Month: December 2015

Yoho National Park, Emerald Lake

On By mubeenazamIn October 2015, UncategorizedLeave a comment

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Friday 2nd October)

I honestly did not believe my day could be ending like this, I was physically tired from the sitting and driving, I was mentally tired from the concentration and focus that was needed on the road, and I was emotionally tired as a result of all the amazing sights I had experienced during this day…then I saw a sign that said ‘Emerald Lake’…

OK, so this was on my agenda anyway, I was due to visit this place, it was supposed to be something special, but, on my itinerary, this was supposed to be happening tomorrow.  However, here I was, coming off the main road and journeying to another lake, I suppose it was just going to be another lake, I mean I had already seen some out of this world lakes, right…wrong…

This place was so beautiful and I just wished I had more time to enjoy the stupendous surroundings.  It just seemed to be the most perfect time to be there.  The weather was calm, the wind was light, the water was beautifully balanced and still, the reflections were picture perfect as you may agree.  In addition to this, the colour of the water was spectacular, none of the other lakes I had visited so far displayed this particular glorious turquoise colour, it really was very, very beautiful, wow, wow and wow again!

http://www.everytrail.com/guide/canadas-emerald-lake-yoho-national-park

https://www.crmr.com/emerald/


  
  
  


  
  
  


  

Town of Golden, Downtown

On By mubeenazamIn October 2015, UncategorizedLeave a comment

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Friday 2nd October)

Although I was passing by the town of Golden BC, the fact that it was called Golden deserved a visit, I mean one of the sayings abut this place is ‘Golden Rocks’!    It was a nice little town actually, but I simply passed through here as time was of the essence for me.

I took a short drive though some parts of the town and it was clear to see that the town had a rich history.  It got me thinking how lucky some people are as to where they live.   For instance, living in Golden gives you relatively easy access to six of the most stunning National Parks in Canada.  I was impressed when I learnt that there was so much to do, a lot of it is based around the beautiful landscape, they certainly make the most of their superb surroundings, I most definitely would…

http://www.tourismgolden.com/

 


  
  
  

Glacier National Park, another scary mountain drive!

On By mubeenazamIn October 2015, UncategorizedLeave a comment

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Friday 2nd October)

The night before, I was reading about Glacier National Park and from what I read, the drive was going to be spectacular but keeping an eye on the weather was advised as it sometimes changes quite rapidly depending on the conditions.  In addition to this, there were some parts of the drive where avalanche activity was very common, particularly in harsher and wetter conditions.   Nonetheless, I was also aware that passing by huge mountains, there was always a chance that rocks could fall in the drier conditions too, I had already experienced this several time so far, you can simply not underestimate this rugged, magnificent and awe-inspiring landscape.  Although I had really enjoyed my mountain drives so far, I was a little nervous about this one. The weather was due to be fine, my nerves were currently not…

The history of the park is very interesting, especially when you travel through this area, you really do have to admire what has been achieved.   Historically, there are two primary Canadian transportation routes, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), completed in 1885, and the Trans Canada Highway, completed in 1963.   Until 1881, the centre of this park eluded brave explorers.  The valleys of the park are prone to avalanche activity, especially during the heavy winter snows.   As a result, traversing through this area had been challenging to say the least, however, I take my hat off to the extraordinary engineering feats that have taken place here.

The park is astonishingly wonderful, there are parts of the drive which literally took my breath away.  Fascinating high peaks,  glaciers which are large and active, and interesting to note is that it has one of Canada’s largest cave systems.  This was quite a demanding drive at times, there was so much I saw but due to the nature of the landscape, it was too dangerous for me to take too many photos.  One of the highlights which really got my heart beating.  I was leaving a tunnel and there was a road sign stating to slow down as there was a bear on the road, I really wanted to see this but after a couple of kms of driving, I realised it must have come off the road.  I was hope that the photos below give some idea of what the drive was like.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/bc/glacier/visit.aspx

 


  
  


  



  
  
  
  

 

 

Mount Revelstoke National Park, Downtown

On By mubeenazamIn October 2015, UncategorizedLeave a comment

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Friday 2nd October)

I got up this morning and had this urge to get as much done as possible.  I knew I would have a lot of driving to do, but I was determined to cover as much distance as possible and see as many places as I could.  From Kelowna towards Banff National Park was well over 4oo kms, but with the stops I had planned, I would be on the road all day.

