Alaska 2023 Travel Log

Travel Log

June 7th, Wednesday 

1:08 PM IST: Left home

5:17 PM IST: Departure from Indore airport (IDR)

    Indore Airport 

6:48 PM IST: Arrival at Delhi Airport (DEL), T2

    Indigo flight that took us from Indore to Delhi

    T2 Arrivals, Delhi Airport 

7:48 PM IST: Food outside T3, International Arrivals, Delhi Airport 

1. Delhi Streat Express 

    Karol Bagh Chole Bhature 

    Butter Chicken with Lachha Paratha 

  Review: Awesome food. Lassi was a                  highlight 

2. Krispy Kreme 

    Double Shot Espresso and Chocolate                  Doughnut 

Review: Terrible coffee and dry doughnut 

10:48 PM IST: Encalm Lounge, T3 International Departures, Delhi Airport 

    Lounge interior 

    Food inside 

8th June

2:15 AM IST: Departure from Delhi Airport (DEL) 

In-flight entertainment:

•Blue Jean

•Knock at the Cabin (a M. Night Shyamalan film)

    In-flight food (Virgin Atlantic, DEL to LHR)

7:20 AM GMT: Arrival at London Heathrow Airport (LHR)

    Virgin Atlantic flight that took us from Delhi        to London 

    T3, London Heathrow : Photo Diary 

11:15 AM GMT: No. 1 Lounge at London Heathrow Airport, Terminal 3

    Food at the lounge

3:40 PM GMT: Departure from London Heathrow airport (LHR)

In-flight entertainment:

•Ordinary People 

•Frozen

    In-flight food (Delta Airlines, LHR to SEA)

    Special mention: Salted Caramel ice cream

    Special mention: On-board complimentary          Starbucks coffee

    In-flight food Part 2 (Delta Airlines, LHR to          SEA)

6:15 PM PDT: Arrival at Sea-Tac International Airport (SEA), Seattle 

    Delta Airlines flight that took us from                  London to Seattle 

Sea-Tac Photo Diary

7:11 PM PDT: Car rental (Hertz, Mazda CX-30)

    The Mazda CX-30 we rented 

7:48 PM PDT: Shopping from Walmart Supercenter, Sea-Tac Area, WA

8:48 PM PDT: Food: 1 pound Korean sweet fried chicken from Cockatoo's Chicken Restaurant, near Sea-Tac + 1 Tub Ben and Jerry's Brownie Batter ice cream (purchased from Walmart)

9th June

7:20 AM PDT: Left the Sundowner Motel in Sequim, WA

Ferry deets: 8:30 morn Departure from Port Angeles, 3 pm departure from Victoria BC

Visited 

• British Columbia Legislative Assembly 

• Victoria Harbourside

• Fairmont Empress Hotel

• Market Square and adjoining shops

• Royal BC Museum 

• Beacon Hill Park

• The Moss Lady (AO)

Food in Victoria BC:

Jam Cafe: Fried Chicken and Waffles with 2 eggs sunny side up and creamy pork gravy + 3 Fluffy pancakes served with Maple Butter syrup + Jam Cafè special iced coffee

Seven Eleven: Large Coca Cola Slurpee

Visited 

• Port Angeles Fine Arts Centre + Outdoor Sculpture Park 

Food in Port Angeles 

Frugal's : Frugal's 1/4 Pound Burger + Fries + Medium Chocolate Milkshake

10th June

6:45 AM PDT: Left the Royal Victorian Motel, Port Angeles 

7:30 AM PDT: Food : Jack-in-the-box Double Jack Burger Combo, with onion rings, fries and curly fries + Fountain drink (Coca-Cola freestyle)

Food Chips Ahoy + Coffee

Visited

• Camp Hayden Gun Placements (AO)

• Salt Creek Recreation Area

• Lake Crescent

• Hoh Rainforest 

• Kalaloch Lodge and adjoining beaches

• Lake Quinault 

• World Record Sitka Spruce

• Thornewood Castle 

6 PM PDT: Food : Walmart Supercenter, Aberdeen, WA: Lemon Pepper Grill Rotisserie Chicken + Bread + Starbucks Medium Roast Iced Coffee + Häagen-Dazs Coffee Ice Cream

