Wheels on the Go - Accessible Travel living with Celiac Disease

Sept 17th – My Return to Unalaska Island and Dutch Harbour

September 17, 2026October 2, 2026Lmnei

I never thought I would have the ability to return to this lovely, but remote, destination! What a luxury this time to be able to dock on a cruise ship and visit for the day and check out some of the places that I previously visited when working for the week in February, 1995! It has taken me over 2 weeks to write this – it has been a very hard post to do, however really fun looking back! Enjoy!

The Preparation

Knowing 30 years ago that there were not that many taxis and no busses on the Island of Unalaska, where Dutch Harbour is located, I started looking in about April, for someone to drive Andrew and I around to see the places on Unalaska Island that I remember being taken or walking in the evening. I ran into the new (to me) Museum of the Aleutians which was built near the Grand Aleutian Hotel where I stayed, which offered tours! I corresponded with Thomas (awesome name) and let him know that I had been to Unalaska previously and had a list of places that I wanted to see such as the Airport, Grand Aleutian Hotel, Community Centre, Greek Orthodox Church, Elbow Room bar and a couple of other places too. He said they were all on his tour so we signed up!

It was interesting on the Cruise Critic group that people were AMAZED that Holland America did not offer any excursions for Unalaska! In a community of 4,000 there is no infrastructure provide this – especially for a ship that stops only twice a year. We were obviously on our own! Word of Thomas’s tour through the Museum of the Aleutians got out and the two vans quickly filled with a total of 20 people!

It was like deja vu being back on the Island of Unalaska and also going back through time! I was amazed at how time has stood still on these islands for 30 years except for some minor updates and one “attraction” no longer (more on that later)! We got off the Noordam and met Thomas as planned. As the vans do not have head rests for most of the seats, I had reserved the front seat! I knew another person (Amy) had reserved the front seat in the other van. We were set to go and explore!

Panorama View of Unimak Island and Unalaska Island – commercial dock with Noordam above and to the right is the town and Dutch Harbour docks.

Tour of Unalaska and Dutch Harbour

While I took this picture later on in our tour, it gives you a bit of a lay of the land. We came in on the Noordam which you can see above. Thomas picked up the people from the cruise in 2 x 10 passenger vans. Then we started on our tour, which meant we drove past the end of the runway, which I remember having a hard landing on, past the now Safeway and Grand Aleutian Hotel, narrating as we past the sights.

We then drove down the road towards Dutch Harbour and the city buildings, however before we got there we turned off to the right to visit the harbour where the Deadliest Catch boats are tied up when not out fishing or crabbing. It was interesting to see some of the boats that we have seen on TV! None of this was here when I worked in Dutch in 1995!

Next we drove though Dutch Harbour (most people did not know that but I did based on the buildings I saw were the SAME as 30 years ago) and out to the beach area where there also are some old former military installations such as gun turrets and ammunition storage.

“Downtown” Unalaska and Dutch Harbour

Next we drove into the town of Unalaska and past the Dutch Harbour dock to the Russian Orthodox Church. I was keenly watching out for the Elbow room, which was a light blue house when I was last here. The Elbow Room had a reputation as one of the roughest bars in North America as the guys would get off the fishing boats and “let loose”. However Thomas, who has only been living on Unalaska for 6 years has actually never seen the Elbow Room I found out! I noticed we were coming up on the church and we should have past the Elbow room when all of a sudden Thomas announced “there used to be a bar in Dutch named the Elbow Room. It closed in 2007 and was eventually bought by the Mennonite Church. They renovated it and it is now a b&b! I thought this was pretty ironic! More down below.

Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Ascension

The Church of the Holy Ascension was built, starting 1825, and remains one of the oldest cruciform-style churches in the United States. The collection of icons inside dates back to the 16th century. On the back wall of the church there are a set of 12 calendar icons. Apparently there are only three full sets of these icons from the 1800’s in the whole world, and one of them is here.

Driving up to the Russian Orthodox Church

Here is a panorama view of the church, graveyard and mini-church area. The church was consencrated in 1826 – 200 years ago!

The Elbow Room

The one thing that I wanted to see, which I was aware was closed before we got to Dutch, was The Elbow Room. When I was here in 1995 it had a reputation as one of the rowdiest and most dangerous bars in America, if you visited during the Bering Sea crab fishing season. I was lucky — it was pollock season when I was in Dutch! However the boys, when they got off the boats that week still partied quite a bit! Note: There are two types of pollock fish in the world – I am talking about the Alaska Pollock not the Atlantic Pollock.

When Thomas indicated that the Mennonites bought the building and renovated it, really intrigued me for two reasons –
1 – the Elbow Room was a raucous drinking establishment when I looked in on it one day about noon. It smelled rank, of booze and sweat. It had no windows and was pretty dark! There was also lots of broken glass crunchy on the floor!
2 – why would someone want to renovate the building with that stench in its bones?

I found that in 2007, after 50 years of destroying lives, the Elbow Room, at 28 N. 2nd St. off West Broadway (sounds exotic) was sold for around $140,000.00 USD. It was then renovated and renamed to Latitudes Bar. As the fishing business in Alaska had become more regulated and modernized, the “drinking culture” that used to happen when the deck hand get off the boats had ended, and Latitudes did not survive.

In 2009, the Unalaska Christian Fellowship church, decided to renovate and re-purpose the former bar from a symbolic “hole to hell” for many families during the wild crab years and turn it into a temporary emergency shelter. While the project faced opposition from local residents due to memories associated with the bar’s past patrons wandering wild, the renovation did take place and Alexandria House was born! It was a local shelter providing housing and resources for the needy, as well as temporary workers arriving in town hoping to secure a spot on the Alaskan crabbing fleets.

In the years since the Elbow Room closed, it is said that Dutch Harbour on the Island of Unalaska is now known for its fishing production as the largest port by volume in North America. Stability is also on the rise: churches are full on Sundays, new houses are being built overlooking the ships in Dutch Harbor, and for me, the amazing thing to see was the streets have real asphalt! It seems though that the Alexandria House ran its time and Thomas is correct – it is now a B&B! I found it on Air B&B of all places! Here are some before and after pictures!

This is a picture of the Elbow Room in 1995

Now, fully remodeled – you would not believe it was a dank, windowless hole in the wall! I would love to stay here other than the accommodation is upstairs! The lower floor is sometimes rented out for events, and if not, the the Air B&B renters can use the whole house!

Unalaska Island Information

While Unalaska Island still has about 4,000 people, which is the same as when I was there, it is still isolated in the Aleutian Islands AND at the mercy of the sea! Ounalashka Corporation, a native-owned business controls most of land on the island.

Known to airlines and Deadliest Catch viewers as Dutch Harbor, Unalaska is the most populated port in the Aleutian Islands. Bigger than Maui and Molokai combined, the 4,000-inhabitant isle offers beautiful lodging, some restaurants, an anthropological museum, nine city parks, three national historic landmarks, a national wildlife refuge and a national historic area. There are more churches in the area today than bars, the schools rank among the state’s best, and it is located closer to Russia than Juneau!

The Island does not have many trees, no bears or moose and has minimal snow fall as it is on the same latitude as Prince Rupert. Dutch, as the locals say, is a real working Alaskan town that’s kind of on the fringes in the middle of the Bering Sea. The island’s un-name comes from the native “Ounalashka” meaning “near the peninsula,” and the harbor’s Dutch moniker reflects a time when a ship from the Netherlands anchored there. While “Dutch Harbor” remains commonly used, the official name for both the island and its town is “Unalaska.” Calling us Dutch Harbor is kind of like calling Seattle – Elliott Bay,” It’s only the name of the body of water.”

Unalaska Airport (DUT)

Getting to Unalaska takes a bit of effort. A few cruise ships call, and Alaska Marine Highway ferries serve the island twice monthly from April through September. Instead of the 737 Combi planes flying like when I visited in the 90’s which took 2 hours, now Saab turboprops fly from Anchorage that take 3 hours! I laughed when I saw this comment on a website – “Landing in Unalaska is like dropping onto an aircraft carrier. Water borders the runway on three sides, and a sawed-off hill rims the fourth. A pilot error here results in either a splash or splat.” I cannot agree more! I will never forget sitting on the left side of the plane, thinking we were going to hit a cliff and then getting bruises from my lap belt from when the pilot suddenly slammed brakes when we touched down! When we went into the Airport, we found that while The Elbow Room may be closed, but the airport bar, is still going strong after 30+ years!

Outside of Unalaska Airport – as I remember!

I will never forget my little Samsonite suitcase arriving on this non-carosel along with HUGE bags (hockey bag size) of the workers coming to join the boat crews or work in the processing plants on the island. The sign and welcome has not changed either!

Next we looked out onto the runway from the gate area in the airport and saw some derelect planes that are too costly to remove!

Grand Aleutian Hotel

When I visited for work, I stayed at the Grand Aleutian Hotel, which is an ADA accessible, 112-room, three-story hotel. Its restaurant, has the only Sunday brunch in town and primarily serves MEAT not seafood I found out! It had a great gift shop with crafts from Unalaska’s sister city of Petropavlovsk, Russia! I remember getting an Unalaska hoodie which I promptly lost a few weeks later!

The town wraps around Iliuliuk Bay with the “Bridge to the Other Side.” Downtown Unalaska has a public library, community center, aquatic center and a staffed visitor center. Most homes are modest with trailers, prefabs and refurbished World War II cabanas, many built with coloured sheet metal that have not aged in 30 years!

Fish Processing!

The biggest land-based employer in Unalaska is UniSea, which runs a highly automated pollack processing plant. Fillet from the white fish becomes sandwiches while the rest is ground into surimi that is used in imitation crab and fish sticks. If it’s Alaskan pollack, it came from this plant – it is said that McDonalds and Burger King both use UniSea pollack in their fish sandwiches! In addition to the commercial catch, sport fishing lures anglers to Unalaska. A replica of a 459-pound Pacific halibut hangs inside City Hall. Celebrities who have baited hooks here include Jimmy Buffet, who once performed an impromptu concert at the Elbow Room, allegedly without margarita belly slides. There are a couple of other processing plants too for the other types of crab and fish obtained from the Bering Sea.

