I want to dispel a few myths before we continue. Firstly, in a 'near death experience your life does not flash before your eyes, nor does everything go in slow-motion. Secondly, it's always a good idea to have insurance.
Well, I don't know if what I experienced was a quote 'near death experience'. Possibly more like a 'potentially dangerous situation'.
I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I got into a car accident. OK, that probably wasn't the best set up in history (probably the worst) I admit. But we managed to get to the point, didn't we?
We decided to hire a car in Anchorage and drive up to Fairbanks (about 350 miles/ 500 and something km away) because Anchorage was pretty boring. We also wanted to go up and see if we could see the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) (more on that later) (parenthesis!) and hopefully some wildlife on the way (more on that later too). Anyways, we hit an icy patch on the road just outside Cantwell (just over halfway between Anchorage and Fairbanks), did a 360 and hit a snow bank. Luckily there weren't any other cars around at the time but if we had spun out less than a minute later than we did, we probably would have hit a truck coming the opposite way. See what I mean about potentially dangerous!? This was what I was trying to get at from the start!
So anyways, the car was working fine still and thanks to a helpful Alaskan (I assume) couple we were able to secure what was left of the front bumper so that it didn't drag. We made it to Cantwell with me feeling a little happy, to be honest. I wasn't too worried about the cost. "Can't be more than $600, right?" I laugh at myself in retrospect. It actually ended up costing 10x that amount. USD. Apparently parts are hard to come across in Alaska and have to be shipped in which is such shit.
Long story short. I'm now officially broke. Good thing I'm going home really soon huh?
We made it to Cantwell hoping that there was a mechanic there but apparently the only one in the area was old and probably wouldn't be able to make it out to have a look at the car. In any case he would probably tell us to go to Fairbanks. The truck driver that was behind us was at the petrol station too and he said that if that snow bank were any lower we would have most likely flipped. POTENTIAL DANGER! Oh, neither of us are hurt by the way. Just my wallet.
The rest of this story isn't that interesting. We made it to Fairbanks without the use of a car, we spent the rest of our time there trying to sort out this car thing and then we flew to Anchorage and then on to Seattle.
Seeing as we're out of Alaska now, I feel safe to do a little summary thing of the entire trip. Overall it was pretty disappointing. I had so many expectations which weren't met. I guess that was the problem. No research + high expectations = disappointment. I didn't do any of the things that were on my list. I didn't see any wildlife besides two Bald Eagles and a squirelly thing (possibly a squirrel). I didn't go snowshoeing, or snowmobiling OR dog sledding. I didn't see the Norther Lights. Alaska IS a beautiful place though, one of the few places in North America that warrants a second visit. During Summer of course. That's pretty much all I have to say about it, to be honest.
Showing posts with label alaska. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alaska. Show all posts
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
A quick update/ probably won't have internet access for a while
Ok, so we made it to Anchorage. The flight was more like a bus ride than what you would usually expect. We made a few stops on the way where we let people off and other people got on. People going to Anchorage, like us (final destination?), had to just sit on the plane while we waited to take off. It was a little weird. Probably doesn't sound as weird as it actually was, based on this description though... It was weird ok?
Anchorage is well, a lot bigger than Juneau. With a population of around 277, 000 it has more than half of the entire population of the state of Alaska. Which, by the way is celebrating it's 50th year of statehood. Hooray.
Also, we've managed to hire a car which opens up a lot of options. So in the morning we're headed up to Fairbanks via Wasilla ("Hi Sarah Palin!") and Talkeetna. Once we reach Fairbanks, depending on the time, we'll head up to Chena Hot Springs where we may or may not be able to see the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis if you wanna get technical) (I always want to get technical) but lately it's been pretty quiet. They have like, this gauge where it guages the likelyhood of seeing the lights and right now, it's like, a 1 on a scale of 10 (10 being the highest/ greatest likelyhood of seeing it) so I'm not expecting much.
On the wildlife front, from what I can tell from talking to a few locals, there only seems to be Moose around this time of year but who knows? In any case, a Moose is still fine with me. Sometimes they just wander through town to go shopping for some supplies but as yet, I haven't seen any. It just seems like one of those stories where people say that these crazy things happen but they never do when you're around and then you end up questioning them and how crazy they are. Crazy.
