Seattle the Emerald City / Gateway to Alaska

From Fairbanks, Alaska my next destination was Seattle. I arrived there on a Sunday and it was gray and raining. But still I was all pumped up coz I knew the music and aviation scene there was massive.  Seattle has been known to be the Emerald City due to the lush green trees. It was also known years ago as the Gateway to Alaska during the well known Gold Rush.

I got on the light rail train from the airport which was $9 one way. The travel was more than half an hour but the views were lovely. It was actually a different scenery without white snow. Trees were blooming and even cherry blossoms were painting the city with its lovely colors.

I got off and found my way to the exit for Pike St. and 2nd Avenue. I decided I'd stay at the Green Tortoise Hotel because of its proximity to the well known Pike Place Market. I have a knack for markets, maybe because of its vibrant atmosphere, but i think it's also because I know I can buy cheap stuff too.

At first I got lost with the directions, there was a Pine and a Pike and the address I had was a Pike St. 1/2. eek. that was confusing. okay so fine, I had to ask right? If there's something i've noticed with people along the streets of Seattle, majority were a little bit stand offish. Something I told myself to remember asking Misty about. But anyway, I found myself walking down the hill and looking at the pike place market. Around the corner was the said "first starbucks" too. i didn't bother going in.

I got to the Tortoise and checked in. The place was busy, filled with a combination of travelers. I learned they had free dinner 3 times a week and free breakfast everyday. It was good value for money. Awesome stuff. Room 208, the corner of the building, was where I settled in, just wanting to sit down for a while because of the weight I was carrying.

Later on after a few days in the Tortoise, I found a room that was actually the hang out for smokers, weed users and those who wanted to get drunk. But because they had a good guitar, I made sure I slip in and play some tunes  when there was nobody around. A bong was on the table, idle and waiting for the next weed session. That room though had a great mural though, and I couldn't resist taking a photo. :)

There was 1 night though when I got told off by one of the crew to stop playing coz someone complained. well yeah, it was half past midnight...but the sign on the wall said we can use it till 2 am and do whatever. Talk about power tripping. oh well. wasn't a big deal anyway.

On my last night in Seattle, I met up with Gitta and had a great catchup dinner. Then we walked around and decided to play her some tunes on the steps of the Tortoise coz she hasn't heard me sing/play before. That was a good way of ending my last night of stay in Seattle. :)

The day I left Seattle, I passed by Misty's place and dropped of a little something for her Baby's Shower that Saturday. :) Good times! :)

Billie's Backpackers & My Roomies

 Billie's Backpackers was located a little bit outside of town but still convenient for public transportation. Both the blue and red line would pass by Aurora Avenue/Street, and as long as you get to that street or College Road, then you should be fine.

Billie had 2 dogs (names I've now forgotten) and was really lovely. Her eyes looking through those thick eyeglasses were so endearing , made me feel safe and at home. The place itself had a charming atmosphere to it too. I'm sure it would look lovelier in spring, free from the snow at the front steps.
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I really liked how the place was designed with an old telephone, old radio, everything seemed to been authentically maintained to give that "cottage" style feeling. The moment I saw the small lounge and kitchen, I knew my next few days in Fairbanks would be of good memories.
I shared a room on the second floor with 3 other guys. Cho was from Korea but lived in Florida. He's been in Fairbanks for almost a month then, but his main goal was to look for a house and start his own business. He had such a cool and happy personality that was so easy to get along with. We clicked from the very first time we started talking. And I did offer that if in case he needed help with his business maybe i can reconsider and come back to fairbanks. Besides, I was loving Alaska at that point in time.

Renier, Cho, Ruan, Jowe

The top bunks were occupied by 2 guys from South Africa. Ruan and Renier just came back then from their camping adventure in the cold up north. I envied how brave and physically strong they were to such rough climate and terrain, but i knew that was something I could never do. They were both working in Antarctica for 15 months and both Engineers.

Along with Joe (master of the puppy Basco), we would usually stay up until 1 am talking and discussing so many things, usually intellectual stuff. I loved it. It was all mind stimulating and I learned a lot too. The boys were all mesmerized by science talk even. I just listened trying to absorb as much as I can.