I started making my way towards Mount Revelstoke National Park.  It is located adjacent to the city of Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. This park was founded in 1914 and is relatively small for a national park, it only covers about 100 sq miles.

I was due to stay here, however, as I was doing well for time, I cancelled my accommodation to keep going as I realised that this stop was not needed, I would advise anyone making a similar journey to just keep going if you can, and if the weather conditions allow make the most of your time.  I was thankful for this as it would not have been worth staying here, there was not much happening for me here, the setting was quite nice and again, the changing trees were very nice, but I wanted to make the most of the day, so I stopped for a bite to eat and was on my way again…

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/bc/revelstoke/visit.aspx

 


  
  

Downtown Kelowna

On By mubeenazamIn October 2015, UncategorizedLeave a comment

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Thursday 1st October)

After my detour of Hell`s Gate, I thankfully arrived safe and sound in Kelowna just before sunset.  Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley, in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada.  It is the largest inland city in British Colombia. I found out that Kelowna derives from an Okanagan language term for “grizzly bear” which I suppose is good to know!

There were some nice sights and sounds of this place, I think I was just to tired to take too much note of it to be honest.  However, I did manage to get around Downtown a little, nice places to eat, some really nice and creative buildings, a nice little beach as the sun was setting, good coffee (I did like the name `Bean Scene`) and I also managed to see a bit of glass blowing, very skilled, there is a short video below too.

http://www.kelowna.ca/cm/site3.aspx


  
  


  
  


  
  


  

British Colombia – Hell’s Gate in Fraser Canyon

On By mubeenazamIn October 2015, UncategorizedLeave a comment

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Thursday 1st October)

Well, I tried to drive from Vancouver to Kelowna without stopping, and then I saw a sign saying `Hell`s Gate`, sounded interesting, so I took a slight detour and visited to see what it was all about.

If I am blatantly honest, I wouldn’t go again, I was happy I made this visit as it was another aspect of the gorgeous British Colombia that I got to see, however, I was looking forward to the Air tram which for me, was a bit of a let down.

Other than that, the history of this place is fascinating and it really makes you appreciate how people in the past ventured out on unknown territory not knowing where it would take them but what delights it would uncover for future generations.  One of the most interesting facts for me was how high the water was, if you look at the photo of the red bridge, you can see a white sign, this highlights where the water level was, it was in 1948 and the water level was over 70m high!  Below you will see plenty of interesting facts of information about this place and its history.

http://www.hellsgateairtram.com/




  


  


  


  


  

      

    

        

Drive from Vancouver to Kelowna

On By mubeenazamIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Thursday 1st October)

It was so sad and quite difficult to leave Vancouver, it is such a wonderful, diverse, clean, scenic and beautiful city, I had met some of the nicest people I have ever met on my few days here, I would seriously consider living here one day.

Nonetheless, the reality was I had to leave to stick to my itinerary and my next stop was going to be Kelowna, nearly 400 kms away, a good four drive if I did not stop and see anything else along the way.

As you will see from the photos below, very scenic drive, some of the switchbacks were a little terrifying in some areas, the view along the way was spectacular and the weather was…well, absolutely brilliant again.

My favourite part of this particular drive was driving though the famous seven tunnels which had been carved out of the mountains, some were actually quite long, and every tunnel I exited, there was a completely different view to behold from the previous one.  I managed to find a video on Youtube of someone who filmed his drive through the seven tunnels, definitely gives you a very good idea of what the drive was like.

http://travelthecanyon.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraser_Canyon








  

Vancouver, Main Street – ‘East is East’ (part 8)

On By mubeenazamIn September 2015, UncategorizedLeave a comment

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Wednesday 30th September)

OK, if you have been keeping up, a little recap since this morning:

The Sky Train, The SeaBus, Downtown Vancouver, Trees Organic and a fantastic yummy breakfast, The Seawall, Granville Island and Public Market, Railspur District, Gastown…phew!

