at last a few minutes to write something

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The problem at the moment is that we are tearing around the place much more than we ever did in India and public internet access here in America is less common and more expensive than there. Hence the diary doesn't get updated often and when we do it's difficult to remember everything or anything we have done.

Alaska is huge and wild. And expensive. It seems old age Americans like to cruise up the west coast, to places like Anchorage, Juneau and Whittier and then experience 'wild Alaska' in total luxury. You can pay $5000 for a week long 'back country' fishing experience which in reality is a luxury transport, 5 star lodge and someone to hold your fishing rod for you. $500 gets you flown in the interior to land next to 30 bears feeding on spawning salmon at a crashing waterfall. Another $400 allows you to fly to and around, and land on, America's tallest peak, Mt Mckinley. It all makes for a spectacular holiday. However our problem was how to get the best out of this place on our travellers budget of around $150 day.

The answer was hiking and hosteling and it's worked out fine.

These days hostels, it turns out, are not the strict single sex dorm curfew-laden resting houses of the past. Most that we have stayed in are relaxed and great value and offer services that hotels wouldn't dream of. Free internet? Do-it-yourself pancake breakfasts? Lifts into town? And all for around $40 for two per night. Sometimes it's dormitories, sometimes private rooms. It's late season here at the moment so for two nights in south Alaska we had a 14 bed hostel to ourselves!

Hiking has been hard work but has enabled us to see things that lazier people pay big dollars to see. We have had six hour work out sessions crawling up mountains so we can see glaciers and beautiful views of snow capped mountains. The effort is always worth it, especially when you get to spot black bears along the way by following their scat (pooh) droppings and have chance encounters with moose and their babies along trails. One of the most spectacular sites we have seen so far was the Harding glacial ice field, the biggest ice field in the world and the seven glaciers which flow out of it. Another hiking highlight has been catching up on old songs, like "The hills are alive with the sound of music", "Edleweiss" and "If you go out in the woods today....." . all in an effort to let Mr Bear know we are coming.

So now our time in Alaska is almost at an end. For the final part of our trip we are taking the State Ferry from Juneau, Alaska's state capital, three days travelling south to Bellingham. The ferry travels along the Inner Passage - the route most favoured by luxury cruise ships. However, instead of luxury cabins, casinos, five star buffets and world class cabaret, our slightly lower class ship has camping on deck, whale spotting, serve yourself canteen food, free boiling water and lectures from state park rangers. But seeing as to get the price of our voyage you knock a zero off the price of a luxury cruise on the same route, we are happy and within budget!

Bye for now

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