The History of Journey

 Some destinations though familiar to all, are difficult to mark one's feet because of harsh climate and untamed mountains. Ladakh, an UT in India is one such place. It borders with China and some places are in conflict zone which makes it even more difficult to travel. The Indian Army patrol in huge numbers and are always on alert. They say,  its the Journey that's important rather than the destination. Ladakh truly stands to that and travel to each destination is a different terrain. The destination was always in my TO-DO list and thanks to COVID, it took a backseat. I was reluctant to travel inter-state due to fluidity in the situation and ever changing covid rules in different states. Nature started to heal and things started normalising.  Quarantine rules relaxed and so was the entry criteria for vaccinated folks. But I was astonished as no COVID related checks happened in the airports. Strange World. Anyway before digressing, I decided to travel with TravelJunky ...

Its the second largest country and it has some of the worlds most scenic landscape. Not to mention, the famous Niagara Falls. Its also called BEAR country as they thrive here in large number, its also known for the Maple Syrup. Canada is a huge country and to do justice to the place, you need considerable amount of time at each place. Canada is a country filled with wonderfully friendly people, classy, diverse cities, and a diverse landscape that includes tundras, rainforest, deserts, and huge mountains.Since Canada is such a large country, climate and temperature change drastically from coast to coast. Canada has very defined seasons, and winter can be harsh and long in some places. Winter in the Canadian Rockies is epic, and people from all over the world flock to British Columbia and Alberta to hit the slopes around Whistler, Banff, and Revelstoke. Fall (September-December) is highly recommended, as temperatures are still warm and the autumn foliage is really something special...

The weather had changed completely the next day. There was plenty of sunshine and we started  towards Vancouver. We stopped at an important place along Trans Canada Highway. BTW, The Trans-Canada Highway is a transcontinental highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada from the Pacific Ocean on the west to the Atlantic on the east. It covers the entire span of Canada and is around 7800 KM Canada Pacific Railway , similar to Trans Canada Highway is transcontinental highway but no longer reaches the Atlantic coast. Its majorly a freight railway and there are some places where you can see Canada Pacific Railway next to Trans Canada highway. One such place is Craigellachie where last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was hammered connecting the entire country with railway line. It remains a symbol of national unity in Canada. There is a plaque and monument commemorating this moment.  For lunch we again stopped at Kamloops and w...

There are no dearth for exciting winter activities like snowshoeing or ice walking or skiing/snowboarding at Lake Louise Mountain or Sunshine Mountain, Banff Hot Springs , Sulphur Mountain Gondola and many more at Banff.  I decided to go for Johnston Canyon Ice walk. A Johnston Canyon hike is a popular Banff National Park thing to do in all 4 seasons. In winter, snow and ice transform the canyon, creating a gorgeous Narnia like winter wonderland. Complete with frozen waterfalls, a snow-covered forest, and a canyon dripping with icicles, it’s no wonder the Johnston Canyon ice walk is one of the top things to do in Banff in winter. The Johnston Canyon trail is a combination of steel walking platforms and forest paths, which, in winter, will be covered in snow and ice. Large sections of the walk will be slippery so its advisable to have ice cleats strapped to boots. The walk starts as a flat level trail through the forest and then elevation increases gradually...