Monday, August 27, 2007

Seattle at night!

Hello!

I have arrived in Seattle, Washington! I said a bit of a sad goodbye to Rachael (whom I met on the bus en route to Victoria and have spent the last 2 days with) and took the 7pm Ferry from Victoria and arrived here at 9:45pm! I then shared a Taxi (this is posh in the backpacker world so wow-wee!) with fellow ferry passengers (a couple, they ended up paying for me even though they got out of the cab first!) to my accomodation! I am staying with a friend of a friend Caryn, her house mate Susan and their 2 pussy cats, Pepper and Stink! Looking out of their apartment living room right now I can see over Seattle and can see the Space Needle. They live in a trendy area of Seattle called Capitol Hill which I shall set out and explore tomorrow!

Seattle is my oyster!

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Welcome to Victoria...no...not Australia...Victoria, Vancouver Island!

So I spontaneously said goodbye to Vancouver today and conveniently took 2 buses, a ferry and a final bus to the city of Victoria on Vancouver Island! Easy as pie hey...or should I say 'aye'!?! Victoria is the capital of the Provence (no States in Canada guys, Provinces, aye, Provinces...so I keep being told) of British Columbia and it is very pretty. I arrived, went to straight to Tourist Info and was on the next tour of Parliament House here! Fast and furious! I then spent the avo and evening with Rachael (English) whom I met on the bus! She is here to study abroad at Uni Vic for a semester. She is lots of fun and we are going to meet tomorrow, 9:30am at some big statue to see more of what Victoria has to offer!

I was intending to go back to the mainland to take a bus/train to Seattle but I am willing to sacrifice my cold hard earned cash for avoiding the arduous bus/ferry combo I had to do today! Yes, so traumatized! So it is to Seattle by ferry I believe! It's only double the amount of money!


Ta Ta for now!

Monday, August 20, 2007

Alive and well in Vancouver, BC

Hello all!

WHAT WAS:Well I made it safely on the Diamond Princess down the Alaskan and Canadian coast to Vancouver Canada!!! Yipeee....or should I more appropriately say aye! The cruise was great! All you can eat and no sleep! Had a blast, though very tired and feel like I need a holiday now! The ship stopped in Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan.

WHAT IS: I am staying with friends I met on the boat at The 4 Seasons Hotel...oh posh, snob, snob (I am going to nick their soap cos it's GREAT). But even greater then the soap is the fact that I met up with Alisa (Alisa was on exchange with me in Lyon, France) yesterday at her work. She works at the tallest building in Vancouver, the Vancouver Lookout! It was so great to see her again and its funny that it feel natural to bump into her here and it feels natural to be here! It also feels like we just saw each other yesterday even though it was a year and a half ago!
WHAT WILL BE: Alisa gets a free whale watching cruise because she works at the Lookout so we shall boating about together on Monday. I will then stay and see the city of Victoria on Vancouver Island for a few days! After that its back to Vancouver city, on to Seattle and then Portland where I will meet up with a friend for a week to see some of Oregon! After that....I am still working on that one! Surprise, surprise!

Sunday, August 12, 2007

All Aboard!

NANUQ of Alaska- nanuqofalaska.com









All Aboard for the Diamond for the Princess Cruise! Bye Bye Anchoridge! But before I go.....a photo shoot please.....=)

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Cara the Alaskan Moose Hunter

Hey All!

Welcome to Anchoridge, Alaska!

Random Alaskan facts:

- Alaska is known for it's abundance of single men! (Oh la la!) Gold miners, oil workers, hunters, trappers and fishermen moved here for the 'rugged life on the frontier'. Census data shows there are 114 single men for every 100 single women in Alaska (compared to 86 men for every 100 women in the USA in general) and so the saying goes 'The odds are good but the goods are odd'...lol

-Ok, get this...it's so cold in the empty and desolate North of Alaska (eg: Fairbanks) that in winter you can hold out a cup of water, pour it onto the ground and it freezes on the way down! And you have to be carfeul not to leave cans of soda/soft drink in your car as they will explode!! Explode I tell you! So, empty for a reason wouldn't you say? Extremely sheltered from the harsh realities of freezing soad by growing up in California and Melbourne wouldn't ya say!

-Alaska Pride: Alaska is a very proud State in SO many ways! They have their own state song 'The simple flag of the last frontier', the Alaskan flag (not the American) with its Big Dipper (Ursa Major) pops up everywhere, Youth sport Alaska pride jumpers (they are petty cute) and the Randall's car is decked out wth Big Dipper Seat covers and bumper stickers proclaimng 'Alaskan Girls Do it Better'.

-One of the Randall family memeber's planted broccoli in their backyard and cow and a calf MOOSE came and devoured them! Moose eating broccoli in your backyard! Imagine! I am determine to see a Moose before exiting Alaska!

-There are active volancoes in Alaska! Alive!

-When the tides goes out it exposes mudflats which are made of fine silky glacial silt. The muflats are bit dangerous and kinda like quicksand, the sand particles lock together and trap people. They are actually a colloid (switch). There are some scary stories...a famously sad one involving honeymooners n the 80's. Emergency services uses high powered water hoses to get you out, if your lucky. When the lovely tide comes in however it is called the boretide and it's the second hghest in the world, 30 feet.

-Anchoridge is a very active city! It seems everyone here is into some sort of Sport. Aussies would get on very well here! They are even into sports you've never heard of like Roller Ski (roller skating on short little skis with poles) and Disc Golf (it's golf wth frisbees). In winter when it is dark so much of the time the trails are all lit and the paths are groomed by volunteers. I think my impession is probably aided by the fact that Mr. Randall works for the Munciplaity of Anchoridge and is the Outdoor Recreaton Co-ordinatror.

-Alaska is full of cute names: Chickaloon (a town), The Bear's Tooth (a theatre) and

-In winter time, the Moose wander onto the roads because they find it diffcult to walk in the snow, therefore, sadly there is A LOT of road killed Moose (250 last winter) and there is a group which cuts up the roadkill Moose and feeds it to the homeless shelter!!! Moose burgers, Moose steak, Moose jerkey...anyone?.....anyone?....guys?


A Mexican in Anchordge...??