Wednesday 21 July 2010

Icy Point and Ketchikan

Yesterday's port of call was Icy Point Strait. This is a good stop, a tiny, but well-managed waterfront concourse of shops and restaurants and a beach and forest trail, all owned and operated by the local First Nations band, part of the Tlingit nation.
It is so pristine that this is where orca and humpback whales come a-calling. The first people out on a whale-watching boat saw pods of both, which is amazing and wondrous, however, at $144, this costed out at roughly $2 an animal, which you may or may not think is good value.
Dawn and I relied on the water beasties coming to find us, and lo, one or two did. We saw orcas and an eagle sitting in a tree.
The ship was anchored out in the bay and we had to be ferried to and from the shore, and we weighed anchor early afternoon.

Today we stopped at Ketchikan, a small tourist port which makes us realise that we are Alaska'd out. We schlepped out on a local bus to see a clan house surrounded by totem poles. Although everything we could see was outside, it cost us $3, but then the bus trip was only a dollar each way, so for $5 we were able to do most of what those who went on an organised tour paid $50 for.
Somewhere, there was a lumberjack show just waiting to be missed, as was the young man dressed as a lumberjack outside the breakfast room this morning. Every morning there is someone in costume with whom you can be photographed, but you have to be proactive about refusing. I asked where the LumberJill was, which gave them pause for thought, but I made my point.

At 21.00 we cross into Canadian water. I am strangely excited about this.

3 comments:

kdf said...

An Orca in a tree would be amazing. I can't even imagine two.

Sleepy said...

Kev... LOL!!

Karemay said...

Steve & I like taking local transport and exploring on our own. We did take some tours while away as sometimes its the most practical way. We went on some good walks with local guides, whom were all very knowledgable.
Sounds like you have been having a great holiday:)