Whale watching along the Monterey bay coast line

I thought of loading pics of our whale watching trip along the coast line of Monterey Bay. We staying in the Monterey Bay area then, and whale watching season was just beginning...from the early part of the year from January onwards in the Winter months.

That was the time when Humpback whales start their migration route from the Alaska to the warmer waters of Mexico. They will traverse the Western seaboard of USA, near California.
So,we started off on a early morning to one of the whale watching companies located in Monterey's Old Fisherman Wharf. There were a few of them operating at the Old Fisherman's Wharf. They cost about the same price....so, we reckoned that it didn't matter which company we chose. So, we chose Randy's Whale Watching. We paid about US$30 per person for a 1 1/2 hr trip.

Half the time was actually spent on setting out to sea....getting to the 'hot spots' where the Humpback whales were commonly spotted. Along the way, we passed by the breakwater and that was where we saw a number of sealions. We had to cover our noses as we neared the sealions basking as they really smell!

As we moved further away from the coast,with the coastline fast disappearing from our sights, the sea state got rougher. The good thing was that we had the stomach for the ride and the sea state, with waves rocking the boat every now and then, didn't affect us too much. The winds were particularly cold though as we were still mid-way through the winter months in the USA.

As we neared the migration route of the Humpback whales, the captain of the boat cut the engines. This was the standard practice in whale watching as it was intended not to alarm and cause panic to these magnificent mammals.

We didn't get to see an entire school of whales but one single solitary specimen. Nevertheless, seeing is believing and it was our first time doing this. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the whale spout nor manage to capture its complete tail flip.

Every now and then, our boat would speed up to catch up with 'our' whale and then the captain would again cut his engine and drift along. For the safety of everyone on board, the captain kept a safe distance from the Humpback whale making its journey south to the warmer waters of Mexico.

There are some really awesome pics of whales in Randy's whale watching website. Just click on this link...http://www.randysfishingtrips.com/photo_expeditions.html

This is the Old Fisherman's Wharf at Monterey, California.

Sealions basking in the sun at the breakwater as we moved to the high seas.

Our first sight of a young Humpback Whale....arching its back.

Seattle...one of the most romantic cities in USA

Here are some pics of downtown Seattle.

You might be aware...but Seattle was one of the most romantic cities in the United States of America. According to Spring 2005 edition of American magazine, Tango, Seattle is up there on the romantic stakes with cities such as New York, San Francisco, New Orleans and Miami.

This is a little known fact....because Seattle's literary reputation, its bookstores and music shops tend to overshadow this aspect of the city. Having Bill Gates as its most honourable resident also does not appear to be raise any points on the romantic scorecard.

Never mind the weather, it rains most of the time in Seattle. That drives people in doors, enjoy their oysters with wine or champagne....The sound of rain drops....pitter, patter on the roof tops triggers fond memories and brings back memories of the past.

The movie. "Sleepless in Seattle" has put Seattle on the world map and perhaps upheld the city's reputation of being one of the most romantic places to stay in.

Where else can you see mountains in your backyard, enjoy whale watching.....enjoy some of the finest wine in the world....all in one place.