Going East ….to West

I knew of Thomas Jefferson as one of the better presidents of the United States and also for being an architect of the Declaration of Independence. My interest in him arose sharply after I read what President John F. Kennedy had said about him while hosting a dinner for Nobel Prize winners of the Western Hemisphere in April 1962,

“ I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has been ever gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone”

Mukul and Manaswini had planned our visit to Yellowstone while I was still In India. I decided to read about Jefferson’s role in How the West was Won, possibly before undertaking the Yellowstone tour but certainly before writing about it. What you see below, is what I have extracted from various sources and I have tried to acknowledge these sources whenever possible. Italics denote a direct quote. My role has been, therefore, limited to collating of relevant information but even that takes quite some time as I have discovered.

I plan to start with Jefferson in general and his contribution towards extending the American frontier to the Pacific, in particular. I shall thereafter show the linkage between Lewis and Clark Expedition and the National Park of Yellowstone. Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks will be described pictorially while the text would be reduced to the role similar to that of the punctuation marks in a given text. Pictures are far superior to words while communicating about the visible part of our world.. may be the words can best be used for describing / expressing anything abstract and therefore invisible...

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), third president of the United States, combined the roles of lawyer and statesman with those of scientist and architect. He served in the Virginia House of Burgesses from 1769 to 1775. As a delegate to the Continental Congress, he drafted the Declaration of Independence. He later served as Governor of Virginia before becoming ambassador to France and then Secretary of State under George Washington. Vice President under John Adams and leader of the Democratic-republican Party, he became President in 1801, serving two terms.

Important events of Jefferson’s presidency included the Tripolitan War (1801-050; the Louisiana Purchase (1803); the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-06); and the Embargo Act (1807). After his retirement from political life, he devoted himself to intellectual activities at his home, Monticello. At the age of 76, he founded the University of Virginia. He died on July 4,1826.

(Extracted from The Story of the West published by Smithsonian Institution)

Stephen E. Ambrose in his book about Lewis and Clark Expedition -Undaunted Courage –informs us that “when Jefferson took the Oath of Office on March, 1801, the nation contained 5,308,483 persons. Nearly one out of five was a Negro slave. Although the boundaries stretched from the Atlantic to the Mississippi River, from the Great Lakes nearly to the Gulf of Mexico (roughly a thousand miles by a thousand miles), only a relatively small area was occupied. Two thirds of the people lived within fifty miles of tidewater. Only four roads crossed the Appalachian Mountains.”

“The potential of the United States, Stephen Ambrose continues, was if not limitless, certainly vast—and vastly greater if the nation could add the trans-Mississippi portion of the continent to its territory. In 1801, however, it was not clear the country could hold on to its existing territory between the Appalachians and the Mississippi, much less add more western land. The Whisky Rebellion by the trans-Appalachian residents had shown that they were already disposed to think of themselves as the germ of an independent nation that would find its outlet to the world market place not across the mountains to the Atlantic Seaboard, but by the Ohio and Mississippi river system to the Gulf of Mexico.( Jefferson’s own Vice President Aaron Burr was full of plots and schemes and conspiracies to break the west loose from the United States and form a new nation.) This threat of session was quite real since the United States had itself come into existence by an act of rebellion and secession.”

“Louisiana in 1801--that part of North America lying between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains—was up for grabs. The contestants were the British coming out of Canada, the Spanish coming up from Texas and California, the French coming up the Mississippi-Missouri from New Orleans, the Russians coming down from the Northwest, and the Americans from the East. But European ambitions for the inland empire were more theoretical than real, partly because the chief concerns of the contestants were their own wars with one another within Europe, even more because of time and distance, mountains and rivers. In 1801, the European nations were no more capable of exploring, conquering, settling, and exploiting the western two-thirds of North America than they had been in the preceding three centuries." But Jefferson’s Americans, as Stephen Ambrose informs us, had two great advantages over their European rivals. First, Americans had already started their westward movement towards Mississippi "and some of them had even crossed it to settle, most of them illegally, in Upper Louisiana. Americans, in short, were beginning to take physical possession of lands to which the Europeans had only claims or hopes. The second great advantage was that the United States had Thomas Jefferson for its leader.”