The day I left Fairbanks, my heart sunk coz I still didn't want to leave. But as my sister said, had I stayed longer maybe things would have been different. There are times when you just need to move on :) But the good memories still stays on :)

Highlights in The Golden Heart City

Highlights for me can either be a place, an event or the people I meet. Fairbanks, Alaska offered me everything despite the health issues I had. :) Although I know that I'd still say the same line in the next sections of this journey, I feel like Fairbanks just grew in me.... all the combinations to it, gearing towards the end of my visit there. And it just further emphasized how I loved a certain level of "remoteness", or let's admit it, the big city unfriendliness ain't something that works for me anymore.


Aurora Borealis, Northern Lights

Green Aurora Borealis

This has been on my bucket list for ages. Initially, Alaska wasn't supposed to be part of this journey but I sort of tweaked my plans a "little bit" with the thinking, I might as well since I'd be so close by. And who knows when's the next time I'd be going that way of the world.

Definitely traveling around Alaska without car can be really challenging. But I had my hopes up whilst monitoring the Aurora Forecast. March 29 marked the day when I was lucky enough to see it in Fairbanks.

I dozed for a while that night and woke up half past midnight. I was chatting with my friend Greg (back in NZ) discussing about the possibilities. I believe it was -15C that night but I braved it...good thing though or else I would have missed that window of opportunity.

I had my snowboarding pants on with another layer and 4 top layers plus 2 jackets. I found my way around the corner and walked towards the highway looking for a spot where light pollution was minimal. As I was crossing the bridge I saw a faint green light up in the sky...and I stopped.

There it was dancing before my very eyes was the Aurora Borealis. I could have jumped for joy hadn't it been in the wee hours of the morning. I took a few photos and played around with my settings (arrgh i forgot to take the polarizer off but hey still did get good photos)...

At some point I stopped..... and just watched..... a little bit teary eyed..... <sigh> such beauty.......

NB: The different colors actually symbolizes if it's Oxygen or Nitrogen particles that is hit at Earth's atmosphere 

The Arctic Circle Trip  
 (Click here for more photos)

I was feeling cheap and didn't want to take a cab. With all of the walking the past few days I felt like I can walk for miles. So I decided to take the bus and get off at Fred Meyer East and walk all the way  towards the airport. I was walking for over an hour with my full camera gear. Man.... I'm glad it was sunny that day.

The walk was actually not that bad, snow filled the pavements and the cars along the highway just zipped past. I was thinking of hitch hiking again but didn't bother anymore. I passed by a section with planes parked with snow all over the wings. Stopped for a while and took some photos.

Dalton Highway

By 11 am I eventually reached my destination. There were a few people already there, I was the last one to arrive. Of course, everybody had a car or took the cab. Ha! The guy who was prepping up the bus was laughing at me when I said "I made it!" and realized that I walked all the way.

We had Michelle as our guide for the day :). She was a lovely blonde girl who's been driving the Dalton Highway for the past 15 years or so. We also learned that she's worked in Antarctica for 3 months before. She had a bubbly personality, very welcoming and had so much knowledge in her head.

Pipeline from Prudhoe Bay

We started our way through the rest of Fairbanks and headed up north. 197 miles from our starting point till we reach the Arctic Circle. Apparently during winter car rental companies do not allow people to drive on the Dalton highway. Reason being is due to the road conditions and icy/slippery surfaces. I noticed that it was all trucks and big shuttle buses that owned the road. There were a few 4-wheel autos but I guess that time was already gearing towards spring. 

Barren land

She started talking about the history of the Gold Rush and how things came to be. She then eventually talked about the discovery of oil and how the pipelines were designed and built. Parallel to the highway is this massive pipeline, allowing the oil to be transported. I did ask though if this affected the wildlife, and of course the answer was , "No such research said otherwise". But of course, if you were to ask me, i'm sure it would have. Further on, she discussed about Permafrost and how it had impact on the design of the pipeline. Where there are areas of Permafrost, the structure required to be on a certain level above the ground (as shown in the photo).

   She also explained how to identify if an area has permafrost or not. With almost the same terrain with the cold parts of Canada, Alaska also has the family of Spruce Trees. In the area we passed, she mentioned that sections with Black Spruce trees tells you that there is permafrost. And if it's White Spruce Trees, then that area is all good. She also gave a short blurb on Real Estate and how land can be so cheap when there's permafrost. And at the same time, can be so expensive to build a house on.