Museum of the Aleutians

Museum of the Aleutians is a newer museum which was not present when I visited! The collection is diverse with items such as:
– finely woven baskets
– 1778 drawing of an Unangan woman done by crew member of Captain James Cook
– waterproof parka called a kamleika made from sea lion esophagus tissue
– 1940’s vintage ski
– a model of the Coast Guard’s USS Bear
– numerous World War II artifacts

Aleutian World War II Museum

The Visitor Center of the Aleutian World War II National Historic Area displays information about the conflict and provides a mock up of a communications center with mannequins manning equipment. Six months after Pearl Harbor, Japanese aircraft dropped their loads on Dutch Harbor. Days after the attack, the Japanese invaded Kiska and Attu Islands further down the Aleutian chain. To stifle possible advances, allied forces stationed nearly 50,000 solders in Unalaska. Abandoned bunkers, pillboxes, ammo depots and gun mounts still surround town. We did not go into the museum as it was listed as not accessible, other than I bought a tshirt in the gift shop!

We are now almost done our tour and are driving back towards the ship now along a part of Unalaska I have never seen! After going past the fish processing area, including the housing for the workers, we ended up in the power plant area of Unalaska. The original power plant that was built by the army is still there, however there is a more modern one now due to the electrical consumption needed at times on the Island. Other than the fish processing plants and the community – what could that be? Keeping all that fish that has been caught and now filleted frozen for transport! I did not realize about this! At the yards where the containers are located for the fish packers it is just like when you live in cold parts of North America like Calgary – there are electical posts of outlets to “plug” the containers in!

Next we drove to the “underground” hospital which was a hospital that was built, you guessed it, underground, during the war time. Thomas told us how for many years after that it was used for different things such as training for fire fighters and parties. However it is now condemed and sealed off due to asbestos contamination. After that Thomas pointed out a few more sights, one of which I said – is that still the Mexican place? He was surprised! Apparently it had only changed from a Mexican Restaurant in the last few months. I had several dinners of chicken and cheese enchiladas there – gluten free of course! Shortly, we were back at the Noordam!

The tour ended back at the Noordam, however the lady in the other van from the Museum was told that there were some Canadians on board so she drove us to the dock area in front of the Noordam and in front of the various ships and barges tied up was a Canadian Submarine who is in town! Thought they would fly the Canadian flag, but I guess in the USA you fly their flag….

With a bit of poking around I found out the following – it was the Royal Canadian Navy Victoria-class submarine HMCS Corner Brook that was in Dutch Harbor to take part in a joint U.S.–Canadian military exercise! It seems like the allied forces were testing a rapid Arctic response with subsurface vessels like the HMCS Corner Brook, surface ships like the HMCS Ottawa, RCAF CP-140 Aurora patrol aircraft, and some U.S. Air Force F-35A fighters. The HMCS Corner Brook and the aircraft tracked a simulated maritime threat (the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Aspen) in the simulated strike. We then walked back to the ship!

Departing Unalaska and Dutch Harbour

ow it is time to depart and head straight south to Hawaii! It was not light out when we arrived at the dock, however we are going to have a great view leaving Unalaska and Dutch Harbour! I am not sure what was going on with the azi-pods or stabilizers or bow thrusters but something was not working and there was an issue getting away from the dock. It took forever! It seems the Captain was wanting to “pull out” side ways like we have seen at other ports, however it was not working. Perhaps the tide or currents were pushing us back? It was sort of like the Noordam was rocking back and forth to get her nose out. All of a sudden a 2nd tug boat appeared going backwards! No idea why driving backwards was going to help us however the Noordam started swinging away from the dock at that point. Then the tug turned around and followed us out of the bay into 5 days at sea to Hawaii!

We had a beautiful cruise past Unalaska and Amaknak Islands which are part of the Fox Island group in the Aleutian Island Chain.

Now, 5 days at sea – what kind of trouble can I get up to? Art, art and more art!

Sept 16th – Day at Sea – Cruising down the Aleutian Islands

September 16, 2026September 29, 2026Lmnei

Good morning! Today we are continuing to cruise from Anchorage down the Aleutian Islands to Dutch Harbour which is the last “large” community in the island chain. The 300+ island chain are all volcanic, stretching 1,200 miles westward from the Alaska Peninsula toward Russia, separating the Bering Sea from the Pacific Ocean. The Aleutian Islands form the northernmost part of the Pacific Ring of Fire which British Columbia also sits on, and has some active volcanoes, such as Mount Shishaldin at 9,373 feet. There are 6 groupings of islands going from east to west (we are heading east to Unalaska):

Fox Islands (the main islands are Unimak, Akutan, Unalaska and Umnak)
Islands of Four Mountains (the main islands are Yunaska and Chuginadak)
Andreanof Islands (the main islands are Adak, Atka, Amlia, Seguam, Kanaga and Tanaga)
Rat Islands (the main islands are Kiska and Amchitka)
Near Islands (the main islands are Attu Island, Agattu Island and the Semichi Islands – Alaid, Nizki and Shemya)
Commander Islands (the main islands are Bering and Medny)

Here is the best picture of our journey, however it is from Google Maps and follows the Alaskan Ferry Service stops! It shows how someone would get to Dutch with a car basically from Anchorage.

The interesting thing is that after the last island (shown to the left of the red marker) the islands of Russia start! So when on the island of Unalaska one is actually closer to mainland Russia than mainland USA! I remember when I was in Dutch Harbour to work, that the kids from the school (all grades) often flew to Russia to play sports rather than to Anchorage as it was closer. I have no idea if that still happens today – 30 years later!

If you want to read more about where we are going check out the Wikipedia site on the Aleutian Islands HERE

Got to rest up now! Tomorrow is going to be a BIG day for me! I have been waiting to get back to Dutch Harbour for 30 years and I know it is going to take some effort to get around and see what I would like to see!

Sept 15th – “Masking” at Sea! Nope! Not COVID!

September 15, 2026September 29, 2026Lmnei

Today we are sailing from Anchorage to Dutch Harbour! We are hoping to get to Dutch Harbour tomorrow and things so far are looking good! At about 2000 passengers and 900 crew, the Noordam is the biggest ship that visits Dutch Harbour. It has visited twice a year for the last two years. Once when doing the Arctic Circle cruise during the summer solstice and then once when doing this Fire and Ice cruise. The dock at Dutch Harbour is exposed to the sea, so half the port visits are often missed due to the weather! Lets keep our fingers crossed for tomorrow!

In the meantime, there is now a Knitters Group at 10am each day which I am happy about! It is very interesting – there are about 10 ladies that attend the group – 5 are from North/South Carolina and only 2 know each other! There are 4 ladies from Washington State and me, the Canuck! We have some really interesting discussions about knitting vs. crocheting! One lady who does glass kiln work showed some of her designs and I thought (from a distance) they were quilts! I was amazed at her work!

From a Celiac standpoint, when we have days at sea, I eat lunch in the Main Dining Room and like each dinner, I order the night before. I find the lunch options for those with Celiac Disease a bit challenging at times, so I like to make up my lunch choices based on what HAL offers. Today, out of respect for the slightly chilly environment, I had macaroni and cheese! Yum! They make a VERY GOOD 4 cheese mac & cheese on board!

Tonight is the Masquerade Ball! I have been busy making a mask for myself (and Andrew) in the Art area on Deck 10, behind the Crows Nest on the starboard side. We were aware of this ball coming up and the mask sessions started 2 days ago where I painted my mask PURPLE! When we were in Walmart yesterday, I picked up some extra purple features to go with the black ones from the ship! Andrew has a blue mask – I will post a picture of his later…

For dinner I had some local Alaska salmon which was on some excellent risotto! An amazing meal! The salmon was cooked just perfectly – flaky but not over steamed! We then attended the Masquerade Ball on the World Stage, however my pictures, despite my snazzy new cell phone, did not work out as they were too shaky from being in the bow!

Sept 14th – Nippy Anchorage & Alaska Air Museum

September 14, 2026September 29, 2026Lmnei

Northern Light Show!

Secretly I got up in the middle of the night and look what I saw! It is a good thing I cannot sleep through the night sometimes…

Anchorage Port

We have had a VERY lucky experience! Very rarely do cruise ships DOCK in Anchorage! For the Don Young Port of Alaska, which is just north of downtown Anchorage, due to the extreme tidal fluctuations and heavy commercial freight traffic, only specialized ships (some Holland America and exploration vessels) can dock at the port. The mega-cruise ships stop instead at the deep water ports of Seward or Whittier and then bus or use the train to transfer passengers to Anchorage. These mega-cruise ship ports are also easier for the cruise ships to get to from the glacier areas of Alaska as they are on the east side of the peninsula where Anchorage is at the end on the other side. Also, cruise ships offer “land” components when the cruise ends in Alaska such as to the Denali National Park.

At the Don Young Port of Alaska, we were able to get off at Anchorage and either be bussed into the city (on Princess busses!) or to get onto an Excursion bus. We were on the Anchorage Highlights and Alaskan Air Museum tour.

Alaska Aviation History Overview

I was really interested in this tour as it included the Alaskan Air Museum and I have watched some shows on the history of aviation in Alaska along with spending A LOT of time in airports to get from Vancouver to Dutch Harbour, which took 2 days each way, via Seattle and Anchorage. In Alaska, there are communities that are fairly remote and frozen a good percentage of the year! For most of these places, the only way to reach them is by air – similar to northern Canada. Food, medical supplies, people, basically EVERYTHING need to be flown in. Most have a gravel runway or in the winter, ice packed runways where planes can land on wheels. For towns near the water, there are float planes that can fly in which land on their pontoons (or skis depending on the season) to deliver goods too. The “bush” pilots who fly these routes are a rare bunch but they know Alaska well and the challenges that come with flying up here.

