Staying at Rydges International Airport gave us the maximum amount of rest for the long journey ahead. The 9.50am flight required an early checkin plus we had duty tax to collect and the American Express Lounge to enjoy breakfast, all worked like a dream. Sitting upstairs on the Qantas A380 was a new experience and made for a very comfortable flight, all 14 hours of it. There was a 3 hour layover in LAX which was plenty as they now have an automated custom system as do Australia. A brisk walk of 1 kilometer to terminal 6 and we were on the final leg with Alaska Air to Anchorage another 5 hours on a full flight arrriving at 2.30pm. Who said there is a slump in air travel ?
Our transport to the Quality Suites Historic Downtown accommodation had us collected and delivered in no time for our 3 night stay. The staff at the hotel was not exactly the friendliest, however we weren’t there to see them. After a quick walk around town it was time for a little nap before we ventured out dinner. Anchorage is a like a small town and a little spread out and appears to have more parking lots than shops. We stumbled upon Simon & Seafort’s which is apparently the best restaurant in the place, the bill certainly attested to that. My old mate Speed told me I had to try the Halibut cheeks which I did and they were sensational, known locally as poor man’s lobster, not going on the price though. A late start the next day had us down to The Brewhouse (another great restaurant) for lunch before a 1 hour trolley bus tour of the highlights of Anchorage. On day 2 we went on a 2 hour Segway tour of town, that was a hoot, completely out of the comfort zone. On our 2 days in Anchorage we managed to gain a lot of information for our upcoming adventure and climatise however it was hotter than I anticipated.
Unfortunately this was not a very pleasant experience dealing with this character. I have never been treated with such contempt in my life and to top it off it cost me a load of money. I would definitely not deal with this organisation again.
RosandDensTravels 