America Through My Eyes – Alaska — Part 2

America Through My Eyes

Alaska — Part 2

Telugu Original : Dr K.Geeta 

English Translation: V.Vijaya Kumar

Midnight Sunshine

With barely a week left before our journey began, the excitement started kicking in. Even though we had looked up everything online and asked around, predicting Alaska’s weather in late July remained a puzzle. Back home in the California Bay Area, properly warm, sunny summer days are rare enough. The weather shifts constantly—even if the afternoon brings some warmth, nights turn bone-chillingly cold. Would Alaska be similar? Located up in the northern hemisphere alongside Canada and blanketed in snow through winter, we wondered if it might be even colder. At any rate, we figured it certainly wouldn’t have the sweltering heat of the southern belts.

When it came to packing, alongside our usual summer clothes, we slipped in light jackets just in case. Since our itinerary included exploring glaciers and an actual glacier landing tour, heavy snow jackets, gloves, and woolen beanies went straight into the bags. If it turned out to be freezing cold, we decided we would simply buy thermal innerwear once we landed. On domestic flights across the US, only small cabin bags or hand luggage are typically free; check-in bags cost upwards of $25 per piece. We usually travel light with just a small trolley bag each, which naturally caps how much we can carry.

How does one manage a week-long holiday with limited clothes? Simple: do a load of laundry at the hotel midway through the trip. Over time, I’ve mastered a few handy packing hacks. Bulky coats and heavy jackets can simply be worn or carried over the arm during travel. Clothes should be rolled tight into compact cylinders rather than folded flat. Inners and socks fit neatly into side pouches and luggage pockets. Carrying extra pairs of sandals and shoes was out of the question, so we wore versatile ankle boots that could pair with anything. As with every family trip, we packed emergency medicines for sudden fevers or colds. And travelling with kids means unexpected hunger pangs, so a few snack bars went into my purse. Sorting all our essentials into compact luggage took up the whole week in the blink of an eye.

We booked an Uber from our home in Morgan Hill and reached the San Jose airport by around 10:00 AM. Our total flight time was seven and a half hours, with a one-hour layover in Seattle, meaning we’d reach Alaska just around dinner time. Flight food was limited to cold sandwiches and snacks, so we grabbed hot burgers at San Jose airport for lunch before boarding. Once in Seattle, getting off the plane, taking a quick washroom break, and boarding the connecting flight swallowed that one-hour layover in no time. From there, after an uninterrupted three-and-a-half-hour flight, we touched down at Anchorage airport at 9:00 PM. Since it was already past dinner time, we wrapped up our meal right there at the terminal.

Stepping outside into the airport taxi stand, a gentle, surprisingly warm breeze greeted us.

“Mummy, it felt colder back home in San Jose than here!” Varun remarked. We laughed, quickly peeled off our heavy coats, and tied them around our waists before hopping into a taxi to the hotel.

For this trip, apart from the flight tickets, we had booked an all-inclusive Alaska tourism package covering our tours and accommodation. Airport, rail, and bus transfers were all taken care of. For the entire week, hotel stays, breakfasts, daytime meals, and entry tickets to attractions were covered. The base package was around $2,000 per person. By the time we upgraded to premium hotels and helicopter tours over glaciers, it came to a little over $3,000 per head. Factoring in round-trip airfare, shopping, and dinners, the total worked out to another $1,000 each. It was only then that we truly realized why an Alaskan holiday is considered such a bucket-list journey!

By the time our airport taxi navigated up the gentle hillside to reach our downtown hotel, it was 10:30 PM. Yet outside, it looked like a pleasant 6:00 PM evening! Even as midnight approached, the twilight glow lingered outside. While fascinating at first, falling asleep with that kind of light became quite a challenge. The hotel room had heavy blackout curtains, but persistent streaks of daylight still managed to slip past the edges into our eyes. Our younger daughter, Siri, adamantly refused to sleep until it was dark outside. Darkness finally settled in around 1:00 AM—only for the bright dawn light to spill back in by 4:00 AM. And just like that, on our very first night, our excitement over the “midnight sun” was thoroughly put to the test!

*****

(to be continued)