Alaska Part 3 - The People

On the flight to Alaska I watched a movie called “My Life in Ruins”. It was a cute film about a Greek tour guide. At the beginning of the movie the main character is complaining about her job as a tour guide and listing all the different kinds of people she always encounters. Amazingly while on our tour into Denali National Park I discovered some of the same people with us….

1. The obnoxious Americans – Yes we are obnoxious people especially compared to other cultures.  Some are obviously more so than others.  On our tour we had a handful of rather loud and obnoxious people.  One lady was loudly telling our guide about how she and her husband had prepared for the trip by watching documentaries of Alaska.  Her husband especially liked the show Ice Road Truckers.  This same couple sat up front and made some funny jokes making sure the whole bus could hear them.  One particular incident was when the guide told us to keep our eyes open for some animals.  The next thing you hear is someone saying they see a “cat”. Just then we passed a Caterpillar tractor used to clear the road.  Ha ha.  The guide said he’d never heard that one before. ☺
2. The old people – What is a trip to Alaska without the old people.  Most everyone there was retired.  All the bookstores had these board books for kids that said “When Grandma and Grandpa went to Alaska”.  I never saw one that said when mom and dad went to Alaska.
3. The funny guy – see obnoxious Americans.
4. The nice Canadians – in the movie they were the nice quiet people who were supposed to be the most fun to be around.  A couple from Calgary sat in front of us on the bus and were constantly sharing their binoculars with us.  We didn’t even ask first. They just offered. They were very nice.
5. The uninterested teenager – In the movie there was a 16 year old girl who could have cared less about being in Greece with her parents.  On our tour there was teen sitting behind us (sitting when she wasn’t sleeping!).  She had her headphones on and was reading a book or sleeping most of the tour through the national park.  We were all jumping up and down about bears and caribou and she would just sit there!  Her parents didn’t seem to mind either.  If my kids were taken all the way to Alaska they should appreciate ever minute of it! I think I would have glued her face to the window if she had been my kid.  Then again I think surely my kids wouldn’t do that!

All of the people we encountered in Alaska were very nice. The locals were especially nice at pointing things out about the area. Now we were in touristy areas and that is their job mainly but I got the feeling everyone was very proud of their state. You would really have to love it to live there through winter!

They also told us that there was hardly any crime.  Things were pretty safe in vehicles and homes.  The sad part to me was that there is a high rate of alchohalism and suicide in the winter months when it is almost always dark and very cold.  However I think most Alaskans adapt well to their surrounding and they make sure they still get out and do things whenever they can.  Overall everyone was very pleasant and some went out of their way to help us.  I definitely recommend a trip to Alaska