Memorable Road Trip In Canada.

It was a long overdue trip planned with my college friends who currently reside in the UK.

My friend Siva who has  many relatives in Canada always invited me to travel Canada with him. However, with my busy work schedule and the Covid pandemic I kept postponing the trip. 

This year, I decided to accept his invitation and go for it as we were all reaching our 60s and weren't sure if we could make it in the future. So in May this year, we agreed to make a boys' trip. I took the opportunity to convince my other friend, Mathi to follow us. Siva, quickly booked a budget flight ticket to Canada for the three of us.

The application for Canadian visa in Malaysia was a herculean task for me at this age. They had so many online forms to fill up with many subsections requiring lots of personal information to be uploaded online with not much help from the agency or embassy for verification. As such, I had to make few trips to Kuala Lumpur to their appointed agency for clarification which wasn't of much help till I got my computer software expert to help me with the online forms. Well, even he took more than 8 hours to complete all of it!

Fortunately, my visa was approved a month ahead after going through all that hassle.

I flew on  the 1st of May to the UK. There, I managed to catch up with a few of my other classmates for a two day's stay. On 5th May, we flew to Canada to begin our unchartered road trip. We landed at Calgary, Albeta International Airport, and started the 1st the leg of our trip.

At the airport, there was a glitch as my check in baggage was missing. Luckily, a few hours later, i was able to  find my bag in the lost and found section. Siva's relative who is a local there assisted us to get our rented SUV. However, the driver seat was left handed which was new to all of us. Mathi had some experience of left hand driving so he took the wheels, with Siva being the navigator and me the general coordinator.

Our first drive was a bit clumpsy, but there was not much traffic at Calagary as it was laid back in the countryside. Calgary was a beautiful place with many prehistorical stories. The view was scenic with fantastic sand mountains which was eye soothing. It was the beginning of summer, so the weather was superb with good sunshine and the wind was  breezy.

The following day, we were up by 3am due to our jetlag and drove to Banff by 6am . It was so bright in the morning and the roads were clear of traffic. The view during our drive was very scenic, and we were able to see a few wild animals like elk and horses in the range.

Banff is a resort town in the province of Alberta.The peaks of Mt. Rundle and Mt. Cascade, part of the Rocky Mountains dominated the skyline. 

The night at Banff, we decided to walk downtown for dinner. The cool and  bright daylight was tempting. It was a good downhill walk for dinner. However, on the way back,we lost our way as every road looked very similar in the dark and not many people were on the road. Somehow, we reached the hotel at 1am drained and exhausted.

The next day we headed to Revelstoke, a province of the British Colombia. It was 6 hours of drive through a magnificent lake with a range of rocky and snow-covered mountains.We stopped by for two days at this place as there were a few interesting places to visit. We first visited the wolvedog sanctuary which gave us an idea of this dogs and their uniqueness in the human pet system. Next, we drove to the enormous, magnificent and scenic Lake Loiuse. We took number of pictures and were entertained by a ferret with its attractive movements.

We then headed to Kelowna. Along the way, we stopped by a hotwater outdoor pool for a dip. We reached the resort  after a long 8 hours drive. Unfortunately, the online booking and the reception details didn't tally hence we were denied a room. The receptionist was not very helpful and we had to find another place to stay. Luckily, Siva's relative was able to arrange a stay for us at Sandman Hotel for the night. We reached the hotel extremely tired with an irritable mood.

Since it was already 12 midnight, we decided to hit the sack when Siva realised he had lost his passport. We two searched the car and bags entirely with no trace of it! We decided to sleep the night and look for it the next day. As I was about to hit the bed after such a long day, I saw his passport on my bed! He had kept it accidentally on my bed and assumed it was lost.

Kelowna is a city in the south of Canada’s British Columbia province. It’s in the Okanagan Valley, on the eastern shore of Okanagan Lake surrounded by provincial parks, pine forests, vineyards, orchards and mountains. We visited a few local vineyards that offered wine tours and tastings which we enjoyed.

The next day, we headed to Vancouver. The traffic was heavy and the weather was hot with breezy wind.It was long hours of drive and we missed the route a few times  due to the unfamiliarity of lefthand drive with frequent slip roads with many heavy vehicles on the motorways. On our way ,we stopped by at Hope Town for lunch. Here, the famous scene from the movie First Blood(1982 film)  lead role by  Sylvester Stallone was taken.

