Alaska Trip 10 day itinerary - May 2015

This post is on-request from a bunch of friends who are planning to go to Alaska and asked us for our expert-advise ;) So I am making it available for everyone who wants to visit the heaven on earth! This is just the copy-paste from the google doc that we make for all our trips. If you need any more details, please feel free to post a comment and I will get back to you.

Although the following itinerary looks exhaustive in first look it is quite do-able as we were able to do everything on this list. Days are very long in May and Alaska provides you a very different energy level that you cant stop exploring it more and more. The last two days were slowed down for us because we got busy in the scavenger hunt for our lost baggage :) So, I have listed a few additional things that you can do for the extra time you may have during your 10 day trip.

Note: It is a very good idea to buy the Tour saver coupon book - http://www.toursaver.com/ and it costs you around 100$ but is totally worth every single penny. We booked most of our trip using this book as it provides lots of good buy 1 get 2 offers.

Below list gives you a good idea about route that we took, where to stay, where to eat along the route. We had with us a Jain couple with lots of food limitations and they had plenty of pizza, burger, sandwiches, salad options along the way. Food was not at all a problem. 

	Date	Activity	Comments/ Links
Day 1	5/16/2015	Anchorage
sat	12:00 PM	Car Rental; Almo - Full Size Car - Dodge Journey SUV	Costco reservation
45-59 Partly cloudy	4:00 PM	Red Tram Downtown Tour
	5:00 PM	Anchorage Downtown Shopping
	7:00 PM	Walmart Anchorage	Getting ready for the trip! Buy snacks etc
	12:00 AM	Overnight Stay	Aleyaska Resort (http://www.toursaver.com/alyeska-resort/)
Day 2	5/17/2015	Seward
sun	9:30 AM	Tram ride
43-55 + Showers	12:00 PM	No time for going for Lunch	Had thepla and clam chowder at cruise reservation office restaurant
	1.30 PM	Portage Glacier Cruise	http://www.toursaver.com/portage-glacier-cruises-alaska/
	4:00 PM	Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center	http://www.toursaver.com/alaska-wildlife-conservation-center
	7 PM - 11 PM	Exit Glacier Hike - 2 hr	http://www.alaska.org/detail/exit-glacier-hike
	8:00 PM	Dinner Ressurection Roadhouse	http://www.sewardwindsong.com/lodge/resurrection-roadhouse/
	10:00 PM	Overnight Stay at Van Glider Seward	http://www.toursaver.com/van-gilder-hotel-seward/
	Optional	Sealife center	http://www.toursaver.com/alaska-sealife-center-seward/
Day 3	5/18/2015	Seward-McKinley
mon	7-10.30 AM	Kayaking	http://www.toursaver.com/kayak-tour-seward-alaska/
44-59 Partly cloudy	11:30-5:30 PM	Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise	http://www.kenaifjords.com/day-cruises/national-park-tour/
	6:00 PM	Start Driving to McKinley Princess Lodge	On the way went to walmart for picking up camping stuff
		Dinner: Subway	on the way!
	1:00 AM	Overnight at McKinley Princess Lodge - checkin at 1am	http://www.toursaver.com/mckinley-princess-lodge-alaska/
Day 4	5/19/2015	McKinley	6.5Hours ScenicDrive
tue	10:00 AM	Aurora Borealis & Bear Show in McKinley Princess Lodge
45-74 Sunny	1:00 PM	Lunch at Grizzly Bar - McKinley Princess Lodge
	3:00 PM	Flight seeing & Glacier Landing	http://www.flyk2.com/denali-flightseeing/mckinley-experience.html
	5:00 PM	Roam around Talkeetna - Local shops - restaurant hunt - Blueberry icecream
	6:00 PM	Dinner at Payo Thai
	8:00 PM	Prepare for Camping & planning next day
		Overnight at McKinley Princess Lodge	http://www.toursaver.com/mckinley-princess-lodge-alaska/
Day 5	5/20/2015	Denali	http://www.denaliparkvillage.com
wed	9:00 AM - 3:00PM	Denali Bus Shuttle- 9 AM	http://www.reservedenali.com/play/shuttle-buses/toklat.aspx
48-67 Sunny		Lunch at Local Thai to go restaurant/ Prospectors pizza at Denali commercial center
		Rent camping tent & sleeping pads	http://denalimountainworks.com/
		Camping in Denali	http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/campground-riley.htm
Day 6	5/21/2015	Denali-Fairbanks
thurs		wake up early at 6:30 am
37-55 sunny	11:00 AM	Dog Sledge Show	http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/things2do.htm
	12:30 PM	Lunch @ Morino Grill at Denali Vistor Park
	1:00 PM	Denali Visitor Center - Museum
	2:00 PM	Denali Horse Shoe Trail & Beaver Dam Hike
	4:00 PM	Denali - Fairbank Train Ride 4pm - 8pm $56	http://www.toursaver.com/alaska-railroad-fairbanks-denali-national-park/
	7:00 PM	Dinner in Train - Salmon Chowder & Chicken
	8.30 PM	Drive to Chena Hot Spring Resort - reached at 10:30 pm
	10:00 PM	Overnight Stay at Chena Hot Spring Resort	http://www.chenahotsprings.com/reservations/
Day 7	5/22/2015	Fairbanks
fri	7:00 AM	Chena Hot Springs	http://www.chenahotsprings.com/chena-pool-house/
49-76 Sunny	10:00 AM	Breakfast at Chena Hot Sprint Restaurant
	11:00 AM	Chena Ice Museum
	1:45 PM	Gold Panning at Fairbanks	http://www.toursaver.com/fairbanks-gold-panning/
	5:00 PM	Dinner at Pita Stop
	10:00 PM	Overnight Stay	Hotel in Fairbanks - BEST WESTERN PLUS
Day 8	5/23/2015	Fairbanks to Talkeetna	4 Hours Drive
sat	8:00 AM - 12:00 PM	Fairbank- Denali Train Ride - AA	http://www.toursaver.com/alaska-railroad-fairbanks-denali-national-park/
50-75 Partly cloudy	12PM - 9PM	Lost luggage scavenger hunt
	9:30 AM	Life saved by a shuttle driver at Denali Bluffs hotel! Yeppiee!!!
	10:00 PM	Dinner and drinks at Denali Priness Lodge! Celebration Time!
		Overnight Stay @ Denali Princess Lodge	Hotel in Denali - Princess Lodge
Day 9	5/24/2015	Talkeetna-Anchorage
sun	9:00 AM	Tour Denali Princess Lodge Resort
47-68 Partly cloudy	11:00 AM	Meet Driver & Railroad guy for finding lost luggage
	2:00 PM	Meet Rakesh & Harika at Mile 200 between Denali and Talkeetna
	4:00 PM	Lunch @ H&H Lodge
	7:00 PM	Ulu factory, downtown shopping, earthquake park, air craft drive
	10:00 PM	Dinner	Ginger REstaurent
	11:00 PM	Overnight Stay	Jewel Lake Bed & Breakfast - Anchorage
Day 10 50-66 sunny	5/25/2015	Fly back to SEA

