You know that
feeling when you have been planning something for months & months and when
it finally happens, it passes by so quickly. Before you know its over. Yes,
that feeling is what I’m feeling right now!
Canada trip was my perfect holiday. Beautiful destination, interesting food,
awesome people, and great drives - it had everything one traveller could ask
for. Even more, because this one also offered family to the home-sick-me. My
own mom dad’s family is pretty small, and marrying into my husband’s huge family
I got in bonus a whole lot of relations that I only knew existed in other
peoples lives or in Bollywood. I’ve never had a massi (maternal aunt). And
after I became a massi to my own sister’s daughter I realized why was it such a
big deal to have one. She’s every niece nephew’s grown-up best friend. And it’s
just so obvious and so natural, and only if you have one, you will know the
massi bond, it’s a magic that cannot be worded. Also, being a chachi & a mami is like a promotion that comes only with a marriage, and this Canada trip was giving all of that to me! So all in all, his
relatives, are my relatives, though I value them even more because life has
given them to me after a lot many years! Hence this Canada trip was special x
2!
So Canada, it’s a
laid back America with a British soul. My husband and I had been planning our
Canada trip ever since we got married and his Massi persistently insisted us to
visit them soon due to our US-Canada close proximity. So we got our Visas
through an extremely simple online application process. And drove through the
Detroit-Canada border. As our car drove by the immigration window, we sat up
straight, rolled down the windows, and got attentive. You know how toll plazas
have lanes and people drive by, pay tickets and zoom out… that’s exactly how
this cross border immigration plaza was. Cross the Lake Erie, of which one side
of the lake is USA and the other is Canada, cross the bridge, join the smallest
line of your choice and wait for your turn. When we arrived at the booth, the
officer greeted us and my husband handed over our passports to him. We had read
on several online portals that these immigration officers ask grueling
questions, check luggage and are strict so we were alert and ready to answer
them all. And then, just after asking where are we going, the officer went away
with our passports. We sat straight, discussing amongst ourselves, where
possibly he could go, how long will it take, what will do if we are rejected, analyzing
the immigration building in front of us, and trying to look as composed as we
could while the turmoil within us was on full swing. Even if you have travelled
half way of the globe, getting an immigration refusal is something that no one wants.
And just then that man appeared back in the window, after the longest 5-6
minutes of our lives. He handed back our passports and said, Guy, I’ve stamped
them right away, no need to go to the immigration office, have a good stay folks.
We flipped through the passports in sheer disbelief and gleamingly entered the
new country. And then I understood, that the metaphor ‘cake walk’ was invented
on the Canada-US border!
To start with, I
loved Canada. After USA it’s certainly not a country you will fall in love with
in one go. But the simple reason why we love India more than USA applies here
too… family! Hence I love Canada. It’s a beautiful country but well, USA is
gifted too. Canada is a more feel at home kind of country for Indians
specially. It’s not super-tech, jazzy, glamorous like the American big cities,
but it’s comforting. It’s very easy to settle and feel at home, feel welcomed
in Toronto. I was surprised when my uncle told me that only 50% of the population
is by birth Canadian, rest of them are all immigrants from across the globe.
And to that I would like to believe that the rest of 40% population is of
Desi’s (Punjabi Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshi’s, Sri Lankans). Nevertheless,
because of that it houses the best Indian restaurants. In Canada I ate idlis softer than anywhere in the real
Deccan. Dal Makhani better than most of Delhi restaurants and not just that,
but a restaurant named Tandoori Flame, offering buffet with 150 items, which is
as big as an average Delhi wedding! Yes all of that divine tasting food in
Canada. Anyways, food and the works is not my forte, traveling and
experiencing places is. So back to that!
Canada as a country
realizes its pluses and minuses more than any other country. And when I say
that, I mean that Canada knows its short comings and is doing its best to
better itself which I think is amazing. They know, they need to constantly up
their economy, hence they provide awesome citizenship opportunities for
outsiders to come work in their country and consume Canadian products &
services. They know Toronto lake front is awesome yet not like the Chicago
lake, so they are trying to make it equally awesome now. They know the world
famous Niagara falls is best viewed from Canada and not from anywhere else, so they
have made it extremely tourist friendly with best of hotels, things-to-do, kids
attractions, eating joints, casinos and
several options for good tourist influx. It’s a developed country thriving in
every possible way it can to keep its growth curve upwards. And in a totally
unbiased manner I can safely conclude they are doing a very good job.
No Delhi girl’s
Starbucks is complete without Instagraming it, right? Or no Indian’s shopping
is elite if it’s not a big UK/US brand! Canadians are different. Be surprised. They
will have a Starbucks against their very own Tim Hortons’ only over their dead
bodies. If ‘The Real Canadian Superstore’ has 150 customer cars parked outside,
Walmart in the same complex will have only about 20-50 cars. For the 6 months
cold country of Canada Tim Hortons coffee and bake shop is a real life line. It
offers really delicious and flavorful Iced Capp for summers, and French Vanilla
for winters at a price that will not burn a hole in anyone’s pocket even if
they have to have it everyday. So if ever, you visit Canada, you will not have
to remember this blog and find a Tim Horton to know if I was right. Rather a
Tim Horton’s will find you, because believe it or not there’s literally one in
every kilometer out there.