The next interesting fact about Anchorage Airport, which I did not know about until my trip to Dutch Harbour in February, 1995, is the sheer number of cargo planes that land in Anchorage for a fuel stop. Flights from Asia to New York carrying cargo – such as a 747 freighter, cannot make the trip without touching down for fuel. If you look at the great circle mapper, the flight patch from Asia to Toronto/Chicago and the eastern USA makes an arch over Alaska and down over Canada to the destination. Guess what airport is on the way? Anchorage! Great stop to pick up some fuel! Only issue – the airport can have some very “interesting” conditions when it comes to snow! I have been to a lot of airports around the world, however back in 1995 I do not think I had been at any airport, including Frankfurt and Heathrow, that had more 747’s (aka Queen of the Skies) taxiing around than I saw in Anchorage the days I spent at ANC airport!

I am not going to bore you with stats or anything – you can look them up yourself…. LOTS of 747’s! In fact we saw one land and taxi in while we were on the bus heading to the Alaska Air Museum!

The bus did drive quickly through downtown Anchorage on the way to the Anchorage Airport. The Anchorage Airport looks to have grown up in the last 30 years since I was last hear as that seems to be a new control tower! Needless to say, we did not end up at the airport (sad) but instead at the Alaska Air Museum, which funny enough was accessed from an active “taxiway” which I thought the bus driver was kidding when he said that (security is a bit different in the USA than in Canada it seems) but no, we were crossing the taxiway for all the float planes at Lake Hood which is right next to the Anchorage Airport!

Lake Hood Float Plane Aerodrome

We arrived safely the Alaska Air Museum which is on the edge of Lake Hood. The Lake Hood Float Plane Base has the largest number of Sea Planes in North America at over 1500 registered to this base. They THINK they are the busiest float plane base, however knowing Vancouver and the Coal Harbour Aerodrome along with Harbour Air being the largest seaplane operation in the world, I can confirm that Vancouver, with 200-300 seaplane flights a day on average, is a bit busier than Lake Hood at 190 flights on average.

We were dropped off at the Alaska Aviation Museum where the majority of the bus tour was able to enter and to hear the docent talk about the history of Alaskan Aviation. Unfortunately, the slow people like myself getting off the bus and needing our mobility devices too a bit more time to get into the building and we missed half the presentation! That was frustrating – someone even asked him to start over and he would not as he said the “tour was all there”.

Now we are outside of the museum, however still in museum grounds and they have one of the Alaska Airlines 737-200 Combi cargo and passenger planes that used to fly around Alaska and what I took from Anchorage to Dutch Harbour on a flight I will never forget! Unfortunately, it was not accessible, so Andrew went up and took pictures for me while I sat on my walker and explained to another lady in a wheelchair what was inside as I remember it and what it was like to fly in the plane. Too bad for a tour that Holland America sold as Accessible, it was not fully accessible! So easy to do!

Here are Andrew’s pictures from my phone of the interior! In the first picture, where the docent is talking on the left and people are standing at the back, that is where the cargo flew on the plane (behind the pilots). It was secured to the floor and then there was a net covering the cargo and then the seats you see in the picture on the right (ignore the tables and lights – no idea why they are there!) were secured to the floor, depending on the cargo/passenger ratio.

Test

Nose shot! Pointed instead of stubby nose…

This plane is similar to the flying water bombers (but much smaller) that used to live on Sproat Lake!

Now we have walked around the compound of planes, and can see the Lake Hood Control Tower which is staffed during summer, we entered into the “workshop” for the volunteers at the Aviation Museum.

After hanging out in the Alaska Air Museum store to acquire a shirt, we were back on the bus to be dropped in downtown Anchorage! Lynda was on a mission – Walmart – for a couple of items that she needs for the cruise! We went into an office building and were given a number for Yellow Cabs in Anchorage, however after 2 calls no one showed up so we switched to Uber! Arriving at Walmart, I was able to pick up my online order and then for a couple of items that were “not in stock” I was able to purchase similar items that were suitable. I had wanted some pens, however they were in a locked case and after calling for customer service three times for assistance and waiting for a total of 30 minutes, we gave up – no purple pens for Lynda today! Back in the Uber we asked the gentleman to take us to the port where the Noordam was docked. I saw no need to go back into downtown to get on one of the busses (they did have wheelchair lifts) just to be driven to the port. I was wrong. The only people allowed to drop passengers from the Noordam were the Princess busses! The Uber then took us back to downtown (which we had already passed) and to the waiting busses! Shortly soon after we were at the Don Young Port and getting ready to board the Noordam… but wait!

We were back at the ship in good time so we could get ready for dinner as tonight we were going to the Pinnacle Grill which had been turned into Morimoto’s Restaurant for the evening. I LOVE Morimoto’s Restaurant as it has my favourite dish Angry Lobster!

As we got to the Pinnacle Grill, there was a bit of a commotion as we were lead to our table by the window and we soon found out why…

Celiac Saga ends with a Surprise Visit!

The waiter whispered to me that Chef Willem wants to meet with me. I thought oh no, what have I done now! I know I sent in the feedback a few days earlier and Patricia told me that it made her job easier, so I thought the goal was accomplished. The ship had also delivered a bag of Tate’s GF Chocolate Chip cookies to my room already which was really nice. Perhaps Chef Willem does not like how I order my gluten free food? I am sure Andrew had some thoughts of what had I gotten up to also, but I will leave his thoughts to him! Chef Willem appeared and he was SO EXCITED to tell me that he had gone shopping at Walmart in Anchorage! I thought that was interesting as I had seen some HAL staff in the store, but thought they were just there on personal shopping missions… Then the truth came out…

He thanked me for writing what I did and apologized as he got onto the Noordam in Vancouver and found that the stock of gluten free food was almost non-existent! He said that is why I was having so many problems finding gluten free snacks (cookies) on the ship along with GF muffins in the morning. We talked about the following points:

The “vegan” issue from the Seattle to Sydney cruise last year (so many vegans on board that the Chef had to buy all the milk alternatives he could find in Honolulu and Kahului, Maui!
There are “just under 20 Celiac” on the ship (makes sense with 2000 passengers) however only 5 preregistered in advance (including me)
The whole “gluten free lifestyle” vs people who need gluten free food for medical reasons such as Celiac Disease and predicting what a diverse group of passengers are going to request on a cruise.
How his daughter is gluten free and he knows what she likes and he hopes I like the same snack foods!

Fascinating discussion! He was still pretty excited and he then got out his cell phone and started showing me what he had bought which were all gluten free – Chips Ahoy, Oreo, muffin mixes, cookie mixes etc. He then said that if I did like any of this food, he could send it to his daughter! I told them that we did not have Chips Ahoy in Canada – either version but we do have the Oreo’s! I thanked him for helping me out and going shopping however it did not completely register until we got back to our room after dinner and we saw this on our bed! The cookies that he showed me on his phone! I am impressed!

As both of us were full from the dinner, we just put the care packages aside and went to bed! I have 3 more weeks to delve into these lovely packages! We are now off to sea for the day and will be in Dutch Harbour on Sept 17th!

Sept 13th – Kodiak, Alaska – Bear Country!

September 13, 2026September 22, 2026Lmnei

Coming into Kodiak, we were scheduled to tender as another ship was at the dock. The port is not large! Tendering once on a cruise is not that bad! I have had lots of fun tendering on Holland America in the past, however now they have a little elevator to go from the A deck to the B deck where you board the tender it is simple! WAY easier going up and down stairs like on previous voyages…

It was a beautiful short tender ride into the Kodiak harbour where lets say the gang plank UP to the dock was a BIT steep! Also, if I did not stay in a very narrow lane going up the right side, there were inverted triangle bars (for safety purposes in winter) going across the gang plank beside me, for people going down to prevent sliding!

Panorama picture of Kodiak on left and fishing marina on the right.

We met our tour (A Walk Through Kodiak Harbour) at the end of the dock. It was being led by a long time fisherman who has now retired, named Toby. He knew so much about the fishing industry he was bursting with information! Our first stop was the plaque for the Good Friday Earthquake on March 27th, 1964 which was 9.2 magnitude and lasted 4 minutes. One of the strongest quakes that has hit North America.

We then moved along to the restored boat, Thelma C, which was a typical wooden boat built for fishing out of Kodiak. Toby told us a story about when the earthquake hit, a lot of fishing boats were destroyed, so the Alaska government gave the owner of every fishing boat money to get a new one! All of a sudden, the boat builders, primarily located in the Seattle area, had a LOT of work on their hands to build boats! Many boats similar to the Thelma C were built and then sailed up the BC and Alaska Coasts to Kodiak so that fishing could resume. While visiting the Thelma C, there were some sea lions playing in the bay – well really not playing – looking dead! Most people thought they were statues! Yeah right! Seen these blubber boys before – they are just conserving energy and they will sing and move!

Next we moved to the docks behind us – which was very interesting if you have spent time on docks like I have! First there was a concrete (see Dad got it right!) ramp to launch a boat which I thought was fascinating as most boats I would have thought are too big to tow and thus launch! Then next to it, Toby explained, was a boat tied up for “dry dock”. For most people in the tour – this went right over their heads and their eyes glassed over! Basically, the fishing boat ties up beside the dock at high tide and wraps its lines around specific poles that while attached to the dock, allow the boat to be secure yet “ride” the tide down until it is sitting on the clay bottom.

Just before the boat is on the clay bottom they do put some supporting logs under the hull so they can do the planned maintenance. Pretty interesting process instead of having to lift a boat out of water into a dry dock! He said it can be a challenge to book times for emergency repairs in dry dock! I fully understood what Toby was talking about… again, others were confused!

We then went down to the docks to look at the different fishing boats and Toby explained what each one was (seiner vs troller) and the types of fish they catch at different times of the year. Lots of fishermen passed us while we were on the docks who knew Toby and they were making some funny comments to him! Toby then took us back up to the main Kodiak dock and to the Kodiak Fisherman’s’ Memorial which has plaques for boats/souls lost at sea. It was interesting to hear Toby talk about it as a life long Kodiak resident, as he knew most of these people and this must be a hard part of the tour for him! To conclude the tour, he showed us the lifesaving suits that the fishermen have on board which allow them to survive some time in the sea if they do not make it into the survival boat.