At Vancouver, we stopped by at Siva's friend house who lived  in a posh area and works  as a consultant chef in a high end steak house in Canada. We stayed at the basement accommodation for four days. He and his family hosted us with great hospitality and we managed to taste the best steak and other dishes specially cooked by the chef himself which was the hype of our trip.

At Vancouver, we visited the Whistler town which was a famous ski town and the city which held the winter Olympics in 2010. Even during summer, there was still skiing activities going on in ice covered mountains. It was a superb experience to us!

The next day, another childhood friend of Mathi took us to Victoria Island(capital of Canada) by ferry. Thanks to the climate change, the island was hot enough for me to have a few drops of sweat on my forehead. We walked around the downtown and had a few drinks and bites for our lunch.

Later in the evening, we left the island as the last ferry was around 7 pm. On the way back in the ferry, we got a glimpse of two orcas having a play. On the 4th day, we flew from Vancouver to Toronto, Ontario, bidding farewell to British Colombia.

The last leg of our trip was Toronto. The evening we landed in Toronto we drove straight to Niagara Falls a city with the largest water fall at the  border of USA and Canada. It is also a city with many amusement parks and casinos. We reached late in the evening after a 2 hours drive through heavy traffic motorways.

We rested for the night, and headed to the long awaited Niagara Falls the following morning. We were eager to admire and imbibe in the beautiful, scenic, watersplasing atmosphere with many other tourists who have thronged the waterfall.

My friend Mathi, who was supposed to take care of the visits, organised a boat trip to the falls but instead by default got us into a water rafting trip at Niagara. It was fantastic and scary at the same time. The rafting was of  grade 6 level which gave us adrenaline rush throughout the journey. It was a mesmerising experience, unfortunately, I lost my spectacles in a large whirlpool that swirled the boat and took my spectacles along.

It was heartbreaking to have reduced vision after I lost my spectacles, but I was happy to experience the rest of my journey with the assistance of my friends.

Next, we got the tickets to a boat trip to the waterfalls. It was an experience that will remain etched forever. As they brought us near to the Falls, we were drenched with the massive cold water pouring down and splashing on us.There is no words to describe the eternal experience at Niagara Falls.

After that, we roamed around downtown went to the amusement parks and casinos. Late that night, I slept in peace in spite of the gift of my spectacles to the waterfall. Following day, we drove to Toronto and stayed at Siva's friends house who cared for us with full of love and hospitality. We went downtown to meet up with one of my college mate who came down with his family for holidays. It was good catchup after more than 20 years. 

Later that evening, Siva's friend a business entrepreneur, took us around downtown restaurants and bars. It was another experience we will cherish for a long time to come. On the last day of our trip ,we went down to Chinatown of Toronto and had a good walk and bought a few souvenirs.

Finally, at night we flew back to London with more than what we expected from this trip. With all the fond memories that i have gathered from this road trip it was definitely worth the hassle that I had to go through to get my visa.

As we don't know wether we will get another opportunity to get together for another roadtrip like this with our age catching up and the distance apart that we live, but this trip will always be cherished in our hearts.

Edited version

It had been a long overdue trip, one that we had been planning with my college friends who were currently residing in the UK. My friend Siva, who had many relatives in Canada, had always invited me to travel with him. However, due to my busy work schedule and the disruptions caused by the Covid pandemic, I kept postponing the trip.

But this year was different. I finally decided to accept Siva's invitation and go for it. After all, we were all in our 60s, and who knew if we would have the same opportunity in the future? I managed to convince my other friend, Mathi, to join us as well. Siva quickly booked budget flight tickets to Canada for the three of us in May.

Getting the Canadian visa from Malaysia proved to be a herculean task. The online forms were extensive, with numerous subsections requiring personal information to be uploaded. There wasn't much help available from the agency or embassy for verification, so I had to make several trips to Kuala Lumpur to their appointed agency for clarification. Even with the assistance of a computer software expert, it took more than 8 hours to complete all the forms. Thankfully, my visa was eventually approved.

On the 1st of May, I flew to the UK to meet up with a few of our other college classmates and spend a couple of days catching up. Then, on the 5th of May, we embarked on our much-anticipated road trip to Canada. Our flight landed at Calgary International Airport in Alberta.

As we arrived at the airport, we encountered a small glitch. My checked-in baggage was missing. It was a moment of panic, but a few hours later, I was relieved to find my bag in the lost and found section. Siva's relative, who happened to be a local there, kindly assisted us in getting our rented SUV. However, there was one unexpected challenge—the driver's seat was on the left side, something none of us were accustomed to. Fortunately, Mathi had some experience with left-hand driving, so he took the wheel, with Siva as the navigator and me as the general coordinator.