Visited

• Tumwater falls and Brewery Park

• Washington State Capitol 

• Olympia Historic District

• Rainbow Rails (AO)

Starbucks Coffee: Large Flat-White + Iced Caramel Machiatto

11th June

12:45 AM PDT: Car Rental Return

5:38 AM PDT: 

Food: Ellenos Apple Crisp Greek Yogurt + Regular Coffee from Peet's Coffee, S Gates, Sea-Tac Airport (SEA) + Chips Ahoy

7:10 AM PDT: Departure from Sea-Tac (Delta flight)

In-flight entertainment:

•A Fantastic Woman 

In-flight meal:

Starbucks Coffee + Lotus Biscoff biscuits

9:45 AM Alaska Time: Arrival at Anchorage Airport (ANC)

10:01 AM Alaska Time: Car Rental (Chevrolet Impala)

10:28 AM Alaska Time: Kaladi Brothers Coffee, 12 oz double shot Cappuccino + Chips Ahoy + Lays Stack Cheddar

Review: The coffee was really smooth and strong. One of the best cups 

10:49 AM Alaska Time: Shopping from Walmart Supercenter, Anchorage 

12:13 AM Alaska Time: Food: Arby's Half Pound Roast Beef Sandwich + Chicken Sandwich + Honey Mustard dip + yoplait orange crème yogurt

Review: The roast beef sandwich was really meaty and filling. Tasted great with the honey mustard sauce. The chicken sandwich was flavourful, but could've accommodated more chicken.

3:11 AM Alaska Time:

Summit Lake Lodge: Food: Cascade Glacier Ice Cream: Double Scoop (Espresso Explosion + Huckleberry Cheescake flavours)

+ Chocolate Brownie + Regular Coffee + Cheese Pizza Slice

Review: Brownie was very gooey and decadent. Ice cream pretty flavourful. Coffee was decent. Pizza slice rather underwhelming. 

Overall great, brownie being the highlight.

Visited

• Travelled via Seward Hwy scenic route

• Beluga Point

• Summit Lake

• Kenai Lake

Sleep: Murphy's Alaskan Motel, Seward

12th June

Breakfast: Grilled Cheese with tomato slices (Fresh bread and Hot Habanero and Jalapeno Jack cheese) + Yoplait Strawberry Cheesecake Yogurt + Desi Tea + Chips Ahoy!

Note: The grilled cheese was memorably good. The desi chai with an Alaskan background is a sight to remember.

 

Visited:

• Seward

• Exit Glacier

12:40 PM Alaska Time: Estes Bros. Grocery, Moose Pass, AK

Ice Cream: Double scoop (Blackberry swirl + Rocky Road). 

Review: The blackberry ice cream is worth mentioning

Visited

• Kenai Lakeside

• Coope

1:57 PM Alaska Time: Grizzly Ridge, Cooper Landing

1$ Hot Dog (with mustard and mayo), Ice Cream: Double scoop (Espresso Blast + Vanilla)

Review: The 1$ hot dogs are a steal considering Alaskan prices, and really tasty too. Ice cream was great too.

2:53 PM Alaska Time: Gwin's Lodge Roadhouse 

Salmon Chowder + Halibut Fish and Chips

3:54 PM Alaska Time: 

Pizza Boys!, Soldotna

Pizza of the Month: Chicken Jalapeño

Visited

• Homer Spit

• Seafarer's Memorial

6:54 PM Alaska Time: Carmen's Gelato, Homer Spit, Homer

Triple scoop gelato

(Old fashioned chocolate + Maple Brown Butter (award winning) + Salted carmel w/ Alaskan sea salt)

Espresso with extra shot

Review: Really nice gelato. The salted caramel was amazing and is a must try. The chocolate was also pretty good. Interestingly, the award-winning maple brown butter didn't stand out.

9:40 PM Alaska Time: Reached the Whispering Woods Cabin, Kasilof

Note: This personalized cabin is an under-the-radar, hidden gem in the Alaskan wilderness. This idyllic, fully-furnished cabin in the woods is a must stay if you harbour any fantasies that involve barbecues in the Alaskan summer midnight sun, smack in the lap of nature.