Canada is a superb
place to visit in summers. Well, I was told, there are only 2 seasons in Canada
– the winter season (Nov-Apr) and the construction season (May-Oct)! And only
when you visit there in summers you will realize what does that mean! Every
road, highway, bridge, flyover, toll road has some maintenance or construction
going on. All the houses are being built or renovated. Rest of the months, will
be stay at home, stay warm months. Until then construct, enjoy the sun, the
perfect-for-picnic weather and breathe the fresh summer breeze. Canada has about 15
really enormous lakes to boast about, though Lake Huron & Lake Ontario
being the only ones that I got to explore. Lake Huron is very near to London
and we drove the beautiful countryside with almost every house selling
homegrown products or organic food supplies in their yard. For those of you
wondering, why am I mentioning London time and again… Canada, like India was a
British ruled country, so there is a London city here, with a river called
Thames, a Highway called the Queen Elizabeth Way and almost every aspect of
life with a British influence. So much so, that the metric systems are of
Kilometers and degrees. All these, made me feel home in more than one way!
Toronto is a great
city with a very relaxed lifestyle, and huge distances. Infact it’s a lot like our
Delhi in some aspects. GTA – Grand Toronto Area (like our NCR) comprises of
Mississauga, Brampton & Oakville. Huge suburban distances yet people enjoy
living in far off from work, yet big, beautiful houses. It’s a really beautiful
city by the Lake Ontario.
While we were in
Toronto, we took the city Jump on, Jump off bus. For those of you who haven’t
been on one, I say it’s a must try to whichever city you go to. In India I know
Jaipur, Delhi & Mumbai have these for sure. Ones in Mumbai are the
double-decker, open-roof-top kinds like the ones abroad. I think for Delhi
& Jaipur they should also do these if the weather permits because to have a
birds eye view from the top, no glasses to obstruct vision, breeze blowing
through your face is a great way to experience the city first hand, specially
if you want to see a lot in a little time. These buses also have guides who
keep narrating to you really interesting stories, details and facts about the
places that you are going to visit or simply the places that you are passing
by. So even if you are not going to be visiting the Hyderabad house in Delhi,
they will tell you what it is, how it is, and its purpose. And that’s the real
touristy way if you ask me to explore the city.
Other than these, another
must do in Canada is the ferry ride through the lake Ontario. It starts from
the harbor front and have very very entertaining and knowledgeable tour guides.
The one on my boat was a young vibrant girl from some college doing it in her
summer break… but man, she was good at it. When you have the most amazing
sights to look at, really awesome company to chit-chat with, and you still
choose to hear her out with all the concentration to the things she’s narrating
about the island and the surroundings… it means she’s really good! And like I
said, she was. But perhaps, not everywhere back home in India we have guides
like that, do we? I keep referring back and forth to India for everything
simply because, no matter where I roam, India will be my home. Nevertheless,
right now you are traveling Canada with me, so let’s read on!
And above I
mentioned maple syrup, for those who aren’t aware, maple leaf; maple tree is
the designer tree leaf that got popular through the Shahrukh movie Mohabattein.
If it still didn’t click you, here’s a peek-a-boo of their flag…
However, I’m yet to
understand what is it that makes maple leaf an identity of Canada because I’ve
more maple trees in my backyard here in USA than I saw in Canada. While Im told
its significance dates back to centuries and has a lot of historical value, I
still don’t know why is it so important to them. Though the maple syrup, the
maple cream cookies are a must try if you ever visit Canada or have relatives
bringing back stuff for you.
Toronto in particular
is full of Indians specially Punjabis. In every area you will find a huge
Gurudwara and a few Mandirs too. Like I said before it has amazing Indian
places to eat and even shopping plazas and complexes named Karol Bagh and The
Great Punjab Business Center etc. When you enter Brampton, the key residential
area for Indians, you will feel someone converted an Amritsar into a beautiful,
neat and clean city with symmetrical and pretty houses, but rest everything
remains the same. Unlike Jersey city, Dearborn street in Chicago, Southall in
UK, Brampton is surprisingly not dirty. It is pretty, yet the moment you enter
here, you will know you are in an Indian community because people will be
honking for no reason (yup just like India), changing lanes irrationally, and
breaking traffic rules wherever possible. You will feel totally in India, just
a prettier one, and trust me, it will be a very very warm feeling! I was so
glad to be here, specially after missing home and family for so many months
now. With utmost gratitude to my family and my husband I say, Punjabi naal yaarana, Kaneda Kaneda mein
jana!
Also, I want to
confess that London, Toronto (GTA) & Niagara are the only cities that I
visited in this road trip. Montreal & Vancouver I hear are more touristy
because of their scenic beauty and historical value. However, so far, this is
what I explored, this is where my family is, and this is what I share with you!
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