My Time Capsule: Canada: The Rockies and Athabasca Glacier

11.4.13

Canada: The Rockies and Athabasca Glacier

Canada, July 2012

Have you ever made a flight delayed and the whole passengers waiting inside the plane because of you? I have! The chaos started with a phone call from my travel agent the previous afternoon...

Travel agent: "Hello Miss, I'm calling to inform that the embassy hasn't issued your visa yet

Me: "What do you mean? My flight is tomorrow morning at 9"

Travel agent: "According to the embassy, it's a peak season and there's a huge pile of passports applying for the visa. Your parents' visas are already issued. Unfortunately your passport somehow tucked somewhere in the pile so they missed to stick the visa on your passport"

Me: "Do you mean my application is denied?"

Travel agent: "No. Your visa is granted and they will issue your visa tomorrow morning at 7"

Me: "This is ridiculous! How can I get my passport back on time before my flight?"

Travel agent: "Don't worry, we have a courier ready to deliver your passport to the airport tomorrow"

I had an instant headache after the phone call. I have to prepare myself for the worst that could happen. I mean I've paid the flight tickets, the hotels and the cruise to Alaska. And I was so close to lose them all if my passport is not delivered on time.

The next morning, I was ready at 6 in the airport waiting anxiously. By 7.30 my parents were already done with check in and immigration. I was waiting outside with some people from my travel agent. At 8.45 I heard the announcement calling my name for the last call when I saw the courier was running frantically handing my passport to some airport officers. Then they ran ahead me and asked to to follow them. I handed my suitcase to check in desk which they quickly put a "Priority" sign. Some officers escorted me to special immigration desk so I didn't need to queue. After less than 5 seconds immigration process, they asked me to board an airport cart and rushed me to the gate. At 8.55 I boarded the plane and the stewardess closed the door behind me. I walked through the aisle while most passengers were staring at me. I didn't know whether I should bow or waving my hand like a Miss Universe greet her fans. Finally the plane took off after a 10 minutes delay and the culprit was....me.

Canadian Rockies view from the bus
My itinerary in Canada included a road trip along the Canadian Rockies. The scenery along the road is drop dead gorgeous that I instantly forgot about the pre-departure drama. The Canadian Rockies have numerous high peaks and ranges,the are composed of shale and limestone. Much of the range is protected by parks and a World Heritage Site.

It was summer but the weather was a bit chill with unpredictable rains and strong winds. That day, from Revelstoke we were heading towards Banff with a first stop at Bow Lake. It is one of the lakes that line the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park and Jasper National Park. The rain suddenly poured really hard when we got there so I couldn't take many pictures of the beautiful lake.

Bow Lake

the Athabasca Glacier




Arrived in Athabasca Glacier around noon so we had a buffet lunch in the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre. We then took a bus to the edge of the glacier and boarded into a massive Brewster Ice Explorer. I've never ridden that kind of vehicle before, so I was really excited. The 80 minute journey was lead by an experienced driver-guide, who shared a wealth of fascinating information about glaciers, icefields and their impact on our environment. The journey was thrilling when we had to pass a very steep glacier but fun in the same time. It's like riding a roller coaster minus the high speed.

Ice Explorer, the coolest vehicle I've ever ridden

the journey

fighting the strong wind, rain and cold for this picture :)


The Ice Explorer made a stop at one area of the glaciers and all the passenger were allowed to hop off and step out onto the glacier and stand on this powerful ancient ice. Beware though, because it's very slippery. And again for the second time of that day the rain and strong wind intruded. It was so cold that I could hardly feel my hands. After some quick pictures, I hop on back to the Ice Explorer .


this clear blue water is drinkable

it's summer, so it's normal to be shirtless :p


me and Jojo were soaking wet

Peyto Lake, the bluest glacier lake

On the way to Banff, we made a stop at Peyto Lake, the bluest glacier lake in Canada. It's located in Banff National Park near Bow Summit and was named after Bill Peyto who was a historical trapper and trail guide in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Peyto Lake gets it's beautiful turquoise green colour from glacial silt created by Peyto Glacier and the Wapta Icefield.



Banff

It was too early for dinner, so we checked into our hotel before wandering around the town. Banff is a resort town and one of Canada's most popular tourist destinations, known for its mountainous surroundings and hot springs. Along the main street, you can easily find any kind of souvenir shops and restaurants. It was my first time visiting Banff but I feel an instant "homey" feeling in the first minutes. I don't know maybe it's the cosy and relaxed atmosphere. Or maybe it's the people who mostly are very friendly and would talk to you like an old friend. I'm in love with this town, I can even picture myself living here.

49 comments:

  1. Bus nya keren banget :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sebutannya snow coach, asli keren banget!

      Delete
  2. wowww. how cool is that!
    keren bangett ^^

    http://febrinasilalahi-piakacangitem.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, tempatnya memang keren banget :)

      Delete
  3. Menurut traveler couple di FourJandals.com jasper lake adalah tempat terindah di dunia...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ga heran sih dibilang begitu. Perjalanan sepanjang the Rockies pemandangannya benar2 indah sampai mau tidur pun sayang :)

      Delete
  4. Anonymous11/4/13 18:37

    darn, i'm getting bluey by looking at your Peyto Lake pictures. so pretty!