As Ambrose asserts, “In an age of imperialism, Jefferson was the greatest empire builder of all. His mind encompassed the continent. From the beginning of the revolution, he thought of the United States as a nation stretching from sea to sea (from Atlantic to Pacific).. More than any other man, he made that happen.”

VISIT CANADA –12

 

We left for Calgary in the morning, happy that we would have to travel 50 kms less than we had expected. I continued to look out of my window and tried to take in as much of the countryside outside as was possible. One sees the Rockies and they appear nearer as frozen water channels separate them from the tourists on the road. You can see the pictures below and perhaps understand what I meant by ‘seeing things in two dimensions’..

These frozen water channels, sometimes, turn into small frozen or thawing lakes and one finds bears, deer and horned sheep (see below) straying out of the forest that lies on the other side.. There are peaceful picnic areas along the way and also trails for short hikes

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Wild life seen above has been ‘shot’ by Manaswini while all other pictures of the Canadian Rockies, the Lakes, the Canyons etc have been taken by Mukul. You can see below some of the beautiful pictures taken by him during the whole tour except for the last one.

Seattle downtown as seen from the Space Shuttle.

Victoria. An impressive view of Empress Hotel

Roadside show at Victoria waterfront

With Queen Victoria in Victoria

 

War Memorial in Victoria

 

From Banff to Jasper (Below)

    

 

 

 

Turbulence and Tranquility (Below)

 

Rockies in varying configurations (Below)

Three Ms—Mukul, Manaswini and the Mountains

 

Manu now was at the wheel and we reached Banff in less than three hours. We had enough time for a leisurely lunch at a Sri Lankan counter in a food court. We reached Calgary even earlier and decided to drive around its downtown before going to the airport for returning the rental car. We had a road map of Calgary but it was not of much help and we soon lost our way. Mukul took over the wheel once again saying that he would rather drive by his instincts than follow the map. It worked and we were soon on the airport road.

We checked in at the airport and also went through the Immigration & Customs Counter that the United States maintains at Calgary airport. It meant that we would be simply coming out of the domestic section of San Francisco airport. I felt a little empty; perhaps it happens to all of us on reaching the end of all great holidays. I adjusted my watch since the local Canadian time was ahead of California time by an hour and walked into the duty free shop at the airport. I asked the young Sikh girl at the counter to give me two bottles of premium Canadian whisky--- I did want to extend my Canadian connection ….

                                                                                 (Concluded)

VISIT CANADA –11

 

We set out in the morning for seeing the Sunwapta Falls.first and then onto the Athabasca Falls before taking a Tramway–similar to the Gondola at Banff but bigger—at Jasper. You can see Sunwapta Falls and Athabasca Falls below. All these Falls are characteristic and quite different from each other but they all demonstrate the turbulent mood of water, whereas the lakes represent its tranquility.

 

Sunwapta Falls

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Athabasca Falls

 

Jasper too has a cable car called Tramway that takes you to the top of the Whistler’s Mountain and one can see half a dozen mountain ranges, glacial-fed lakes,meandering rivers, and the scenic jasper town.

 

 

View of Jasper Town from above     

 

                                                             Manu atop Whistler’s Mtn

Maligne Canyon in Jasper National Park was the last item in our itinerary and it certainly was not the least. As one follows the Canyon trail, one can cross as many bridges as one would like to, but the return journey is uphill and time consuming. We had time and energy for going a little beyond the second bridge but looking down into the Canyon while standing on the second bridge was simply great. Earlier we mentioned about two contrasting moods of water and the same can be well illustrated by these two pictures below. You can see the Maligne Canyon below and understand what the Canadian artist means by turbulent mood of the element of water. You can see the tranquil lake just below the Maligne Canyon. This lake too is near Jasper.

We returned to our hotel, located about 50 kms South of Jasper--in the evening. A couple from Belgium stayed in the adjoining suite and the man was talkative and very friendly. He talked about how Jindals and Tatas had surprised the world by taking over steel and automobile companies from Europe. Tomorrow, we drive back to Calgary.