Well, I guess that's it for now. Oh, also, our hostel doesn't have wireless so we've had to go to like, coffee shops and shit to use theirs. I dunno, I just assumed that every hostel has wifi. Apparently not. It's a bit annoying too cos the hostel is a good 6 or 7 blocks from the closest wifi place. I also feel kinda guilty for coming to these places and using their internet for ages. I mean, sure, we buy things and whatnot but I mean, it's like, "I'll trade you like, $3 for a coffee/ tea and use of your internet for 2 and a half hours. Deal? Deal."
Anchorage is well, a lot bigger than Juneau. With a population of around 277, 000 it has more than half of the entire population of the state of Alaska. Which, by the way is celebrating it's 50th year of statehood. Hooray.
Also, we've managed to hire a car which opens up a lot of options. So in the morning we're headed up to Fairbanks via Wasilla ("Hi Sarah Palin!") and Talkeetna. Once we reach Fairbanks, depending on the time, we'll head up to Chena Hot Springs where we may or may not be able to see the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis if you wanna get technical) (I always want to get technical) but lately it's been pretty quiet. They have like, this gauge where it guages the likelyhood of seeing the lights and right now, it's like, a 1 on a scale of 10 (10 being the highest/ greatest likelyhood of seeing it) so I'm not expecting much.
On the wildlife front, from what I can tell from talking to a few locals, there only seems to be Moose around this time of year but who knows? In any case, a Moose is still fine with me. Sometimes they just wander through town to go shopping for some supplies but as yet, I haven't seen any. It just seems like one of those stories where people say that these crazy things happen but they never do when you're around and then you end up questioning them and how crazy they are. Crazy.
Well, I guess that's it for now. Oh, also, our hostel doesn't have wireless so we've had to go to like, coffee shops and shit to use theirs. I dunno, I just assumed that every hostel has wifi. Apparently not. It's a bit annoying too cos the hostel is a good 6 or 7 blocks from the closest wifi place. I also feel kinda guilty for coming to these places and using their internet for ages. I mean, sure, we buy things and whatnot but I mean, it's like, "I'll trade you like, $3 for a coffee/ tea and use of your internet for 2 and a half hours. Deal? Deal."
Friday, February 6, 2009
Juneau-a-go-go
Alright, lets begin with the most important/ interesting thing that's happened here in Juneau. No, as far as I know, there's been no more news on the apparent volcanic activity in the Juneau area. This is much more important. I became an overnight celebrity in the town of Juneau, population approx 30, 000. I made it into the frickin newspaper.
Photo: Juggling can be a winter sport, too
Juneau Empire
Simon Wong, left, shows off his snow juggling skills to his sister, Lian, on Wednesday near Marine Park. They are visiting from Auckland, New Zealand.
Not much else to say about that, really. A slow news day I guess. (Also, in the photo it looks like I've just got one snowball but really, the rest are just out of shot! I swear! Ha.) I'm pretty happy nonetheless. I have my souvenir from Juneau, cos god knows everything here is so frickin expensive! I mean, seriously, $75 for a PRINT of a painting? I'm sorry, that's just ridiculous. If it was the original, signed and dated, then maybe you could get away with it, but dude, $75? Also, the native artifacts are pretty expensive too. Which, I guess makes sense but $200 for a small carving is pretty ridiculous too, dude. I thought New York was expensive, but man, Alaska can get pretty dang pricey too.
The hostel. It's ok, but the other night a group of like, 20 kids and a few adults have been here for a few days now. But luckily for us, we're getting kicked out of the hostel tomorrow (they have this policy where you can only stay for 5 days every 3 months which kinda makes no sense, but ok). It also gets pretty annoying that we have to be out between 9 and 5 every day. Especially on a day like today when it's snowing like crazy outside... I guess it's a good and bad thing though. It means we get a lot of things done but if we have no plans like today, the time seems to go pretty slow. I mean, Juneau (and from what I can tell, everywhere else on this godforsaken continent) have closed down for the winter which is kind of annoying. Yet for some reason I'm surprised by it every time.
Note to self: Summer. Summer is when things are alive.