11:30 PM Alaska Time: Late night dinner consisting of hot dogs (w/ mustard and mayo), omelette, Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup, Minute Maid Orange Juice, Foggler's Classic Roast americano, Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa with Marshmallows, Roasted Pecans, Peanuts and Walnuts

13th June 

12:30 AM Alaska Time: Witnessed first midnight sun

8:11 AM Alaska Time: Breakfast consisting of grilled cheese, tomatoes and coffee

10:46 AM Alaska Time: Finally crossed the Anderson Memorial Tunnel into Whittier, AK, in a race against the clock

11:27 AM Alaska Time: Food: Swiftwater Cafè

Halibut and Fries

Review: Decent batter fried halibut and fries

11:56 AM Alaska Time: Boarded the Philips Cruises 26 Glacier Cruise, starting from Whittier, AK and moving through the Prince William Sound

Highlights

• Cruising through the serene waters of Prince William Sound

• Viewed a total of 26 glacier

• Entered the College Fjord (glaciers named after universities, like Harvard and Yale)

• Cruised through icebergs and fragments of icebergs

• Saw the Yale glacier up close

• Fauna

   - Jellyfish

   - Bald Eagle

   - Sea Otter

   - Harbour Seal

   - Dall's Porpoise

   - Black Bear 

• Saw the Lawrence and Blackstone glaciers      up close, and also witnessed glacier caving      events there

• On-board food

    - Veg Chilli

    - Hot dog and cheddar Sunrise chips

      (Both served with Welch's Fruit Snacks and         York mini chocolate)

    - Warm chocolate chip cookie

6:28 PM Alaska Time: De-boarded the cruise, explored Whittier, AK.

Visited:

• Begich Towers (almost the entire 200+ population of Whittier, AK lives in this building)

• Buckner Building (defunct military residential building, now a historical artifact)

6:53 PM Alaska Time: Left Whittier via the tunnel

8:10 PM Alaska Time: Reached the Hotel Alyeska, a ski resort in Alyeska, AK. Took the tramway upto their Seven Glaciers restaurant for scenic views.

10:51 PM Alaska Time: Food: Moose's Tooth Pub & Pizzeria, Anchorage, AK.

Large 18" Pizza, Amazing Apricot + Solstice, half and half

Review: It was totally worth the hype. Although we were initially apprehensive about the apricot chicken pizza, it turned out to be really tasty. Also, the portion size was gigantic; the large pizza was not only filling enough for three people, we also had to box some of it.

The Traveller's Booklist

(This is a list of books I finished reading on the corresponding day of the log, while travelling, along with a short review)

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

A truly heart-rending story about a central ethical dilemma. Told from the perspectives of all the major charcters involved, it drags you through the variety of human struggle and makes root for everyone in a situation that seems hopeless at the outset as well as its conclusion. Beautifully written, this is one piece I'd recommend wholly.

14th June

6:24 AM Alaska Time: Lead dog espresso, Willow, AK: Americano + Latte

Review: Perhaps due to poor turnover, the coffee felt rather old. Wouldn't recommend.

10:38 AM Alaska Time: Subway, Denali, AK: Footlong sub (The Mexicali) : Avocado, Rotisserie chicken, Monterrey Jack, Herb and Cheese bread

Review: The remoteness of Denali (or maybe Alaska in general) might perhaps excuse the higher rates. However the sandwich was really flavourful, the guacamole going surprisingly well with the rotisserie chicken. The ingredients were fresh, and I'd recommend this to be an ideal food stop to explore Denali on a full stomach.

10:43 AM Alaska Time: Black Bear Coffeehouse, denali: Steam dot roasters' : Large latte

Review: Mediocre coffee at best

11:30 AM Alaska Time: Boarded Denali National Park transit bus

    The bus that took us through Denali NP

Mountain Sheep

Caribou

Black Bear

Clear skies allowed a view of Denali peak

Teklanika River

Toknak River

6:04 PM Alaska Time: Food: 49th State Brewing - Denali Park, Healy, AK.

Frontier Soda: Wild Blueberry Cream + Mt. Magnificent Burger + Brewpub fries

Review: The wild blueberry cream soda was pretty nice. The Mt. Magnificent burger had a really juicy patty, and amazing smoked bacon. The burger was bursting with flavour and is definitely one of the most amazing ones I've ever had. The fries were thick cut, yet crispy and appropriately salted.

