Everywhere I looked during this cruise evoked in me a kind of wonderment that I don't experience on a daily basis. I live in the beauty of the Montana mountains, yet STILL I miss it all too often. The natural world around me. When I'm in the routine of my everyday, it's so easy to look past these things while we focus on our tasks, technology, and obligations.
Alaska didn't let me "miss it". From the giant blue masses of ice floating by our boat, to the blinding green of our forest hikes. Even the things unseen - wildlife we knew hid behind the thick woods and below the waters - added to the mystery of what we were getting to be a part of during this trip. One event that did NOT hide itself was the calving of Marjorie Glacier!
The passengers of the Chichagof Dream sat for over an hour as Marjorie's captive audience. You might ask, "How can you sit and stare at a piece of ice for that long?" Well, when the performer is a show off, it's an easy task. We were fortunate enough to experience this glacier CALVE multiple times from the bow deck! And I say EXPERIENCE because it doesn't just entail nonchalantly watching pieces of ice fall from this massive wall. You SEE it starting to happen, you HEAR the THUNDER, you WATCH the subsequent splashes as ice hits the water below, then you WAIT for the gulls to swarm the site to take advantage of stunned fish (clever gulls!) Where the lost ice once was is now a shade of blue that I have yet to find the right words to describe fully. It is INCREDIBLE!
Each and every iceberg we passed afterwards made me of Marjorie. And they served as reminders of the world's natural wonders...so many of which I was in the midst of just by being in this untouched place. Nope, Alaska wasn't going to let me "miss it".
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.