The weather hasn't been all bad though. Yesterday was pretty nice. We headed out to Mendenhall Glacier which was pretty extraordinary. I mean, you'd think that any self-respecting kiwi would have seen one before - Franz Josef and Fox etc. But no, not me. I'll get onto that though. I promise. Not much to say about that really. It was blue. It was pretty. It was cold. Well, not really that cold, not really that pretty, not really that blue. We did a hike where the snow sometimes got up to our knees. It was kinda intense. Especially when I almost fell into a hole. Woah.
Oh, also, I almost forgot. I totally saw another Bald Eagle swoop down and grab some kind of meat...thing from the side of a dumpster. Kinda gross, yet majestic. And of course I was too slow to take a photo so I have no physical proof of it but you gotta believe me. You just gotta!
Right, I think that's it yous fulla's. Oh, besides the fact that I'm going HOME in 11 DAYS. That is frickin, ridiculously nuts.
Photo: Juggling can be a winter sport, too
Juneau Empire
Simon Wong, left, shows off his snow juggling skills to his sister, Lian, on Wednesday near Marine Park. They are visiting from Auckland, New Zealand.
Not much else to say about that, really. A slow news day I guess. (Also, in the photo it looks like I've just got one snowball but really, the rest are just out of shot! I swear! Ha.) I'm pretty happy nonetheless. I have my souvenir from Juneau, cos god knows everything here is so frickin expensive! I mean, seriously, $75 for a PRINT of a painting? I'm sorry, that's just ridiculous. If it was the original, signed and dated, then maybe you could get away with it, but dude, $75? Also, the native artifacts are pretty expensive too. Which, I guess makes sense but $200 for a small carving is pretty ridiculous too, dude. I thought New York was expensive, but man, Alaska can get pretty dang pricey too.
The hostel. It's ok, but the other night a group of like, 20 kids and a few adults have been here for a few days now. But luckily for us, we're getting kicked out of the hostel tomorrow (they have this policy where you can only stay for 5 days every 3 months which kinda makes no sense, but ok). It also gets pretty annoying that we have to be out between 9 and 5 every day. Especially on a day like today when it's snowing like crazy outside... I guess it's a good and bad thing though. It means we get a lot of things done but if we have no plans like today, the time seems to go pretty slow. I mean, Juneau (and from what I can tell, everywhere else on this godforsaken continent) have closed down for the winter which is kind of annoying. Yet for some reason I'm surprised by it every time.
Note to self: Summer. Summer is when things are alive.
The weather hasn't been all bad though. Yesterday was pretty nice. We headed out to Mendenhall Glacier which was pretty extraordinary. I mean, you'd think that any self-respecting kiwi would have seen one before - Franz Josef and Fox etc. But no, not me. I'll get onto that though. I promise. Not much to say about that really. It was blue. It was pretty. It was cold. Well, not really that cold, not really that pretty, not really that blue. We did a hike where the snow sometimes got up to our knees. It was kinda intense. Especially when I almost fell into a hole. Woah.
Oh, also, I almost forgot. I totally saw another Bald Eagle swoop down and grab some kind of meat...thing from the side of a dumpster. Kinda gross, yet majestic. And of course I was too slow to take a photo so I have no physical proof of it but you gotta believe me. You just gotta!
Right, I think that's it yous fulla's. Oh, besides the fact that I'm going HOME in 11 DAYS. That is frickin, ridiculously nuts.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Bloggin on a ferry
So, I’m on a ferry to Juneau right now. Just chillin. And adding to the ‘places I’ve blogged’ list. Plane, train, bus, airport and now ferry. Wicked. Also, I’ve been saying ‘wicked’ a lot in the last few days. I have no idea why...
We almost didn’t make it here to be honest. Well, when I say ‘we’ I mean my sister. I made it to the ferry terminal with plenty of time to spare, not to mention a few extra friends. My sister on the other hand, arrived at the terminal with 5 minutes or so to spare before the ferry was meant to set sail. It’s a long story and one that I’d rather not get into but it involves aeroplanes, passports, hitchhiking and a lot of luck. I wasn’t really nervous though, mostly because technology kept me up to date with what was going on. Thank you technology. Once again you save the day. Also, thank you Sheri. You’re my hero.