More things to do :

Dropped	Link	Reason
Hurricane turn train - 6Hrs round trip	http://www.toursaver.com/alaska-railroad-talkeetna-to-hurricane/	Cancelled due to lost luggage
Anchorage-Denali 6 day trip	http://www.graylinealaska.com/packagetours.cfm/mode/detail/product_id/3699	Cant do
Camping	http://www.toursaver.com/miller-s-landing-tent-site-rental/
Seward Anchorage Coastal Train Ride 6pm - 10pm $93	http://www.alaskarailroad.com/travel/Transit/RailSearch/RailSearchResults/tabid/364/Default.aspx
Jeep Safari	http://www.groupon.com/deals/alaska-travel-adventures-inc-1-1	Not Available
Anchorage Hotel	http://www.toursaver.com/inlet-tower-hotel-suites/
Denali Heli-Hike	http://www.toursaver.com/era-helicopters-denali-helicopter-flightseeing/	Skip
Kenai River Float	http://www.toursaver.com/kenai-river-rafting-alaska/	Not available before 22nd may
Denali Bus Tour	http://www.alaskatravel.com/denali-park/kantishna-bus-tour.html	Not available before june
Matanuska Float Trip	http://www.toursaver.com/susitna-rafitng-float-trip/	Cancelled due to lost luggage
Talkeetna River Rafting	http://www.toursaver.com/talkeetna-chulitna-river-rafting/
Fairbanks Artic Circle Visit	http://www.toursaver.com/1st-alaska-outdoor-school/	Too far
Denali River Rafting	http://www.toursaver.com/denali-alaska-raft-adventures/
Things to do in Denali /Fairbanks	https://www.travelalaska.com/Destinations/Regions/Interior/Services.aspx?cat=Things_To_Do
Denali Guided Hike	http://www.toursaver.com/denali-park-village-guided-hiking/	This is round trip 4 mile hike. Estimated duration 3-31/2 hour.
ATV	http://www.denaliatv.com/atvtypes
http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/walks-and-hikes.htm	http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/dayhiking.htm
Santa Clause House	http://www.santaclaushouse.com/	Cancelled as everyone was tired

