Slowly I turned

Day 26, 19th May – Calgary

Well it was a rough night last night as the youngsters staying at the lodge decided that sleep was not an option. The noise even though it wasn’t loud started at 1:30am and continued until after 4:00am. Apart from that our stay at the hostel was enjoyable. With our bags packed we decided that a nice start to the day would be to take a dip in the Banff Hot Springs. The temperature was a balmy 40 degrees centigrade and it soothed way all the aches and pains. Prior to departing Banff we took another scenic drive through the hills and were fortunate to see more elk and a lone wolf. It would have been easy to spend a lot more time in this area as there are plenty of sites and activities to keep one occupied.

With a sigh we headed out onto the Trans Canada Highway for our 125km trip to Calgary. The scenery was still spectacular as we headed towards the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. We had our first sight of beef cattle when the land flattened out into the endless prairie. When we were close to Calgary we passed the site of the 1988 winter Olympics.  I had a rough idea where our hotel was and with uncanny GPS like accuracy we found our next stay the Econo Lodge. Walking around the block I was amazed at the proliferation of hotels in the area. I suspect that the Winter Olympics may have been the catalyst of this development. The proximity of McMahon Football Stadium and a light rail station also helps to fill the rooms. A late lunch at Bostons Pizza and we are already for an afternoon nap. The hotel has a fitness centre so we jumped on the equipment and burnt off a few calories. With that out of the way we went for a late afternoon drive to check out the downtown area. There is a lot of public art on display but I still don’t understand the meaning of it. Most of it appears to be rusting pieces of scrap metal. One interesting observation is that the downtown buildings are all connected by 15 metre high enclosed walkways. It is like a giant meccano set. This means that the Calgarians do not have to go down to street level when there is inclement weather. Our evening meal tonight of chicken and salad was provided by the Safeway chain. It was delicious and a lot cheaper than lunch.

Day 27, 20th May – Up, Up and Away

We had to be up early this morning as we have to return the SUV to the airport and catch our WestJet flight to Hamilton. The journey takes 3 hours and 40 minutes and is our jumping off point for Niagara Falls. Our Econo breakfast on Styrofoam plates with plastic utensils was not an environmental start to the day but it filled our gastronomical void. The drive out to the airport during the morning peak was uneventful and took only 30 minutes including a fuel stop to ensure there was a full tank in our Avis rental. If we were travelling in the opposite direction it would have been a struggle as a minor accident had caused a major traffic jam. We pulled into the departure kerb, unloaded the bags and then dropped off the car. Our extra charge was only $13.21 which was much cheaper than the earlier quote. Meanwhile, Alice dropped off our GySpy guide somewhere in the arrivals area. The guide proved to be invaluable and I would recommend it do anyone travelling in the Rockies. You can download the app for only a few dollars but you need ensure that you bring the correct hardware for playing it through the radio. Our check-in was a breeze and far more efficient than our experience in Seattle. For once I have not left it do the last minute and we have 1 hour and 15 minutes before our flight departs. That leaves plenty of time for a Starbuck’s and updating the diary.

Our flight arrived in Hamilton early and as it a small regional airport there were no delays at the luggage carousel. The only problem with being early is that our pre booked taxi is not due for another 30 minutes. If you are travelling to Niagara Falls from within Canada then Hamilton is a better option than Toronto. It is about 75km closer and as a regional airport the taxes are cheaper. Our Indian taxi driver was a character and gave us plenty of local information as well as the state of affairs in India. Our room at the Knights Inn is very comfortable and at $45 a night with breakfast it is a real bargain.

It was close to 6:00pm so we thought it was worthwhile to head downhill for our first glimpse of the falls. Niagara Falls has always been one of those natural wonders that I have wanted to see. It stems not from romantic ideals but from a classic Three Stooges skit that I seen as a kid. Curly as usual cops a hammering from Moe whenever the words “Niagara Falls” are uttered. For those who love old fashioned slapstick look it up on you tube. My first impression was that the falls are not very high but the horseshoe shape coupled with the volume of water makes it an awesome sight. We bought ourselves an adventure pass for $50 which included two days free travel on the local bus. The first item on our pass was a visit to the 4D theatre to re-live the ancient story of the falls. When we received a poncho at the door I knew that it was not going to be a dry event.

The twenty minute show was entertaining with plenty of water and a wild stationary ride. There was still some light left so it was off to feel the thunder by journeying beneath the falls. Another poncho,  short descent in the elevator and we were in the bowels of the Falls. One of the portal openings was half way down and about a third across. The sound of the water was like thunder as it blasted its way down the rock face to the river below. A short walk and we were back on the edge of the falls and so close that we were being soaked with the mist and spray. It was lucky that Alice had her underwater camera to capture the moment. We all looked like drowned rats with our hair plastered to our heads as if we had overdosed on brilliantine. With hunger gnawing at our insides we tried pot luck at Elements Restaurant as it is right beside the falls. We were fortunate enough to snag a window seat with excellent views. Considering the location the prices for the excellent food and ample beverages was a reasonable $100. With a full stomach and in a state of bohemia we trudged up the hill in the light rain that had started earlier in the evening.

Day 28, 21st May – Niagara Falls

Another day, another poncho as today we are boarding the all new Hornblower Niagara cruise for the short boat trip to the base of the falls. The Maid of the Mist boat tours now leave from the USA side only. The tours do not start until 10:00am so we were able to take a leisurely breakfast as well as a deserved sleep in. The queues were quite long and there appeared to be a few tour buses that were disgorging Chinese tourists. Alice nearly caused an international incident as she chastised a queue jumping Chinese woman who I had restrained by gripping her poncho. She must have been thinking that she was visiting The House of Mary and that she would miss out on salvation. The trip up the river took us past the American Falls which are not as dynamic as the Horseshoe Falls. There were still huge chunks of ice at the base as a result of the very cold winter. The cacophony of noise from the thousands of seagulls that were perched on the boulders added another dimension to this wonderful scene. We were on the top deck and as we came closer to the falls we were deluged with water. This helped to clear the decks and give us plenty of space to act like Inala boys. It was such a great little trip that we were last off the cruise.

Tony and I are sensitive to the needs of our wives so we boarded the red line bus to Lundy Lane. Our destination was the Canada One factory outlets stores. With over 40 brand name stores to hold the girls attention Tony and I took our place on the suffering seat to while away our time. Alice could not find anything but Julie managed to snare a pair of runners and five pairs of pants. Later in the afternoon we took a walk down to the river with the intention of catching the green line bus to the White Water Walk which was the last of our tours. Unfortunately we did not read the timetable and had to be content with catching the last bus out to the terminus and back again. This wasn’t too bad as we had a good driver who gave us time to look at the floral clock and the whirlpool.  We alighted at Clifton Hill and walked up to Ferry Street in search of souvenirs and of course beer for our early evening happy hour. It was like walking through the heart of Surfers Paradise as there were Haunted Houses, Ripleys Believe It Or Not and the House of Wax just to name a few of the attractions all designed to tempt your hard earned cash from you.

This evening we are heading back to Elements restaurant to have dinner with Tony’s sister Juleen and her husband Fel. Alice and I were delayed for about twenty minutes as we could not find our room key. In the end we gave up and borrowed a spare from reception. On arrival at the restaurant we were able to determine that Tony had once again had a blonde moment. He had been in our room and assumed that the key on our table was his and so he pocketed it. There were laughs all round as we settled down to our dinner. It was a convivial evening that went so quick that we were nearly asked to leave. Our thanks to Fel and Juleen for shouting our meals.