Our first drive through the countryside of Calgary was a bit clumsy, but we quickly adapted. Calgary itself was a beautiful place, rich in prehistorical stories. The scenic view with its majestic sand mountains was truly soothing to the eyes. Since it was the beginning of summer, the weather was superb, with plenty of sunshine and a refreshing breeze in the air.

The following day, our jetlag woke us up at 3 a.m., so we decided to make the most of the early morning hours and drive to Banff. By 6 a.m., we were on the road, greeted by the bright morning sun and clear roads. The scenery during our drive was simply breathtaking, with wild animals like elk and horses roaming the range. Banff, a resort town in Alberta, welcomed us with the dominating peaks of Mt. Rundle and Mt. Cascade, part of the majestic Rocky Mountains.

That evening, we decided to walk downtown for dinner, enticed by the cool and bright daylight. The downhill walk was pleasant, but on the way back, we lost our way in the darkness. Every road looked similar, and there were hardly any people around. We stumbled upon our hotel exhausted and drained, finally reaching our rooms at 1 a.m.

The next day, we set off for Revelstoke, a province in British Columbia. It was a six-hour drive through magnificent landscapes, passing by glistening lakes and snow-covered mountains. We spent two days in Revelstoke, starting with a visit to the wolf dog sanctuary, which provided us with insights into the unique characteristics of these animals in the human pet system. Later, we drove to the enormous and magnificent Lake Louise, where we were captivated by the beauty of the surroundings and entertained by a playful ferret.

Our journey then took us to Kelowna, a city located in the south of British Columbia. Along the way, we made a stop at a hot water outdoor pool for a refreshing dip. After an arduous eight-hour drive, we reached our resort, only to encounter a problem with our booking. The online reservation and the details provided by the reception didn't match, resulting in a denial of our room. The unhelpful receptionist left us frustrated and exhausted. Thankfully, Siva's relative came to the rescue once again, arranging a stay for us at the Sandman Hotel for the night. We arrived at the hotel, completely worn out and in irritable moods.

As it was already midnight, we decided to call it a day. But just as we were about to retire to our beds after such a long and eventful day, Siva realized that he had lost his passport. We frantically searched the car and our bags, but there was no sign of it. We decided to get some rest and resume the search the next day. To my surprise, as I prepared to sleep, I found Siva's passport on my bed. He had accidentally left it there and assumed it was lost. A sigh of relief washed over us, and we drifted off to sleep, knowing that the passport crisis had been averted.

Our next destination was Vancouver, a bustling city with heavy traffic and hot weather accompanied by a breezy wind. The long hours of driving tested our navigation skills, with slip roads and heavy vehicles on the motorways causing us to miss the route a few times. Along the way, we made a stop at Hope Town for lunch, a place famous for being featured in the movie "First Blood" starring Sylvester Stallone.

In Vancouver, we had the opportunity to stay at Siva's friend's house. He lived in a posh area and worked as a consultant chef in a high-end steakhouse in Canada. The four days we spent at his place were a culinary delight. His family welcomed us with warm hospitality, and we indulged in the best steaks and dishes specially prepared by the chef himself, which undoubtedly became the highlight of our trip.

While in Vancouver, we couldn't miss the chance to visit Whistler, a famous ski town that hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics. Despite the summer season, skiing activities were still ongoing on the ice-covered mountains, offering us a unique and thrilling experience.

One of Mathi's childhood friends joined us for the next leg of our journey. He took us to Victoria Island by ferry. As we disembarked, the heat of the island surprised us, causing a few drops of sweat to form on our foreheads. We strolled around downtown, enjoying drinks and bites for lunch.

In the evening, we bid farewell to the island and boarded the last ferry back. During the journey, we were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of two orcas playfully swimming in the waters. On the fourth day, we flew from Vancouver to Toronto, Ontario, saying goodbye to British Columbia.

Our last stop was Toronto, where we drove to Niagara Falls, a city known for its magnificent waterfall located at the border of the United States and Canada. The two-hour drive through heavy traffic on the motorways brought us to our destination late in the evening. We rested for the night, eagerly awaiting the grandeur of Niagara Falls the following morning.