Sunset @ The Arctic Circle

  As we got further north some of the areas had a change of terrain and we passed by some barren land just filled with rocks and stones. Most probably years ago a big seismic activity occurred which explains the presence of the rocks. We stopped for a while and got mesmerized by the remote and rugged land before our eyes.

By 8 pm that day, we reached the Arctic Circle. It was really funny coz we had this ceremony of crossing that white line on the rug just beneath the big sign that says the Arctic Circle. Then Michelle shook our hands and later on give the certificate.

We had our dinner in the bus as it was freezing outside. I quickly finished mine and went out again to take sunset shots. I don't know what's with rugged terrain and remote places, but I stood there in the freezin' cold and just stared out to the horizon. Such beauty.

I'll be back someday.

the beauty of travel

i'll try to make up with my backlog of adventures...

i'm now in Edmonton, arrived this afternoon from Jasper.

The past week has been an amazing mix of places, scenery, people, experiences and learnings.

This is the beauty of travel, it enhances your perception on things, it teaches you to accept and move on with your thoughts and at the same time embrace the good vibrations of people around you.

Staying up in the mountains was the perfect time for me to be surrounded by nature and like-minded people. That was enough to keep me going.... :)

for now, i'll need to re-energize. 4 days of hiking up the mountains and treks caused me some blisters and body aches..but all worth it :)

Workin' Miway Up

Gettin on the bus on miway to Kelowna was a good start of getting out of a big city. Don't get me wrong, I love Vancouver....but I just wanted to get out of a busy place at the moment.

I'm back on the road.... working miway up the mountains so I feel better... happier... back to the wilderness by tomorrow....

There's a part of me now that just wants to be away from crowds.... but hey, i still manage to smile and laugh..and guess what.. dance the night away last night, despite my yearning to be remote...

i guess when you get older, you learn to handle such emotions better... if this was years ago, i would have just stayed away totally from people and just shelled up.

Enjoy the moment.... enjoy the ride...enjoy the road...
with a few nights sleep, it'll all be good.

and you meet new people on the road... again you get back to your traveler mode and it cheers you up.....

it's a cycle.

such is life.. don't you just love it?

yeap. :) and i'm starting to write a new song too! :)

One of Them Days

I call it just one of them days, when "ms.grumpy" takes the best of me and the call of the booze seems to entice me so much (and the girls in the Vancouver hostel are pullin' me out of my bed) but its takin me all of my strength not to give in....

I'm currently finding comfort under the sheets, hugging my pillow. I'm not sure if I'm homesick at the mo... or if it's just that I'm dead tired... well, yeah physically, with the weight I've carried with me considering the number of blocks I've walked in Seattle....I'd say dead tired is an understatement.

It's been bugging me lately.... that question.."So, what's next?"

when you live off a backpack it can get to the point where you just want to stay put somewhere, say even for a month...

where is home now whilst im on the road for a year?

and even questions of "where you from" "how long are you here for" blah blah.. is something I just dodge from lately and get to ignore.... i dont even answer it anymore. tired of it.

could it be i'm getting old....?

<sigh>

just lookin' forward to the mountains soon.....

tired. needin' some good company right now where the comfortable silence and presence is somethin' I can gain energy from......

I arrived in Vancouver and got drenched in the rain... and now the noise of the hostel with young people getting drunk and buzzled with hard rock music fills the air...

Slumber..... embrace me

Thank you's, Packin Up and Movin Up

So I've finally sent my thank you email to the people who were significantly part of my first few legs. this had me reading my email years ago when I was done with my travels in South America. At this point, it's been a good tradition that I've kept on doing.

The past 2 days in Seattle were so much spent on museums, mainly on the Museum of Flight and the Future of Flight (Boeing factory). All I can say is, it's AMAZING... i'll cover this in a separate post.

Anyway, yeah woke up this morning, packed up and geared up again...

moving up back to Canada, crossing the border from Seattle to Vancouver, then tomorrow bound for Kelowna till we get to the mountains. can't wait to do the hikes and just lose myself in nature's abode for a while, where I find comfort. It's the simplicity of silence amidst the grandeur of such creations that my thoughts can settle for a while. hopefully the bears wouldn't wake up with the same mood and share the same track with me haha! Eeeek!

Till my next post......