SCHOLARSHIP DAY 9: Taste of the Sea!

Last night at the Seward Hostel was a great laugh. Being amongst strangers from all over the world, one might expect lots of awkward moments, but actually the experience was pretty interesting. There was a swiss couple that had cycled all the way from Los Angeles to Alaska since April, a japanese man who studied for a year doing molecular biology in Cambridge University, two ladies from Paris travelling through Alaska, a young girl from Hong Kong, and a rather mature gentleman who is a bee keeper in New Zealand. I was actually meant to be spending the day with him, cycling to Exit Glacier, but I woke up to problems regarding transport and after several phone calls to a number of different companies, it was too late to go with him.

Breakfast, for me nowadays, has to be 'pancake' based, or something that goes well with Maple Syrup. My days of cereals have gone! I had the 'Full Load' (Three pancakes) and a hot chocolate with cream and eventhough the price was a little high, the 'Seward Mariner' offers great views of the Small Boat Harbour. It had obviously rained last night, but I was breakfasting in the sunshine once again. Afterwards, I took a small walk along the coast and unavoidably saw a large cruise liner in the harbour.

The tide was very much in, but I sensed it was going out as I walked down the coastline. I also sensed my wallet was getting a little empty and so my very first experience in an American bank was inevitable. Withdrawing money over the counter can only be done with a passport apparently, and so I was stuck with using the ATMs. Unlike the UK, you have to insert and pull out your card before progressing further with transactions. I, being me, didn't read all the instructions before going ahead and learnt the hard way!

The rest of my day I had scheduled for a visit to the Alaskan Sea Life Centre; the most northerly centre in America. It was starting to cloud over so I think my itenary was well timed. The SeaLife centre is an amazing place, with all sorts of wonderful but different fish that I'd never seen before, and so I left with a mind full of knowledge.



There's a lot of geography even in the Sea Life Centre. For instance, the only reason that there is so much algae to support 474 different species of fish in the Bering Sea, is because the continental shelf is shallow, and allows maximum light to reach plants for photsynthesis. The centre has a great viewing gallery, offering great views of puffins and seals entering and exiting the water, but also it concentrates on the less well known of fish species; those in disguise most of the time. I learnt about the life cycle of salmon and watched a very good documentary on climate change's effect on the oceans. It was all there- you just have to read the information, and it was a shame to see so many people doing the whole thing in 1/2 an hour; you wonder why they've come in the first place!

It is very ironic but I had dinner in Terry's Fish and Chips Restaurant, but after hearing about all the endangered fish, I couldn't bring myself to choosing anything 'fishy'. Instead, I found myself a Chili Burger with Chips. It would be my first chilli in America. Up to now, you see, I have seen 'Chili' (with one 'L') on the menus and have wondered if it was different to the 'Chilli' (with two L's) that I love. I made enquiries and apparently they're the same. Well, now I know!

After the unheimlich experience of the Girdwood Hostel, it's lovely to be part of Seward's 'family-style' atmosphere. Despite the fact I couldn't eat fish for dinner after visiting the SeaLife centre, I couldn't turn down an offer from Helen at the hostel this evening. She had been fishing all day and had caught two large halibut fish. They're massive! Tonight, she cooked up some for us, and made a rather smashing garlic butter dip for it. I have to say it comes close to the quality of meals I have at home, back in the UK. Cheers Helen!