Home Sweet Home

So we finished up our trip with two days at sea, followed by a fun-filled evening in Victoria, British Columbia (which is, by the way, an awesome city).

After that, a full day spent at the Seattle airport (I finished a whole book!) and a red-eye flight home. I just feel bad that Bill has to work today. Poor fella. I'll think of you while I'm napping, Bill.

I uploaded all the pics from the trip onto facebook so check them out there.

Our travels continue...

So as our travels continued, we...

1. Sailed away from Ketchikan, Alaska



2. Sailed through Tracy Arm Fjord early Wednesday morning

3. Arrived in Juneau, Alaska

4. Went sea kayaking past the Mendellhall Glacier

5. Hiked to the top of Mt. Robert.

6. (The view at the top was worth it!)

7. Arrived on Thursday in Skagway, Alaska

8. Drank bloody marys and toured a brothel (all before 9am).

9. Drove up the Klondike Highway into British Columbia, Canada

10. Went across the Yukon Suspension Bridge

11. Made it back into the US (barely - I forgot my Green Card - oops!)

12. Found another little internet cafe where I could update you on our adventures!

So far on our trip we...

1. Spent a day in Seattle.



2. Ate dinner at a place where they dumped pounds of seafood on our table and we had to crack it open with wooden mallets in order to eat.



3. Set sail for Alaska!



4. Had a safety drill.



5. Had a formal dinner night on the boat, complete with a champagne toast.



6. Arrived in Ketchikan, Alaska.





7. Went on a hike through the rainforest (this city receives over 250 days of rain a year - but it's not raining today!)





8. Tried to climb a tree.



9. Saw some wildlife. =)



10. ...and some totem poles.




11. Found a dinky little internet cafe!

No WIFI?!

Oh followers, I know you will be so disappointed to hear the following news.

Apparently, WIFI does not come cheap on a boat in the middle of the ocean. At $0.75/minute, I have no intentions of logging on (or even taking my laptop now). While I appreciate the fact that Princess Cruises does offer an enticing special WIFI package of 250 minutes for only $100, I think I'll pass.

Naturally after learning of such ridiculousness, I checked my phone plan to see if I could, perhaps, at least use that (we are, after all, cruising past a US state). Low and behold I can - at "special cruise ship rates as low as $2.49/minute!"

Awesome.

So needless to say, there will be no updating of the blog while in Alaska.

Oh and don't text me - I have to pay for that too. =)

So now I am in for a week on a cruise ship with no computer or cellphone. Can't say that I am crying here.

Enjoy your week!

All packed and ready to go...

Spent the day erranding and packing.

Just thought the contrast of my cute normal size purple suitcase and Bill's over-the-size-limit suitcase was interesting and worth sharing (though not surprising). Although in all fairness I'm making him carry on the garment bag with 7 of my dresses in it...oh wait we don't have a garment bag. Yet.

Get ready for practice blogging!

Due to popular demand (aka my 4 followers consisting of all family - and Matt), you can expect trial travel blogging for our trip to Alaska. Yes, I know you're thrilled.

Itinerary:

Sat, May 15: Arrive in Seattle for the day

Sun, May 16: Depart Seattle on the Sapphire Princess

Mon, May 17: At sea

Tues, May 18: Ketchikan, Alaska

Wed, May 19: Tracy Arm, Alaska

Thurs, May 20: Juneau, Alaska

Fri, May 21: At sea

Sat, May 22: Victoria, B.C., Canada

Sun, May 23: Seattle, Washington

Expect photos...

Oh, if only I had the iPad.

Not sure how to start...

So the trips are officially booked, although I'm waiting for flights to be booked and confirmed. My tentative itinerary is as follows:

• July 14: fly into in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania for two weeks of working in a school
• July 30: fly into in Delhi, India for a week of orientation, touristy stuff, and Hindi langauge classes (really concerned about the heat)
• August 10: arrive (by bus??) in Palampur/Dharamsala (still not sure what the difference is), India for three weeks of teaching English (during monsoon season).
• September 1: arrive in Auckland, New Zealand to see my sister and the rest of my family
• September 17: back in the 'burgh finally with Bill to get started with my "real life" - excited for the Bill part - less excited about the real life part.

If you're curious and want to check out the organization that's helping me out with my volunteering and travels, it's a New Zealand based company called International Volunteer HQ. Here's the link: http://www.volunteerhq.org/