of LN LU: cruise til' you bruise

I'm sitting here in my living room attempting to recapture the past week; my physical bodily adventures, my spiritual growth, and the emotions that flushed through my mind and soul as I saw sights and wonders I had only seen in pictures. This is probably a little dramatic, but for someone who has had little opportunities to travel the world, this short, yet eye opening cruise to Alaska has showed me things I thought I'd never see, and allowed me to experience events and adventures I never imagined to take on. This will be a clumsy endeavor, but clumsy or not, it must be done.

Naturally, we will start with the beginning. Saturday; LAX. As the plane took off, I opened my window to catch my last glimpse of Los Angeles for the next seven days. I can't really say or remember the last I time I personally had the chance to see an aerial view of LA, but as I peered out my window, I remember thinking: "my home, this vast city bundled by buildings and boarded off by the sea and the mountains." I can't say if I though it was a beautiful sight, but I remember feeling a sense of relief leaving this city.

At the four hour mark, we began seeing glimpses of Seattle, and as I opened the window shutter to look below, I was in awe by the "Rainy City." Everywhere you looked, the trees and greenery ate up the city. As opposed to Los Angeles, where the sparse trees were surrounded by buildings, Seattle was a city where the trees consumed the city and the buildings were but little sticks poking out every so often. Absolutely gorgeous. I couldn't peel my eyes away from the windows to save my life. I think in those moments prior to landing I fell in love with a city even before I touched foot on it's soil.

So we finally landed, took a taxi to the docking port and began boarding the ship. Upon stepping foot onto the ship, absolute chaos surrounded me. It was like a carnival, but stuffed into a ship. The first two days (Saturday and Sunday) aren't as memorable. For the most part, we were just sailing to our destination. But as boring as that may sound, the sights we saw as we sailed into the sunset were magnificent. I don't think I've ever seen so many trees in my life, and for that, I have to thank the urban sprawl of LA for depriving me of such sights. Saturday and Sunday were pretty "cruise generic," meaning we just sat on a boat attending the events and shows that had been scheduled; still fun, but not life changing. However, Sunday night I walked to the back of the dock and just stood their looking into the darkness as the boat moved forward away from lands I can't name. I was alone in solitude with nothing by my iPod and the rumbling of the ship's motor speeding us along. It was a rare moment that I never get when I'm at home or at school. There is definitely a spiritual and emotional relief about being able to be by yourself to just do...nothing, absolutely nothing.

Moving along - Monday. We dock at Ketchikan, Alaska, a town that looks like it came straight out of the Goonies. My brother and I went to go watch the Lumberjack show; entertaining to say the least, but what I was excited for was what came after -- snorkeling. Oh yes, I said it. Snorkeling in Alaskan waters. A lot of people on the ships were a little less open minded about snorkeling in the cold Alaskan waters that ranged from anywhere between 40-60 degrees. What they didn't know is that the company provided us with wet suits that warmed the waters to a warm and bearable temperature. Not many people can say they went snorkeling in Alaska, and I am proud to say that I am one of the few. As exciting as it was, it was definitely hard to see the wildlife that lived in the sea because of the overcast, but I can't complain. Unfortunately, due to over excitement and ecstasy, I failed to take any photos, as I was too preoccupied.

It's weird to think about the people who live in Ketchikan, like for instance, as ignorant and naive as this may sound, how in the world do they survive in such a small town? I guess my LA upbringing doesn't help, but it just seems so...sheltered to live in a place where the next city nearly 100 miles away, but I guess people from a place like Ketchikan couldn't imagine living in a place like Los Angeles. Don't blame them. The air sucks and traffic is a bitch.

Boat, boat, sail, sail. We arrive at Juneau, Alaska! What a spectacular sight - a city bundled between the mountain and the sea, and coated with trees. We rode on this ski-lift like tram up to the top of the mountain ridge, and peering down, we could see an entire panoramic view of the town. That day we took a tour to go see the Mendenhall Glacier, and we had a hilarious tour guide cracking jokes left and right about the city and all its inhabitants.

One thing I realized that day: I am an absolute sucker for all souvenirs and stores of Native origin. Nearly every store/museum I visited was in some way Native related, and nearly everything I brought home has some sort of tribal connection.

That day we set sail for Skagway, and though I was excited about the destination, I was surprised and awed by the orgasmic scenery I witnessed that day. By far the most beautiful sight I've ever laid eyes on. The water was as clear as the sky and litter with tiny icebergs. On both sides of the ship were mountains upon mountains covered by trees and sprinkled with waterfalls forged by ice and years of climate wear. Absolutely gorgeous; took my breath away.

So we arrived in Skagway the next day, and what makes Skagway so rad is that it's only 4 by 22 blocks long. 4 by 22! That's like the size of...I don't even know! Anyways...zip-lining! An experience I will never forget thanks to the wonderful guides that we had. Seriously though, there is nothing more spiritual, hilarious and liberating than zipping through a forest while make animal sounds. Perhaps we were sending out our mating calls, the world may never know. I don't know if we were suppose to look at the ground or up at the skies, but I couldn't help but look up -- like flying, but with ropes and a lot of protective gear...

(stolen from Wesley K. Sun)

Bought more tribal souvenirs, surprise!

Now our Alaskan trips came to a close, we were now headed down to Prince Rupert, B.C.. That's right, I was about to have my first taste of CANADA, and we all know how much I love Canada. Assuming how rocky the boat ride was, we were probably riding against the current. Let's just say ocean motion doesn't sit so well with my family, but I fucking loved it. I love ocean motion. It actually made me sleep better - the ebb and flow of the ocean rocked me to sleep, and the creaking of the boat's framework sang like lullabies. Let's just say for the last two days I had some really vivid, obscure dreams brought upon by ocean motion. Probably the best sleep I've ever had. Weird, I know.

That same night, The Second City comedy group put on first improv show. Loved it! I've always loved comedy improv; I even took Drama in middle school, but I'm not very witty when the spotlight turns on. Spotlight turns on, light bulb turns off.

Oh, Canada, I've been waiting a long time to step foot on your soil. Though I was thoroughly excited, my first visit to Canada wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. Prince Rupert is probably not the best city to visit to get a first impression of Canada. Not ONE Canadian said 'EH?' to me. I feel deprived and unsatisfied; however, I admit, I was very satisfied with my COWpuccino. Regardless, I still like the fact that I stepped foot on the country the bred the likes of Tegan and Sara, Metric, Broken Social Scene, Stars, Wintersleep, The Dears, and The New Pornographers. Oh, the Indie scene there is fabulous!