Monday, Ketchikan

Gliding slowly through very calm waters into Ketchikan. It was a bit rocky overnight but being tucked up safely in my bed I was unaffected by the rock and roll. So many trees, and we then start seeing signs of habitation.

Breakast in our cabin and after showers and getting ready to get the day I do a coffee run so that we can watch our arrival into Ketchikan in the comfort of our cabin.

We do the walking tour with our mate Jeffrey once we have docked. It is amusing little town but so many shops offering the same thing that it is a bit ho hum.

Deer mountain is currently visible from the town, which apparently is a tare thing. It is some 3000 feet high.

The houses are mainly timber and built in the side of hills. No idea why people want to live here. I'd get vertigo climbing all the stairs to get to my house!

We get to Creek Street and now it gets interesting. All the original buildings were brothels in their hey day. Now there are shops galore.

I want to get this sign made up for myself!

I bought a t shirt where proceeds go to the local police department. I offered the shop keeper an SA Police shoulder patch to put up on the wall with other police badges. He said he didn't have one of those and would love to put it up on the wall. He asked me where I was from and so I told him SA, Adelaide. He then said that he was originally from SA, with his parents living in Manningham. I asked how he got to be in Ketchikan and it turns out his family moved to Andamooka where they mimed opals, had a store here where they sold them and so moved between the2 locations for a number of years until he moved here permanently years ago. What a small world.

We had a wander around some more shops and made our way back to the ship for a light lunch at the buffet. Time to get off the ship again and head to our booked trolley for a sights of the town tour.

It really wasn't worth the money at all. We were driven around party of the town but little of the history provided.

As we headed out of the main town we were taken to an area of totems. We met the head totem maker who has been recognised by the local city and awarded some sort of commendation.

Apparently only the totem craftsman knows what the story behind the finished totem is. The carvers work on separate pieces and eventually it becomes complete. This token is a mystery one because the carving master died before it was finished so no one knows what it represents.

The other totems all have their stories and when that story is explained, the symbols make sense. The top carving has to be a living thing which is why it will always be an animal or person.

The Lincoln pole is really about the ship the USS Lincoln and the past it played in securing a truce between the warring Raven and Crow clans but they couldn't put an inanimate object of a ship at the top of the totem so Abraham Lincoln secured to position!

A wander through the local First Nations nearby gift shop and I bought a bamboo bowl with a running raven scene. Was a bit surprised to be served by a nice young man from Jamaica! Apparently the locals are happy to employ foreigners to sell their products... or have I really become so cynical? And with that we get back on the trolley just as it stays to rain. Time to head back to the ship. The information about the totems was really interesting but I wouldn't recommend the tour. It simply wasn't worth the money. Back on board and I have a message from Patrice and Ian asking if we would like to join them in their cabin for drinks and nibbles which we duly do. It is raining steadily now and we are so glad we got neck onto the ship before the rains set in. And within an hour it had stopped raining and the sun attempts to come through again. Time to head for dinner. I had two entrees tonight as I couldn't decide what I wanted. Prawn cocktail and then mushroom soup, followed by my main of steak, fries and veggies. Couldn't finish all my main and left the chips, but reckon I gave it a fair go. Back to the cabin to work on the blog and then I heard to the theatre for the Broadway hits show. It certainly isn't A class performances but this was the best show they've done. I'm surprised that the theatre has had so few people attend on each of the nights I've been. On the Princess ships the theatre is always packed and the performances aren't any better just longer. Time to head back to the cabin and bed. The sea is getting quite rock and roll so being in bed is the best place for me right now.

Goodbye Ketchikan and goodnight from towel bear.