Left the hostel at 6:30 this morning and just had enough time to pop into a Dunkin Donuts for a bacon, egg and cheese muffin with a fresh orange juice. Do as the Americans do, eh. Walked around the corner to the meeting place for the tour bus. Took me a couple of minutes to figure out where I should be going as there were about 5 different coaches waiting in the same area with related tours. Turned out that I was meant to get on a blacked out minibus and we were a party of 14 people. I said to my mum that booking this tour blind on the internet meant that it could throw up all kinds of things e.g. I could end up on a tourbus full of OAPs on a SAGA holiday or a bus full of Chinese people.......well turns out that's exactly what happened lol!! I am on a bus with an entire group of Chinese people and the tour leader, Paul, speaks broken English ha ha. There is a Hawaiian family with us - Shirley, Guy, Bryce (11) & Grant (8) - but other than that it's Chinese origin. At least I'm getting the chance to swat up on my Mandarin ha ha ha. Got to look at the positives in these things, don't ya.
It was a 7 hour drive up to Niagara and we had a few stops along the way of course. We drove through places like Albany, the capital of NY state, crossed the Hudson River (named after Henry Hudson), and Buffalo. Buffalo was once one of the largest populated places in the US but its economy has gone down so much it now only houses approx. 200,000 people. It was nice to drive over the Niagara River and see how wide it was even before you spotted the spray of the falls rising up in the distance. The Falls are made up or the American Falls (which also includes 'Bridal Wear - a fall that looks like a veil) and the larger Canadian side.
Everyone has a bucket list of things to do, and today I got to tick something else of that long list. I've always dreamt about seeing Niagara Falls and today I did more than see it. Upon arriving at the Falls, I was given my ticket that would allow me to put on that famous poncho and board the Maid of the Mist boat. I actually went into the circle of the falls and got soaked by the mist/spray coming up off the water. We circled around the whirlpool in the middle and floated past both sets of falls. I was right in the middle of it!!! Can you believe it?! I am still pinching myself a little. When you are on the observation deck at the top of the falls you can be a little naive in thinking, "Oh, they're actually not as big as I imagined" but trust me, when you are floating on a little boat in the middle of them, they are certainly an awe-inspiring sight to behold. Amazing!!!! The sound just travels through you. MIND-BLOWING! My camera felt the brunt of the damage though as I couldn't help film the experience and take pictures. A lot of them have blobs of water all in them because of the spray and my shutter wouldn't work for a while after. Did I mention that water and cameras don't necessarily mix? ;-) But what could I do, I might not get this chance again and so wanted the memory cherished somewhere that other people could have a sneaky peek at.
After the Falls we crossed the border at Rainbow Bridge and went to an IMAX theatre to watch a movie about the myths and legends of Niagara.
One includes the Thunder Spirits (believed to live under the Falls) and a young Native American maiden called Lelawana who was given by the chief of the tribe as a wife to the eldest and wisest man in the village. Of course, this hot young lass wasn't impressed by her choice of match and so had to leave the village. She told the chief that she felt the Gods were calling her away. She canoed out onto Niagara River and went over the falls. It is legend that the King of the Gods spared her and she became one with the Falls. It is also legend that her face can still be seen in the rainbow and mist of the Falls.
The movie went on to tell the tail of the teacher, Ms Taylor, who was the first person to go over the Falls in a barrel and survive. Her barrel was packed with a mattress and a pillow for her head. She took her ever-important kitten Henry along for the ride too. Air was pumped in before a cork sealed the hole and she was released down river. She was quite adamant that she wanted to to over the Canadian side of the Falls, and after seeing them I can see why....far fewer rocks to kill yourself on! She said that she did it to have fame and fortune so that she wouldn't have to teach those horrible kids anymore. Turns out, she died in absolute poverty.
Also learned about the owner of the Lelawana steamboat who managed to sail down the rapids in order to sell the boat when tourism died after the war of independence. It was good to watch on the IMAX as felt that you were white water rafting with them.
In 1961, a family was fishing on a small boat when their engine failed. The dad was killed as he didn't have chance to put on his life jacket before going through the rapids. The mum and son were dragged down towards the river. The boy went over the falls but the mum was pulled out about a foot from the edge by some people who managed to spot her and called for her to swim hard to the side. She was screaming for her son who had gone over the edge. Turns out that he made it and was picked up by one of the tourist boats, shocked, but alive. Can't believe how lucky he was.
Next was a trip up the Skylon Tower that overlooks the Falls.
Of course, I had to take a couple of photos too whilst up there. It was great to see the Falls as a whole and compare the two different sides. Can't believe I actually sailed into them! When you are up there and can see this little boat sailing, it really brings home how tall they are.
Dinner was the last stop of the day. Shirley invited me to eat with her family at a Chinese restaurant. I certainly wouldn't go back there though as the food took ages to come and then the waitress spilled all 5 drinks over Bryce's shirt and shorts. He smelled of chocolate milk all night lol. It's a memory though.
Anyway, after a dream-fulfilling day I'm a wee bit shattered so I'm hitting the hay. You can't say you've not had enough detail though ;-)
Toodles
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