Travel is medicine for the soul and rejuvenates the mind and body. Arent we all aware of it?
But solo travel—what would be your idea of that? It can be very frightening as well as very rejuvenating! Let me share a tale with you.
It was October of 2019 (pre-COVID times) when I had gone to Toronto for an official conference. I extended my stay over the weekend to be able to visit Niagara Falls. It was very exciting.
The Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, which straddles the international border between the two countries. It is also known as the Canadian Falls (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_Falls).
- Approximately 600,000 gallons of water travel down Niagara Falls each second.
- The average depth of the water below Niagara Falls is 170 feet.
The Day of the Visit
The conference was scheduled to end on a Friday. Two of my colleagues and I had decided to visit the falls on Saturday. Unfortunately, early that morning, both of them had to cancel their plans. One of them had to take care of a terminally ill friend, and the other colleague wanted to catch up with a long-time friend. I had two choices:
Give up my once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit the falls!
Or
Travel solo
I looked at my watch. It was around 6:00 a.m. in the morning, and I still had time. I chose Option Two – travel solo.
The Journey
- It was a 30-minute walk from the hotel that I had put up to the train station. I asked the receptionist for directions, and he gave me a huge, big map and explained the journey to me. It was the best possible help I could get.
- Once I reached the Go Transit station, I had to book the tickets for the ride. The ride took approximately 2 hours.
- I let out a sigh of relief once I boarded the train. The ride was very picturesque and comfortable.
- Once I reached the Niagara station, I was informed that there would be a bus to take us to the place where I could book the tickets for the “Maid of the Mist” (the ferry ride to Niagara).
- The onward journey was like following the masses; I got the tickets booked and boarded the ferry.
Maid of the Mist
The entire ride is dreamy and magnificent. The ferry takes you just underneath the falls. Despite the raincoats, you would get invariably drenched. Taking photographs of the boat alone is also difficult. It is a mesmerising view of the giant waterfall that makes you feel so small in front of Mother Nature. I could also see a rainbow across the water while coming back towards the shore.
When I got lost
Having ticked off one of my wish lists, I felt elated. Little did I know of the ordeal that I would have to go through after landing. Niagara is a populous place with several casinos and eateries spread across a huge area. I came back to the place where the bus had dropped me but could not find the way back to the station. I kept asking everyone around, but everyone there was a tourist and guided me to the best of their knowledge, which was not helping. By this time, I felt hungry and tired and realised that I was alone!
I called up a colleague who was based in Canada. Luckily, I had saved her number during the conference. She guided me completely, and I came back to the place where I could get a return bus. That bus took me to Niagara station. From there, I had to board a bus back to Ontario.
The journey was long and beautiful. The roads were lined up with the fall colours—a treat to the eyes.
Finally, I was back at the hotel.
I ordered a big Turkey sandwich to end the day. Oh, what a day it was—but something worth writing home about!
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