After that, Andrew and I walked around Kodiak for a bit. It was Sunday and some stores were closed. The front part of the town was NOT very accessible (stairs) however when there is a store I want to get to, I generally can find a way to get there! We went around a building and down a lane and the store appeared along with a craft fair! Needless to say Andrew was patient while I did some “browsing” and poking around. Eventually we started walking back to where the tenders were located, and as I knew the tide was going down, I was SURE LOOKING FORWARD to going down the gangplank to the tender dock with bumpy right side! On our way to the tenders, there were a bunch of people gathered by the shore, so I 4 wheel drove over to check out what was happening! Look at the performance I saw!

This Alaskan fresh air is really tiring! Holy smokes! Once back on the ship we had a short SNAPPY NAP as Neil Dirom used to say and then we got going to dinner where again, we had a delicious meal, however something unexpected arrived for me for dessert, which looking back now makes sense! I had ordered vanilla ice cream… This is what showed up!

Vanilla Ice Cream and Flour-less Lava Cake!

Hmm. I had not asked for the Flour-less Lava Cake… It looks like the chef sent me a gluten free item! Things are looking up! Perhaps tomorrow I should go get some cookies and see if they are now “in stock” once we get back from our tour in Anchorage!

Sept 12 – College Fjord Cruise and the Celiac mystery

September 12, 2026September 28, 2026Lmnei

Cruising College Fjord

Yesterday we were at the Hubbard Glacier. Today, we are heading up College Fjord, located in Prince William Sound in North East Alaska. While the Hubbard Glacier and College Fjord are two of Alaska’s most stunning marine ice destinations, they are vastly different in their geography and viewing. We saw the gigantic wall of ice of the Hubbard Glacier yesterday. Today, in College Fjord, there are five large tidewater glaciers that empty to the sea. In addition, there are five valley glaciers and many smaller glaciers in the area. The researchers who discovered the glaciers in 1899 and named most of them after East Coast colleges in the USA, except Princeton!

Cruising College Fjord offers instead a view of many glaciers all at once rather than one single wall of a glacier such as the Hubbard. Here are some panorama pictures that I took as we cruised up and down the fjord.

One of the glaciers up close with the “growlers” in the sea

Fairly far north, the sun did start setting about 6pm

Celiac Saga Day 2…

One thing that Andrew and I do when on Holland America, is order room service each day. Generally on the first day I put in a standing order for what I would like to be delivered each day, as I have already explained. Also, Patricia, who was on the Seattle to Sydney Cruise last year on the Noordam, is back in Room Service this year. Every day about 10 minutes after Room Service is delivered, Patricia calls us to ensure that everything is okay with our meal, which is very nice! She also has something pleasant to say each morning like the sun is out or the sea is calm.

Today, when Patricia called at 8am, (keep in mind, at 9pm last night was when I sent in my Feedback to Chef Willem) the first thing she said to me is “Thank-you Miss Lynda for your feedback last night!” I was a bit shocked as my feedback was about GF chocolate chip cookies and GF snacks and NOT Room Service! I guess I sounded surprised on the phone (and also not fully awake) and she said that what I said has made her job EASIER as she no longer has to beg for my GF muffins each morning! Okay, I thought, that is good! I said to her that I was glad I could help and everything was awesome this morning.

Andrew and I had a good lunch – I had salmon tacos and they were excellent! Yes, that is Cilantro that did not last long adorning my plate!

We ended up having dinner in our stateroom – unlike our cruise from Seattle to Sydney where there were playoffs happening – on this cruise they are broadcasting NFL season games! You can guess what Andrew wanted to watch! Seattle Seahawks! I had another delightful conversation with Patricia who was able to get my pre-ordered dinner from the Dining Room sent up to our stateroom and Andrew was able to get a sandwich.

This also gave me some time to spend playing with my technology and getting it whipped into shape so I could get back to blogging on my website! I also received a very nice card from Guest Services acknowledging my feedback on Celiac and Gluten Free and they were “looking into it”. To end the evening, we commuted down to Deck 1 and watched an interesting entertainment duo – a woman playing the cello and a man playing an electric guitar!

These two artists, decided to make a show together and called themselves the “Shredders”. It was a VERY interesting show and they played all types of music – from a rock piece (great for guitar and interesting on the cello) to a Spanish piece that kept on getting faster and faster and wow – the lady could play the cello! We almost saw smoke come off her bow! They were also accompanied by the “Dam” band of a pianist, electric base and drums. Quite the eclectic show!

T0morrow we are arriving in Kodiak and then our next port is Anchorage! It has been 30 years since I have been to Anchorage, and I am VERY aware that the Nordstroms’, just like in Vancouver, has moved out. This time, we are going on a tour around of Anchorage so Andrew can see the area and then to the Alaska Aviation Museum (click for link). Alaska has a really deep aviation history that I am aware of. I am kind of sad that my dad is no longer alive to share it with me, however I press on! In my mind there are two parts to “flying” in Alaska – one that people might be aware of and one that they might not be!

See you tomorrow in Kodiak!

The 9/11 Moment: World-Changing Day and Hubbard Glacier

September 11, 2026September 20, 2026Lmnei

Today I want to start honoring the people impacted by 9/11.

On September 11th, 2001 I was at home on disability after my accident and for some unknown reason up really early in the morning. I sat on my sofa watching TV when the first building was hit in New York. I was shocked because I regularly flew United Airlines. Then the second plane hit the World Trade Center. The Pentagon was struck, and one was forced to the ground in Pennsylvania.

I grabbed my laptop. As it was early in the morning on the west coast, I checked to see if any of my co-workers were online. Tammy was—she was on Long Island in New York. She did not really know what had happened, so I told her. She began plans to drive back to Canada, which she ended up doing. I cannot remember if she drove to Toronto or Montreal. Nevertheless, she was able to get back to Canada and fly home to Vancouver.

Next I watched what was happening in New York, and with fascination, the ATC directed planes to land without explanation. Imagine flying from Tokyo to Chicago, arc over Alaska, then being rerouted for an emergency you cannot learn about. Moreover, over 8,500 passengers ended up in Vancouver on September 11, causing a ground response that had never been planned for.

Ultimately, here is the memorial that was built in New York City, which I am yet to see!

Hubbard Glacier

Hubbard Glacier (Tlingít: Sít’ Tlein) is a glacier in eastern Alaska. It lies in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve and in Kluane National Park and Reserve in Yukon, Canada. It is named after Gardiner Hubbard. This tidewater glacier is North America’s largest.

It stretches 76 miles long and has a face about 7 miles wide. From the bow of the ship, you can see it as in the photo below. It rises about 350 to 400 feet above the water. Hundreds of feet stay hidden below the surface. Unlike most glaciers, it continues to thicken and advance. That is why some call it the Galloping Glacier.

Getting closer to the glacier now – this is the right side (east) of the Hubbard Glacier.

Now for some more information about what we are seeing! First, the crowd on the bow – right now I am on the 6th deck (where our stateroom is) where they have opened up out front. Then moved down to the 4th where I could access the bow again (still wearing shorts and a tshirt) to take some more pictures! Lastly, I joined Andrew on our balcony to view the BLUE icebergs floating by!

We sat on the balcony for a while, and I did put a jacket on. We heard the loud cracking sounds the glacier made. We watched chunks of ice crash into the sea below. Unfortunately none of those photos worked out! I asked the naturalist on board what causes the blue in the ice that we saw floating. She said the deep blue color is caused by the weight of the ice, which pushes the air out. The ice then absorbs red and yellow light and displays the deep teal blue. Here is a video of the Hubbard Glacier calving that I found which was pretty similar to what we saw – https://youtu.be/l1hpp-ZwU5c

Do you know what a growler is? No it is not a dog making a noise! A growler is a chunk of ice smaller than an iceberg! Learned something new today! However they can still damage ships and they need to stay away from them.

After all that excitement and fresh air, I was looking for a snack. Gluten free cookies on the Lido deck were my target! I was told that the cookies are in the Stores department and they would order some and come back later. Not impressed, as this was about the third time this has happened to me over the last 3 days, I pressed onwards to our room to keep winding my wool.

Two hours later I sent Andrew to acquire some GF Tates cookies. No go. They said the same thing to Andrew! They need to be ordered from the Stores and will be brought up. Okay, I get the message. No cookies for moi but strange, only four days into a journey!

We dined at the Canteletto Restaurant this evening. The Canteletto was created on HAL ships, but it is part of the Lido Restaurant and private. There are about ten tables and it serves Italian food. The dinner was very good and I enjoyed it! I had a beet salad, a shrimp skewer, and Alaska halibut with artichokes. I finished with sorbet. However, as were were in the Lido area, I was not surprised when the waitress whispered they have no GF chocolate cookies! I just smiled and said it was okay.

Andrew had his normal meat dinner, and he enjoyed affogato al caffè for dessert!

Leaving the Canteletto, I walked past the gluten free area of the Lido and asked for 2 GF chocolate chip cookies. Guess what the answer was? “We need to get more from the Stores”. I said thanks and we retired to our stateroom.

Holland America has a lovely app named Navigator. It shows where we should be and what is offered on the ship each day. It also has an excellent feature called Feedback. Unknown to Andrew, I provided feedback to the Chef on gluten-free offerings and snacks. The meals, other than the muffin mix-up the first day, have been phenomenal! However, getting a snack when hungry has been like pulling teeth! Also, there was a problem with gluten free muffins this morning. I wrote to Chef Willem, who is the same chef on the Noordam as was on our sailing from Seattle to Sydney. As a person with Celiac Disease, I pre-register with the Special Services form so they know I will be on board. We used to have to list what our favourite foods were, but that has not been done in the last 2 decades. Basically, this tells HAL in advance of my dietary needs and they will need to provide Celiac Safe food.

I kept my feedback light and helpful however it also acknowledged safety and cross-contact concerns. For example, making gluten-free items in a pastry shop the size of a stateroom due to gluten flour being used, is not safe. The gluten flour would be everywhere!