VISIT CANADA -10

 

“Majestic doesn't even begin to describe this place. It's like Nature saved her finest jewels for Banff and Jasper. It's the kind of place you think only exists in photographs – which is a shame, really. Photographs don't nearly do it justice.”

(Extracted from the Web—but it expresses exactly what I felt when I saw it all)

We left our hotel in Banff and set out on our journey towards Jasper. After one crosses Lake Louise village, Highway 93 (Icefields Parkway) branches off to Jasper. The journey turned out to be the most spectacular road travel that I ever had. Highway 93 is internationally known as one of the most magnificent mountain drives to be found anywhere in the world. The road curves around mountains, climbs high passes and follows three major river systems flowing through wide hanging valleys and goes past the Athabasca Glacier and Columbia Icefields; the resultant vistas simply take one’s breath away.

We stopped en route, as all tourists do, for seeing Crowfoot Glacier, Bow Lake, Peyto Lake and finally at Columbia Icefield. Glaciers and Icefields were frozen as could be expected , but the summer had not yet fully set in and  some of the lakes  were in the process of thawing.

Bow Lake

Bow Summit and Peyto lake

Crowfoot Glacier

We now move on to Columbia Icefield – undoubtedly a major attraction for all tourists that visit Banff and Jasper. But I think we need to know its geography too.

Continental Divide

The Columbia Icefield is composed of a massive plateau of ice, and six major glaciers (and numerous smaller ones). Straddling the Great Continental Divide (marked in RED in above map) that runs along and over the Rocky Mountains, the icefield feeds three of the continent’s major river systems: the Columbia, Mackenzie and Saskatchewan. Meltwaters from the icefield flow to three different oceans (the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic). Called a hydrological apex, it is one of only two in North America that feeds three oceans, the other being Triple Divide Peak on the Montana/Idaho border in United States at the junction of the Great and the Northern Continental Divide (marked in GREEN).

We took a tour of the Athabasca Glacier / Columbia Icefield in a snow-coach (Brewster Ice Explorer). You can see these old and new snow vehicles and also the Icefield below.

 

We had selected a hotel near Sunwapta Falls for Jasper – the last leg of our tour. It was quite late when we reached our hotel but we had got used to that by now..

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VISIT CANADA -9

 

Banff National Park is Canada’s first national park and the second established in North America after Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Established in 1885, the Park encompasses 6,641 square kilometers of mountainous terrain, with numerous glacier and icefields, dense coniferous forest and alpine landscapes. In 1985, the United Nations declared this Park, as one of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, a World Heritage Site. The main commercial centre of the park is the town of Banff. At 1,463 m (4,800 ft), this town has the highest elevation in Canada. Banff is a major destination for outdoor sports like hiking, biking and skiing.

We left our hotel in Banff town in the morning and headed for catching the first possible Sulphur Mountain Gondola. These Gondolas, climbing from the lower terminal at the bottom of the Sulphur Mountain, take you up to 7486 feet above sea level in about eight minutes. One gets to have a beautiful 360 degree view of all surrounding mountaintops. From the observation terrace of the upper terminal, one can walk up to the historic Cosmic Station for yet another breathtaking view of the valley below. Standing atop Sulphur Mountain, one can also see Lake Louise and Moraine Lake in the distance and these two famed lakes were next on our itinerary but more about them later. You can see the pictures of the Sulphur Mountain for now.

Gondola in flight

From Cosmic Station to Gondola Terminus and View of Banff Town from above

TransCanada Highway 1 connects Banff and Lake Louise but Bow Valley Parkway, called as Highway 1A, provides a scenic alternative. 1A also takes you via Johnston Canyon, one of Banff Park’s most visited attractions and as one walks on the pathway and sees the water gushing out of those gorges, one understands why. As I was walking to the Lower Falls, I noticed a wooden signboard with a quote from a Canadian painter. . I liked the quote and wrote it down immediately. Similar impulse had seized me when I first saw that painting in the corridor of our hotel in Victoria when we had lost no time in taking its picture. It always is a spontaneous reaction. The sign also mentioned that Walter Phillips was so captivated by the beauty of Johnston Canyon, that he kept returning to it, again and again, to enjoy its many moods.

