Alaska, Canada and NYC Day 10

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Down to breakfast. What a difference a day makes. Plastic plates and cutlery, bacon that looked like it should be in a bag and called bacon chips, the only redeemer was the self made waffles.

Into the bus for a tour of Anchorage. Look up and streets are closed for the ladies day run - lots of women running, walking and generally just enjoying the run. Off to the Ulu factory (a special Alaskan Indian knife that sort of looks like a pizza cutter). Oops, Lori takes a turn and what do you know - street closed for the run. Ever seen a 52 sweater bus do a 3 point turn to go back - not a bad effort.

Ulu demonstration by young dude, usual gift shop, etc. and then we find out the young dude was studying to become a neurosurgeon. Those knives must be bloody good.....

Off to the native Alaskan information centre where we heard lots of good stuff about the different tribes, where they come from and their cultures. A demonstration of their Alaskan sports where they do stuff like hop, jump and skip with a huge variation that you have to jump off 2 feet, to one foot sort of behind the other leg, then jump to the other leg and land on your 2 feet again - hmmm. Then they kick a ball suspended and have to land in the kicking leg - no easy feat...

Finish there and back through downtown in the bus to get bearings for our time this arvo. Dropped of at the Saturday market (just like our markets).

Walk the streets a little, get a reindeer hot dog and sit on the street watching the crowd go by, then into a coffee lounge for Chris to get a coffee and some real food.

Do a few more shops then to the. Museum which was very interesting but not enough time. Back to hotel for our farewell dinner. Onto bus again and down to a restaurant on an old bridge across the river where lots of people were fishing for salmon. No luck..

Back to hotel to re-pack for an 0630 bag pull - bloody Norah.... Hmm, maybe a red wine while we pack - get an Alaskan wine maker who is in Maclaren Vale - guess there is a local twist there - and cheap to boot ($14.95).

Up to date now -sleep beckons.

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