Now I really needed something good to eat, something different, something with a bit of class, somewhere that has had excellent reviews and has a very good reputation…that will be Èast is East` thank you very much.  There is a link below if you would like to see their website and menu, and if you go to the music page you can listen to some of the music on offer, just this makes me want to visit again…soon!

I walked a long way to get here, actually, by the time I had finished all of the above, and by the time I had reached this place (which I had actually read about back in the UK for one of the best places to eat when visiting Vancouver) it was just after 5pm, I did not leave this place until just before 10pm with at least an hour journey back to my accommodation.  From the photos below, you can see that it was daytime when I arrived and not many people which led into the night and where the place became packed.

Why was this you may ask.  Well, the decor was wonderful, the service was more than I could ask for, the food was so good,  I took their signature dish which are very small portions of all their very best stuff on the menu, and when you finish that, you can order as much or as little as you want from the menu (same as before or different dishes) and the price stays the same.

But honestly, the main reason I stayed there was because on this night they has some splendid, mesmerising, soulful and classy entertainment which just made the whole visit exceptional in my view.  I appreciate that not everyone may like this sort of music, but for me, this was very special.

There were three amazingly talented music artists that were playing fusion music together, there was a mix of Persian and Sufi music intertwined with aspects of Chinese music…after the day I had, there was very little battery left in the I Pad so I could not capture more than what I did below (and the sound quality may not give the credit that is due, but gives you an idea) which is a great shame as there were so many incredibly moving pieces that were being innovated as they played along…wow!

http://www.eastiseast.ca/


  
  
  
  
  

Downtown Vancouver: Gastown (part 7)

On By mubeenazamIn September 2015, UncategorizedLeave a comment

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Wednesday 30th September)

A short walk from Downtown Vancouver, there is a place that really makes you feel you are in a different era, it is called ‘Gastown’, I really liked this place, it was tremendously cosmopolitan, it has so much character and independence about it and as you walk around, you can feel the historic charm and spirit.

The types of shops in and around this area are like nothing I have seen before, some shops are totally unique in the way they are presented and the things they sell.  Some shops are too expensive to even look at like ‘Versace Home’!  Impeccable boutiques are dotted around, one-of-a-kind galleries and an evident and thriving fashion scene.  The Victorian architecture I really admired, lots of colours and designs to take in.

One place that attracted the most amount of people while I was in a particular area was the ‘The Gastown Steam Clock’, the world`s first ever steam powered clock, amazing to see it work on the hour, if you have time, read what its about (there are videos you can see of this working and there is a link of the refit below earlier this year).

http://www.gastown.org/

http://www.seegastown.com/

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/gastown-steam-clock-more-accurate-after-refit-says-creator-1.2919411




  

Vancouver: Granville Island, Railspur District (part 6)

On By mubeenazamIn September 2015, UncategorizedLeave a comment

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Wednesday 30th September)

After my visit to the Public Market on Granville Island, I saw a very interesting building with a sign saying “this way to handmade local goods by Artists & Artisans” based in Railspur District on Granville Island, although this was not part of my plan, I was attracted to see what was there.  It is such a cool, creative, happening place to be.

Some of the items on display were incredible, clearly some very talented people here and full credit to them for being part of such a wonderful and inspiring district.  The fact that you can observe people working in the workshops and creating what you see on display for sale is very heart warming as you see how much effort and skill goes into some of these products.  Have you seen rice plants by the way?  The photo of me inside a ladies boutique may cause some concern, but I promise I was there to buy some gifts!  This was a boutique that sold ladies scarfs that were created in a studio just outside, they are unique as you can only buy them from this one store, you cannot even buy them online.

By far, my favourite place in Railspur District was ‘The Hang Out Place’ that specialised in hammocks, the guy working (maybe not the correct word to be honest) looks very comfortable, wouldn’t you agree?

http://granvilleislandworks.com/

http://granvilleisland.com/category/gifts/188