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Saturday, January 19, 2013

Alaska: Day 5, Mt. McKinley Flightseeing

Day 5 was our drive from Denali NP to Anchorage city. The original plan was to spend some time in Anchorage, exploring the city and native Alaskan culture. But after driving through Anchorage and into Denali NP on Day 1, we had seen it was like any other city. Also we had missed our flightseeing experience in Talkeetna on Day 2 as it was cloudy. Talkeetna is midway from Denali NP to Anchorage, so we had postponed our flightseeing to Day 5 in hopes of better weather, so the revised plan was to stop at Talkeetna today. In Alaska, weather is often unpredictable and the locals are very aware and accomodating because of this, and fairly flexible towards changes in bookings. They are willing to offer a change of date, or even a refund of monies if requested.

We started off Day 5 with Rian a bit cranky at not having his toasted peanut butter jelly sandwich. My experiment of waffles with apple compote (breakfast at Salmon Bake) did not sit very well with Rian. Removing the compote did not make him happy either. He finally ended up eating bread and butter, and after a while we were all happy and adjusted with it.

Amit's camera was very impressed with what we had seen so far, and had happily eaten more than 75% of its CF card capacity. We were hoping to drive into Anchorage and buy a CF card, but we decided to look around here in Denali NP first. Luckily there was a shop offering CF cards for twice the price of amazon.com :-) At least there was a choice. As we guessed, we weren't the only ones underestimating our camera storage in this beautiful place. We were all set with a new 16GB card. Trouble for the photo processor starts when the photo taker has extra memory ;-) With pictures and videos at a high resolution from Amit's Canon 7D, we ended up with a total of 25GB for the 10 days of our Alaska trip. Now you know why I've been super slow processing and uploading the photos and videos! The drive from Denali NP to Talkeetna was smooth and very scenic.

Zoom zoom zoom
Zoom zoom zoom


When we reached Talkeetna at K2 aviation, we were originally booked to fly at 2pm. Having hard a hearty breakfast, we just grabbed coffee from Nagleys and were all set. This was the first time I gave Rian 'lunchables': turkey, crackers and cheese. He really enjoyed it. With our usually fresh and healthy meals, once in a while 'junk and processed food' is allowed :-) and according to Amit, when we're traveling, anything goes! Throughout the trip, I took good care of Rian's meal schedule. We also bought half a gallon of regular milk - it's easy to carry, fills you up, gives a good, natural protein boost, and goes with even bread to make my favorite snack :D

There was some time for our flight, so we made the best of our time in downtown Talkeetna. There was a broken down train, and Rian spent his time examining it and squealing in joy. I also got some a chance to pick up memorabilia.

Rian's most memorable aspect of Alaska was the Denali Star train
Rian's most memorable aspect of Alaska was the Denali Star train


Somehow 2pm became 4pm and we were getting a bit agitated at the slow slippage of time. Lunch for us was screwed up beyond repair - the milk and fruits helped later. Now we had no time for Anchorage, we knew. We played around the little park outside K2 aviation.

More delay in flight, so we make a flight of our own
More delay in flight, so we make a flight of our own
A little bit about K2 aviation and our tour: we researched most of our tours based on feedback from tripadvisor. We also tried to see the flexibility in schedule offered by the tour operator for starting times. e.g. K2 had flights going out every hour or so. Talkeetna Air Taxi OTOH was very constrained - only 2 flight times in the day. With Rian, and the fact that we were out and about the whole day, I personally wanted to have hearty meals. If the tummy is not full, things get out of hand. So we chose K2 based on the reviews and the flexibility of lots of flying times. We wanted to definitely do a glacier landing, but were unsure how long Rian will last - 2hrs was our guestimate. So we decided to do this McKinley Flyer route. Although Day 2 left us disappointed with weather for flight seeing, Day 5 more than made up for it. It was an excellent sunny day to see the mountain. We weren't even wearing jackets - even after landing on the glacier! This was our flight route. We were outfitted with overboots and that's all we needed.

Our flight route
Our flight route

Our pilot was very cool. People can get very strict about rules and safety and all uptight about it. This man was experienced enough to tell us everything, but did not pain us about anything. Rian got all settled in and was wearing his headset. He was curiously listening to everything the pilot was saying. The set was too heavy though for his head, and then he lost interest.