    Inside 49th State Brewery

    Their Wild Blue Cream Frontier Soda

    The Mt. Magnificent Burger 

9:09 PM Alaska Time: Ice Cream: Hot Licks Homemade Ice Cream, Fairbanks, AK

Chocolate Ice Cream + Chocolate Soft Serve + Coffee Pre-Packed Pint

Review: The chocolate ice cream had a good flavour of cocoa. The coffee ice cream was really creamy and flavourful. Pretty good ice cream, would recommend.

9:49 PM Alaska Time: Stayed at the Sven's Basecamp Hostel

Review: The place seemed to have a backpacking European sensibility which stands in stark contrast to the American plenty. Rather sparsely furnished compared to the other competiting accomodation of its segement, this stay was an experience I wouldn't go ahead to rate highly.

15th June

10:10 AM Alaska Time: Breakfast of mayo & paprika hot dog, omelette and sliced tomatoes

Visited:

• Morris Thompson Cultural Center

• Antler Arch

• Lend-Lease Monument 

• Chena riverfront

• Solaris sculpture

• Milepost 1523

• Old Historic Courthouse 

• Fairbanks Community Museum

• Creamers Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge 

12:28 PM Alaska Time: Food: Fudge Pot, Fairbanks, AK: Quarter pound chocolate fudge + Iced Caramel Americano + Americano w/ cream and sugar

Review: The iced coffee was really good, a nice balance of strong coffee flavour and sweetness. The hot americano was nice. The fudge had a great texture, and it fell just short of being too sweet. However do note that among the samples we tried, only the chocolate fudge stood out (oh, yeah, the fact that they offer free samples will also definitely help your choice).

2:39 PM Alaska Time: Food:Thai House, Fairbanks, AK: Beef Penang Curry with Rice + Spicy Chicken Drunken Noodles

Review: It is an interesting tale to tell that a town in northern Alaska has one of the highest per capita density of Thai restaurants in the world. This is place that started it all, way back in 1989. With adjustable spice levels (we opted for the spiciest, duh) this place deserves the fame it gets. The food was absolutely delicious, would definitely recommend this place for a really flavourful and filling meal.

3:39 PM Alaska Time: Visited Pioneer Park

    - SS Nenana Sternwheeler Riverboat

    - The Bear Gallery at Alaska Centennial                Center for the Arts

    - Pioneer Air Museum (SFO)

    - Food: Frosty Paws ice cream: Chocolate          milkshake + half and half soft serve                  (chocolate and vanilla)

      Review: The milkshake wasn't really all              that good. The soft serve however was              pretty decent.

4:10 PM Alaska Time: Alyeska pipeline viewing point near Goldstream, AK

6:06 PM Alaska Time: Reached Chena Hot Springs Resort, Chena

Notes:

• Soaked in the Chena Hot Springs

• Experienced the outdoor and indoor spa

10:12 PM Alaska Time: Food: Aurora Cafè, Chena Hot Springs Resort, AK

1 pint salted caramel ice cream + 

medium cheese pizza

16th June

8:42 AM Alaska Time: Left the Chena Hot Springs Resort 

Review: The stay was pretty comfortable. The natural hot springs experience is a memorable one. Worth the trip there.

9:58 AM Alaska Time: North Pole, AK:

Antler Academy: Reindeer farm

10:08 AM Alaska Time: Santa Claus house: Famous Christmas-themed store. Bought a souvenir T-shirt and met "Santa"

10:51 AM Alaska Time: North Pole, AK: McDonald's: The Denali Burger (double decker ground beef) + Fries + Chocolate Milkshake + Fountain Coke

Review: The chocolate milkshake was really good. The chicken burger was decent. The Denali burger could've been much better, and was a mild disappointment.

12:41 PM Alaska Time: Delta Junction, AK: Sullivan's Roadhouse: Local museum with free admission + Got a couple of novels there for free

1:05 PM Alaska Time: Buffalo Center Drive-In: Chicken Tenders basket (chicken tenders + curly fries + Coke)

Review: Both the chicken tenders and the curly fries were decent

Visited

Alaskan Highway No. 4: DELTA JN. - VALDEZ: 

Stunning scenery enroute, a mix of sno- clad mountains, valleys of spruce, jutting rock faces, beautiful waterfalls and an occasional glacier, along with a meltwater plane punctuated with shimmering rivers

11:10 PM Alaska Time: Food: Safeway, Valdez, AK: Fried chicken, Roasted chicken drumsticks, Microwave spaghetti, Microwave Turkey Pot Pie

The Traveller's Booklist

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown

It's a unique Dan Brown that doesn't feature the symbologist extraordinaire Robert Langdon. Focusing on an imminent threat faced by the NSA, the world's foremost governmental security agency, it's a gripping, fast-paced page-turner. Although less expansive and detailed than some of his other works, this is still a pretty good read.