Things to carry:

Toursaver booklet

All reservation details/printouts(Airline, Anchorage, Denali and Fairbanks accommodation, cruise booking)

toothpaste/toothbrush/mouthwash

sunglasses

Towel - take small towels

Personal Items

Deo

advil etc

First aid kit - antiseptic and band-aids - headache stomach ache ki dawai

socks extra pair

Sun screen

Hats/caps

bagpacks

Camping

Sleeping pads

propel powder/gatorade powder

Tent

flashlights

water proof matches/lighter

Water(hydration pack/bladder/bottles)

Sleeping bag

plates,cups,bowls,forks and spoons

Towels

Water 24 Pack

mosquito repellant cream or Spray

xtra chargers/batteries for phones/gps - phone, gopro, camera, portable

Car chargers

phone chargers/portable chargers

Warm Jackets

Thermal inner wear

hand warmers/toe warmers

gloves

shoes

Flip flops

soap/bodywash/facescrub

plastic bags dry bags/ziplocks

ponchos

maps

Tissues, paper towels, cleaning wipes, hand sanitizer and a roll of toilet paper

Playlist in your phones

Playing cards

Camera + charger + Go pro + chargers + Tripod

GPS

swim suit

Hope you find it useful!

Healthy living!

This is a quick 5 min recipe for those who want to start living healthy lives. Pick any five things to do from the following list and make sure you follow them for one week. Next week, pick another 5. In no time, you will start getting used to them and you wont realize you had to put any efforts towards living healthy. Remember this is just step 1. This is like a cheat sheet for someone who has grown up using one or the other. You got it if you have used one ;)

1. Take 10000 steps a day for 1 week

2. Take 5 minute walk everyday for 1 week

3. Do 15 pushups a day for 1 week

4. Drink plenty of water for 1 week

5. Take the stairs instead of elevator for 1 week

6. Park your car away from your destination for 1 week

7. Eat breakfast everyday for 1 week

8. Eat 1 fruit for lunch for 1 week

9. Meditate for 5 minutes a day for 1 week

10. Get 7 hours of sleep everyday for a week

11. Write down 3 positive things about today for 1 week

12. Practice deep breathing 1 minute for 1 week

13. Stretch for 5 minutes a day for 1 week

14. Go to bed before 11 for 1 week

15. Write in your health journal everyday for 1 week

16. Eat 1600 calories everyday for 1 week

17. Floss 1 tooth before going to bed for 1 week

18. Read a book for 5 minutes for 1 week

I picked mine. Have you picked yours?

American Heart Walk 2015

I have been blogging every Monday's since quite some time now. But I missed yesterday and yes it was a Monday:( Things are always going to be crazy so no more excuses for being busy.

This post is regarding one of those activities that I feel proud for. After participating for Cancer awareness few weeks back, we were raising funds for reducing death and disability from cardiovascular diseases. The American Heart Association is the largest voluntary health organization dedicated to defeat heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. Their mission is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke - the nation's No.1 and No.5 killers. The Heart & Stroke Walk celebrates those who have made lifestyle changes and encourages many more to take the pledge to live healthier lifestyles while raising the dollars needed to fund life-saving research and initiatives in the local community. 

