Tag: #history

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/




  


  


  


  


  

      

    

        

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 Island, Downtown Victoria, Rogers’ Chocolates

On By mubeenazamIn September 2015, UncategorizedLeave a comment

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Tuesday 29th September)

I suppose any trip you take in life should involve some sort of sweets, particularly I would say chocolate, after all, chocolate comes from cocoa, cocoa comes from a tree, and that technically makes it a salad (well, that’s how I like to rationalise it anyway).

I was so west of Canada, I had travelled so far during this road trip, I wanted to get some chocolates for Nour (I know this is a sweet thing to do, but I don’t think I would hear the end of it if I did not bring home some chocolates).  I was after some good, and if possible, locally made chocolate with a bit of history.  I came across Rogers’ Chocolates, very good, rich and prestigious chocolates from what I believe is the oldest chocolatier in British Colombia, I am pretty sure that I came to the original store too. The way the store was furnished and decorated takes you back in time, it was a very nice experience.

Rogers’ Chocolates are renowned for their excellent chocolate quality and their specialty being chocolate creams which are very nice if you like that sort of thing…not cheap I have to say, but very yummy and very delicious!  Time for another hike I think to work off the calories?

https://www.rogerschocolates.com/

https://www.rogerschocolates.com/our-story


  

Edward Gardens, Toronto

On By mubeenazamIn October 2015, Uncategorized1 Comment

A refreshing walk, a beautiful day, the girls absolutely loved this place as they were able to explore comfortably at their own leisure, the fallen and the falling leaves were a true joy, the smell in the air of the changing of the weather, the crisp and fresh air was totally rejuvenating…

Nature definitely speaks to us, we just need to be attentive and receptive to its message!

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To paint or not to paint…I suppose it was going to happen…it should not even be a question!

On By mubeenazamIn October 2015, Uncategorized1 Comment

Any mention of painting drives them crazy, by ‘them’ I mean my crazy, creative, courageous girls.  They love it, and to be honest, it’s always a lot of fun, they make it a lot of fun.

However, today, I thought I would do a little experiment and see how Sara (the 2 year old going on 16) would react to a particular situation.  What would she do if I placed my head (this beautiful brown, perfectly shaped object) in her way while she is painting?  What would she do?  How long would the reaction take?  Would she react at all?  Would she talk to me to gain some sort of consent?  I was nervous, it was tense and let me tell you, I could see her thinking about it, what was she to do, how should she deal with this object?  I could feel that she was poised to attack, just as a predator leaps on their prey!

OK, so I know this is a bit dramatic, because it actually is a little dramatic, the fact is, Sara took very little time to react, she basically looked at me, smiled at me, and then she slapped my head with both her hands and created a unique, let me repeat, a unique piece of art, and since this day, she wants to see the photos all the time. Sara keeps asking me in the most adorable way…’Baba, can I paint your head again, I like it, I really like it!’  The last photo will give the answer I always give her when she asks, it ‘will’ happen again, she will paint!
  
  

Halloween…kids will be kids!

On By mubeenazamIn October 2015, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Just a few photos of the girls spending some time with their family and not really taking part in Halloween per se, but in their view (and their elder cousins I should add!) a fanatastic opportunity to collect a stash of sweets, candy, chocolate, the sticky chewy stuff, whatever you want to call it, that makes them go a little crazy…all free of charge, which is always welcome, sharing not an option…so grateful it only takes place once a year, but all good fun, and Sara (my Sara that is) is just totally adorable, I don’t even think she was aware what her cousin sisters stuck behind her…one for her wedding day photo I would suggest!  You need to guess the others?




  

  

  
  

The weather is changing…

On By mubeenazamIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Just a short note to say that the weather is changing in Toronto, it’s getting much colder now!  Prevention is better than cure they say, so some things just have to be covered, especially the outdoor swimming pool, and other things have to be put away.  We have had a tiny bit of snow, not very much really, but I think we are just being teased, the cold is coming, oh yes it is!  