To our surprise, Mathi, who was responsible for arranging the activities, mistakenly booked us for a water rafting trip instead of a boat ride near the falls. Nevertheless, we embraced the unexpected adventure and had a thrilling experience rafting down the rapid waters of the Niagara River. We were soaked and exhausted but filled with joy and laughter.

Our road trip came to an end with a visit to the stunning Niagara Falls, a sight that left us in awe of nature's power and beauty. The thunderous sound of the cascading water, the mist that engulfed us, and the rainbows that danced in the spray created an unforgettable moment. We took countless pictures, capturing the memories we had made throughout our journey.

With heavy hearts, we bid farewell to Canada and boarded our flight back to our respective countries. The road trip had exceeded our expectations, not only in terms of the places we visited but also in the challenges we faced together and the camaraderie that grew stronger among us.

As we returned home, we carried with us the memories of breathtaking landscapes, thrilling adventures, unexpected obstacles, and, most importantly, the cherished bond of friendship that had been strengthened by our unforgettable road trip across Canada.

                                                                                                                                                 

Shorter version 

Memorable Road trip to Canada.

The long overdue road trip to Canada with my college friends was finally becoming a reality. Despite my busy work schedule and the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, I decided to seize the opportunity and embark on this adventure with my friends, Siva and Mathi. Siva, who had many relatives in Canada, had always extended an invitation, and this year, I accepted.

In May, we flew from Malaysia to the UK, where I caught up with some other classmates before our flight to Canada. Landing at Calgary International Airport, we encountered a hiccup when my check-in baggage went missing. Luckily, it was eventually located in the lost and found section. Siva's relative, a local, helped us secure a rental SUV, although we had to adjust to the left-hand driving, unfamiliar to us. With Mathi behind the wheel, Siva as the navigator, and me as the general coordinator, our road trip began.

Our first drive through the countryside of Calgary was a bit clumsy, but the scenic beauty and prehistorical stories of the area mesmerized us. As we continued our journey, we woke up early in the morning due to jet lag and headed to Banff. The roads were clear, and the sight of wild animals like elk and horses added to the charm of the drive. Arriving in Banff, a resort town in Alberta, we were greeted by the majestic peaks of Mt. Rundle and Mt. Cascade, dominating the skyline.

In the evening, we decided to take a walk downtown for dinner, but on the way back to our hotel, we lost our way in the dark, similar-looking streets. Eventually, drained and exhausted, we managed to find our way back.

The next day, we drove to Revelstoke in British Columbia, passing through breathtaking landscapes of lakes and snow-covered mountains. During our two-day stay, we visited the wolf dog sanctuary, gaining insight into these unique animals, and marveled at the beauty of Lake Louise.

Continuing our journey, we arrived in Kelowna, a city surrounded by picturesque landscapes and renowned for its vineyards. After a refreshing dip in a hot water outdoor pool, we encountered a hiccup with our accommodation due to a discrepancy between our online booking and the reception details. Fortunately, Siva's relative arranged a stay for us at the Sandman Hotel. However, our exhaustion was further compounded when Siva realized he had misplaced his passport. After a frantic search, we discovered it on my bed, relieving us of the anxiety.

Our next destination was Vancouver, where we enjoyed the hospitality of Siva's friend, a consultant chef. Indulging in the finest steaks and dishes prepared by the chef was undoubtedly a highlight of our trip. We explored Whistler, a famous ski town, where we witnessed skiing activities even during the summer season.

One of Mathi's childhood friends joined us as we ventured to Victoria Island by ferry. We explored downtown, enjoying the warm weather, drinks, and bites for lunch. On the ferry back, we were fortunate to witness two orcas playing in the water—an incredible sight.

Our last destination was Toronto, where we embarked on a two-hour drive to Niagara Falls. This city, with its magnificent waterfalls at the border of the United States and Canada, boasted numerous amusement parks and casinos. Despite heavy traffic on the motorways, we arrived in the late afternoon, just in time to witness the awe-inspiring beauty of the falls illuminated by vibrant lights.

With a mix of excitement and sadness, we concluded our road trip and made our way back to Malaysia. Reflecting on the unforgettable experiences, the mishaps, and the laughter we shared, we realized that our road trip had been more than just a journey—it was a testament to the enduring friendship that had withstood the test of time.

As we parted ways at the airport, promising to plan our next adventure, I couldn't help but feel grateful for the memories we had created together. The road trip had taught us to appreciate the beauty of nature, embrace the unexpected, and cherish the bonds of friendship that had only grown stronger through the years.