“Water is the most expressive element in nature. It responds to every mood from tranquility to turbulence.”

Lower Falls in Johnston Canyon

Lake Louise, known as ‘Lake of little fishes’ by Stony Indians, was first shown by a Stony guide to a Canadian explorer in 1882; the latter wanted to name it as Emerald Lake. However the colonial Government had different ideas and the lake was named after Queen Victoria’s daughter as we had seen earlier.

You can see above the Lake Louise at it appears in summer. The emerald colour of the water comes from rock flour carried into the lake by melt-water from the glaciers that overlook the lake. You can also see Chateau Lake Louise - a luxury resort hotel built in the early decades of the 20th century by the Canadian Pacific Railway. You can now see it below as we saw it when the summer had not yet set in.

We were early and the summer had not yet begun; we could see only the frozen version of the Lake Louise and also that of the Morain Lake since, both these lakes are fed by the surrounding glaciers. Morain Lake, set in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, provided a backdrop scene for the back of the Canadian $20 bill for many years. You can see Manu on Morain Lake.

Seeing a frozen lake is a novel experience. Frozen Lake Louise appears regularly in a TV commercial in the United States. But I was to undergo a strange experience on the following day while motoring out to Jasper. As I looked, over the intervening frozen mass of water, and across to the distant hills, I somehow felt that I was  grossly underestimating the distance to these hills; the whole landscape appeared two-dimensional, with the third dimension of depth making a complete disappearance. I remarked to Mukul that we humans paint our curtains and the draperies for creating a three-dimensional effect on the theatre-stage, but ironically enough, the Nature appears to have taken away one dimension from this three-dimensional landscape. May be it was some kind of an optical illusion, or was it ?

Tomorrow, we begin our journey from Banff to Jasper.

VISIT CANADA -8

We checked out of the hotel in Victoria but kept our baggage there and proceeded to visit the Museum. Canadians refer to the Indians -original inhabitants of North America- as First Peoples or First Nations while the Americans call them as Native Americans. I watched Malcolm X starring Danziel Washington last week and I could quite understand what Malcolm X meant when he asserted to his black audience that “We are not Americans”. The Museum was about these First Peoples and also about the first settlers in Canada. One enclosure showed life-sized cutouts of Canadians of all colours and creed and a proud Punjabi woman stared at you from a distance. There were wedding dresses on display and these included our own Rajasthani and Punjabi attire. Soft music played in the background and I could recognize a popular Punjabi folksong tune.

Our flight from Victoria to Calgary was scheduled in the afternoon. Airport at Victoria is small from North American standards and I found most flights going to Calgary, Vancouver and Seattle. We arrived at Calgary; some of the janitors at the airport appeared to be Sikh / Punjabi women and their second generation –young Indian Canadian girls-- were also at work as immigration, customs and other airport officials.

Calgary was not on our itinerary and we had decided to land there because of its proximity to Alberta’s Rocky Mountains and because it would be easier to rent a car there. Calgary, situated on the banks of the Bow River, is the largest city in Alberta. Calgary Stampede (started in 1912) is Calgary’s best-known tourist attraction. I recalled that Maharashtra Mandal from Silicon Valley had staged a Marathi play at Calgary in 2001, when the City had hosted the tenth convention of all such cultural bodies in North America.

We picked up a brand new Ford-Fusion from Hertz --the rental agency- and were on our way to Banff. We had decided to stop en route for dinner at an Indian restaurant. recommended by a Hertz official. We did find the place but it turned out to be a Take Away joint that was run by a Hindu Bangaladeshi. I was surprised to see many Ganesh idols but a solitary Durga statue in his shop. The place wore the look of a house and the whole family seemed at work with women doing the cooking. They obliged us by putting together a makeshift dining table and giving their own crockery. Mukul reciprocated by dropping a generous tip cum donation in the collection box kept on the counter.