Mt. McKinley from a distance
Mt. McKinley from a distance

Seeing the highest mountain peak (in US country and North America continent) was breathtaking. From far away, we could make out Mt. McKinley. The approach showed us wonderful landscape with snow untouched by humans. Seeing fresh powder less than 24 hrs new brought back memories of ski trips in Tahoe. We approached via the Kahiltna Glacier which is 36 miles long. Rivers of ice... Most epic photo of 3 of us, with the tallest mountain peak in the background is here:


Behind us is the tallest peak of Mt. McKinley
Behind us is the tallest peak of Mt. McKinley
Rian and Daddy had a blast playing in the snow. They made a snow "Mt. McKinley on top of Mt. McKinley". This line really got Rian very excited! Daddy and Rian were soaked in snow from top to bottom, with just regular clothes :-) I stayed far away, dry and warm :D

Amit truly making it fun for Rian
Amit truly making it fun for Rian
On the way back, Amit volunteered to be in the co-pilot's seat, the view was very different from his perspective.

Amit is in the co-pilot's seat
Amit is in the co-pilot's seat
Lots of teeny glaciers feeding a big one
Lots of teeny glaciers feeding a big one
By the time we were done, all of us were super thrilled and super tired. We had a mini snack - that was our substitute for lunch - with milk, fruits, and some junk from our car and drove straight to Anchorage. Rian caught a good nap on the way. We reached Anchorage just in time for dinner ~9pm at a Sushi restaurant. That night we stayed at a BnB. It was a very good big house, with many rooms. Our host was very welcoming and polite. We slept very well, with Rian having his own small bed in our room.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

42 lessons of life

This is a forward I saw on Facebook today, and it's a great list. Resonates with some of the self-help books I've read in 2012 (yes yes some of them were good material indeed). Here goes copy-pasted, not verified via snopes ;-)

Written by a 90 year old

This is something we should all read at least once a week!!!!! Make sure you read to the end!!!!!! 
Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio .
"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 42 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.
My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short – enjoy it..
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will. 
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.
9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
10. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
11. It's OK to let your children see you cry. 

12. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it...
14 Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
15. Get rid of anything that isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.
16. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
17. It's never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.
18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
20. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
21. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
22. The most important sex organ is the brain.
23. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
25. Always choose life.
26. Forgive but don’t forget. 
27. What other people think of you is none of your business. 
28. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
30. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does..
31. Believe in miracles.
32. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
33. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
34. Your children get only one childhood.
35. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
36. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
37. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
38. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have not what you need.
39. The best is yet to come...
40. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
41. Yield.
42. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Friday, January 11, 2013

Happy New Year

This post has been wording itself in my mind over the last 5 days, so here I am, penning it down.

For the last 3 years, our Christmas and New Year's has been an amazing celebration. Starting with Dec 21 and ending on Jan 5, we're celebrating all the time. It's such a wonderful time. Jan 21 is Amit and my official wedding anniversary, the date we were legally married. We usually have our private celebration on this date. Jan 5 is our Vedic marriage date, and this is the date our parents, relatives and friends consider us officially married. It's our public wedding anniversary.

Amit and I completed 10 years of marriage this year. It has been an amazing journey together. We had planned our India trip meticulously this time around. I think we met a lot of our goals :-) We managed a 3-4 week whirlwind world tour spanning 5 cities in 3 countries: Bombay (India), Pune (India), Siem Reap (Cambodia), Chester (UK) and London (UK). I got a week of "me time" with my parents and enjoyed shopping without any responsibilities of husband and son. Amit and I got away for 4 days to visit the temples in Cambodia. All 3 of us enjoyed a week of bliss with my brother and his sweet wife in the UK.

Lots of things went well.

The flight timings worked out really good. I left mid-Saturday from here, and that gave us a good Friday evening to relax and unwind, and a Saturday morning to pack the bags. Amit and Rian left on the next Sunday morning, so Amit had a whole Saturday to pack the bags with Rian. Rian missed having people to play with as the better half was busy packing, but in the end it worked out well, Rian helped Daddy pack bags :-) Amit and I flew to Cambodia on a red-eye flight, after putting Rian to bed, and we were back on a really late night flight so when Rian woke up after 4 days, we were there with him. Our flight to London landed at 8am after a late night departure from Bombay so at least Rian slept well on the flight and we too managed 4-5hrs although in cramped seats. Good thing is we were fresh to go through all the motions of moving 6 big bags and 3 small ones, plus kiddo, through airport checkout.

