Many trips I have made before and many I hope to make. But this will always be the first trip I made alone. That is if you don’t count that I actually arrived in the US on my own! A while back I remember having a chat with my cousin discussing the trials of a single life, one of which was that inevitably at some point in time, you are going to have to have to make a trip alone, watch a movie alone or at the very least eat alone in a restaurant. So with a heavy heart and I will admit that my heart was a little heavy (especially when I have to actually wake up at 5:00 in the morning to catch my bus at 6:00) and a little trepidation I started my journey towards Niagara.
1. Dunkin' Donuts in my neighborhood was actually open. And I am guessing that if that is open chances are that a Dunkin' near you is open as well. The thought of a good cup of hot coffee and a freshly baked bagel is good enough reason to drag my ass out of bed!
2. The Malden Center station actually has quite a crowd at 5:30 in the morning. I am not saying necessarily the most cultured of crowds but well, at least you are not alone.
3. The Chinese language does not sound any sweeter to my ears at 6:00. In case you are wondering why I talk about the Chinese language, hold on to your horses for I will arrive at that eventually.
Well, I was here and as usual ill prepared. So except for the measly packet of "kachoris" I had grabbed from the house last minute, I had nothing else for breakfast. So there I was, in the assigned spot at exactly 6:30, the assigned time for departure being 7:00 and my tummy was already doing the rumba. Still I mollified myself saying that I would be on the bus soon enough and that we should be on our way, and (hopefully) stopping for breakfast sometime soon. Now here is the catch. I had decided to join a Chinese Touring Group for my maiden adventure to Niagara Falls. Every big city in the States has a China Town and Boston, being no exception, had one too. And where there is a China Town there are also concession (read cheap) tickets for traveling just about anywhere. The catch, my dear friends, in a situation like this, is that you must put up with people speaking Mandarin for the entire duration of the trip! Well I was thankful that at least I had my IPod.
So the trip began, quite uneventful at the start, with a long 9 hour bus journey that lay ahead of me. I began to munch on my "kachoris" as it was my only hope for any breakfast that morning. That’s when this sweet Chinese lady called Mandy made me an offer I couldn’t refuse :). She offered me a beef sandwich and we began to talk. She was traveling with a friend of hers from church and her mother who had just arrived from China a couple of months back. We were quite the motley group, but it was different and interesting all at once, and I guess that is what journeys are supposed to be like.
Out first stop was Thousand Islands Region of New York State. This area has a river that separates the US from Canada. And on this river there are more than a thousand islands, which people have bought as personal property where they have their holiday homes and winter getaways and occasionally some of the rich build a castle or two. I loved the place. It has small town USA written all over it. There was also something uniquely interesting about seeing the Canadian border across the river. But what was truly fascinating were people’s houses. What a wonderful and calm place to build a house on an island in the middle of a river. I couldn’t have thought of a more serene place myself.
The thousand islands boat tour was just an hour long, and after that it was back on the bus to continue our trip to Niagara. We reached Niagara late at night and were allowed to get off the bus for about an hour to watch the Falls lit up at night. Niagara is beautifully lit up during the tourist season which typically lasts from March to September. During this time, it is especially worth your while to go to Niagara over the weekend, as there is a beautiful fireworks display that should not be missed. However, as I had missed both the night colors and the fireworks, I must admit my first impression of Niagara was rather disappointing. Still I was more tired that anything else and I really wanted to hit the sheets and catch up on some much needed snooze.
Early morning I woke up and decided to catch breakfast in the hotel itself. Sure at 9 dollars it seemed a little expensive for just sausage and eggs, but the view from the hotel’s dining area more than made up for it. The “Inn on the River” as my hotel was called was quite literally on the banks of the river, and from the hotel dining area, through the French windows, the river painted a most beautiful picture.
The Falls in the daylight painted a most beautiful picture too. Niagara Falls actually comprises of three falls: the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Belle Vieu Falls. The day was to be packed with interesting trips like the “Maid of the Mist” that took you right below the Canadian Horseshoe falls and the really quaint “Cave of Winds” that lets you walk below the Belle View Falls. I liked the Cave of the Winds and my Chinese friends couldn’t get enough of Hurricane Deck, which was this deck right below the Falls that had the falls coming down on you like thunder! I think they went up to the deck at least three times!!
The falls were breathtaking in the daylight and the attractions at the Niagara Park are definitely worth the buck. Like there is this little museum cum artifact shop, that displays the history of all the people who tried to jump of the Falls. Most of them made this ‘ridiculous’ journey in a barrel , either made of inflatable rubber or wood, while some weirdos actually thought they didn’t need the protection of a barrel. Some made it and some didn’t.
No comments:
Post a Comment