Not much to report from the ferry thus far. We boarded at 6pm when it was already dark. The lights are pretty though. I'm pretty sure we’ve passed Vancouver already which is awesome. There’s also this outside covered bit on the top of the boat where we’re planning to sleep for the rest of this trip. It’s an amazing little place – and before you ask, no, it doesn’t get that cold up there. The shelter – sort of like a half dome- is facing the stern of the boat (aka back of the boat) (sorry, I thought I’d throw some nautical terms in here. It seems appropriate) so all the wind coming from the bow (aka front of the boat) is going over the shelter if you get what I mean. Also, you’re pretty much sleeping under the stars (which you can see amazingly well). There are also heat lamps.
I’m really looking forward to tomorrow though. Hopefully we get to see some whales or some shit like that. Apparently it’s not uncommon to see such animals including sea lions, whales, otters and birds. Rumour has it though that we’re gonna be running into a storm tomorrow which to be honest, is pretty shit. Also, word is spreading that one of the mountains in Juneau is gonna blow any day now. We’re gonna be in Juneau any day now. ...Wicked? Possibly.
So yeah, like I said, not much to report. Not much to report on Seattle either. It didn’t really leave a big impression on me. Usually a city has a distinct charm about it. Not this one. Though maybe being charmless is what is so charming about Seattle? To me though, it just seems a bit...disjointed. From what I can see, there isn’t a single vision to the city – there’s building built wherever there’s space; it’s pretty much all under construction right now and some things seems kinda run down as if Seattle was still kinda holding onto the glory of when it held the World’s Fair all those decades ago (sorry, I haven’t done any research for this piece ...not that I do any research on any other piece. No internet on the ferry, see. Apparently there was prior to January 1st this year but they’re a changing internet provider which apparently takes a few months... but that is neither here, nor there). Also, there are a lot of homeless people around. The only thing that I liked in Seattle was my hostel and the Pike Place Market. Both were pretty, well, wicked.
That’s pretty much all I have to say right now. It’s kind of a weird place to leave things, but that’s just how it goes sometimes ok? Besides, this won’t be posted on the interweb (oh, how I miss you internet) until we get to Juneau, if Juneau hasn’t been destroyed by that volcano. In which case, I’m not sure when you will get to read this. Anyways, consider this post officially shelved. Until such further time as I see fit to continue with my right to blog.
BLOGGING!
Bloggin on a ferry cont....
Captains log:
We’ve made it to our first stop –Ketchikan after about 38 hours on this godforsaken ferry. No, I’m kidding, the ferry is alright; the food is a bit pricey though but we kinda have no choice. That’s the problem with not having any foresight. We probably should have brought some food with us. Knowing me though our ‘rations’ wouldn’t have lasted the whole trip anyways.
Right, so, when booking this ferry there was one very important thing that I forgot. Seasickness. We went through about 2 and a half hours of open water yesterday. Which, if you know anything about the sea/ boating/ maritime related things, generally means you’re gonna run into some pretty rough waters. To make a long story short, spending $10 on breakfast was a complete waste of money. I’m hoping we don’t run into any more of that today.
Approximately 17 hours to go.
Also, a lot of young American teens have boarded the vessel. No trouble from them so far.
UPDATE!
We've arrived in Juneau! It's a quaint little town. Not many people around which seems to be the recurring theme during my Winter travels. Snow also seems to be a recurring sight.
The rest of the trip from Ketchikan was pretty uneventful, besides all those dang kids making trouble for everyone.
Luckily also, there wasn't any more open water to sail through. We met a few cool people on the way over too. A few native Alaskan's and a few moving to Alaska for work (which, in the last week or so seems to be a really popular thing to be doing).
Anyways, today was mainly spent wandering around Juneau (our hostel kicks us out from 9 - 5 every day. We also have to do chores apparently, but we're only paying $10 a night so I guess that's reasonable) and planning the rest of the week. We also visited an historic trail - a mining area I think. There were a few creepy, decrepit and dilapidated buildings which were cool yet, well, creepy. Also, as we wandered through the sometimes foot-deep snow we came across a beach. That's right, a beach. It was pretty odd. The snow just stopped and at that point, the beach began. That's a combo of terrain that I would never put together in my wildest dreams. It works pretty well though. Also, I can tick 'Bald Eagle' off my 'Alaskan wildlife to see' list. Also hopefully to be ticked off in the next day or two are whales - Humpbacks and Orca's and possibly some other form of sea mammal - sea lions? Otters? Who knows!?