I had no idea what would happen, but I thought HAL should know there is someone aboard who sails regularly and I am experiencing a different level of service than on prior cruises. I also noted there is a difference between the “lifestyle” gluten-free diners and those diagnosed with a medical condition.

Then I went to bed, really expecting a note in the morning saying thanks for your feedback, we will take it under advisement or something like that. Lets see what happened! Stay tuned!

Sept 10 – Visit to Sitka and walk in Port

September 10, 2026September 20, 2026Lmnei

Our next port is Sitka, Alaska (Tlingit: Sheetʼká) where we docked outside of town, which required a 15 minute shuttle ride to”downtown”. The Noordam looked pretty great port and we got off in good time as we had a walking tour booked in Sitka today.

Once we went down the gangplank onto the dock, it is obvious that Sitka now really likes the Cruise Ship industry! Compared to the last time we were here – there is a new building at the port to welcome visitors and be a transportation hub for the tour departures! Very nice!

There were busses ready to take people to town and also a shuttle that could take 3 scooters (and me) at a time which was aweseome!

View of Sitka Harbour with the Ritz Carlton ship at anchor

We soon found our tour at the bus drop off area downtown and off we went walking along the shore and talking about living in Alaska, how workers come up to Sitka from April to Septebmer (cruise season) and are put up in apartments (there is couples accommodation and then singles accommodation) for the season as part of their wage. They work when cruise ships are in town – doing tours, driving busses, working in stores etc. The population is about 8,000 people on average, with it increasing by about 2,000 people during the tourist season. Again, like many Alaskan communities, it was originally settled by the Russians and you can see their influence during our tour. There is a fairly big US Coast Guard Service (along with ships) based in Sitka that provide emergency sea rescues if needed. The other interesting fact we learned is that the Alaskan State Trooper Acadamy is located in Sitka! Here is more information on that training and what they do: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_State_Trooper_Academy

It was recommended to Andrew that we go to the “Sitka Burgers and Crab Shack” for a good meal. Now I do not do burgers but I can do crab if cooked properly! Holy SMOKES! Tourist pricing times 5! ONE King Crab leg is $42 USD! No thanks! Andrew and I settled on some gluten free chips instead for $5 plus some drinks…. Check out the pictures below!

After that lovely break, we decided to walk back to where the shuttle was to the Noordam. Along the way though Lynda had seen a store that she wanted to visit as it had stickers in it! Wow – what a beautiful display! A few stickers and a shirt later, we were back at the shuttle stop and loading up to head back to the Noordam! Again, tried to shop at the pier where the Noordam was located – stores were either closed for the season or almost out of stock! There were some really good sales on however I really did not need any neon coloured shirts so we passed and just walked back and got on the Noordam to enjoy the evening!

Tomorrow is a day at sea and also September 11th and the 25th Anniversary of 9-11. I will have to dig up some pictures that I have from back when Vancouver International Airport (YVR) hosted a ton of people (more than any other Canadian Airport, including Gander) when the flights flying from Asia, over the Pacific, towards Canada and the USA were suddently told to land at YVR – with no explanation!

Sept 9th, 2026 – Day in Ketchikan and Mystic Fjord Excursion

September 9, 2026September 18, 2026Lmnei

Today we get to get off the ship! Yahoo! We have lots of days at sea with some port days thrown in for fun! Today is a port day in Ketchikan where we are taking an “accessible” boat excursion to Mystic Fjord. Let’s go!

Mystic Fjord

Andrew and I have been to Ketchikan previously and I thoroughly enjoyed this port previously. This time, as there is an accessible boat tour, we are going to do that first. Not many tour boats are accessible so I was a bit apprehensive about this one, however pleasantly surprised to find that there was a huge ramp up to the boat, and while there was not any wheelchair parking per se, there was a very narrow accessible washroom too that my walker, in semi collapsed position, fit into. Additionally, the seats were comfortable, and cloths were provided to de-fog the windows for our voyage up the fjord.

MS St. Helaina, Sitka, AK an accessible boat!

We finished the excursion and found the ramp back to the top dock much easier, as the tide had receded while we were away. Then, Andrew headed to the Noordam to rest, leaving Lynda to wander and see what she could discover.

Let’s Explore Ketchikan

Knowing a bit about Ketchikan history, including its underground liquor trade during Prohibition, I headed to the boardwalk. As I moved along, I passed the Fire Hall with its ready equipment and a historic fire engine on display. I was taking some pictures of the boardwalk area when I started getting pelted by rain – HUGE rain drops! Then, I sheltered under a store awning and called my mother to report we had arrived in Ketchikan.

I had a nice stroll along Creek Street and saw the various stores winding down for the Cruise Ship season. We are one of the last boats visiting the port this month. One thing that is great when it rains is the smell of rain makes things seem “fresh” until I got to the bridge you can see above in the “More of Creek Street” photo on bottom right. When I crossed that bridge there was a very specific smell that I have encountered a couple of times in my life – dead salmon in the creek after they have spawned! Lovely! That said, the smell-a-thon memory was VERY QUICKLY in the past when I saw a certain sign on the building across the bridge to the left…

Does that actually say “Alaskan Fabrics”???

Needless to say, I ended up in a WONDERFUL yarn and fabric store named Fabulous Fiber Arts! Oh my goodness I was in heaven and so giddy the lady in the store I think was concerned about my sanity as I was so excited to see REAL wool! I am going to try and keep my gushing to a minimum however I did find some FABULOUS blue/purple/green sock weight wool (unfortunately not from Alaska but Turkey) and I am now set for my cruise! I even had a bag to carry my stash of 7 skeins of wool back to the ship in which was awesome!

Typical Andrew – he was not too impressed with my shopping adventure – it just does not register! The good thing for Andrew is that as we are in the USA or close to shore is they are playing American Football games on TV so he has been able to watch some good games including the Seattle one to start the season and then the one played in Melbourne, Australia!

Now back in our stateroom, it is time to wind some wool! The Knitting Group is at 10am each morning and I got to be ready to stitch and bitch! Tomorrow we relocate from the bar area outside Pinnacle Grill to a conference room due to ceiling leaks! Oh wait, no Knitting Group tomorrow – we are in Sitka! See you tomorrow!

Sept 8th – Relaxing cruise up BC Coast to Ketchikan, Alaska

September 8, 2026September 18, 2026Lmnei

We got up to a beautiful morning cruising between Vancouver Island and the BC Coast up past Haida Gwaii. We had breakfast in the room, which I had ordered the night before. I generally have the same breakfast everyday to make it easy on the staff to keep my gluten free dining safe. SOMETHING happened in the translation though and again I was served muffins that were not gluten free. Been there and done this before and I can “feel” when the muffins are not gluten free. Also they do not have paper cups on them which is indicative of the brand that Holland America now carries (Bio). Unfortunately they no longer stock Kinnikinnick brand products since the company was sold.

I proceeded to phone Room Service to see if I could get some gluten free muffins and Patricia answered the phone! I know Patricia from our cruise from Seattle to Sydney – she was the lady who took Room Service orders on that cruise too and helped me with my gluten free dining when I needed something I had not already pre-ordered. What a lovely surprise! She was very tentative on the phone – “are you the Miss Lynda who went to Sydney last year?” she said to me? I remember this order and the gluten free muffins! I will send some to you right away! And so they arrived with apologies from Tama, who is her manager. Problem solved!

Next on the list – relax and get my nails done! I now have fire engine red toenails and french manicure finger nails – however I ditched the usual baby pink for baby purple/mauve instead! Very cool!

Now, as my mother will attest, I often volunteer to run the Cruise Critic group’s Meet and Greet on the ship on the first day. Again, that is what I am doing at 2pm today! I have a secret though – this group has been VERY talkative during the year leading up to the cruise and one of the points of discussion have been Nanaimo Bars! One lady, lets call her Tutu was really intrigued by them so I posted a video of Todd Maffin, who is an ex-CBC personality and now decent Canadian (along with his wife Jocelyn who I know through the Spinal Cord Injury of BC Association) talking about Nanaimo Bars which is kind of funny… Here it is for your amusement!

Having Celiac Disease I am NOT someone to bring gluten snacks to a group when I cannot enjoy them too! So I acquired some Wendels GF Nanaimo Bars (2 boxes) from Save on Foods and brought them to the ship for the meeting! Everything was going great – I delivered them to the dining room in their sealed box so they could be cut up (following the Health and Safety laws which I did not bring in home made products) and served half way through the meeting. Only fly in the ointment – Andrew was still not feeling well so he was not at the meeting to “assist” me!

The meeting went really well – about 45 people showed up which was a fair crowd in the Rolling Stone Lounge and we all introduced ourselves and we played some fun games. At the end I gave out some Canadian themed prizes and announced we all had Nanaimo Bars to share at the back – however they were not there! Oh no! They never arrived! I had to apologize and tell people I had brought everyone Nanaimo bars but they had not been delivered…

Needless to say, an hour later the Noordam staff found the Nanaimo Bars in the kitchen, untouched and there was a HUGE miss-communication issue where they were not delivered to the meeting. They then offered to cut them up and deliver the Nanaimo Bars to the rooms of the guests that had attended the meeting – if I could put one together! That I did and they were supposed to deliver the GF Nanaimo Bars to the staterooms that night with a card apologizing for missing the meeting.

Here are some photos I took during the day cruising up the coast of BC!

Sept 7, 2026 – Beginning an Unforgettable “Ice and Volcanoes” Cruise Aboard Noordam

September 7, 2026September 18, 2026Lmnei

Oh where do I begin! This has been a challenging year since I left you in Singapore last December!

We (I!) had booked a couple of cruises after we returned from Australia. ADA cabins on ships were getting hard to find. The first cruise we booked was a 28-day round trip from Seattle on the Noordam. We sailed on the Noordam last year to Sydney. This cruise is called the Ice and Volcanoes Grand Voyage which takes us to Alaska and then to the Hawaiian Islands. Luckily, they allowed us to board in Vancouver! We must disembark in Seattle when the cruise ends though and take the train home – no staying on until Sydney this year! This plan is perfect because we can visit my aunt and uncle who live near Seattle.