Jetlag? What's that :-) We were in perpetual jetlag mode, after Amit and Rian landed in India. The stay in India for them was a mere 11 days for Rian, and 7 days for Amit (4 days in Cambodia). Their flight landed after midnight and it was 4am when we all went to bed. But everyone woke up at 8am and went to my cousin's wedding. We literally reacted as if there was no jetlag. Rian refused to sleep in the afternoons, so he was definitely a little crankier towards evenings, but he would doze off by 7pm and wake up 5-6am the next day. So pretty much he was all set. It was like the "zhatka" jetlag that we all have as adults -- we just look outside and behave that way!! Only caveat was we were super hungry in the mornings and had paltry dinners for 3-4 days while our tummys took time to adjust.

Virtually sickness free! Yup, all 3 of us did not get sick on this trip to India, Cambodia and UK. Ya there was that little sore throat for me and a bit of upset stomach for a day, but asides from that, touch wood, Rian was all well and so was Amit.

We met family! We are fortunate that our folks come and spend the summers with Rian. The kiddo enjoys grandparents' company a LOT. It makes huge leaps and changes in his growth. Aatya also comes and spends time with him, 4 times in 2012 alone :-) Rian is lucky he's close to her too. We had missed out on spending quality bonding 1-on-1 time with Mama and Mami, and this trip fixed that. We spent a week of fundoo time with both of these lovely people in the UK. We also met Shweta and Prashant in London. We met almost all of my side relatives at my cousin's wedding, and met my grandma. We made a special one day trip to Pune to meet Amit's grandpa and Amit's relatives. That made things complete.

10 years to us. Yup, unbelievable as it sounds to me, it was our 10th wedding anniversary. We had a wonderful relaxing and active trip to Cambodia. We relaxed a bit on the first day and explored the local food and markets. On the second day we explored temples all day long, ending with sunset over Angkor Wat. On the third day we did the main temples in Siem Reap, starting with sunrise at Angkor Wat, and we had a guide with us. On the fourth day, we went to floating village and flooded forest Kompong Phluk on the lake Tonle Sap there, and we flew out in the evening. It was a perfectly timed trip, and the hotel ugpraded us to their Apsara suite, so we had a wonderful stay. Food was very yummy and cheap in Cambodia (I'm thinking in $ here). We had fresh nariyal pani every single day.

No mosquitoes. We're always bitten, and Rian gets big boils from mosquitoes every time. This time around the mosquitoes seemed to be dwindling and good measures were employed to keep the houses mosquito free. For Cambodia, we were both on anti-malarial medications.

Some things sucked big time.

Lost luggage. Cathay Pacific lost one bag from US to Bombay for Amit. Luckily for us, that was our UK bag, so we didn't need any of that stuff right away in Bombay. It was delivered at our door step, thanks to Amit's efforts.

Beware of customs officials at Sahar. This one really pissed me off. They wanted Rs.23,000 from me for carrying MY OWN camera lens, iPad, and some of my jewelry (which I got to repair in India). Most ridiculous experience of my life in my own country, that too at one of the top international airports. Sure I understand, lots of people skip duty and bring in lots of things into the country. But hey, dare you touch me when I'm not crossing any lines!

Luggage situation. Yes this is always an issue when we go to India. The better half complains and complains and we fight every time we pack. But we enjoy the rewards as well. We took a decision to store our bags at UK airport which cost us a lot more money, but we saved some headaches, specially tube being unreliable on weekends. But we also learnt about contract cabs that should be called for more luggage - something to remember for next time ;-) Now we're enjoying the chakalis, shankar palis and candy at home.

Some jewels to remember.

Rian's non-stop badbad
How excited he was in airplanes, and how well he behaved in general
Mera sangeet, sabka meet - now we're listening to it every morning and evening
Push present revamped - yup I got it exchanged in India for a new one!
Lots of shopping done for me - 3 sarees, 3 dresses, 3 jeans, some western wear for me
Some shopping for Amit and Rian too - something unique that we do not get here in the US
Bonding with mama mami

Overall we all had a wonderful, although a bit exhausting trip. Now we're fully recharged and refreshed for the year. Happy New Year everyone...