It was late in the evening when we reached, first the entrance to Banff National Park and then Banff town but not before driving for an hour more, so it seemed…

 

    Banff Town

VISIT CANADA-7

 

Alberta Province of Canada.

Alberta is located to the East of British Columbia and the boundary between these two Canadian provinces partly follows the line of peaks of the Rocky Mountains range along the Continental Divide, which runs in northwesterly direction. It shares an international boundary with Montana State of the United States along 49^th parallel. Alberta has two major cities –Edmonton and Calgary -- with population exceeding one million. Calgary is a major distribution and transportation hub as well as one of Canada's major commerce centres. Edmonton known for famed West Edmonton Mall, is the primary supply and service hub for Canada's oil sands and other northern resource industries. Alberta is named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (1848—1939), the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. Lake Louise (see the map on top SOUTH), the village of Caroline, and Mount Alberta were also named in honour of Princess Louise.

 

The Rocky Mountains

 

The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 4,800 kilometers from northernmost British Columbia in Canada, to New Mexico in the United States. (see map above) Rivers that flow from the Rocky Mountains eventually drain into three of the world's oceans: the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Arctic Ocean. It may not be commonly known that hidden 1,000 feet beneath the surface of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming states of the U.S.A, lies the largest untapped oil reserve in the world - more than 2 TRILLION barrels.

Banff and Jasper

Alberta's Rocky Mountains include well known tourist destinations Banff National Park and Jasper National Park.(see the map on top SOUTH). The two mountain parks are connected by the scenic Icefields Parkway. Banff is located 128 km west of Calgary on Highway 1, and Jasper is located 295 kms from Banff. Jasper is also connected to Edmonton by Yellowhead Highway (366 km). Banff, Jasper and the Rocky Mountains are visited by about three million people every year.

(To be continued …..)

VISIT CANADA –6

 

Butchart Gardens

    See how an abandoned quarry has been transformed into a Sunken Garden. This is what landscaping is  all about!

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VISIT CANADA - 5

We did manage to visit Curry House – the Indian Restaurant in Victoria—on second day of our stay. Food was average but it tasted familiar and that was all that mattered. Pick up transport for our visit to the Butchart Gardens was to arrive in the morning of the following day. I spoke to the Housekeeper who had come around in the morning; she was a Parsee from Amachi Mumbai and she spoke to Anu in flawless Marathi. She left a generous replenishment of coffee, creamer etc and also some fresh milk for us since we, in her own words, were her Gaavwallas. Pick up transport arrived on time and took us to the bus that was scheduled to leave for the Butchart Gardens.

The Butchart Gardens are located 21 kms North of Victoria in Brentwood Bay in Greater Victoria. Greater Victoria also known as Greater Victoria Region, is a cultural rather than political entity, and comprises of thirteen easternmost municipalities on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. The driver of the bus doubled also a guide on our 25-minute drive and told us about the recurring debates about amalgamating some of these municipalities into Victoria. He seemed to subscribe to the Contra view. As we passed by a beautiful lake, he informed us that the Canadian Rowing Team was presently practicing there for the Beijing Olympics. (Greater Victoria Region had hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1994). I was surprised to learn from him that average yearly income in Victoria was about 50,000 Canadian Dollars.

As I sat listening to our driver cum guide, my eyes were busy caressing the very pretty countryside that opened up through the window. I had not read about what Kipling had to say about Victoria till then but I too sensed similarity between the typical English countryside that I had seen in 2005 and what I was seeing now although the English countryside had seemed greener. I was a little surprised when I found myself wishing (in retrospect), that I had settled down here soon after leaving the Army in ’91. I could have taken up a teaching or even an administrative job somewhere. May be, it was a cumulative effect of all that I had seen and heard, sensed and perceived and even imagined since I entered Victoria but I had never had such a feeling earlier as I had traveled across Europe and the United States. Now onto the Butchart Gardens.

