Alaska....Glaciers....Gorgeous....

When you think of Alaska - glaciers, polar bears, grizzly’s, moose and salmon dance in one’s mind - not in the same order for everyone!! Perhaps a fishing enthusiast may think about salmon! During the first day of our visit we went to the Portage glacier, Spencer Whistle top and the Grand view. After returning from Barrow, we took a cruise to the Prince William Sound to see the glaciers. We drove up to Whittier to catch the boat. The scenic Seward Highway has multiple view points to check the Belugas bobbing on the tides or the mountain goats on the towering Chugha ranges. We also managed to see few bald eagles on our way. The tunnel that leads from Portage to Whittier is 2.5 miles in length. This is used both by the train and the automotive. Hence the tunnel is opened only on a set time table to move the traffic from one side to the other.

The boat captain said that during winter most of the residents of Whittier move to Anchorage or other closer cities like Girdwood or Portage to avoid the winter blast coming thru the tunnel. The cruise began passing thru the mountains where glaciers are hanging like beautiful white and blue quartz. It is sad that with the global warming some of the glaciers are receding. We managed to spot a school of otters!! May be shoal! One of the otters was very bold to follow us for a while and then vanished into the deeper waters. A hump back whale appeared like a steam engine hissing out jets of water. Few seals also curiously looked at us. In the yonder mountain fortress we could spot some bald eagles nest. One huge bald eagle majestically circled around. Everything seemed to be magical!

The cruise slowly reached near the glacier and halted.
The glacier looked like multiple sculptures arranged like a fortress protecting the icy layer that is cascading from the mountain. Every now and then a rolling chunk of ice will fall into the ocean. First we were alerted by a rumbling noise. The ice cracked slowly and pushed a big ton of icy rock that descended into the ocean like a cascade of a waterfall. The cruise stood still. The glacier must have seen so many ships, people, birds and animals during its long journey from the ice age. The sea gulls that have nested on the rocky cliffs lulled at the boat as if asking “why are you here in my territory?’. The water stood still around the glacier due to its depth. No one talked. A silent communication was going on with the nature. The deep blue water, bright quartz glacier, green trees on the mountains, waterfalls, birds and the sun looking from the clouds conveyed that this is peace and this is bliss.

“Come inside for a nice chocolate mousse and coffee”, the captain announced!

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Alaska.....Arctic crcle.....Awesome

Imagine celebrating 4th of July on  "Top of the World" in Arctic circle!!.
The plan is very simple. Land in Anchorage, see the glaciers and take off to Barrow the last frontier city up on the North slope of the Arctic circle.  Once the travel plan was set all one has to do is to pack up some winter clothes and hop into a plane.  On our first day, we explored the city museum and the downtown Saturday open market highly recommended by Hilton staff.  The next day we went to the Portage glacier, Beluga point and the wildlife conserve to see musk ox to Kodiak bears! After acclimatized to the constant 18hrs daylight we packed only the heavy winter jackets and boots to visit the arctic circle.
On July 4th morning we took a flight to Barrow from Anchorage. The Barrow airport is very small and one of our fellow passengers,  a teacher who lives in Barrow said that everyone in Barrow knows each other.

After a warm welcome from the hotel staff we settled on "Top of the World"! yes this hotel is situated on the shores of Arctic ocean. The hotel staff recommended that we have dinner at the Pepe's restaurant. As soon as we entered, we were surprised by the beautiful 4th of July decor and there entered Ms. Fran Tate who owns this Mexican restaurant also works as a part time DJ on Saturdays in KBRW the only radio station in Barrow. She whimsically said that if we try the Polar bear plunge in the arctic she would give us all a certificate!

Without a sunset or darkness the time moved on to the 24/7 daylight schedule!!.  After a nice morning walk, we hopped into the tour bus with our guide Sam an Inupiat. We went on a long ride on the tundra stopping at the ancient burial mounds and whaling sites, villages where the seal meat was hanging in the backyard clothesline. Sam explained about the whale and seal hunting expeditions by the Inupiat. They hunt only the bow head and beluga whales and never the Orcas or any killer whales. Also, they keep a quota system that only a set amount of whales will be killed for food every year. The whole community participate in this project.  The Inupiats moved from subsistence economy to cash economy during the second World War when the US Navy established a base in Barrow and helped the villagers with housing and schools.

The Arctic ocean looked calm with floating icebergs. We managed to touch the ocean and climbed on the icebergs that floated closer to the shore. Our tour ended with a visit to the Inupiat cultural center and museum. The Inupiat children sang, danced and demoed the blanket toss and other games. The rhythm and the ancient music conveyed that after all we the humans have common needs for food, shelter, work, and entertainment.

About 8:45pm we boarded the flight back to Anchorage for the rest of the awaiting adventures. I looked out of the window and felt that the arctic sun was smiling brightly.

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.