We almost didn’t make it here to be honest. Well, when I say ‘we’ I mean my sister. I made it to the ferry terminal with plenty of time to spare, not to mention a few extra friends. My sister on the other hand, arrived at the terminal with 5 minutes or so to spare before the ferry was meant to set sail. It’s a long story and one that I’d rather not get into but it involves aeroplanes, passports, hitchhiking and a lot of luck. I wasn’t really nervous though, mostly because technology kept me up to date with what was going on. Thank you technology. Once again you save the day. Also, thank you Sheri. You’re my hero.
Not much to report from the ferry thus far. We boarded at 6pm when it was already dark. The lights are pretty though. I'm pretty sure we’ve passed Vancouver already which is awesome. There’s also this outside covered bit on the top of the boat where we’re planning to sleep for the rest of this trip. It’s an amazing little place – and before you ask, no, it doesn’t get that cold up there. The shelter – sort of like a half dome- is facing the stern of the boat (aka back of the boat) (sorry, I thought I’d throw some nautical terms in here. It seems appropriate) so all the wind coming from the bow (aka front of the boat) is going over the shelter if you get what I mean. Also, you’re pretty much sleeping under the stars (which you can see amazingly well). There are also heat lamps.
I’m really looking forward to tomorrow though. Hopefully we get to see some whales or some shit like that. Apparently it’s not uncommon to see such animals including sea lions, whales, otters and birds. Rumour has it though that we’re gonna be running into a storm tomorrow which to be honest, is pretty shit. Also, word is spreading that one of the mountains in Juneau is gonna blow any day now. We’re gonna be in Juneau any day now. ...Wicked? Possibly.
So yeah, like I said, not much to report. Not much to report on Seattle either. It didn’t really leave a big impression on me. Usually a city has a distinct charm about it. Not this one. Though maybe being charmless is what is so charming about Seattle? To me though, it just seems a bit...disjointed. From what I can see, there isn’t a single vision to the city – there’s building built wherever there’s space; it’s pretty much all under construction right now and some things seems kinda run down as if Seattle was still kinda holding onto the glory of when it held the World’s Fair all those decades ago (sorry, I haven’t done any research for this piece ...not that I do any research on any other piece. No internet on the ferry, see. Apparently there was prior to January 1st this year but they’re a changing internet provider which apparently takes a few months... but that is neither here, nor there). Also, there are a lot of homeless people around. The only thing that I liked in Seattle was my hostel and the Pike Place Market. Both were pretty, well, wicked.
That’s pretty much all I have to say right now. It’s kind of a weird place to leave things, but that’s just how it goes sometimes ok? Besides, this won’t be posted on the interweb (oh, how I miss you internet) until we get to Juneau, if Juneau hasn’t been destroyed by that volcano. In which case, I’m not sure when you will get to read this. Anyways, consider this post officially shelved. Until such further time as I see fit to continue with my right to blog.
BLOGGING!
Bloggin on a ferry cont....
Captains log:
We’ve made it to our first stop –Ketchikan after about 38 hours on this godforsaken ferry. No, I’m kidding, the ferry is alright; the food is a bit pricey though but we kinda have no choice. That’s the problem with not having any foresight. We probably should have brought some food with us. Knowing me though our ‘rations’ wouldn’t have lasted the whole trip anyways.
Right, so, when booking this ferry there was one very important thing that I forgot. Seasickness. We went through about 2 and a half hours of open water yesterday. Which, if you know anything about the sea/ boating/ maritime related things, generally means you’re gonna run into some pretty rough waters. To make a long story short, spending $10 on breakfast was a complete waste of money. I’m hoping we don’t run into any more of that today.
Approximately 17 hours to go.
Also, a lot of young American teens have boarded the vessel. No trouble from them so far.
UPDATE!
We've arrived in Juneau! It's a quaint little town. Not many people around which seems to be the recurring theme during my Winter travels. Snow also seems to be a recurring sight.
The rest of the trip from Ketchikan was pretty uneventful, besides all those dang kids making trouble for everyone.
Luckily also, there wasn't any more open water to sail through. We met a few cool people on the way over too. A few native Alaskan's and a few moving to Alaska for work (which, in the last week or so seems to be a really popular thing to be doing).