17th June 

8:47 AM Alaska Time: Breakfast at Glacier Hotel: Sausages + bagel with cream cheese + waffles + biscuits and gravy + hot chocolate + coffee

Visited 

● Matanuska glacier and river

● Eklutna Burial Grounds

7:51 PM Alaska Time: Food: Arctic Roadrunner, Anchorage, AK: The Kenai burger (double patty) + Fries 

Review: The burger was really tasty, with a juicy, filling double-patty and it was worth the price given the generous portion. The fries tasted good, but the portion size could be larger for the price.

8:26 PM Alaska Time: Checked into the Inlet Tower and Hotel, Anchorage, AK 

10:52 PM Alaska Time: Food: Anchorage Pel'meni, Anchorage, AK: Beef pel'meni with everything and sour cream on side

Visited

● Anchorage downtown 

● Nulbay Park 

● Knik Arm overlook

18th June

12:41 AM Alaska Time: Food: Last Call Grill, Anchorage, AK: 3 pc. Fried Chicken, Mac and Cheese, cornbread

Review: The food was really mediocre. Won't  recommend strongly, but it's good for a late night take out place.

 

19th June

4:15 AM Alaska Time: Kaladi Brothers drip coffee at a concessions stall in Anchorage Airport

6:00 AM Alaska Time: Boarded flight from Anchorage (ANC) to Seattle (SEA)

Inflight: Capernaum movie

In-flight food: Starbucks Coffee + Lotus Biscoff + Ginger ale

10:18 AM PDT: Arrival at Sea-Tac Intl. Airport (SEA)

1:45 PM PDT: Jack-in-the-box, Sea-Tac, WA: Jack's Spicy Chicken, Ultimate Cheeseburger, Fountain drinks, Tacos, Onion Rings, Curly Fries and Regular Fries

2:30 PM PDT: Boarded the bus that took us from Sea-Tac, WA to Vancouver, BC, Canada

    This unique Pringles' flavour consumed on-        board the bus   

7:15 PM PDT: Arrived in Richmond, Vancouver, BC

7:45 PM PDT: Picked up the rental car - Toyota Corolla

8:48 PM PDT: Food: DownLow Chicken Shack, Vancouver, BC: 7 pc Extra Hot Chicken tenders with Honey Mustard and Garlic Jalapeño dips

Review: An amazing place if you're looking for spicy fried chicken (akin to Nashville style). The chicken tenders were amazing, the hotness was on point and the dips were really good.

9:58 PM: Checked into the Emperial Suites, North Vancouver, Vancouver, BC

Review: A perhaps relatively unknown place, but a really comfortable and personalised stay. The neighbourhood is really peaceful and quiet, with great views of Vancouver skyline.

20th June

Visited:

• Vancouver North

• Capilano River

11:26 AM PDT: Food: A&W Canada, Vancouver, BC: Spicy Chicken Chipotle Wrap, Poutine, Coffee

Visited:

• Lonsdale Quay

2:16 PM PDT: Juke Fried Chicken, Chinatown, Vancouver, BC: 5pc Fried Chicken with sp. chilli sauce

Review: Uniquely flavoured fusion fried chicken. Tasted really nice.

2:47 PM PDT: BETA5 Chocolates, Vancouver, BC: "Varieties of Chocolate"- chocolate mouse and sweet cream pastry

Review: The chocolates they had up for samples were good. But the pastry/dessert that we bought was a experience unlike anything else. All the components hit just right, and it was a supremely delicious treat.

5:18 PM PDT: A La Mode Pies, Granville Island, Vancouver, BC

Review: Decent food. The chicken pot pie was a highlight.

