East Coast: Hopewell Rocks and Magnetic Hill (Day 3)

Continued from Days 1 & 2 ...

It was a gorgeous day, and we started bright and early after breakfast. Our first destination was Hopewell Rocks, Bay of Fundy. Now what is it that makes this place so special?

If you didn't know, the Bay of Fundy tides can reach up to 15m (50 ft) – the height of a four-storey building –  twice every day. This is the highest tide in the world. You'll want to visit the Hopewell Rocks during both high tide and low tide so you can truly appreciate the height and range of the tide.

Your admission to the park is valid for two days (keep the receipt), and high and low tides are 6 hours apart, so you can visit both on the same day if the tide timings work out (tide times shift by almost 50 minutes every day).

Now, should you visit high tide first, or low tide? It so happened that for us, the high tide was in the late morning, and then low tide in late afternoon, so we visited high tide first.

At first, you might wonder what's the big deal? It's just some rocks on the water.

The Hopewell Rocks reminds one of Flowerpot Island on Tobermory. This was peak high tide, and there was even kayaking on the bay.

And just think, all this water would be gone soon!

We now had 6 hours before low tide, so the plan was lunch and then Magnetic Hill, before coming back to the park.

I had read somewhere that signs such as this (I spotted it in the washrooms at the Visitor Centre) was due to the heavy influx of visitors from China. Apparently some of them are not used to Western toilets!

Lunch had to be seafood. We were in the East Coast after all!

This was one of the top seafood places in Moncton, and truly the fish and chips that I had was delicious. It was simply too good - you could taste the freshness. I tried a few of the other dishes as well - scallops, mussels, clams etc. and every thing was good.

Magnetic Hill is a place where your car, when you place it into neutral, appears to roll uphill. Yes, up the hill. I have no way to explain why your car rolls uphill. You have to see it and experience it. There was no one when we went, so the guy at the park let us go few times on the hill.

Theoretically this should explain it. But really, it doesn't. Your car is rolling up the hill.

After spending some quality time exploring the gift shops on the village and the wharf, it was time to go back to Hopewell Rocks.

The Rocks are about 15 minutes walk away from the entrance of the park. You can hike (easy fifteen minutes) or you can take a shuttle ($2 per person). When we got to the rocks, our breath was taken away.

I mean ... all of this was under water just a few hours ago! I have read, and seen pictures of this, online - but nothing prepares you for the sight in person! Not only can you see it, you can now descend down the stairs and walk on the ocean floor.

Imagine! Only the top of this mighty structure was visible above water just this morning. People were kayaking around it, and now we are walking on the ocean floor.

You are not restricted to the rocks, but you can walk out pretty far to the water's edge. Be careful, the waters and the waves are rough, but wow is it so far away! And this morning they were covering all of this!

It was surreal to walk on what was below 15 feet of water from the Atlantic just this morning. We saw pools of water where crabs and other small animals still huddled, waiting for the high tide to come back.

These composites show the remarkable difference between high tide and low tide at Hopewell Rocks.

As the pass is valid for two days, if you liked you could come back again the next day to see it once again at high tide. My boys really enjoyed walking on the "beach" and collecting rocks.

The tide timings are shown (and can be looked up on the web easily). Remember that these times shift every day by 50 minutes or so.

Truly, two remarkable and unique experiences already in the day. And East Coast was just starting.

East Coast: Preparation and the Drive to Moncton (Days 1 and 2)

Canada's famed east coast is in stark comparison to the rugged majestic beauty of the Canadian Rockies or the lush nature preserves of the west coast. Rather, the east coast is famous for its small towns, warm hospitality and friendly people, some unique experiences through the magical Maritime provinces, and sublime out of this world sea food.

Having revisited the Rockies this year, we also took some extended vacation to cover the East Coast in the same year. You can see the amount of kilometres we put on the car on the trip! The East Coast, particularly if you are starting from Toronto, requires a bit of planning and time. Hotels must be booked well ahead of time (especially on the Cabot Trail where choices are limited).

We also had a National Park Pass, which we had bought on our trip to Banff earlier in the year. You should do the Maths to see if it's worth it to buy a pass, but given our travels, it was definitely worth it.