Anyways, today was mainly spent wandering around Juneau (our hostel kicks us out from 9 - 5 every day. We also have to do chores apparently, but we're only paying $10 a night so I guess that's reasonable) and planning the rest of the week. We also visited an historic trail - a mining area I think. There were a few creepy, decrepit and dilapidated buildings which were cool yet, well, creepy. Also, as we wandered through the sometimes foot-deep snow we came across a beach. That's right, a beach. It was pretty odd. The snow just stopped and at that point, the beach began. That's a combo of terrain that I would never put together in my wildest dreams. It works pretty well though. Also, I can tick 'Bald Eagle' off my 'Alaskan wildlife to see' list. Also hopefully to be ticked off in the next day or two are whales - Humpbacks and Orca's and possibly some other form of sea mammal - sea lions? Otters? Who knows!?
Monday, January 26, 2009
Forget "I <3 NY," I <3 San Fran
Of all the places in the Continental US this is the place where I could see myself living the most. NYC is too busy, not to mention expensive; Boston is steeped in history but there's not much going on there; DC is alright, if a little boring but San Fran is completely different. First off, it's warm. Secondly, everyone seems to be a lot more relaxed and friendly. Everything's within a walkable distance as well. Sure, it's really expensive here too, but the vibe is something that is invaluable. There's a lot of history here too - the summer of love, the hippie movement, the first place to issue gay marriage licenses and of course, it's home to the infamous Alcatraz.
I finally understand all those songs that were written about San Francisco - "I left my heart in San Francisco"; "Sitting on the dock of the bay" (which until now I didn't know was about San Fran. Thank you internet.)and the aptly named "San Francisco".
I don't know what it is with me now. I used to seem to want to write about EVERYTHING that's happened when I've been in a particular place/ city or wherever I happen to have been but now I'm just kinda lazy I guess. Another example of my laziness is my as yet unfinished Obama story. I don't think I'll get it done, to be honest. Firstly, I don't really know where I'm going with it. Secondly, I'm a bit rusty seeing as I haven't done anything...journalistic in the last 6-8 months. Thirdly, I have no idea what I'm talking about and don't really have time to do research.
Anyways, back to San Fran - I didn't really do much. A driving tour of all the different neighborhoods - The Castro (gay neighborhood); Haight Ashbury which is where all the hippies (nowadays the wannabe hippies) chill and Richmond where all the blue collar workers live. We also drove across the Golden Gate Bridge (I mean, C'mon, it'd be rude not to) and took a few obligatory photo's too. Then into Muir Woods where I took the wrong track and proceeded to get lost and get back to the van over an hour later than I should have (oops). The rest of the trip included Alcatraz, Coit Tower, Lombard St (crookedest st on the planet), Chinatown (several times), Fisherman's wharf and of course, no trip to San Fran is complete without a ride on a cable car. Oh, I also went in search of the Full House house but to no avail...
That's pretty much it for San Fran. I'm off to Seattle tomorrow where I'll mostly be trying to sort everything out for Alaska. To be honest, I'm not too fussed about seeing Seattle. It's meant to be raining while I'm there anyways. I just need to find a decent ski shop to buy everything I need.
I finally understand all those songs that were written about San Francisco - "I left my heart in San Francisco"; "Sitting on the dock of the bay" (which until now I didn't know was about San Fran. Thank you internet.)and the aptly named "San Francisco".
I don't know what it is with me now. I used to seem to want to write about EVERYTHING that's happened when I've been in a particular place/ city or wherever I happen to have been but now I'm just kinda lazy I guess. Another example of my laziness is my as yet unfinished Obama story. I don't think I'll get it done, to be honest. Firstly, I don't really know where I'm going with it. Secondly, I'm a bit rusty seeing as I haven't done anything...journalistic in the last 6-8 months. Thirdly, I have no idea what I'm talking about and don't really have time to do research.