After booking this cruise, I had surgery planned for January, where the water tap in my right eye was going to be turned off! It has gone from an excessive waterfall back to a normal drainage system, so now it does not look like I am permanently crying! It was to occur in the first week of January but moved to late January due to an issue with my medications. At the first office visit after the surgery, the eye surgeon was a BIT TOO excited to see me – he wanted to show me the picture of the 7mm dager looking, calcium stone from the drainage duct in my eye! It was the largest he has ever seen and removed. Andrew was NOT impressed and left the exam room at that point.

I had just recovered from the ‘panda eye’ look when my father fell and broke the neck of his left hip (between the ball and the femur) at the end of February. He had an excellent surgeon at Richmond General Hospital who put him back together. The regular ‘dad’ and ‘husband’ returned pretty fast. He started making lists of things for us to do, such as buying a watch for my mum. Soon he stood up and gave the physio and OT staff heck during their visits several times a day as he wanted to progress faster! After about a month at the hospital, my dad became congested with fluid on his lungs and passed away fairly fast and peacefully on April 3rd, Good Friday, with my mum, sister and I at his side.

Choosing whether to pay the final deposit on the cruise was very hard for Andrew and me to do – while it was late April at this time, and the cruise was not until September, there was a lot on our plates. In talking with my mum and sister, we decided to proceed and pay for our cruise as it has one very special port – Dutch Harbour, where I was lucky enough to work in 1995. Not many cruise ships stop at the Island of Unalaska where Dutch Harbour is located. It is primarily a fishing community closer to Russia than continental USA! Holland America does not even offer any excursions at this stop due to a lack of infastructure. More on this exciting port later!

Between my volunteering on the Media Team at FIFA, we also planned and held a wonderful Celebration of Memories for our father in June where a lot of my dad’s old workmates from BCIT were able to join us. Also, we moved our mum to a new living environment that is more supportive in July. Then, just as things were looking up, in August my laptop overheated!

I rely on my laptop quite heavily, thank goodness it got me through tax season this year where I was able to submit more than 400 tax returns for the non profits that I volunteer for! Out Dell came to repair it yet again. This time, it only took five hours for the keyboard to get to over 50 degrees Celsius again! There is nothing like an infrared thermometer to tell you that it is HOT!

I was concerned about needing a laptop when on vacation for the various volunteering that I do. Also, there was a bit of déjà vu involved, as last time I traveled to Dutch Harbour, the internal power supply in the Dell laptop that my work provided, ceased to work in the Anchorage Airport on the way to Dutch Harbour! As my current Dell laptop support contract ends in a couple of months, I ordered a new laptop as backup for my trip, in case Dell could not fix my current one on time. The new laptop was supposed to arrive on August 27, but it arrived on September 4! Needless to say, getting my new laptop going has been a bit of a challenge when at sea due to SLOW internet! That said, I have now been successful after a week, so here we go!

To start, I would like to dedicate this “Ice and Fire” cruise to my parents. My dad taught me so much about the sea, tides, ships (vs. boats) and how to appreciate the community where you live. Both my parents taught us to travel and enjoy other cultures – my sister and I have traveled to different parts of the world for both work and vacation. I am constantly learning, absorbing and respecting the different things that make up the great fabric of the world in which we live.

Instead of wearing my Canada hat this trip, I am wearing my dad’s Steveston Maritime Modelers hat. The SMM are a group that my dad belonged to in Steveston. They love to create and display model boats. Some of their creations even float! We are off to discover parts of Alaska that Andrew has not visited previously and I am going to see again after a couple of decades! I hope you enjoy the adventure with us!

Allons-y!

December 12, 2025 – Singapore – Part I – An Ode to Pain du Chocolat – best in the world!

December 12, 2025December 19, 2025Lmnei

In 1980, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, where I cannot eat food that contain flours that have gluten in them such as wheat, rye, barley and some types of oats. While it has been an interesting journey for me and my family being diagnosed in my teens, and mostly a positive experience, the one thing that most people with Celiac Disease crave, especially diagnosed later in life is food that tasted like they used to eat. There are things that I do not remember what they tasted like 45 years ago, however one that has eluded me and I do remember are pastries – specifically croissants and pain du chocolat.

I have had the luxury to travel a lot in my lifetime and visit some pretty high end gluten free bakeries, especially in the last few years which have excellent products. Some were in Rome, Italy; various locations in Spain; Paris, France; various cities in Canada such as Montreal,t Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver, where I live; Auckland, New Zealand; and more recently a brand new bakery in Manley, near Sydney, Australia. They all have wonderful products however each time I tried them something was missing – it was either an aftertaste or a gummy feeling that the flour used which lacks gluten, leaves in your mouth.

Until the morning of December 8th, 2025 when I had the extreme excitement of biting into a Gluten Free Pain du Chocolat at the Westin Hotel in Singapore for breakfast. It was exquisite, flaky and I thought I was eating a gluten item by mistake as there was no aftertaste. However the staff assured me that there was no mistake – they were gluten free! I was in heaven – well quite literally too as we were on the 35th floor of the building!

Here is my Ode to the Gluten Free Pain du Chocolat! I did have some help writing this…

O warm-hearted rectangle,
buttery vault of morning light,
you carry within your golden walls
a secret line of midnight—
two dark bars of chocolate,
quiet and intense
as a whispered confession.

Your layers sigh beneath my touch,
delicate as pages
from a well-loved book.
Each bite is a soft collision
of crisp border and molten dusk,
a duet of sweetness and smoke.

You are the thrill
the croissant only hints at—
a rebellion wrapped in pastry,
a promise that even dawn
can taste like indulgence.

Oh my gluten free Pain au chocolat,
you are the mischief of mornings,
the elegance of afternoons,
the small, perfect triumph
of joy to me.

My gluten free plate of pastries at Westin Hotel Singapore – Pain du Chocolat, Croissant and little Almond Muffin

December 11, 2025 – Singapore – Gardens by the Bay and MORE RAIN!

December 11, 2025December 19, 2025Lmnei

After a wonderful breakfast and now that we are experts at the subway in Singapore, we decided today to explore Gardens in the Bay.

We first took the elevator down to the underground passage and then over to the subway to get to the Gardens by the Bay station. Gardens by the Bay is another “complex” in Singapore that is mainly directed to tourists. It has several areas that can be explored of which we are going to do a couple of them. Again, torrential rains are expected later this afternoon, so we are out fairly early to try and get some sightseeing done.

Here is a map above of the Gardens by the Bay area which shows it sort of a pie shaped area in downtown Singapore. We walked from the Gardens by the Bay MRT station along the waterfront until we got to the Cloud Forest which is a HUGE dome – sort of like a thin egg – on its side. Next to it is a similar sized dome, the Flower Dome. We entered the Cloud Forest first and while I cannot remember how high the structure is, however, it is VERY high – more than 10 stories I would estimate. The entrance with the dinosaurs that were slightly moving like very tall giraffes, were an incredible sight to see! This currently is a Jurassic Park Exhibit and you will see why very shortly…

We could hear some roaring when we walked in, and when we walked up the left side of the Cloud Dome and around the corner what did we run into? This Jurassic Park Dinosaur!

Next, we walked across a bridge and to an elevator to go up into the Cloud Forest. Now, I had seen some structural elements to the building as we approached the building, however I did not realize they were walkways until we got UP to the top and realized exactly how high up we were! They again were metal and my walker was making all kinds of noises and I was NOT feeling well with the height and the walkway jutting out into the Cloud Dome! It was also VERY steamy inside which probably added to the effects I was feeling! There were some exquisite flower displays up top, which I have taken some pictures of:

Then we came to a pond of Italian glass flowers and the Carnivorous Plant display!

Most people at this time made their way down the Cloud Forest by escalator, however I was banned from them so we had to take the elevator down floor by floor to see the different displays on each floor. Some had more walkways out into the dome and one had a walkway to view the waterfall that was at the entrance of the Cloud Forest we saw – but now we were at the top of it! Again, a titillating experience looking down to take that picture! On one of the lobbies of the floors there were examples of some stalactites from caves and then another cute display where they are incubating dinosaur eggs and counting down until they are hatched. It was all animatronics however the kids sure liked it!

Back on the ground now, we exited the gift shop and got directions to our next attraction which was the Tour of Gardens by the Bay by open air bus. On our way there though I spotted a Shake Shack which is a popular American Chain Restaurant and we decided it was time to have something to cool down. Andrew had some custard ice cream while I had a chocolate shake. We then made our way to the Tour location where we got onto the little bus and we were driven around the different areas of the Gardens by the Bay. We took this tour as I knew I was not going to have the stamina in this heat to visit all the areas and I wanted to experience the full Gardens in the Bay display. In the picture I posted at the beginning of this blog, it was basically all the yellow numbered places around the Supertree Grove on the map at the top.

After that, we visited the Flower Dome which was MUCH less intensive than the Cloud Forest! It contained flower displays from around the world. It sure had an impact on all senses too! Especially the wonderful smells that flowers admit! I was so taken back by the number of different displays from countries (Canada was missing) from around the world that were mostly tropical – and all the different types of fuchsias in vast quantity on display! The lilies were also very beautiful too!

As it is also Christmas time, they had multiple train displays too which were fun to see! Andrew was in his element here! It also reminded me of my grandfather’s train display in his basement – however these were bigger trains and there were about 8 different displays – very intricate! When walking around the displays the buildings did not look like they were from Singapore though and I was right – the one building display was on loan from North Carolina!

Unfortunately, today the Observation Deck, which we had tickets to in the Supertree Grove was closed. They instead gave us tickets to the walkway between the towers which is pictured below. At this point in time, after experiencing the Cloud Forest and it was about to rain, we passed on going up to the walkway between the Supertree Grove structures and decided to just keep walking along to the MRT station at Bayfront which is on the Southern side or bottom of the map for the Gardens in the Bay. The pictures below do not capture the sky correctly – it was getting quite grey above us! Above the Bayfront Station there is a GIANT hotel complex which I took some pictures of – some of the architecture in Singapore does remind me of Dubai – they really do like to compete and outdo each other!

