Anchorage, Alaska, Part 1/4

Although Alaska is part of the United States, when there, it feels like you're in another country. Not a fan of cruises, I flew over instead.  

It takes time to learn about the Alaskan native's rich history, stories of their ancestors, and their culture. So, it's not possible to include everything in this blog. But, here are some of the highlights from my recent visit to the Anchorage Museum, and from what the tour guides said.

From the Russian takeover of Alaska to the sale of Alaska to the U.S., to the Japanese invasion during World War II, and to being forced to live in camps where many died of diseases, life has been a tough journey for the Alaskans.

When the Russians took over their land, they killed all the sea otters, and dug for minerals without respecting their land.

And when Russia sold Alaska to the U.S., the U.S. denied the natives citizenship on their homeland, and they were excluded from schools, stores, lands, and jobs because they were not considered "white."

One of the tour guides said that years after the U.S. takeover, when she attended school, she was shamed for speaking her native language. Languages of various tribes have been lost because of shaming. But today, things are slowly turning around, the Alaskan natives are fighting back, and are much stronger than other indigenous people living across the U.S. There are now vast areas of Alaskan land, protected by the Alaska Federation of Natives, where only natives are allowed to purchase farms, homes, and businesses.

Many of their items were handmade from materials such as coiled grass, birch, brass inlay, and walrus ivory, depicting people, animals, and nature. They made things such as snow goggles to protect their eyes from snow blindness, mourning neck ring, and wooden armbands engraved with animal figures that they wore for one year following a death, and ceremonial batons made of caribou, and caribou hair.

From the museum: Masks were used for specific ceremonies, and celebrations, made of driftwood, whalebone, cedar, and birch. "Each tell a story that connects people to the natural world."

Snow shoes. Wood from birch tree was used to make sleds, weapons, tools, boats, and homes. The bark was used to make baskets, and containers. "The bark also made for an excellent fire starter, as it will burn even when wet."

PFD—Permanent Fund Dividend is a fund paid to all Alaskan residents in the amount of $1000-$2000 per person per year, funded by the oil, and mining revenues. To receive the dividend, you must live there for at least one year, and plan on staying there.

California gets 15% of its oil from Alaska, 29% from in State Production, and the rest from foreign sources. 

On to the food. When I visited, I tried a bunch of eateries, and found the food to be meh. But I did find a few things that were good such as the excellent blonde Ale at the Brewhouse in downtown Anchorage.

All their beers are made inhouse. I recommend sitting in the bar area, and see if you can get a side order of their coleslaw because they use a variety of vegetables that compliment each other. And the dressing is quite good. The dish is small, but you get quality, instead of quantity.

The Wild Scoop, also in downtown Anchorage. Ice cream lovers, be aware. Their ice cream is addddictingggg! This place has one of the best ice creams I have ever had. Make sure you get it in a waffle cone because it is absolutely delicious. They have a lot of different flavors, and I didn't hear anyone complain about their choices. There is ususaly a line, but it moves fast.

Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, named after the former Alaska governor. My tour guide recommended this path. I spent my last day here. You can access it from downtown, and walk, jog, or ride a bike for miles along a serene green area that runs parallel to the waters of Cook Inlet which runs from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage. There are benches along this path, where you can chill, and enjoy the water views.

See the Alaska mudflats in the above video? Although I did see a few people walking on it, it's not a smart thing to do. The mud may be hard, and you may be able to walk on it. But this mud is not sand. It's rock flour made of rock fragments from the glaciers. When the tide comes in fast, the solid surface turns soft, and sucks you in, holds on to you, and not let you pull back until it's too late. People have died in the Alaska mud flats. 

Side note: When you go to the museum, don't buy your ticket from their machine. Get it at the counter because the machine requests your first and last name, your phone number, your email, and other info. The ticket comes to you as a text, tracks your movement while you're there, and knows exactly when you're leaving the museum. This type of surveillance is uncalled for, and I have never ever purchased a ticket to a museum where they collected so much personal data. Also, see if you can pay in cash so that they will not have access to your credit card info.