In 1904, the concept of The Butchart Gardens began with an effort to beautify a worked-out quarry site on the 130-acre estate of Mr. and Mrs. R.P. Butchart, pioneers in the manufacture of Portland Cement in Canada. Their endeavour became a family commitment to horticulture and hospitality spanning more than 90 years and delighting visitors from all over the world. From the exquisite Sunken Garden to the charming Rose Garden, this 50-acre show-place still maintains the gracious traditions of the past, in one of the loveliest corners in the world. From summer splendour to autumn's golden glory and sparkling holiday magic - there's always something to see, learn and experience. Fiftty acres of floral finery offering spectacular views as you stroll along meandering paths and expansive lawns. (Extracted from the web.)

The Tourist Season in North America is mainly Summer and starts in June. We were a little early for summer but the Spring was still on. Sunken Garden and the Rose Garden are the two main attractions. We were a little unlucky since the Rose Garden was empty as the roses were to bloom in July but we did manage to see the Sunken Garden in its full glory. We were particularly impressed by the magnificent Tulips in various colours.

I do not think any description in words can do justice for the beauty and the splendour of the Butchart Gardens. Therefore, please look out for the Visit Canada 6 (Pictorial) that I would be sending subsequently, but you would need to unzip it for viewing.

VISIT CANADA 4

Victoria is British and has remained so since Kipling visited it at the turn of the twentieth century. Men from our generation speak with a clearly discernible British accent although the younger generation seems to be under the influence of the American brand of the language. Victoria is a small town with none –too- broad streets. Its main street called Government, is the main shopping mall that runs for a kilometer before ending into a China Town that all North American cities seem to have. China Town in Victoria is the second oldest in North America presumably after its counterpart in San Francisco. Victoria has a beautiful waterfront and just walking along it, is a pleasurable experience. Many hotels including the Empress and Legislature Building (also called Parliament; probably a hangover from the days when British Columbia was self-governing and had not yet joined the Canadian Confederation) are located along the waterfront. We also saw roadside booking counters for horse-drawn carriage tours. (See above). We looked around for an Indian restaurant as I had had enough of Raviolis, Tacos, Quesadillas and Tortillas while staying for last two months in California. Unfortunately, the restaurant had closed for the day since it was already past nine. Canada being in the Northern Hemisphere has a long day (16-17 hours) during Summer and we had to get used to that for the next few days.

We returned to the hotel after ten but the darkness had not yet set in. I tried fiddling with the table radio and was a little taken aback when Lata Mangeshkar blared out. The song was followed by a commentary in Punjabi and then it was Punjabi all the way. Yes, I had stumbled on a 24 hour Punjabi Radio channel broadcasting from the City of Vancouver.

The first Sikhs who visited Canada (Vancouver) were the soldiers of the British Army (the Sikh Lancers and Infantry). They passed through Canada on their way back to India, after participating in the Diamond Jubilee celebration of Queen Victoria in London, in 1897. On their way back from Canada to India, they met other British Army Sikh soldiers in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore and told them about the opportunities in Canada, before going back to Punjab. Significantly, 1899 saw the first batch of Sikh immigrants into North America, both at Vancouver and at Victoria in Canada and at San Francisco in the United States, and most of them had served in the Indian Army in Far East. More than 5000 South Asians, over 90% of them Sikhs, came to British Columbia before their immigration was banned in 1908. The Canadian Government even conceived a scheme to deport all Sikhs to British Honduras in the same year. After the 1960s, Canada's immigration laws were liberalized, allowing far more Sikhs to immigrate to Canada. The Sikh population has rapidly increased in the decades since. Presently, Sikhs numbering over 300,000 constitute a visible minority in Canada. Today almost half of Canada's Sikh population live in British Columbia. Ujjal Dosanjh, a Sikh, served as the Premier (Chief Minister) of British Columbia from 2000 to 2001 before moving out as Federal Health Minister. He had arrived as a teenager in Canada. Barely able to speak English, he worked in the sawmills of British Columbia, before moving on to a career in law. Canadian Government released a postal stamp in April 1999, commemorating the 100^th anniversary of the Sikhs in Canada and to quote Tarik Ali Khan, “From the lumberyard to the postage stamp, the Sikhs of Canada seem to have made it”.