Back at the hotel now, we had a very nice dinner in the Westin Lounge again – Andrew partaking in the buffet provided and the chef cooking me a chicken sandwich again. The service in this lounge was impeccable! I have visited a lot of lounges in hotels around the world however this one takes the cake so far – the Orchid Hotel in Bangkok comes a close second, however this one is much better overall!

Tomorrow we are going to change hotels to the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport for two reasons – we are flying out of Changi airport on our way to Okinawa, Japan on our way home, and I wanted to spend some time at this airport as it is rated number 1 in the world by Skytrax Magazine, which does all the Travel Rankings for hotels and airlines each year. The Vancouver Airport is the number 1 airport in North America for many years running and Changi has a similar track record of years running, but best in the world! Lets see what they have to offer!

December 10, 2025 – Singapore – Sentosa Island Aquarium and RAIN!

December 10, 2025December 16, 2025Lmnei

Well, after a long day like yesterday, we did sleep in today however made it downstairs in time for breakfast! Again, I patronized the Gluten Free cart and found MORE GF croissants and GF pain du chocolat on offer plus some little muffins. We did not have breakfast yesterday due to the early start and I was so happy to have these pastries again this morning! They are a delight to eat! I have had the privilege to eat these types of pastries in Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Spain and France where they have the specialty bakeries to make such lovely delicacies, along with Canada, especially in Montreal where there is a fabulous gluten free bakery, however in all those travels I have NEVER had gluten free pastries these flaky and soft in my life! Also the croissant peels just like a gluten croissant does and flakes everywhere!

Due to this excitement, I decided that feedback, whether good or positive is due and this was very POSITIVE feedback! I sent a note through the Marriott messaging system to the hotel asking if they made these pastries in house or if a bakery provided them. I was aware of a good gluten free bakery in Singapore, however when I had looked it up, it was now permanently closed. Oh my, what a storm positive feedback caused! Very soon I had a response and a Food and Beverage representative AND the Chef de Pastrie were at our table in the restaurant where we were having breakfast! I tried not to gush too much however I did explain how long I have had Celiac Disease and how WONDERFUL these pastries are! They told me that they had brought a chef from Australia to teach them how to bake them (which makes sense) and part of the reason they are so wonderful is the water in Singapore is so good! Whatever the reason I agree!

We then retired to our room, primarily for me to digest my belly of pastries and omelette along with to plan what we were going to do for the afternoon. The weather forecast was not that positive, however there was a window of opportunity to go out without getting soaked, we hoped! We decided to go to Sentosa, which is basically a man made island that has some hotels, a beach and lots of attractions – such as Universal Studios, the Aquarium, a Skyride, lots of restaurants and a shopping mall. We went there for the Aquarium (Oceanarium) as it was a new aquarium and highly recommended. The previous Aquarium on Sentosa called S.E.A was closed last year and this new Oceanarium was opened instead. It is a HUGE complex, half of it we found out was underground!

First, we stopped by the Westin Lounge to get some help with using the subway / transit system. The system in Singapore is VERY complex and there are stations everywhere so I wanted to ensure that what Google Maps was telling me (Google Maps is known to lead one astray at times) was in fact accurate after our experience in Sydney! Sure enough, Google Maps was correct – for the time of day we needed to take 2 trains, 2 stops each and then switch to the Sentosa Monorail to get to Sentosa Island. Off we went! First we walked to the Downtown Line station, which was interesting as in Singapore, you can tell it can rain a lot as there are these gathering areas under cover where people congregate – there was one between the 2 buildings that made up the Asia Plaza 1 (where the hotel was located above an office tower) and Asia Plaza 2 which was an office tower. We soon arrived at the subway system and I was AMAZED how clean it was and also how easy it was to use! The turnstiles you just tap your credit card and then open (or use a card like the Compass Card in Vancouver), the elevators all worked seamlessly and did not stink, and then instead of standing on a platform, the area where the train arrives is actually enclosed and the doors open up at the same time the train doors open and you pass through onto the train! Seamless experience! Here are some pictures:

We got to the Oceanarium and paid to enter and what an EXCELLENT experience it was! I took some videos of the jelly fish exhibit as I found them just to be fascinating – they are way cooler than the plain jelly fish that we see near Vancouver!

Here is a video of the Pacific Sea Nettle – the “Fried Egg” one did not work out 🙁

Next we have the Purple Striped Sea Nettle (venomous), White Spotted Sea Jelly, and then a whole tank of small sea jellies! I did not realize that the plain jane sea jellies were such an important part of the ecosystem and keeping it in check – they eat plankton and small fish where they are eaten by the sea turtles which are very prevalent in this part of the world.

Here are their cool videos! The tank of sea jellies was HUGE – about 20 feet tall and wide!

Striped Sea Nettle – those streaming tails were really purple!

White Spotted Sea Jelly

The HUGE tank of Sea Jellies!

Next we move onto the Ancient Waters area – boy some of these creatures were UGLY! This was mainly a static display –

Now, we are in the aquarium display with LOTS of different fishes and creatures! Here are some pictures of some things that I have not seen before and some miniature ones that are VERY LARGE were we live!

Next we were transported into marshlands which were pretty interesting! There were three displays – two if which we looked at and the third, which I did not take a picture of, was a touch and feel display with marine staff that kids lined up for. Let’s say this area was VERY popular and noisy!

Next, we took another trusty cool elevator down another level (we are now 2 stories below the ground) to see the big fish display and what a display it was! It even included some human fish!

After going through the walk through passage in the tank, we saw some displays about sharks and how their skin has a unique texture that barnacles and algae cannot attach to making it basically bacteria resistant! This type of surface is being research for various purposes in hospitals and other public places. Also, the structure of shark skin has lead to the development of paint that reduced surface resistance thus improving the efficiency of transportation and a reduction of fuel consumption.

Next we entered the Coral Gardens. Did you know that coral supports 25% of the marine species in the world? Here are some pictures of the various coral displays with their fish.

Below are Hammer (with a few Brains) and Torch coral videos –

Red Hammer Coral with some Purple/Blue Brain coral

Torch Coral swaying in the current

Next we entered the Reef Animal Display – there were some different shrimps on display however they were moving FAST and my pictures in the dark did not work out very well! I did capture the following ones though!

They Sea Horses were so cut I just had to take a video of them scooting around!

Then we ran into the Aquarist area – now I thought it was talking about those who are Aquarius Zodiac sign, but no, they meant Marine Biologists! These are the people who are keeping these special populations of creatures displayed in the Oceanarium alive and going! They provide all the residents with a healthy diet, enrichment programs, and healthcare so that all the populations can flourish (this I got from a sign).

After the Aquarist area, we were surprised to enter an area with yet another HUGE tank of fish swimming around! Look at how big it is compared to the levels that people can stand! We took some pictures and then moved on as I was not able to get any closer than the top level. Now looking at it – I think the window you can see on the lower right of the first picture is where I took my shark photos earlier…

Then there was an area on Il Nino and Il Nina and their effect on the oceans and climate along with a display about garbage in the sea and the “garbage patches” which there are 4 – Great Pacific, Indian Ocean, Atlantic and Southern Pacific. Here is the picture of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch! Not a good thing to think about in the middle of the ocean all this trash has gathered!

Now we are into more aquariums with interesting fish from Asia which I have captured below –

Here is the ceiling tall fish tank in action!

Then we came to the eels – so creepy! There were two big eels in this display and they were roaming in and around the display through the holes like it was playtime! Why they were together in the same area I have no idea – the yellow one went back in as you can see below…

And then popped out up top and why the eel did not eat that fish that kept swimming into his mouth is beyond me!

Then we walked through the giant Aquarium with the sharks yet again (different passage way this time) where there was a shipwreck located and saw some more cool rays! This one has an angry face!

I thought we were done with the deep now, but not true! Next was a display of the Triton Submersible which is the first vessel to reach the deepest point on all 5 oceans. It is certified to dive to 3.350 metres! Along with it, in a very dark display, there were pictures of some fish that the submersible took pictures of – one of which is pictured below. Lastly, in the final hall, another giant submersible – the actual bones that you can walk through of a blue whale!

The last exhibit was a “modern” take on a fish bowl – a suspended living room filled with water and fish swimming around! After seeing that as we departed, our visit to the Oceanarium was over! What an experience! I have included only about 1/4 of the videos and pictures that I took – consider this post a highlight! We then took the elevator 2 stories up to the gift shop – all tourist places end at the gift shop and there we saw the torrential rain coming down! Not a surprise, however yikes! It was REALLY raining hard and bouncing off the ground by 6 inches!

We then aborted my planned next activity – to take the Skyride from Sentosa to the mountain top in Singapore and then the subway back to the hotel. Taking the Skyride would not be worth the money as it was completely socked in and pouring and not expected to let up in the next hour. Instead, the lady at the gift shop told me how to get back to the Sentosa Monorail Station under cover so that we could just take the subway to the hotel instead and skip the Skyride!

We arrived back at the subway station that is next to the hotel – we did not know we could walk underground to the hotel – so we went up to the street and then risked the rain crossing over to the hotel and at that point saw the elevator up from the concourse below! Noted for tomorrow! We spent another night in the Westin Lounge and Andrew had appetizers and some beer while I was presented with a lovely gluten free chicken sandwich! Who needs dinner after that?

Tomorrow our plan is to visit the Bay by the Gardens which is another tourist area in Singapore that is quite popular to visit! See you for some live action tomorrow!

December 9, 2025 – Singapore – LONG Daytrip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

December 9, 2025December 14, 2025Lmnei

Well, this day started off with a bang! Or maybe a loud alarm clock! Oh, no, that would be my cell phone yet again ringing at 3 am with someone trying to get a hold of me! Needless to say Andrew and I were both away for the 4 am alarm to get up and moving to be downstairs in the lobby of the hotel for our 5 am pickup for our day trip to Kuala Lumpur.