Many companies had taken part in this walk and raised a lot of money for research and funding the efforts made by American Heart Association to reduce the death rate by such diseases. We were in a team of 4. This is our team page: http://www.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=1126406&team=6521836&emaillogid=8513956776 and we also had a personal page:  http://siliconvalleyheartwalk.kintera.org/manojaya

We did this walk in memory of Komal Didi who recently passed away due to one such heart stroke and in a matter of 45 mins she was no more.  May God rest her soul in peace. This was very unfortunate that it happened to her. And thats what we need to bring awareness in people that this can happen to anyone and at any age. So it is very important for us to build healthier lives and listen to our body and care for our health. We need to change our diets. We need to change our life style and include some physical exercise in our schedule no matter how busy we get. There is a saying in hindi - "Jaan hai toh jahan hai".

I have made some changes in my life style and am also spreading awareness by participating in such events :) I have done my part of passing it forward, will you? 

After reading this, if you think you want to start making changes to your life style, start with these quick tips which might help you move on to healthy living -  Healthy Living Goals

Few pictures from the event: 

Pay It Forward!

Have you watched the movie or read the novel named 'Pay It Forward' ? If not, you definitely should. This is a story about a young boy who did 3 good deeds for others in need. In return, all that the child wanted was that they pass on the good deed to three other people and keep the cycle going. One good deed might not seem like much, but if everyone did something good for someone else, then the cycle of generosity and kindness can spark us to become better people.

After watching this movie, Manoj and I have started thinking of doing 'something' good for 'someone' and are finding ways to pay back to the society in any way we can. But in this busy life we all have a bag full of excuses. We keep complaining we do not get any time in our busy schedule. 

Recently while talking to a colleague, she gave me an awesome idea and I started thinking - why not do something that I normally make time to do even if I am super busy and that in turn does something good to someone in need? The first thing that came to my mind was Baking! Yes, no matter how busy I get, I make time for baking when someone asks me to bake a cake for their special occasion. Also, a lot of my friends have suggested me to start taking orders ;) Although that is a different thing :) But I want to take this opportunity and continue to bake cakes for my friends and family and add a personal touch to their birthday, anniversary, baby-shower, house-warming and any special occasion, but in return I ask them to donate. They can decide how much they want to donate. We have created a page with our favorite charitable organizations here - https://www.justgive.org/manojaya

The difference we can make is phenomenal.  Very truly said --- 

On a different note, this weekend was super busy. In addition to various excuses that I was very busy, I baked two cakes on the weekend. Here are the pictures:

Tres Leches Take 1

Tres Leches - Take 2 

In collaboration with a friend - Yes, I am teaching :) 

You can check out few of our creations at https://www.pinterest.com/jayawadhwani/cakes

Kitchen Khiladi 2015 - Cancer Institute Foundation

Cooking Competition and me? I am myself surprised that I participated in cooking competition last weekend (Oct 3rd). I came to know about this event when we visited Sunnyvale Hindu Temple on Ganesh Chaturthi. The first look of the flyer immediately got both of us (Manoj and me) excited to participate in this competition. This was an innovative way of Cancer Institute Foundation to raise funds and support Cancer Institute in all aspects of cancer treatment and research. For more information read here.

Although, I have never been into cooking and all (you probably know this if you know me as Jaya and not as Dhriti) but cooking for a good cause is what attracted us. Recently, Manoj and I have been thinking of ways to give back to the society, ways to help people in need, ways to help people who are putting in efforts to do something really big and this very well fitted into that bucket. 

But the challenge was cooking and that too with aroma, taste, nutrition and also with a great presentation! On the top of this, the main rule of this competition was to use TURNIP as the main ingredient. The first thing I did when I came to know this rule was to google and make sure what Turnip is. It is called 'Ghogdu' in Sindhi. In Hindi, people call it 'Shalgam'. 

Turnips!

And then I became aware of the health benefits of Turnip. Here are some very interesting facts about Turnip:

1. Turnip is a bulbous root with a creamy white color and a purple top where it has been exposed to the sun.

2. Turnip is a powerhouse of nutrients with a very low amount of calories.

3. Turnips are very good source of anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

4. Turnip greens compose of many minerals and vitamins several times more than that in the roots. The greens are very good source of antioxidants such as vitamin A, vitamin C, carotenoid, xanthin, and lutein. Further, the leafy-tops are an excellent source of vitamin K.

