Rohit Mordani’s Blog

This post of mine has been rusting in the drafts folder and I thought that I should really post this before I forget the details of the trip.

I took a trip to Alaska in July 2007 and it was an awesome experience ! I liked that place a lot ! It is very different than the other places that I have been to. I loved the 20+ hours of daylight - no wonder it is called the “Land of the Midnight Sun”. I felt the place was very raw - It is left untouched for the most part, and that made me feel a little uncomfortable in the beginning because I was not used to it, but I quite started to like the place after the while - the rustic feeling is something that everyone should experience !

This post is how I went about doing my trip - it wasn’t perfect and I will give you tips on how to plan and do things better. Once again (like from my Maui post) - this is all based on what I did, what I feel I should have done and what majority of the people do !

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Just came to know that one of my panorama of Snoqualmie Falls (close to Seattle) was chosen to be featured in the “Schmap Seattle Guide” which is an online guide to all the attractions in and around Seattle. This is quite a big deal for me. There are a gazillion good photos of Snoqualmie on Flickr and mine was selected from all of them !! I am quite proud of this and want to share it with all of you !!

Here is the link to the Fourth Schmap online guide to attractions in and around Seattle.

If you have ever been to Pier 39 in San Francisco then you must have definitely seen the entertainers on the street ! One of the “entertainment sections” of Pier 39 are guys who put on some loud obnoxious music and sit in front of a crowd and display their talent - the amazing spray paintings that they create from a scratch !

These guys are amazing - to see them paint in front of a large crowd without a reference picture is quite something ! Everything is right out of their heads - at times you don’t even recognise what they are doing until the piece is all done. Its pure TALENT ! Their only tools are the Spray Paints, a circular cover (for the planets), a small blade, and magazine pages (to give the texture on the planets). Amazingly, the theme is always a “Space Scape” and some famous landmark of the city - The Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz or even the Transamerica Pyramid. I have also seen this kind of spray painting in other cities - New York, Las Vegas etc.

Check out these videos if you haven’t seen these people doing their thing . The next time you are in one of these cities do not miss out on this - You can even purchase one of their paintings for a mere $20.

I just figured out that there is a website dedicated to this kind of art. Check it out : spacepaintings.com . It also has some tips and instructions for beginners - in case you get inspired and try to do this on your own - I am planning to do this sometime
UPDATE: I actually went out and got the paraphernalia to spray paint and tried it out. The result - Well, I am not (yet) as good as the ones in these videos but am just starting off - I will learn more and more and become good at it ! I encourage you to go out there and try it out as well - Its fun - try to mimic these guys in the video and you will learn !

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This is a new section that I thought of writing up while doing my Alaska trip bookings. Usually, to plan a trip one needs to research a lot into the place, its activities , its good hotels etc. I hope that this post will provide enough information to plan your simple trip ! Of course all this comes from my trip to Maui and the activities I did / did not do.

When to Go
I have been twice to Maui and both my trips have been during the Winter season (hardly the winter there !). December and January are both really good times to be in Maui - the weather is perfect - around 75F. Be prepared for a few really hot days - around 80F but those days are every day ! Maui also gets some rain around December and January - these rains are unpredictable ! I did miss my helicopter ride (scheduled for the last day of my trip) but that is the only day we had some showers !

Getting There
I flew Hawaiian Airlines on one trip whereas the other trip I flew ATA. Both, are mediocre but all I cared for was getting there and I found the best deals on these airlines. The flight timings were also good and I had a direct flight from San Francisco to Hawaii. The airport code for Maui is OGG, unless you want to land in another part of the Island (which I do not recommend).

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