Why is the goal money and a home, Why not just earn, share and roam?
— Sarbjit Chhina
“This is what heaven must feel like”, that’s what I thought as my airport shuttle entered the Canmore/Banff area and I looked at the rockies!! It was peaceful as meditation. Whatever you have heard about the beauty of Banff, believe me, it is not overrated!!
It was a much awaited trip and I had been waiting to go there since I moved to Canada but covid came in the way.
So when my first post covid summer arrived in Canada, I made sure I planned for Banff with a friend of mine. Here are some snippets of my short but amazing trip!
We left Thursday night and reached Banff late in the evening. We were so damn hungry and both of us being Indians, when we are “starving”, we need our comfort food. Luckily, most places in Canada have Indian food options and more importantly vegetarian food options. By the time we reached most Indian restaurants were about to close though, so we just called up Indian Curry House, since it was nearest to our hotel and asked for a pickup. The owner was nice enough to invite us over as his last guests for the night and we could not be more excited to have yummy dosas and relaxing drinks for the evening.
The city was so lively and there were a lot of people walking around post dinner. We went for a walk and experienced the cool breeze with beautiful flowers and lights around us.
The Lakes
Lake Minnewanka
Lake Minnewanka is about a 25 minutes drive from downtown Banff and we left right after breakfast. It wasn’t too crowded and we loved that ! We took a short walk around the lake. My most favorite moment on this lake was when both my friend and I were lying down to relax, feeling the freezing cold water and just looking at the Rockies, thinking nothing!! Thoughtlessness is an amazing feeling to experience.
Lake Louise – Lake Louise was our next destination for the day. We took the bus back to downtown and then the scenic route to Lake Louise. I had my eyes wide open and could not speak a word, the moment I saw Lake Louise. Rockies covered in rock flour and flour mixed in water, pictures do not do any justice. You just cannot create the color on canvas or camera. It gave me goose-bumps. Coming from a very small town in India, I never imagined I would see something so beautiful ever!
And I know it sounds cliche, definitely do the Kayaking, it’s worth the hype (could be a bit less expensive though).
Lake Moraine – Lake Moraine was our last destination for the day. If I had to pick one among the 3 lakes we saw that day, I would pick Lake Moraine, mainly because of its bright blue color. It was eye-wetting, I was so deeply touched by the serenity that it made me feel like I am literally in heaven.
We just sat there chit chatting for a while, and then took the short hike to the viewpoint. Every step to the top had its own charm, every few feet had a different view.
The Banff Gondola
Doesn’t the top of the Sulphur mountain look like the top of the world? Decide for yourself
The Banff gondola takes you to the top of the Sulphur mountain. You can enjoy the view around the small museum, gift shop and take the boardwalk. My favorite is definitely the boardwalk.
If you want to just sit back, relax or have a deep conversation with someone while enjoying a 360 degree view of Banff, this is the place for you. Honestly, I could not smell the Sulphur so much as everyone says but I could see patches of it on the mountain.
The Cave and Basin
The cave and basin was our last attraction for the trip. It is another amazing natural wonder. It tells you that Banff not only holds natural beauty in the Rockies and lakes but also hidden in this beautiful cave. This historic site of natural mineral springs is the site around which the Banff National park was established.
It was a short trip and we enjoyed every moment of it, it felt fulfilled, it felt complete. So much so that, it finally pushed me to start writing a blog, something that I always wanted to do.
I can’t wait to go back there again to see the rest of the places around and to spend more time in the city.
Roam and Rhyme 