We planned to visit the star attraction of Victoria on the following day – the Butchart Gardens. But before that, I would like you all to see a picture that was hung in the corridor of our Hotel. Mukul took its snap, with and without flash since he wanted to avoid the glare appearing in the photo.

I find the theme of the picture particularly interesting. His Holiness as he sits (?) for the portrait, looks a little younger than God but notice the transformation on the canvas.

VISIT CANADA 3

 

You can see us standing on the ferry while waiting to go ashore in Victoria. You can see the famed Empress Hotel directly behind Manaswini (Manu).

I think attitude of the Immigration authorities of a country shows how serious it is about attracting international tourists. May be the United States, while making a singular contribution to international tourism in most other countries, is quite content with the flow of domestic tourists to its places of attraction and does not necessarily need tourists from other countries. Moreover for many of us, USA per se, is one big attraction. On each of my visit to the States, I did not find a single immigration official who was not stern-faced and devoid of humour. They seemed more interested in my departure and would have been very happy to put me on the return flight the very next day. My first ever Canadian experience was so very different. The young lady at the counter was friendly, courteous and absolutely positive. I was a little confused when she asked me how long we would be staying on in the United States before returning to India. She perceived my hesitation in answering and hastened to add that although our visa was for a single entry, this stipulation was not applicable if we returned to Canada once again while remaining in the States before returning to India. She said that many visitors were not aware of this provision for tourists coming over from the States. It made sense because Manu and Mukul being permanent residents of the United States (Green card holders) did not require Canadian visa.

Our hotel was just across the street; we wheeled our baggage and reached the reception but not before taking in as much of the magnificent waterfront as was possible. It was a little after six in the evening and we decided to come out after freshening ourselves.

As we walked along the waterfront. You can see the Legislative Assembly of the British Columbia province in the background. This architecture is what is known as Edwardian. Anu and Manu are in the left bottom corner

Same building at night. This reminded me of the erstwhile Vicoria Terminus in Mumbai when it used to be illuminated on our Republic Day. Many of you may not have known about it, much less seen that illumination.

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VISIT CANADA-2

 

Brief History of Victoria—Extracted from Wikipedia

Province of British Columbia Vancouver Island

The Spanish and British took up the exploration of the northwest coast of North America beginning with the voyage of Captain James Cook in 1776, although the Victoria area of the Strait of Juan de Fuca was not penetrated until 1791. Erected in 1843 as a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post, and known briefly as "Fort Albert", the settlement was later christened Fort Victoria, in honour of Queen Victoria. When the crown Colony of Vancouver Island was established in 1849, a town was laid out on the site and made the capital of the colony.

With the discovery of gold on the British Columbia mainland in 1858, Victoria became the port, supply base, and outfitting centre for miners, mushrooming from a population of 300 to over 5000 literally within a few days. In 1866 when the island was politically united with the mainland, Victoria remained the capital of the new united colony and became the provincial capital when British Columbia joined the Canadian Confederation in 1871. Victoria was incorporated as a city in 1862. In 1865, Esquimalt, located to Victoria’s East, was made the North Pacific home of the Royal Navy, and remains Canada's west coast naval base.

In 1886, with the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway terminus on the west coast of the mainland British Columbia, Victoria's position as the commercial centre of British Columbia was irrevocably lost to the City of Vancouver.(Please note that the City of Vancouver is situated on the west coastline of the mainland British Columbia and is NOT a part of Vancouver Island). Victoria subsequently began cultivating an image of genteel civility within its natural setting, an image aided by the impressions of visitors such as Rudyard Kipling, the opening of the popular Butchart Gardens in 1904 and the construction of the Empress Hotel by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1908. A real estate and development boom ended just before World War I, leaving Victoria with a large stock of Edwardian public, commercial and residential structures that have greatly contributed to the City's character.

It was Kipling who, after visiting Victoria, called it a Little Bit of Old England and remarked, “Amongst all the beautiful places in the world, and I think I have seen the most beautiful of them, Victoria ranks the highest.”

