So where do I begin. I bought a one way ticket from Dubai to Canada via Emirates Airlines. But not only that, i even got a 90% discounted ticket since I was working for that airline company that time (plus ofcourse my wife also works in an airline company, so I’d just have to choose which one, hehe).
I was at the airport in Dubai
and on my way to Canada via London flight. I was falling in line to board the plane and i was so excited and nervous at the same time that finally, after years of planning, even going all the way to the middle-earth of Rohan 
in far, far away land first, 
I would finally see the land of the maple leaf! AND SO I was falling in line 
feeling nervous and and and.. actually, I really don’t know what I was feeling. Anyways, when my turn came and had to give my ticket to this man, and he was looking for my UK visa, cos according to him, my stopover was London so I would need a visa. Crap! i didn’t even need a freakin visa for a 1 1/2 hour stopover in London bcos i wasn’t actually going to UK, ok?! i’m going to Canada, which btw I already have a visa for. But ofcourse, I didn’t curse him like that. ‘told me “come this way..” To make the long story short, I had to swap planes via British Airways 
cos they were more lenient in terms of not having visa if u stopover in London for a 1 1/2 hours. But the catch was.. I had to buy another ticket that actually costs quadruple my previous ticket. Much to my disappointment, I wouldn’t explain more abt the whole detail cos it just makes me sick and regret the whole trip. I just have to thank our dear friend Jopay who was working at the Dubai Int’l airport who assisted in changing of my tickets and for letting me stay in the very nice Marhaba lounge. And ofcourse my wife who was there every step of the way, 
and for making impossible things possible. Hoo hah!
Niweis, I had a 10 hour wait for the plane to arrive. Being an airport, you walk up, you walk down, you have seen it all. That was 20 minutes, and so I was stuck there with nothing to do for ten hours ten minutes.
Tick, toc, tick, toc, slowly the clock counted down. What seemed like four days, we were being pushed onto the plane like cattle. Well I was among the cattle class, what do you expect. Just 16 more hours and I’ll be landing in Canada. But first, there was that stopover in London!
Everyone told me how nice and different London was. And they were right! As soon as I stepped on the British Airways plane, 
everything was different. The sky was blue, the seats were blue. 
The flight attendants’ uniforms were blue. And, thanks to the in-flight meal, 
even the passengers were blue. After dinner, four flight attendants entered through the cabin armed with teapots, asking at each row, “Tea? Tea? Tea?” They sounded like a flock of very confused birds. Ooops! I’m just kidding bebi, don’t get MAD. Hehe.
When they got to the front of the plane, a large black man responded “Yes?”
It was Mr. T.
(I’m full of crap).
..
The flight, which left at 9am Dubai time, landed at 2pm London time. I heard that London Heathrow was one of the busiest and strictest airports there is.
Well, actually when I arrived there, nobody even asked if I have a UK visa or whatever. I just went straight ahead. 
and then I remembered that security in Dubai telling me abt visas and shit.. Crap! Niweis, I boarded the next British Airways plane 
headed to the Maple Leaf country, at last! ETA: 
6:30pm. I slept on the plane not at all. Thursday would be a long, tiring day. Rudely awakened by a “Borat-speaking” person talking loudly behind me on the plane, then later luckily I slept soundly with my Borat proof earbuds.
………..
When I landed in Canada, it was instant 
culture shock. Everything looked different, smelled different, and sounded different than anything I’d ever seen before. Minus the talking lion, I might as well have been in Oz. (As in “The Wizard of Oz).
A very nice man from the hotel picked me up at the airport 
and off my real journey to Canada began. As we were driving, we passed thru buildings and skyscrapers. 
But enough with the cities. From Calgary, we drove south into the lush Mountains of Banff. Almost immediately the countryside turned brilliant green/ fiery yelow 
and the mountain complete with snow caps of white. It was as if someone adjusted the saturation on the scenery. The tall pine trees gave way in the distance to the mountainous ice caps. 
They say, this place was like Switzerland of North America/ Canada. It was like we were driving through the pages of a calendar. 
On that same day, I went to see the real Canadian rockies. The small towns. 
The rolling countryside. The elk, deer, squirrels, and chipmunks. 
As I was dreaming coming to a place like this, 
fair enough, I would not be disappointed.
Our next stop was the town of Banff, 2 hours South of Calgary. Banff is one of Canada’s most
picture postcard port towns.
(Say that 5 times fast.) The rockies mountain town/ village of 2,000 is brimming with charming Bed & Breakfasts, rivers, lakes,
Jan on a lovely Lake Minnewanka Cruise @Banff National Park 
forrests, mountains, 
and more mountains.
It was Canada as I’d always imagined it, complete with the bears.
Elks and deers munched happily in the fields, 
deadma to the billions of dollars this particular piece of real estate would fetch from Condo developers in Dubai.
This would be McMansions faster than you could say A-salam-mu-a-lay-kum.
As the narrow road wove through pastures, we followed a sign for the scenic route along the Trans Canada Highway 1 and soon found ourselves with sweeping views of the vast tranquil mountains.
It was majestic.
Ah, the Canadian rockies. I arrived to find it is my favorite place among my travels thus far (ok, ok, so I’ve said that about at least 4 countries before Canada, but I really think this place in maple leaf country might be it).
The village of Banff is completely surrounded by the Rocky Mountains which add to the charm of this small town.
It was absolutely beautiful up here and my hotel was amazing. 
There was hot tub 
and pool 
And when I stand on the balcony at night I can watch the mist roll down from the mountain top.
The next day, I did what I always do in new places: just wandered around with my camera, 
and then later on, rode the Banff Gondola to reach the top of the mighty Sulphur mountain. 
OK now for the imagefest. I saw majestic mountains and gem-like lakes, 
pristine rivers and wild animals and great trees, icy glaciers of the Athabasca arctic circle,
and of course the classic Fairmont resort at Banff Springs where I just hiked going there from my place. 
The Village of Banff and Lake Louise are two places you’ll really enjoy visiting in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. And there’s so much history here. Banff National Park was the first National Park in Canada and was developed because of it’s beauty and potential value in helping to promote the railway service. 
The following photos are of Lake Louise, which is ranked as one of the most beautiful Lakes in North America/ Canada and after seeing it in person I understand why. 
The water, was the most unusual colour of blue which my pictures do not adequately reflect. The lake was glacier fed, and the the silt from the glacier has resulted in the beautiful colour. 
It’s quite cold at Lake Louise and the lake can have ice of it for 5 months of the year.
For me there was something very special about Lake Louise that I cannot adequatley put into words. When you look out onto the lake, surrounded by the dark green mountains which frame the glacier in the distance… 
it almost appears like you were looking at a painting.
I can say with complete sincerity that this was the most beautiful natural place I had ever been; the mountains were miles from “civilization,” 
The Northern Lights a.k.a. Aurora Borealis
and the night sky was clear enough to allow a clear view of the Milky Way.
The only thing misssing was my wife, with me. **sigh** wish she was here with me right now.
The trials and travelations of Jan and Mai…
Stay tuned, more to come!
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