5:38 PM PDT: Popina Canteen: Barista Puffcream

Review: Was overrated and overpriced for the average tasting product that it was

7:33 PM PDT: Fryin Pan on Denman, Vancouver, BC: OG Hot Chicken Sandwich, spice level- Extra Hot

Review: A really great fusion fried chicken sandwich. The heat kicked in soon after the first bite, and it delivered as advertised.

8:00 PM PDT: Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC

9:00 PM PDT: 9'o Clock Gun, Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC

Note: It's really rather lame, if I'm being honest here

10:24 PM PDT: Papa John's Pizza, Vancouver, BC: Chicken Jalapeño pizza with garlic butter

21st June

12:21 PM PDT: Fritz European Fry House, Vancouver, BC: Poutine

1:02 PM PDT: Japadog, Vancouver, BC: Spicy Cheese Terimayo Dog + Kraage (Chicken) Hot Dog

Review: Both the hot dogs had really unique flavour, that felt authentic. The Kraage was really crispy and the cheese terimayo dog was bursting with flavour (and cheese).

1:52 PM PDT: Boarded the cruise ship M.S. Volendam, Holland America Cruise Lines from Canada Place cruise ship terminal, Vancouver, BC

2:53 PM PDT: Dive-In Grill (on-board cruise): The Canonball burger + Fries

Review: Really tasty burger with a juicy flavour. Decent fries.

Other food highlights

• Chocolate ice cream

• Chocolate pie with biscuit crust

• New York Cheesecake with  Strawberry compote

7:59 PM: The Dining Room (on-board cruise)

Starters: French Onion soup, Sweet Tomato and Mozarella salad

Mains: Rustic Lasagna, Roast Chicken

Desert: Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake

9 PM: On-board movie: Wanjang Theater: Hotel Transylvania: Tranformania

The Traveller's Booklist

Bad Blood by John Sandford

An incredibly absorbing, well-paced read. My initial apprehensions about starting in the middle of the series soon faded, as it is pretty much a standalone read. If anything, I got interested in exploring the world of Virgil Flowers further. A great experience, would surely recommend.

22nd June

Food Highlights: Really flavourful smore brownie

12:51 PM: Lunch in the Dining Room: 

Small plates: BBQ Chicken Spring Roll, Three Cheese Quesadilla

Large Plates: Beecher's Mac and Cheese, Fried Chicken and Waffles

Desert: Chocolate Tart

4 PM: Art Seminar: A Brush with the Law - A seminar on famous art heists

5:03 PM: Picked up burger and fries from Dive-In

6:52 PM: Gala Dinner

First Course: Mixed Green Salad

Second Course: Lamb Chops (served with mushroom stuffed artichoke, torched mashed potatoes and mint jelly), Ravioli with hazelnut and cheese

Third Course: Warm Chocolate cake with Coffe Ice cream, Blueberry Cheesecake, Apple Pie

9:30 PM: World Stage: Humanity by The Step One Dance Company - Dance performance

10:40 PM: Late night dinner consisting of, inter alia, fried chicken, chicken fried pork, fries and spaghetti at Lido Market.

Traveller's Booklist

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Gripping and funny. Semple writes this one in a rambling yet cohesive narration, which is interspersed with snippets of communication between other characters, making this a unique read. The worldview of an intelligent person subjected to mundanities of being a suburban mom. Or something similar.

Oh, and good luck trying to put it down once you're in. 

Great work, highly recommended.

23rd June

11:07 AM: Anchor ship at Juneau, AK

12:19 PM: Lunch at Lido Marketplace ( fried chicken, pizza, hard shell tacos with guac, caesar salad, ice cream etc.)

1:06 PM: Left cruise to explore Juneau, AK

Visited

• Alaska State Museum (SFO)

• City Hall

• The Whale Project

• City Hall and Downtown

• Souvenir shopping downtown

5:56 PM: Re-boarded cruise, burger and fries at Dive-In, Chocolate and Whiskey torte from Lido Market

7:55 PM: In-room: Encanto movie

9:06 PM: In-room: Isn't It Romantic movie

Late night dinner: Lido Market: Cheese arancini, chicken wings, fries etc.