You also need to factor days just for the drive alone.  We drove for nearly 6000 km, which is more than halfway around the moon, or twice the distance from Dubai to New Delhi!

You have to get from Toronto to Moncton, which is where most people really "start" their sightseeing, and that's a long haul. We decided to take two days to do it, and our first day was simply a drive from Toronto to Quebec City, where we stayed the night. Of course, when you start early, you can reach early (a theme that is great for any sightseeing road trip), and that gives you more time to tour the place.

The famous Fairmont Le Château Frontenac hotel, 

which highlights the Old Quebec skyline

Quebec City is not that far away, and we had visited the city before, so we didn't allot any additional days for it on this trip. Many people include a couple of days for Quebec City on their trip as well. Quebec City is roughly 8-9 hours drive away from Toronto, factoring in breaks on the drive.

Old Quebec City is lovely to walk around at night, and we were blessed with glorious weather. There were lots of street performances, especially near the hotel.

The next morning we were up and about for another 8-9 hour drive, this time from Quebec City to Moncton. The drive through northern Quebec is very scenic, especially the rolling hills around the side. You have to go around the US state of Maine, so around Rivière-du-Loup, your direction changes from North to South. Soon we crossed into the province of New Brunswick.

Our first stop was the small town of Grand Falls, NB. This town is known for two things.
1) be a pit stop on the way to Moncton
2) Grand Falls.

So we saw the Grand Falls.

It wasn't so ... grand. What happened is that there is a dam, and in the summer the falls are only a trickle due to that dam. When they release all that water, which is what the people there told us happens in the Spring, it can be quite a sight, almost rivalling Niagara Falls.

Now why would you deliberately sabotage your only attraction during summer, the peak tourist season, I have no idea, but this was Grand Falls. Anyways, onward to Moncton.

We passed Fredericton, about a couple of hours to go, and decided to stop for a late lunch. It's a small city, despite being the capital of the province, and had a couple of halal places. The university  was very nice to drive through, and had some beautifully kept gardens.

It was late evening when we reached our hotel in Moncton. Exploring the city, and the unique experiences of the Bay of Fundy, was going to be Day 3.

Reflections of Bakri Eid (or Eid ul Adha)

It used to be growing up that Eid ul Adha was often the bigger Eid. Going to the cow market, choosing your cow or goat, then bringing it home and caring for it. And then, on Eid day, watch - a little sad but also a little awed - as four men wrestle with the ropes and bring the cow down, before the throat is slit and the cow is sacrificed. And if it's a goat, one or two is enough to kill the goat. Skinning of the animal was done next, followed by cutting up of the meat.

Soon you are busy helping the adults sort the meat into three piles. One for yourself. One for the friends and relatives. One for the poor. Although it is not mandatory to donate or give the meat - you can keep everything for yourself, most people do donate.

Growing up, this Eid taught me many lessons. First, it taught me that where food comes from. The burger or hot dog is not magically there, it is there because a life was taken to feed me. So don't waste food, especially meat. Second, it taught me that while human life is preferred over animal life (the animal is killed to feed us), it also means we have to be responsible and to take care of our environment. Kill the animal in a humane manner. And finally, it is about sacrifice. We are taking care of the animal for a week before we kill it. You do grow attached to it. And then you have to sacrifice of what is dear to you. This is a recurring theme of life.

Once I was in Canada, suddenly Eid ul Fitr became the "bigger" Eid. It was suddenly hard to fast in Canada when everyone else is eating. While Ramadan here is fun in its own way, especially the night prayers, Eid ul Fitr becomes the day you rejoin the "normal" Canadians in eating and drinking. Whereas for Eid ul Adha, you just order a Qurbani from the butcher, and then go on Day 1 or 2 of the Eid to simply pick up your meat. It's Eid, delivered.