Visit Canada (2008)

                                                                             

 

We had mailed our passports to Canadian consulate at Los Angeles for visa almost two weeks before our scheduled date of departure. We expected to receive them a couple of days earlier, but we heard nothing from them till Friday – when we were supposed to be catching a flight for Seattle on Saturday morning. Manu and Mukul had to spend a couple of hours firstly, for cancellation of earlier air and hotel reservations, and secondly for arranging them once again after we had received our visas on Saturday. We were to return on Thursday as per our original schedule since I did not want to miss out on my weekly golf lesson on Friday, but when it was clear that golf lesson was now out for that week, Manu decided to extend our stay in Canada by one more day while rescheduling. We were to leave now a day later but return on Saturday instead of Thursday as planned earlier.

 

Western Canada shares its southern boundary with Washington , Idaho and Montana states of  the United States. Western Canada’s southernmost province –British Columbia shares sea and land border with Washington State and a partial land border with Idaho and Montana states while Alberta –its neighbouring province to the East –sits atop Montana State. The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water- about 95 miles-- forming the principal outlet for the Georgia Strait (in Canada) and Puget Sound (in United States) connecting both to the Pacific Ocean. It provides part of the international boundary between the United States and Canada. Seattle, the Washington state's largest city, lies in the center of the Puget Sound region, while the Georgia Strait, to its North, separates Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia. Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia. A passenger ferry called Victoria Clipper runs between these two cities.

 

We left for San Jose airport a little before seven in the morning since our flight for Seattle was at nine. Air travel suits North America since the distances are so large. I fastened my seat belt and looked out for the cabin crew. Stewardesses on American domestic airlines have come a long way since ‘Tea, Coffee or Me’ was written by Trudy Baker and Rachel Jones. May be the QR for their selection has since undergone a change. They are indeed efficient and friendly but aren’t they too (bloody) plain looking? I saw one wearing a pair of spectacles (and resultantly a Jassi look), and during our return flight, I thought one of them looked very near being a mother in law.

 

We landed at Seattle airport at about eleven and rushed to the ferry site. Seattle has a very pretty waterfront and the ferry site was right at its end at Pier 69. Alaska cruises leave from Seattle on three days in a week and we noticed a huge luxury liner or a floating hotel berthed at a nearby pier. This ship was scheduled to leave that day and we had also noticed its reception staff at the airport. Our ferry was to leave at three in the afternoon; we checked in our baggage and were now free to roam around. Mukul amd Manu had visited Seattle earlier and they decided to take us to Seattle’s star attraction –Space Needle. (see below)

 

One can easily walk from Pier 69 to the Space Needle but we decided to take a taxi and take a short tour of the waterfront before going to the Space Needle. Google now runs an SMS service and one can easily find out a wide range of information about any city in the United States. Manu sent an SMS for the telephone number of a cab company in Seattle and she received it promptly. Manu rang up that number and the cab was on the way. Cab driver was a Sikh and also an ex-serviceman.

 

Space Needle is a 605 feet –high tower that was built for 1962 World Fair. From the top of the Needle, one can see not only the Seattle Downtown, but also the Olympic and Cascade Mountains and surrounding islands.

 

Victoria Clipper is a medium-sized ferry designed to carry passengers only. The ferry runs through the Puget Sound for a considerable distance before entering the Pacific. Therefore, one sees land on both sides for a major part of the travel time. As the ferry enters the Pacific, the amplitude of the waves increases and there is some excitement all around. I went outside and sat near the rudder for some time. I had spent a lot of time sitting on the uppermost deck of a none-too-comfortable passenger steamship while traveling from Campbell Bay in Great  Nicobar to Port Blair in South Andaman. The journey had lasted over two days and I did not see any land for most hours of my journey. Sky changes its appearance during the day as the fleeting clouds pass by and one does not get bored watching a star-lit sky at night, but the sea is so monotonous to watch. I think we all like to look at the sea but only from the safety and the comfort of the sea-shore.

 

It was around six in the evening when we berthed at the inner harbour of Victoria and were asked to disembark.  

(To be continued…)