Anyways, back to San Fran - I didn't really do much. A driving tour of all the different neighborhoods - The Castro (gay neighborhood); Haight Ashbury which is where all the hippies (nowadays the wannabe hippies) chill and Richmond where all the blue collar workers live. We also drove across the Golden Gate Bridge (I mean, C'mon, it'd be rude not to) and took a few obligatory photo's too. Then into Muir Woods where I took the wrong track and proceeded to get lost and get back to the van over an hour later than I should have (oops). The rest of the trip included Alcatraz, Coit Tower, Lombard St (crookedest st on the planet), Chinatown (several times), Fisherman's wharf and of course, no trip to San Fran is complete without a ride on a cable car. Oh, I also went in search of the Full House house but to no avail...
That's pretty much it for San Fran. I'm off to Seattle tomorrow where I'll mostly be trying to sort everything out for Alaska. To be honest, I'm not too fussed about seeing Seattle. It's meant to be raining while I'm there anyways. I just need to find a decent ski shop to buy everything I need.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Traveling plans coming together nicely
All of my post-uni traveling has more or less been planned. Well, until the middle of January anyway. First stop is Cuba which should be pretty sweet. That's from the 13th to the 20th of December. Then back to Toronto for a few days to pack up all my stuff (*sniff) (I have a cold). And then off to NYC (from the 23rd to the 2nd of January) but by which means I'm not sure yet. Then hopefully by train back to Toronto where I will be starting my East Coast odyssey with one of the kiwi girl's I've met. I'll be meeting her in either Montreal or Quebec City (this is all by train by the way) where we'll be spending a day or two and then off to Nova Scotia where we will be finding our own way around, mainly because no tours run around that time. Anyways, this tour will cover Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Hopefully too, we can make it far enough up north to see Aurora Borealis which would me super amazing. That should take us to maybe the 10th or so of January? Then I'm planning on going to Washington DC on January 20th to see Obama get sworn into the White House aka to see George Bush get kicked out of it. Accommodation will be pretty hard to find but luckily I know someone who knows someone who lives there so... And then after that I dont know but I have to be in Seattle around the 30th or 31st of January so I can fly cheaply to Anchorage which has been the part of my trip that I've been excited about most! Firstly, cos, c'mon, it's Alaska! Gonn' see me some polar bears! Also, it means that my North American Odyssey will soon be over. Which is both a good and a bad thing. I'll let you know closer to the time.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Four more weeks till joblessness (nothing much to report)
Ok, so there's not really much going on at the moment hence the lack of blog posts and such. I'm waiting on some stuff to send for my Canadian visa and after that all thats pretty much left are flights and travel insurance. But yeah, I have some ideas about some fun segments to do while I'm away, hopefully it'll be as great as I imagine it will be but we all know that's generally not how things really work out huh? (I'm gonna keep that under wraps for now anyway but keep an eye out for it ok?)
I only have 27 days left to go until I don't have a job! I'm not sure what that'll feel like right now as I haven't not had a job since I was about 15 so we'll see how that goes..... but no job generally = no money so I kinda have to spend it wisely but I've already got a substantial credit card debt which isn't that great. It's justified though. That's how I live with myself.
Oh, and just a quick note, this blog isn't really for anyone in particular. It's kinda just for me but you're welcome to read it and make some comments or whatever, it's just that I tend to forget stuff that happens.....
Oh, and also, apparently it's dark for 18 hours a day in Alaska from November to February so I may need to rethink that plan..... I still really wanna go but I guess there won't be much time to do anything worthwhile with 6 (6? 18 + 6..... carry the 1..... yeah, thats right) hours of daylight. So that's kind of a bummer (thanks sis).....
Also, I suppose a leaving party is in order. But when and where? I have no idea.
I only have 27 days left to go until I don't have a job! I'm not sure what that'll feel like right now as I haven't not had a job since I was about 15 so we'll see how that goes..... but no job generally = no money so I kinda have to spend it wisely but I've already got a substantial credit card debt which isn't that great. It's justified though. That's how I live with myself.
Oh, and just a quick note, this blog isn't really for anyone in particular. It's kinda just for me but you're welcome to read it and make some comments or whatever, it's just that I tend to forget stuff that happens.....
Oh, and also, apparently it's dark for 18 hours a day in Alaska from November to February so I may need to rethink that plan..... I still really wanna go but I guess there won't be much time to do anything worthwhile with 6 (6? 18 + 6..... carry the 1..... yeah, thats right) hours of daylight. So that's kind of a bummer (thanks sis).....
Also, I suppose a leaving party is in order. But when and where? I have no idea.
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