24th June

7:30 AM: Anchor ship at Skagway, AK

9:12 AM: Breakfast at the Dining Room: Swedish Pancake, Texas French Toast, Avocado Toast

2:03 PM: Left cruise to explore Skagway, AK

Visited

• Klondike Gold Rush Visitor Centre and Museum

• White Pass and Yukon Route railroad viewing

• Red Onion Saloon

• Arctic Bros. Visitor Centre Driftwood House

• Golden North Hotel

• Roamed around Skagway, AK

6:11 PM: Dinner at the Dining Room:

Beef Capraccio, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Lemon Meringue Cheesecake with Blueberry Compote, Dark Chocolate Mouse on biscuit base

7:30 PM: Jon Stringer's Stand Up comedy

Note to self: Hilarious material, check out more of his stuff on Netflix

Traveller's Booklist

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

"This is the funniest book you'll ever read about death." This is the tall claim written on the blurb at the back cover. While I've always found it dangerous to deal with superlatives, this is a rather succint way to put it. This book is essentially an account of an unchartered territory being explored by an awkward teen. The awkwardness is what drives a large part of the humour. Subtly emotional at times (and highly self-deprecatory all the while, sometimes annoyingly so) this was a light yet touching read, which was funny and feel-good despite dealing with cancer and death. Props to the author for this authentic-feeling, albeit fictional account. Highly recommended.

1st July

10:55 AM: Howe Street Steps

    Howe Street Steps

11:14 AM PDT: Food: Grand Central Bakery, Seattle, WA: Pecan pull apart and Victrola Roasters Americano

Review: The pull apart was good. The coffee was a bit too diluted for my taste.

    Grand Central Bakery

    The Victrola Coffee they were serving

Visited:

• Fremont Troll

• Lenin's Statue

• Fremont Street Sculptures

12:21 PM PDT: Theo's Chocolates, Fremont, Seattle, WA

Tried their lime coriander ganache truffle (which was really unique and really sour and really good). Also sampled the:

• 70% Dark Orange - Decent

• 55% Dark Salted Toffee - Pretty Good

• 55% Dark Vanilla Cocoa Nib - Meh

Ended up buying the 45% milk gingerbread spice chocolate, which was insanely smooth and uniquely flavoured.

12:49 PM PDT: Gas Works Park, Seattle, WA

    The park

    The view from the park

1:47 PM PDT: Ma'ono Fried Chicken, University District, Seattle, WA: 3pc extreme hot chicken tenders (Carolina Reaper + Ghost Pepper)

Review: Great tasting spicy fried chicken, paired well with the honey mustard dip

2:19 PM PDT: General Porpoise Donuts, University District, Seattle, WA: Lemon Curd donut

4:11 PM PDT: Pike Place Market

Visited:

• Waterfront and Seattle Great Wheel (SFO)

• Pike street steps

• Pike Place Fish and Food Market

• The First Starbucks store

• Beecher's Handmade Cheese

Pike Place Market photo gallery:

5:30 PM PDT: Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room, Seattle, WA

Described rather accurately online as a coffee theme-park experience, this is the most ultimate Starbucks experience possible in the world. From a espresso bar serving coffee-based drinks, to an actual bar serving coffee-based alcoholic drinks, to the largest and most exclusive collection of the green lady merch, this place has it all. The highlights, no doubt, is the real-time roastery process that can be viewed, and also the exclusive Starbucks menu that only this place offers.

We tried the cold brew flight, which involved a set of three unique cold brews, including:

• Whiskey Barrel-Aged Guatemalan : This is definitely among one of the best coffee experiences of my life

• Papua New Guinea Moanto

• Nitro Cold Brew

3rd & 4th July

In-flight entertainment

The Whale

Review: This is a beautiful piece of art. This is a mural of humanity and emotion. Hardly in so little has a movie managed to churn a deep emotional upwelling within me. Oh and the tears will shed, in this deeply beautiful tragedy of human experience.

Emily the Criminal

Review: An offbeat movie with an interesting plot. Aubrey Plaza is commanding in the lead, and her crazy and versatile acting is a brand of its own.

The Menu

Review: Dark, anxiety-inducing and satirical to the extreme, this is a unique cinematic experience to say the least. Anya Taylor-Joy is perfect as the terror-stricken observer in this psychotic madhouse of a movie.

Un Belle Course (Driving Madeleine)

Review: Reflective, slow, beautiful and quintessentially French-romantic. Witty at times, with authentic performances, this celebration of life is not to be missed.

Other movies seen: Close, Bros