Niagara Falls
is breathtaking in that, its a personal opinion. Waterfalls have always fascinated me and it has this pure, divine aura rushing and gushing down, spraying the foamy mist past the serene, calm ripples of flowing water.
How does one write a review about a trip!!, this had me in knots and I decide to go by the book, err.. MS Hints.
Describe your trip. What time of year did you travel? What did you like or dislike about your trip?
What would you do differently next time? For whom would you recommend this trip??
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The trip was un-planned and a wonderful surprise, a birthday gift by my Bro. and SIL. We went to the American side of the Falls (SARS and all). Hence had to bide my time to get all the relevant info about the trip.
Flying or Driving could be a personal choice. And, that could be based on the number of miles for travel, vacation time, peak off-peak, finance, company etc. If it were a scenic drive, would be awesome especially in autumn amidst the vast humanity of colorful foliage.
Air travel is what we did; the tickets were booked at least 2 months ahead. The destination airport was Buffalo Airport.
Stay - overnight is absolutely necessary in order to enjoy every bit of the stay.
The hotel could be close to the airport and one could rent a car. Or, stay in a place, which offers drop-off and pick-up service from the hotel to the falls.
One would end up walking quite a bit during the visit, so pack accordingly. Sport shoes, Sunscreen, Hat, Goggles, comfortable gear are a must. And, be prepared to get wet and enjoy it!!
Camera and Camcorder are other must haves..Have a suggestion on this, many a time we are so enamored by capturing the beauty on film, that we end up not enjoying. So, relax. Come back for pictures later, believe me the camera and camcorder are going to get drenched too.
Timing and Schedule are an important part of the trip, knowing what you want to do and how much time one wishes to spend on it (again a personal choice). Start early and make best use of the day..
There are tours offered and one could use it but a better bet, would be being on your own. You would want to be able to spend more or less time at the places you like.
Following are some of the Attractions at Niagara :
· The Maid of the Mist Boat Ride!
· The Horseshoe Falls.
· American and Bridal Veil Falls.
· Goat, Luna and Three Sisters Islands.
· Rock Slide Disaster Area.
· Helicopter Ride
· Balloon Ride
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~~ My Thoughts ~~
It was a bright summer weekend, everything else just faded to the background. What appealed to me were,
The Maid Of The Mist Boat tour, we are taken up close to the falls, Bridal Falls and the Horse Shoe Falls.
When looking at it from way down below, both look alike except that the Bridal Falls are misty, snowy white as it showers upon you. The real deal is when you have a bird’s eye view either atop the balloon or the helicopter. Its then that you can see the horsehoe shape and the bridal veil made by the mist.
We were given the blue raincoats on the way to the boat, a long queue winding down, when you talk about being competitive, this the best you can get. (there is this lore about crabs in a basket……). And, we kept being pushed behind and behind (!!!), but v r in Q. (aap qataar mein hain )
Once on the deck, towards the front portion of the boat, this is the best spot, you forget everything, its just awe and more awe... Words fail me, as it is just the experience.
As we walked back, a rumble in the tummy …. there are decent food joints which can appease including a ’tela –waala’ who serves samosa, Punjabi Thaali etc. We opted for the indoor food joint, as we wanted to stretch and take it easy… rather, no risk with restrooms.
We walked up the Rocky area, which was a slippery, uneven path winding and unwinding all the way to the
top and there is a spot from where you could touch the falling water .. this is a treacherous walk and one’s got to be careful. Here is where you can see the Rainbow formation over the falls, would term this close to divinity. Just sit there on the rocks and bask, in quiet…
We walk back with great reluctance to the best part of what I liked >>
The rhythmic flow of water, the Stream (Niagara River), hitting and splashing against the rocky formation in a wavy path consistently and as you eye this flow, it reaches the brink and you see no more ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\\\\\ the water falls way down below. Niagara falls in all its splendor.
The fragrance of what seemed close to the night queen (raat ki rani) flowers lined, against the protective railing along the river, filled the air. This was my favorite, as I sat leaned and gazed at the crystalline waters, mirroring the tiny pebbles, the tree branches extended right into the water and gentle swaying of leaves, birds sitting atop it, there was poetry all around. We spent most of our time here, reflecting, brooding and speechless.
We also went up the balloon and the helicopter. There is a sea aquarium too in the park, one that can sure be missed, especially if you have been to sea-world.
As the dusky night approached, we readied ourselves to the greatest treat of it all.
The colored waterfalls. can’t go into the technical details, but, believe that the floodlights from across, make the falls look like a rainbow in the night.
And then the booms started, we were celebrating the July fourth Fireworks atop the falls.
The sky lit up all over with the illuminating formations, we had a vantage point way up in the parking lot. (Odd, but the best, the locals vouched for it). One can see the spherical building across, the raging falls, the festival of lights and the perfect crescent of a moon against the backdrop of the dark, calm night.
Don’t know if you remember that obscure songs line ’ … o mujhe khushi mili itni , ki mann me na samaay, palak…’ , for some reason, it kept coming back…
If you are a romantic at heart and want to enjoy the serenity and the beauty of nature, this is a do not miss. The commercialization of this wonder is sad, but then it has to be accessible. ’’Angel Falls’’ in Venezuela.. is supposed to the highest falls in the world (3281 ft) and is still not accessible to tourists because of the hazards involved.. Catch this one on the adventure videos..
As for me, this place owes a second visit ….
Souvenirs ’s are one too many in the stores out there but nothing to outlast the picturesque memory…
contd.. in comments