Sunday, July 16, 2006

Seattle & Inside Passage Cruise to Alaska

Seattle

Going to Seattle from Singapore via either Tokyo or Taipei, the journey was long and tedious. There are no direct flights to Seattle from Singapore. We took the China Airlines flight out of Singapore to Taipei and then from there another connecting flight to Seattle. Having flown mostly by BA, it is a new experience to be on a China Airlines flight. I must say the on-board services are a notch up from what BA provides. The food during the flight was like any other airlines, unappetizing and tasteless. However, the entertainment on China Airlines is much better than that of BA. All movies are on demand and individual control at each seat acts like the control of a DVD player. You can select and start any movie, pause it, fast forward or rewind. The seats are roomier and all in all a more comfortable flight.

Seattle is a nice city with plenty to see and do. Public transportation within the city limit is free. Like most other American cities the road system within the city is in a grid form, with First Avenue to Eighth Avenue running parallel to the coast and other roads perpendicular to these, forming a grid. This makes it very convenient and easy for the tourists.




Most of Seattle is very hilly. The streets, especially those from the coast running inland into the city are generally very steep, making journey on foot quite exhausting at times.

There are many places to visit in and around Seattle. We purchased a package with five tourist attractions. During our five days before the cruise we visited the Seattle Aquarium, Pacific Science Museum, Museum of Flight, Seattle Zoo and a boat ride in Puget Sound which is the stretch of water fronting Seattle. Seattle is a beautiful city with friendly people. The most interesting place is all of Seattle is the famous Pike Market. Situated in the heart of the city and fronting Puget Sound, it is a place for fresh fish and all other seafood, fresh fruits and flowers. Seattle is also famous for coffee. Starbucks and Seattle Best Coffee houses can be found almost on every block in the city area. Breakfast in Seattle is usually pastries or croissants and a mug of lovely Seattle coffee.

Food in Seattle is pretty standard. Like most American cities, one can dine in fine restaurants serving Oriental cuisine to almost all Western food. However, as salmon is in such abundance in this part of the country, one must try salmon dishes prepared by chefs from different countries. Another must-try is the king crabs. The legs of these crabs are at least 24 inches long and they are delicious. It has been said that the fishermen for these crabs have the most dangerous job in the world. I guess that must be the reason they are so expensive.


The Cruise

Our cruise was on the Dawn Princess, sailing out of Seattle. It was an eight day cruise calling at Jeneau, Katchikan, Skagway and on the return journey we called at Victoria in Canada. Along the cruise we sailed through the Inside Passage. The scenery along the way was spectacular, especially at the glacier. Unfortunately due to the hot weather there were too many floating icebergs near the foot of the glacier, thus preventing our cruise liner from getting too near to the edge of the glacier.


We had the privilege of witnessing whales swimming alongside our cruise ship. They certainly are majestic animals and seeing their magnificence makes one humble and small.

A picture is better than a thousand words. So I am including a few photos to show the beauty of nature at it best and long may it last.


I hope you enjoy this as much as I have.

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