I was fine with it, but what about the kids? What would they know about our rich history of Eid ul Adha? For this reason, last year I took my older son to the farm on day 2 of Eid. Day 2 is always far, far less busy than Eid day itself (you can sacrifice on any of the three days). We picked a fat goat. After petting it and taking pictures with it, the goat was taken by the butcher to the slaughter place. I told my son about the history of Eid, of Ibrahim (pbuh) and why we do what we do. I thought the concept might be difficult, but kids have remarkable tendency to process religion. We do what we can.

This year we are giving Qurbani again, but not here. I also plan to ask my sons to take a little of the Eidi they get, and donate a part to the poor. Let them feel the pinch of sacrifice. This is how I try, little as I can, to build the traditions.

How do you build your Eid traditions? What are your Eid memories? Do share.

Canadian Rockies: Jasper

If Banff National Park is the most visited national park in Canada, then Jasper National Park is the crown jewel of the Canadian Rockies. Whereas Banff is more developed, has more infrastructure for tourists and has the more popular spots, it is also the more crowded (sometimes overwhelmingly so) park. Jasper is more wild, more scenic, and is for the more adventurous.

You access Jasper from Banff through the Icefields Parkway. I have written about this highway before - it is the most scenic highway in the world. You may think this is being over hyped but it's not. It really is that pretty. You have to stop numerous times on various lookout points just to take it all in.

There's not a lot of hotels or options in the southern part of Jasper, so we stayed the night at a resort midway between Banff and Jasper.

Columbia Glacier and the Canyon Glass Floor

This is the last outing you do as part of the Ultimate Explorer. The Athabasca Glacier is at the heart of the incredible Icefields Parkway, and is one of the largest non-polar ice fields in the world. It is also the most visited glacier in North America.

Here, you’ll travel on a massive Ice Explorer to a place where you can walk on, feel and drink from the fresh waters of the glacier. These vehicles are massive - each of their tires is almost as tall as a man and is worth $5000!

The glacier waters are ice cool (of course!) and incredibly fresh. No mineral water tastes like this! You can drink it straight from the source.

Then, take a jaw-dropping walk along the glass-floored Skywalk at the cliff’s edge, a short five minutes drive away.

One big difference from my last trip to the glacier three years ago is the size of the glacier. It was noticeably smaller, and I have read that they are losing a little bit of the glacier every year. The area you could walk around was definitely smaller. Another difference, though not an important one, was the variety of food in the cafeteria. They have much better vegetarian and seafood options now! Still no halal though ...

Sunwapta Falls

You must visit this falls if you are travelling through Jasper. There are two famous falls in the park (the other being Athabasca Falls), but this was is more accessible.

It is not too far off the highway, has ample parking (it can fill up but enough people are always leaving, so there's always space) and the lookout point is quite close to the falls.

First Sighting of Wildlife: Mountain Goats

Imagine going through Jasper National Park, famous for its wildlife, and not seeing any! It was our last day in Jasper and we hadn't really seen anything of note. When suddenly my son pointed this out:

Do you see it? I wonder how he saw it. And then we saw it.

It was a whole family of mountain goats.

Jasper Skytram

This is often an overlooked attraction, but do not miss it. On a clear day you get some amazing views.

We could see the peak of Mount Robson (all the way in British Columbia). That is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies at 3,954 metres (12,972 ft). Our guide told us such clear weather (to see Mount Robson) we were enjoying happened once every week for only two hours at the top.

The small town of Jasper (from which the park gets its name) can also be seen from the top.

Keep in mind that Jasper is more "wild". Look at the barriers. These are not the child friendly barriers that are common in Banff. A small child can easily slip through them, so be careful of where your kids are at all times.

You can even go for further hikes up the mountain. Many people do. We did part of the way.

After exploring the peak, it was time to get down and go towards Hinton, a small town just outside of Jasper to the north - our pitstop for the night. On the way there, we made a small detour to Pyramid Lake, and boy we were glad we did.

Pyramid Lake and more wildlife

The Pyramid Lake (just five minutes away from the town of Jasper) is a beautiful lake, but nothing extra ordinary about it compared to the other magnificent lakes we had seen so far. What made it special was the forest and woods around it. As we were driving back, suddenly we see this ...

It's a deer. And then we see other moose and elk nearby. And then a whole family of them decided to cross the road.

