before
we decided to get back to the ship. Once again, we were tendered across in a
little boat and checked back into our ship.
Evening
on Board:
For
some reason—and probably because we had done two really good hikes in bracing
mountain air—both Llew and I were hungry. But since we had 8.00 pm reservations
at Canaletto, the specialty Italian
restaurant on board, we decided to try just a little of the Alaskan food being
offered in the Lido. I tried the Alaskan Seafood Chowder which was delicious
and the Gold Diggers’s Chilli—both of which were great—together with the
Alaskan beers on sale. Alaska has some nice brewing companies that use mountain
glacial waters to brew their liquors and I was keen to taste a couple while on
the trip.
Time
to Dress for Dinner at Canaletto:
Back
in our staterooms, we had enough time to dress for dinner and make our way
upstairs again. I had tried to get a later dinner slot but all were taken. The
concept at Canaletto is that of
sharing and after ordering drinks (Chianti for Llew, a margarita for me), we
looked at the menu. We decided to share two of the small plates (veal and sage
polpettino which were meat balls in a delectable sauce—we got four which made
it perfect for sharing) and the Vermouth Clams that were served in a very tasty
broth dotted with chorizo sausage. Our appetizers were superb but not
surprisingly, we already felt full. Still, we soldiered on towards pasta and
decided to order two for sharing and to forgo a taste of the Large plates as we
simply would have no room. We chose the Shrimp Papardelle which came with three
tiger shrimp in a lemon infused cream sauce—very rich and very good, but we
could only eat a little as we also had the special of the day—the lasagna made
with chicken, beef and veal. It was also really good, but with just a few bites
of the two really splendid dishes, we had had enough. It was time to order the
lightest of desserts and we got the gelato—pistachio for Llew, gianduja
(chocolate hazelnut) for me—both of which were splendid. We both felt really
bad that our capacity is so small as neither of us did justice to the truly
delicious offerings put before us.
Evening
at the Piano Bar:
I
would have preferred to call it a day at that point, but Llew was keen to get
to the Piano Bar to listen to Jimmy Maddox belt out a few numbers as it was
Elvis Night and the baby boomers were there in full force. We had a lovely one
hour listening to a truly talented man who combines the skills of a pianist,
singer, story teller and entertainer quite effortlessly into a one man show.
As our ship slowly
pulled out of Juneau, Jimmy regaled us with stories about The King as well as
sing-along numbers that had our feet tapping, heads shaking and lips moving. A
truly lovely end to a very eventful day.
Until tomorrow…
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