5. Turnip also has anti-cancer properties. Studies show that consumption of Turnip may help to reduce your risk of colorectal and lung cancer. 

On registering for this event, I started asking everyone around me for ideas on what I can cook with turnip. Two of my other friends - Richa and Namita were also excited after knowing about this contest. After a couple of days of brainstorming we finally decided to make Shalgam pav-bhaji (main course), Ghazal-e-Shalgam (salad) and Sweet-o-rosie (desert) and all made up of Turnip. I want to thank Richa and Namita for bringing in so much enthusiasm and creativity for the cooking competition and of course the creative names of all the dishes :) Although we didn't win, it was an incredible experience for all of us. I am definitely going again next year! 

Recipe: 

Name of the dish: Turnip Pav Bhaji 

Serving size: 5 people

Main Ingredients:

Turnips 5

Onion 1 

Tomato 2

Egg plant 1 medium sized

Carrots 2

Peas - 1 cups

Gobhi 1/2 flower

Dudhi 1/2 - small portion

Pavbhaji masala

Red chilli whole

lemon

Ginger 1/2 inch

garlic 3-4

green chili 1-2

salt

Garnishing:

Cilantro 

Sev 

Lemon

1/2 onion finely cut

2 green chillies 

Method to make Bhaji :

Take ginger, garlic and chill from main ingredients and make ginger garlic chili paste.

Take tomatoes and make puree.

Cut all other veggies into small cubes and wash them.

Put cooker on a stove and heat butter + little oil and add some jeera and let it splatter for few seconds.  Add ginger-garlic chili paste and let it cook for about 30 seconds or till you smell the aroma of ginger garlic. Then add chopped onions. Let it cook till it becomes pinkish brown. Add tomato puree and salt let it cook for 2-4 minutes. Then add all the veggies and saute for a few minutes.  Add 1/2 glass water and close the lid of the cooker and let it whistle for 6-8 times.  Open the cooker after 10 minutes and mash the veggies. 

Take a big frying pan and add oil and when it heats up add pav bhaji masala and cook for few seconds. Add the mashed veggies to this. Let it simmer for 10 minutes so that the veggies soak the masala. Squeeze one lemon and add some cut cilantro. 

Serve this hot with pav and garnish this with cilantro, chopped onions and sev.

Bread bowl Turnip bhaji!

 Ghazal-e-shalgam

1. Grate the turnip nicely
2. Put grated turnip in ice cold water for 15 minutes
3. Squeeze out water from turnip
4. Make a mixture of ginger, asafoetida, pepper, red chilli powder and add salt to taste
5. Mix the turnip in the above mixture
6. Take a container, put some oil and deep fry the mixture in whatever shape you want
7. After frying let the pieces cool down to room temperature.
8. Cut the cabbage into boat shape and put every piece of fried turnip on top of it
9. Take cubes of cheese and fry them slightly
10. Garnish the turnip boat with the cheese and mayonnaise

Sweet-o-rosie

1. Take one cup of flour (maida) and make the dough
2. Keep it aside for 10 minutes
3. Take one pan, put some water, honey and cinnamon and let it boil on medium flame for 10-15 mins
4. Chop the turnip in half moon shape and put every piece in the the above pan and let it boil for 10 more minutes
5. Take all the pieces out from water, drain out the water and keep the pieces aside
6. Now make a fine rectangular strip using the dough made at Step 1
7. Use the rectangular strip and the pieces kept in step 5 to make the rose flower shape
8. Take one pan, put oil and fry the rose petals for 5-7 mins on medium flames
9. Garnish the rose petals with butter and honey, keep them aside
10. Take another pan, mix water, honey and cinnamon and put rose petals in it.

Few pictures from the event:

Presentation at the event! Front view

Our presentation at the event! Back view :)

Temptations Team at work!

All excited before judges start tasting the dishes ;)

Spreading some awareness!

Look who came to cheer us up!

Winners on stage!

Some posing! post event..

Just some more posing..