More of their cousins were dotted around the small road. We drove by very slowly.

Then we approached a heavily wooded area. It reminded me of the story of Red Riding Hood. But instead of a wolf, would we see a bear?

YES! There it was!

A bear sighting is usually the highlight of wildlife spotting in Jasper. We were very lucky indeed. The bear was merely 500m away, and happily munching on her food, while we stayed safely away and took pictures.

Overall we spent two and half days in Jasper National Park, and I wish we could have spent more. There were so many other things to do, other sights to see, other trails to hike. Canada is very lucky to include Jasper!

Canadian Rockies: Lake Louise - Heaven Turned into a Zoo

Lake Louise is the most photographed spot in Banff National Park. It is also the most visited, the most iconic and the most beautiful part of the park. And yet, Parks Canada is now killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

Recall my visit to lake Louise three years ago. I visited Lake Louise three times on that trip and Moraine Lake twice. Whenever we wanted to go to the lake, we just WENT there. Parking was abundant, readily available, and this was just three years ago. It was a slice of heaven, and the beautiful glacier waters trickling from the mountains and forming the lake was a sight to see.

Now? It's a zoo.

I get it. The number of visitors have boomed in recent times. But there must be an efficient way to manage that?!! Rather, the way Parks Canada has implemented shuttles leave a lot to be desired. I mean the Athabasca Glacier is the most visited glacier in the world, but Parks Canada manages that extremely well with the timeslots and the shuttles, so why can't they manage this well?!!

First of all, the parking lot gets filled around 6 am. Like what?!! OK, so apparently a lot of people want to catch the sunrise. So why not build more parking? But no - Parks Canada has a park and ride about 10 km away where you drop your car and take a shuttle to Lake Louise.

Fine. That should solve the problem in theory. But it doesn't. The shuttle timings are really inconvenient. They are supposed to run every 15 minutes but don't. You sometimes have to wait as much as 40-50 minutes in the line especially if you go late, say noon.

Second, the last shuttles are around 530 pm. Why?!!! The sun sets in the summer at 10ish. So why not run the shuttles till 9 ?

Third, the shuttle to and from Moraine Lake runs from Lake Louise. So if you want to go to Moraine Lake and the parking is full, you have to take the shuttle to Lake Louise, and then another shuttle to Moraine Lake, and then be back before the last shuttle departs Lake Louise for the park and ride location. All of which makes for a crummy time if you arrive slightly late (say noon) because you will end up waiting over an hour for your very first shuttle - that way if you are doing anything in Lake Louise, such as boating, then you can forget Moraine Lake.

And finally, the shuttle? It's a damn school bus.

So my advice for anyone visiting Lake Louise? Visit early. Try to be there by 9 am. Then even if you have to get the shuttle, at least you have enough time to do all the activities at both the lakes. And what activities can you do in Lake Louise? Other than the numerous pictures you will probably take?

Why, boating, of course.

Canoeing on the lake is a Canadian tradition, and most people go for the hourly slot. It is also more expensive ($130/hr) to rent a canoe here on this lake than on any other lake (duh, commercialism) but it is so worth it. This was honestly one of the highlights of the trip. You can fit three adults or two adults and two kids / canoe. I would recommend everyone to do it, particularly when the sun is beating hot overhead.

You don't have to paddle too hard, although the lake does have a small current (the water flows from the mountains in the distance towards the hotel) so no matter how deep into the lake you go, you can easily make it back to the dock. They do say they are very careful about you going over your time, but I didn't find them checking the time when you return your canoe - though they probably will go hard on you for anything over five minutes.

It is simply too beautiful once you are on the lake.

Keep in mind not to stand up on the canoe or change directions once you are seated, as that's the best way to tip over the boat. And trust me - you don't want to fall into the water. This is a glacier lake. The temperature of the water is just around 5℃. That's cold.

So while Parks Canada can do a much better job in managing the crowds, and the overcrowded nature of the lake does tend to take away from its enjoyment, Lake Louise is still so beautiful. It is amazing. It still remains a slice of heaven.

It's just that more people are now visiting this slice of heaven than before. So be prepared and plan accordingly.