GLACIER ADVENTURE

Prior to my actual vacation in Canada, my cousin send me a private message while I was still in Dubai about our plan to go on a glacier adventure. She direct me to website where I can browse the photos of the place and upon checking the link I was like a child who keep on wishing for days to pass by quickly so that I can see it personally.

Our glacier moment finally kick off. Our side plus two other families drove all the way to Jasper early in the morning. It will take 4 to 5 hours to reach our desired destination.

This is my very first weekend trip. My cousin told me to sleep since it will take more hours of driving but with this kind of scenery on both side of the road, I better be awake.

We have 2 activities on that day – visiting Columbia Ice Field and Glacier Skywalk. Some of them already experience the Skywalk many times but some has never been to ice exploration. If they are excited to come back, I am more than thrill to see both places for the first time.

Lots of visitor are coming back and forth inside the waiting area. Some of them buy their ticket. Some are waiting for their bus departure. Some are patiently waiting for their family/friends  that are gone for the actual trip. We thought we could get into a bus right away like what they been before. Things were different now. Maybe because of outnumber of people stand by for their turn.

Jasper National Park waiting area

 

We used our resting period to eat our potluck lunch and enjoy the mountain as our backdrop. The wind was so chilly that even some of us wear jacket they still felt the coldness. They keep on asking me if I’m okay as they knew I’m a newbie to that kind of weather. Thanks God I brought my shawl to use especially on this sudden drop of temperature.

 

Good to eat lunch while looking on this beautiful mountain.

The weather forecast was supposed to be sunny but it is partly cloudy when we arrived. Thanks to Heaven for not raining at all.

I saw the Athabasca Glacier from where we stand..can’t wait to see it upclose.

After a couple of hours, the staff assisted us to our bus going to Columbia Icefield. I was surprised to see that our bus driver is a lady. Wow, she got all the skills of a man to drive a big bus load of people. Kudos to her.

The road to Columbia Ice Field

I thought the lady driver will take us directly to glacier but it seems that her shift is limited to Discovery Center to waiting area 2 where another bus is waiting for us.

A snow coach especially designed for ice exploration.

As we hop on this massive bus, another experienced driver is so excited to show us the beauty of Columbia Ice Field. He’s a good driver and a tour guide in one. The movement of bus is somehow slow but we never get bored because of much information shared by our driver and the snow-capped mountain that surrounds us.

Oh that bus..looks so small but the truth is we’re just on higher ground to see it that way. We’ll also pass the same route.

It’s so gorgeous to see an ice formation on top of a mountain.

Finally, we saw the actual glacier.

So sad we got only 15 minutes to experience the glacier. Taking photos with our group, doing selfie and trying to walk in a freezing snow is already time consuming. I think this is the only downside of this trip. I hope in the future they will be more considerate as some visitors are first timers and they want extra minutes to really savor the moment.

The cold never bothered us anyway…

Though we feel a bit of ‘bitin‘ in this Columbia Ice Field, we tried to understand that we have another activity in line. We hurried back to bus and enjoy our next adventure.

My quote for that day: palakasan ng loob sa pagtapak sa salamin..Huwaw!!!!!

After our much-awaited glacier walk, its time to conquer our fear on glacier skywalk. No need to explain why they used the word ‘sky’. The photo above shows what it means to hang out  above the mountain.

Our starting point: cliff-edged walkway where they offer a free hand-held audio guide so that we can hear the complete history while doing the skywalk.

maybe the snow in this mountain is all-year round. Amazing!

The finale, of course, is a glass-floor platform that is nerve-wracking to some but pleasure for others.

Discovery Vista – a 35m observation deck from the edge of the cliff that hovers 280m above valley.

If you will ask me how I feel standing on a glass-floor with ‘bangin‘ at the bottom, I’m not afraid at all and never had dizziness in any instances. I know the skywalk is safe for everyone. It passes with safety standard so I’m pretty sure you’ll finish the trail worry-free.

The small girl who is not afraid of height. Minsan lang ito eh!

The glacier skywalk gives me the opportunity to stand in the cliff of the mountain where I can stare at the glacier above and a great view of ecosystem when I look down.

Artful creation from Heaven

Part of Sunwapta Valley

When in Skywalk, walk, stand, sit and do whatever you like. I don’t know when I will see it again so better to take a picture that will serve as my lifetime memoirs.

When I first look at the photos of Columbia Ice Field and Glacier Skywalk on the internet, I was ecstatic to come over to Canada immediately. An elevated excitement sticks on me on my actual visit. Both places left me with a breathtaking view, something I will miss when I’m back to Middle East.

AFTERNOON IN DOWNTOWN

After our walking tour in Prince’s Island Park, we spent the rest of afternoon in Downtown. This is a busy place especially during weekdays as most offices and establishment are located here. Most of the people in different communities are heading here everyday either to work, to shop or simply to pass by.

Train Station

 

 

It was lunch when we reach The Core Shopping Center or most popular known as TD Square- a shopping mall at the heart of Downtown, Calgary.

We both knew that we came from a country where all malls are built with touch of extravagant interior so she teased me not to compare what I will see in Canada. Well, it doesn’t matter at all because in my opinion, they are all equal and what’s important is the list of store you can shop inside.

Inside TD Square…maganda naman ah!

I’m not sure if the roof is fiberglass (or what is the correct description) but I really enjoy walking inside because I can see the  ray of sunshine with matching blue sky and white clouds. Maybe, it’s equally beautiful in winter when the snow is formed in the roof.

There’s a lot of food chain to choose from but I prefer to eat Pad Thai from Thai Express. The kids were happy eating KFC meal.

And gelato as dessert…

TD Square is not only a shopping destination but they have a space for relaxation. If you want to take rest after shopping or before you’ll do your next routine, then a visit to Devonian Gardens is a place to go.  

Admit it or not, we normally saw plants and flowers as a display in some stores but here in TD Square, they used it to promote wellness, touristy place and helps everyone to take a closer look at the nature within the city.

 

Devonian Gardens is an indoor public park with different varieties of grown plants, flowers and trees. Since the garden is situated inside the mall, there’s available free wifi for everybody. My two nephew were busy with their gadget, my niece is enjoying her playtime while my cousin and I are chatting.

I walk around and check the other area. My eyes were fix on the greenery wall, Koi pond and fountain which I find very relaxing.

 

Around 3:30pm when we left TD Square and Devonian Gardens. There’s a lot of interesting sculpture scattered in Downtown. We even step inside the Hotel while waiting for my cousin’s husband.

According to my cousin, our Downtown tour is not complete if we will not visit the Stephen Avenue Walk. It is an outdoor pedestrian walkway where you can find high end retail stores, plenty of eateries, cafes, historic building, short-term vendor with their seasonal/unique products, artists performing in the street and lots more.

This is how we spent our half day in Downtown. There’s more things to do, more site to visit, more restaurant to try and more live events to attend. I hope I can write it on my future post.