Juneau, Alaska - Let’s Go Whale Watching! 🐳

I woke up at 7:30AM and rushed to get dressed for my whale watching excursion - the main reason I came to Juneau. I’ve always wanted to see the whales and this was finally my opportunity. 🤗 The captain (and his overly friendly, stinky white Lab) picked me up promptly at 8AM! We were at the dock and aboard the boat a brief 20 minutes later.

After meeting his eager deckhand, we were off in search of some whales! Let me tell you - whale watching requires patience! I lost track of time while we rocked on the waves and drank coffee that tasted like motor fuel. 😫 The air smelled of salt and rotting fish. It was raining and we weren’t seeing any whales. Amidst all this, I was completely serene. Continuously hopeful that each new whale would show its tail and we’d be able to identify it.

We saw shy otters bob their heads up from the water like whack-a-moles. We floated by lazy sea lions resting on red bell buoys. We fed beautiful bald eagles, but witnessed only glimpses of whales. When the boat started sputtering, my discouragement began to creep in. Surprisingly, to myself I thought - oh well, I’ll just see them when I get to Hawaii. 🤷🏾‍♀️ This thought surprised me, because in the past I had been so uptight, but now, I felt like nothing was that big of a deal.

And then it happened! A whale finally showed its tail and it was such an exciting moment to watch them identify it in the whale binder. Check out my YouTube video for the footage. I think the captain and deckhand were more excited than I was! Even with all the excitement, the captain decided not to charge me for the private excursion! I was shocked, but very grateful, because the solo tour was not cheap. 😬

After disembarking and getting dropped off at my Airbnb, I decided to search for lunch. I happened upon this cute area of downtown and enjoyed delicious fish tacos and a strawberry banana crepe. The food in Juneau did NOT disappoint. I was getting full so fast, I was bummed I had to cease eating and await my next meal.

Why not kill time with a nap? Oh the perks of solo travel! 😏 After an indulgent who-knows-how-long nap, I realized I had room in my belly again and went back to my favorite dinner spot. I was starting to get recognized, because this was my second visit in two days and the only brown person I saw in the entire city of Juneau was the one staring back at me when I brushed my teeth in the morning. In other words, my patronage did not go unnoticed.

After returning to my Airbnb, I got paranoid again and barricaded the door to protect myself from potential murderers. 😅 Other than the paranoia and hearing my neighbor snore through those paper thin walls, I slept pretty well. Thank goodness for Bose headphones and my Sleep Spotify playlist. 😴

Delicious fish tacos from Deckhand Dave’s! Surf & Turf burger from Alaska Fish & Chips Co. It features a halibut cake AND a hamburger! 🤤