Also below are some photos from my parents in laws apartment, they live in a penthouse apartment on the 30th floor, the views are fanatastic, and on top of that, there is a gym and swimming pool we have access to.  The trees are all changing and there are fantastic colours on display at the moment, I suppose it’s  natures way of telling us the cold is coming!  In a couple of the photos you can see downtown Toronto and just about make out the famous CN tower (in the night shot  it is difficult to make it out) and Ontario river in the background in the daytime photos, beautiful scenery to adorn the windows in your apartment!

 

  
 

  
 

   
  

 
 

St Lawrence Market, Downtown Toronto

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This is a bit late, but we visited this market back in September, fantastic weather, awesome variety of food, beautiful architecture and not too far from downtown Toronto where I went to later on with Fatimah and Maryam, what joy!  Will hopefully be visiting some more markets during our stay, I believe Kensington Market is in the plans, at least that’s what the girls keep telling me!

St. Lawrence Market is one of two major public markets in Toronto, the other being Kensington Market. It was named the world’s best food market by National Geographic in April 2012

http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/

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Jasper National Park – Colombia Icefield, Athabasca Glacier…interesting!

On By mubeenazamIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Thursday 24th September)

I took some photos of the names and heights of some of the mountains in the surrounding area and very interesting facts about the ice and the glacier I had just visited as I did not have time before my tour in the morning and because of my journey ahead, this was the best way of educating myself, absolutely fascinating, especially the artist paintings which are on display in the Glacier Interpretive Centre.  If you have a few minutes read the information and have a look at the artists paintings which are apparently a true reflection of what the glacier used to be like in the early 1900’s.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Icefield


  
  


  
  
  


  
  
  

Jasper National Park – Colombia Icefield, Athabasca Glacier

On By mubeenazamIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Thursday 24th September)

I was so excited about seeing, touching, and experiencing a glacier which is said to have formed during the Great Glaciation (238,000 to 126,000 BC)…even tasting it!  The Colombia Icefield is the largest ice field in the Rocky Mountains of North America and it is the most visited glacier too.

There are options to go without a tour guide but I was not going to travel on this without experts as I had read about people dying in certain areas on this glacier. I was also happy about the timing as the centre which accommodates these visits closes sometime in October.  I read that some parts of the glacier were nearly 300m deep which was a fascinating fact and reassuring to an extent that I would not fall through!

You take a bus from the Colombia Interpretive Centre to where you take the mother of buses, the ‘snow coach’ as it is sometimes referred to and it was cool to be boarding one of only 23 of these in the world to transport us to the glacier. I booked on to the 10am tour which was the best thing I did as we were the first tour of the day and when we did get to the glacier we had the whole glacier to ourselves for about 20 minutes, after that it did get quite busy as by the time our snow coach was due to return there were already two other coaches parked up on the glacier with others on their way.

What a fantastic experience, a completely different environment and landscape to what I had seen so far on this trip and I knew that unless there was some crazy change in weather (which could definitely happen the more north I drove) this would be a unique experience. It was very cold, and at times the glacier wind was freezing and some people took refuge in the snow coach whose engine and heating was left on for that very reason. One of the best sights, other than the fact I could stand next to the thickness of the glacier we could see, was the independent glaciers hanging off two other mountains…that was an amazing sight and these can be seen clearly in the photo after the first video.

However, with every wonder and gift of the world there is always a sad reality. In the third photo down, I am stood in the car park with a bridge behind me and behind that in the distance is the beginning of the glacier, over a hundred years ago the glacier used to be where the car park is!!  The depressing aspect of this stunning glacier is where it used to be just over a hundred years ago and how much it has now receded and continues to recede, so much so that our tour guide said that this particular glacier that you see has a lifespan of between 70-80 years before it completely disappears!

http://www.brewster.ca/activities-in-the-rockies/brewster-attractions/columbia-icefield-glacier-adventure/#/0

http://www.icewalks.com/page7.html