I had found this tour on Viator, one of the travel websites and it was highly recommended for people who are visiting Singapore who also want to see the sights around Malaysia including Kuala Lumpur and the Petronas Twin Towers which are there – the twin towers are the tallest in the world. For over 6 months I had corresponded with the day trip organizer who was very proficient and understood my extra needs in the fact that I was traveling with a walker and could not climb a lot of steps. He also helped me get our tickets to the Petronas Twin Towers when I was having some issues as people who use wheelchairs and walkers have to book extra “space” in the elevator (no idea why)!

So Max picked us up at 5 am – it was already about 30 degrees out including humidity so we knew it was going to be a hot day. I was also aware due to the high Muslim population in Singapore and Malaysia, that I needed to cover my shoulders and knees and bring along my sweater (only suitable long sleeved item I had to put on) and my head scarf as we would be going to a mosque too. Max was to drive us over the Malaysian border and then deliver us to our next driver, Allan, who would be a our driver for the rest of the trip, all the way back to our hotel. There is some Singapore “rule” that Malaysian drivers cannot pick up people in Singapore to take back to Malaysia, so thus the driver change. It was 5 am and as soon as I got into the car for the 45 minute drive to the border, I was sleepy! Max though wanted to lecture us on everything Singapore – from government and anti-corruption to how much people are paid and the list goes on. Needless to say, we were in these lovely business class recliner seats in his high end Toyota SUV and I thought it would be rude to fall asleep so I tried my best to stay awake! This is obviously something he does on a routine basis as he had us flying through the exit from Singapore and then into Malaysia in no time and soon we met up with Allan our driver in a less “fitted out” SUV but comfortable just the same!

First it was pitch black out when we were doing this and second, you cannot take any pictures when crossing the border! Singapore is separated from Malaysia by a bridge. The Immigration and Customs all are in buildings that we seemed to be underground going through until we went over the bridge and then back into some buildings, still in the car, to enter Malaysia in a place called Johor, which is also a port city.

Needless to say, once we were in the SUV with Allan, sleep did take over for me for two reasons – one I was tired and two he was driving rather fast – it was like being on the autobahn again! At one point we were being passed while he was doing 140 km/h. Mostly motorcycles and fast cars though. Watching the signs on the highway were interesting – they had LOTS of full service stops for gas and dining/fast food which was great and really promoted getting rest when driving. The other funny signs, which I never accomplished getting a picture of were the picture of a motorcycle and an umbrella – which meant that an overpass was coming up so if it started raining hard, there was refuge really soon. A lot of the motorcycle drivers drove along the shoulder of the road if they were not on a high powered motorcycle that could keep up with or go faster than the cars.

After a couple of hours we arrived a Batu Caves, which is where we also met our tour guide for the day named Mr. Sandran Vellesamy who was Malaysian and is a tour guide by profession. Allan dropped us off and left us in the care of Sandran to tour the caves. The Batu Caves name is derived from the word batu from Malay meaning “rock”. Formed over 400 million years ago, the Batu Caves consist of 20 recognized caves including four large cave systems with multiple inter-connected chambers. The complex is a mogote with a series of limestone caves which have speleothems were formed by the action of water falling on the surface percolating through the surface and interacting with the sub-surface, resulting in the dissolution of limestone rocks, resulting in the formation of stalactites and stalagmites. Stalactites jutting from the ceiling and stalagmites rising from the floor form intricate formations of cave curtains, flowstones, cave pearls, and scallops.

The caves were used as shelters by the indigenous Temuan people. In the middle 1800’s, Chinese settlers began excavating bat excrement from the caves, to use as fertilizer. In 1878, the caves were visited by American naturalist William Hornaday and K. Thamboosamy, an Indian Tamil trader, promoted the cave complex as a site of Hindu worship. So, a Hindu temple dedicated to lord Murugan was completed in 1891 with the annual Thaipusam celebrations commencing in 1892. Further development of religious sites has happened ever since in the region. Housing development around the region began in the late 20th century and there are concerns now that the area is becoming over-developed.

As the caves have a HUGE staircase to get up into them and then another one once in there, Andrew and Sandran proceeded to visit the caves while I walked around taking pictures – here is what we both saw –

Now we departed, as Batu Caves are actually about 14 km north of Kuala Lumpur, into Kuala Lumpur city centre for the day. The first place we stopped was their town centre plaza where the National Cricket Oval or Pitch is located. Now the whole area was boarded up and I could not get in due to stairs, however someone I know was able to slide between the boards that were put up (with the permission of our tour guide) and take some pictures for us! While I was on the outside I took the following pictures – to note is the Malaysian Flag on the flagpole for those Engineers out there – this flag does NOT twist – the flag pole was engineered so that the flag goes around a loop or circle at the top and rotates with the wind so that it does not get tangled! Now that is a good use of engineering skills!

A couple of other things about the pictures below – the river looks low however when it rains in really rains and twice a year we were told, primarily when the king tides are also happening, the river backs up to the mountains. When this happens, all the underground tunnels in Kuala Lumpur are actually closed to traffic and are flooded too so the water has somewhere to go! They were designed that way. We actually traveled through one of the tunnels that is flooded about 2-4 times a year. It takes them about 3-5 days after the water recedes to clean the tunnel of debris and mud to allow cars back into it. The other interesting thing we learned was that the post office, which is across from the Mile Zero marker, was how all postage in the “olden” days was calculated. That was the Zero in the number of miles or kilometers that the postal mail had to travel and how it was thus charged.

These are Andrew’s pictures from when he snuck into the park. He was not the only one doing it – a whole tour group went in before him! It was just up stairs as I mentioned and then through a very narrow passageway that I decided not to attempt early in the day!

After visiting the National Square we got back into the van and drove to the Central Market where we are going to have lunch and someone 🙂 might do some shopping! The plan was to take us to a Malay restaurant, however when we got there it was closed for a school group to eat there (school holidays are next week), not a problem though as I had noticed a Thai restaurant as we walked to the Malay restaurant so our tour guide took us there and made sure that they understood my Celiac Restaurant cards (which I had in Thai and Malay) so that I could order safe food and then left us there to eat (and shop).

Now onto the Petronas Twin Towers where we have a 2 pm ticket to go up and visit both the bridge between them and then up to the observation floor! This again is NOT something for my mother who does not like heights! Even for me it was starting to push the limits getting near some of the windows up top!

The Petronas Twin Towers are iconic 88-story skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, known for their postmodern Islamic design and the double-decker Skybridge connecting them, offering stunning city views from the Observation Deck on the 86th floor. Once the world’s tallest buildings (1998-2004), they house the Petronas oil company and other global businesses, serving as a major landmark and tourist attraction. Their height are 451.9 meters (1,483 ft), designed by César Pelli, the two-story bridge (worlds highest) links the towers at the 41st and 42nd floors (engineering note: only 1/2 inch off when they went to connect the buildings together) and the observation deck is located on the 86th floor, providing panoramic city views. Another interesting fact is that the Skybridge between the two buildings is not attached to the main structure, but instead is designed to slide in and out of the towers to prevent it from breaking due to strong winds!

The site planning for the Twin Towers began in January 1992, where excavators began digging down 30 metres below the surface of the site in March 1993. The work required moving over 500 truckloads of earth every night. Following that was the single, largest, and longest concrete pour ever in Malaysian history; approx. 13,200 cubic metres of concrete was continuously poured per tower through a period of 54 hours. This record-breaking slab with 104 piles of concrete layers form the very foundation for the twin towers we see today.

From this floor rose a 21 metre high retaining wall, with a perimeter length of over one kilometre. This concrete shell and the basement area it encloses required two years and up to 40 workers on site all day and night. The construction of the superstructure commenced in April 1994 after passing multiple rigorous tests and simulations of wind and structural loads on the design. Finally in June 1996, the Petronas Twin Towers was completed with its encasing in steel and glass.

Time to go up to see them! First, we were dropped off at the mall connected to the Petronas Twin Towers – which we walked into and saw down a level and all the Christmas displays. Next we were taken outside (we were running early) and the HUGE Christmas tree and what was next to it? A fake ice rink made out of wax sheets so people could skate! Now, to go to the Twin Towers – we got the ticket for me (which was reserved as I had to show up with my walker so they could see that I needed “space”) and as we already had a ticket for Andrew we were ready to go! Unfortunately there was a school group ahead of us which made things a little slow and noisy! We watched a movie (below) and then went into the elevator to proceed to the SkyBridge to check out the view – which was fabulous!

Here is the movie we got to see while waiting for the elevator to take us up to the SkyBridge –

Note: Sound is not very good!

And now we go higher! Up to the top!

At the Petronas Towers we said goodbye to our tour guide, Sandran, and Allan, our driver then drove us to the Putra Mosque, which was the last sight on our list to see prior to returning to Singapore. I was looking forward to this stop due to my association with Maha and the things that I have learned regarding the Muslim religion. Due to that I was also prepared in what I needed to wear! The mosque was HUGE and beautiful! For those women visiting the mosque who were not dressed appropriately then gave out these red jackets with hoods so that the arms and hair are covered when you go into the main building. That is why you see people wearing red things in the pictures below. I passed muster with my sweater and pashima wrap. As in the Muslim religion, you do have to take your shoes off prior to going into the mosque, where other mosques I have been to it is right in front of the door – here it was at the entrance to the facility so we had to walk in bare feet all the way across the terrace to get to the main part of the mosque – I was REALLY GLAD it was not that sunny out! Inside the mosque was amazing and we had unexpectedly shown up at the time for the evening call to prayer, so the prayer was being sung by some members of the male devotees. I find listening, while I do not understand what they are saying, to be absolutely amazing and calming. We were only supposed to be in the mosque for 15 minutes but I think we were there a bit longer than that as one of the volunteers came up and spoke to us and wanted to know where we were from. We also were the only Caucasian people in the mosque! He was very nice and I explained that I was aware that it was the call to prayer going on and how much I enjoyed listening to it. I actually recorded some of it for Maha so she could hear it and then we left to meet Allan for our drive back to Singapore.

Well, needless to say, this was a VERY long day! We got back to the Westin Hotel at about 9pm – so we were on this trip for a total of 16 hours! Time flew by and it was lots of fun however we are both now exhausted!

Tomorrow I think AGAIN we will be sleeping in 🙂 See you later alligators!