TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL TRIP TO ALASKA

Below are some tips for a successful trip to Alaska. Although a few pointers are specific to Alaska, you can apply the rest for a trip to any other place.

1. Do your research and make a realistic itinerary - There is a lot of good information available on the internet today. Use that. Talk to people who have made the trip to learn from their experiences. Ask them about do's and don'ts. If possible, talk to locals (for .e. your BnB owners) as they can point you to hidden gems besides being an excellent source of information. Study the geography and then make a realistic itinerary.   I mainly used Frommer's and this blog for planning our trip. Alaska is huge. Realize that you cannot cover it all in one trip (unless you are taking an extended break to go there). Give each place its own time, instead of rushing from one place to another. 
2. Take it slow - Factor photo, restroom, food breaks and side detours into driving time. You will take at least 1.5 to 2 times more time than GPS/google maps estimates depending on how often and how long you stop. It is more about the journey than the destination and this rings especially true for Alaska.
3. Research and book activities in advance - I refrained from booking our bear safari until the day before for various reasons. When I was ready and called the company for reservations, they were sold out for the next 10 days. Luckily, I found another excellent company that had spots for the day I wanted and offered a similar tour. In hindsight, I feel its risky booking last minute unless there are several operators offering the same tour. Look at the TourSaver, Northern Lights coupon book when you plan and get one if it makes sense. Many activities offer discounts when paying by cash/check. Ask about these discounts when booking.
4. Car Rental - Generally speaking, airport rentals are significantly expensive  than renting from a  downtown location. Since we were arriving around noon and not in a rush to get anywhere, we thought we could rent from some place downtown and save some money there. We rented from a Avis's downtown location. We took the People Mover bus ($1.75 pp only) from the airport to get to downtown. We learned that we could drop-off the car at the airport for some small fee ($25 approximately the cost of cabbing). We had a red-eye to catch and the buses stop running after 7ish. So we decided to drop-off the car at the airport on our way back.
5. Carry cash
6. Portion sizes are 'Alaska big'. Order with caution :)

AWAY FROM HOME

Taken aboard the skunk train during a recent trip to Fort Bragg, CA.


If you miss the train I'm on, you will know that I am gone,
You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles,
A hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles,
You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles.....

P.S. - Hindi film music aficionados...did the song sound familiar? Try listening to this song from the movie Jurm.

WILDFLOWERS 101

We were hiking at the Henry Coe State Park last Sunday. The drive to the park is beautiful. The surrounding mountains were green from the earlier rains and in patches dotted with yellow and orange wildflowers. The last part of the drive was along a narrow winding road that kept going up steadily and offered some lovely views.

Newspaper articles about the possible abundance of spring wildflowers this year had gotten me quite excited. So we chose trails that promised us wildflowers. My ideas of floral abundance were not quite met, but maybe we were too early for them. Our camera batteries conked off just a little after we started taking pictures. Anyways, here are a few that we managed to capture...

California poppy

Ookow

Miniature Lupine (?)

Mountain Violet

GOD, U THERE?

I had imagined Haridwar and Rishikesh to be small towns with quaint ancient temples. On the contrary these are towns with booming economies. The temples far from ancient are colored in the brightest pinks and yellows. Sanyasi’s dressed in orange seem to be the majority followed by tourists, both from India and abroad. Spirituality is big business here. “Almost every house has a temple of its own”, they tell me.

Lakshman Jhula - Rishikesh

Ganga Aarti - Haridwar

Washing away sins in the Ganges?

There is no time for prayer and silent contemplation in the temples here. Many times you are whisked away, before you even get a good look at the idol. This is often the case in busy temples. In many others you are made to hear their familiar sales pitch asking for donations. And you’d think charity was optional. Apparently not! In fact, many times you are left wondering if you are in a temple or attending an auction…

I bet the Gods must have long fled these places in disgust…