By Balwant Sanghera
Cruises have been quite popular for a long time. Couple of years ago, my wife and some other members of my family had a very enjoyable short cruise from Vancouver to Seattle. A number of friends spoke very fondly about their cruises including ones to Alaska. Finally, when an opportunity cropped up for a cruise to Alaska, my wife Baldev, a few of the relatives and I decided to avail ourselves of this opportunity. It was a cruise to Alaska on the Holland America Cruise Ship Volendam. We set sail from Canada Place on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 22.
It was a very pleasant surprise to see a number of friends and acquaintances on the ship. We arrived in Juneau, Alaska on May 24. It is named after a pioneer by the name of Joe Juneau. Juneau is the capital city of Alaska. It is a historic old gold rush community. It is a very clean and attractive town with plenty of shopping facilities, especially jewellery. We were told that Juneau comes to a standstill during the winter months but is very alive and active during the summer as a large number of tourists from all over start pouring in. Juneau is reported to be one of the best places in the world to see bald eagles. There are reported to be 15,000 to 30,000 bald eagles in this area. After spending the whole day in Juneau, we were off to another historic town-Skagway.
In order to have a good grasp of Skagway and area we decided to take a guided Street Car City Tour. Our guide was quite an enthusiastic young lady who told a lot of stories of this community’s interesting characters like Soupy Smith. Skagway also happens to be Sarah Pallin’s place. Pallin ran as John McCain’s running mate as vice president a few years ago. When we were passing by her house the guide pointed it out and also her back porch from where Sarah Pallin said that she could see Russia. Skagway is also closely associated with the Klondike and the gold rush days. It was interesting to learn that an American President-Warren Harding- was the first one to take this tour in 1923. There is even a nearby mountain named in honour of Harding’s visit to Skagway. Next, it was on to another historic place-the famous Glacier Bay Park and Preserve.
The full day tour by ship of this Park and Preserve was just amazing. It was great to see the glaciers of different sizes and shapes dotting the Bay. Watching and hearing the crackling of glaciers was heartwarming. Big chunks of ice floating in the Glacier Bay were an impressive sight. This huge nature reserve is one of the most visited and appreciated places in this part of Alaska. From here it was on to another historic town-Ketchikan. The locals call Ketchikan the first city in Alaska. This town is surrounded by 17 million acre Tongas National Forest. It is the largest forest in the United States. It includes 2.2 million acre Misty Fjord which can be explored only by boat or float plane. When our Cruise ship pulled in, the Ketchikan docks were overflowing with four cruise ships with two still waiting to dock. We were told that his town of 10,000 residents is overflowing with tourists all through the summer.
Anyway, by now it was time to head back home. The scenery all along the inside passage was breathtaking. The food on the cruise was mouth- watering and more than plenty. The service was great. On the whole, it was a very enjoyable cruise. However, it is good to be back home!
Balwant Sanghera is a retired School Psychologist and Community Activist.