    Btw, saya juga pernah tuh ditungguin se-pesawat gara2...gak denger panggilan boarding krn pake headphone. *tuink!*
    untunglah airlines xx itu lagi baik hati, saya ditelp berkali2 dan ditungguin naik pesawat bahkan diapgred ke business class. padahal saya tau alasan sbenarnya diapgret, kursi saya yg sebenarnya paling belakang. eaaaakk! : ))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wahhh berarti mesti sering2 telat kalo pake airlines itu. Lumayan jadi sering terbang di business class, kakaka :p

      Delete
  5. Looks niiiiiice. One country I'd love to visit!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Canada is really beautiful. I want to move there, hehehe :p

      Delete
  6. Anonymous12/4/13 12:10

    Hai mb deb, salam kenal...sumpah!baca awal ampe deg2an...but akhirnya happy ending, btw rekomen travel agent utk ke sini dong, tp yang ga pake deg2an...hehe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Salam kenal juga :) Saranku sih kalau bisa jangan pergi pas high season. Karena yang apply visa sejagad raya. Jadi kalo apes ya kaya aku dech, passportnya keselip lupa ditempel visa, hihihi

      Delete
  7. Anonymous12/4/13 15:21

    Oh my....deg-degan baca awal cerita...
    Tapi sedikit anti klimaks setelah lihat foto keren gunung es Canada, foto kacamata item #ehh dan bus unik Ice Explorer-nya dan... bule shirtless-nya hahaha...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. iyah, dibikin tegang dulu di awal cerita baru kemudian relax liat2 pemandangan, hihihi

      Delete
  8. Nice post beautiful pictures, checkout my blog at
    http://togetherfornature.blogspot.com/2013/03/recyclable-items.html
    don' t be shy to leave a comment and like us on facebook

    ReplyDelete
  9. ahh kan.. selalu sukak dan ditunggu-tunggu nih postinganmu deb. Seruu, foto2nya keren :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tengkiu ya. Semoga bisa belajar menulis lebih baik buat menghibur pembaca, hihihi

      Delete
  10. keliatan dingin banget disitu~~ es semuaaaaa!!!!!!! *brb pake jaket yang tebel* :p

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dingin bangetttt padahal lagi summer. Jadi aku ga bawa jaket yang tebel, hihihi

      Delete
  11. Anonymous12/4/13 22:57

    You've got so much fun outthere,
    wish me there somehow and someday.....
    btw, knapa berhenti jd pastry chef mbak?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have to visit Canada if you have a chance. It's really beautiful there.
      Udah pensiun jadi chef karena lebih suka jalan2 dan makan, hahahaha

      Delete
  12. Of all the pictures, I love the "Peyto Lake" one :D
    As if I saw the picture people usually set as their desktop wallpaper/screensaver hehehe :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The real scenery is much more beautiful than my picture :)

      Delete
  13. Gw suka banget sama foto Peyton Lake! boleh tau pake kamera apa?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you :) Aku pake camera pocket Canon G11

      Delete
  14. Di balik setiap perjalanan pasti selalu ada cerita yang menarik dan tak terlupakan haha..
    Yg bule shirtless itu hebat banget yak, harus di coba suatu hari :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Banyak bange lho yang belain buka baju cuma buat foto. Abis itu langsung lompat2 kedinginan, hahahaa

      Delete
  15. Beautiful Designed Blog ... and perfect clicked pics....

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow, wow, wow this view just blew me away, seriously. Beautiful scenery. It must have been so freezing but you still managed to take such awesome photos. Amazing experience. Love the photo of your sunglasses :) so cool! I'm jealous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Agness. It was freezing because I didn't wear enough layers. I thought the summer would be a bit warmer there :p

      Delete
  17. Deb, request posting cerita dong...
    sapa tau bolak balik liburan ke luar, ga ada cerita ketemu 1 cowo bule yang manis atau apalah... wkwkkwkw
    mosok ga ada 1 flight atendant ato tour leader atao apalah yg bisa dibuat cuci mata
    wkwkwk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahaha...dasarrrrr. Masalahnya aku kalo udah terkagum2 liat pemandangan, suka autis ga peduli sama manusia2 di sekeliling, hahahaha

      Delete
  18. hai mbak salam kenal, bagus-bagus bgt foto nya dan cerita nya menegangkan hahaha... mudah2an trvelling selanjutnya lancar yaaa.. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Salam kenal juga, Rika. Terima kasih udah mampir yaaaa :)

      Delete
  19. Wuaaaahhhhh!!! aku jadi ngerasa kedinginan baca postingan ini (sebenernya AC kantor dingin banget). Tadi sempet agak panik baca bagian awal. bener-bener diuji dulu sebelum menikmati perjalanan yang mengagumkan. Dengan baca postingan ini, aku berasa nonton film-film Hollywood yang berlatar Alaska. Summer aja dingin banget, apalagi musim dinginnya :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Benerrr, disana biar namanya summer tetep dingin. Apalagi pas di area glacier, kena hujan ama angin kencang....langsung beku dech :p

      Delete
    2. pake sarung az....>>>

      Delete
  20. Replies
    1. benernya temperature tidak terlalu rendah karena pas summer. Tapi gara2 ujan n angin kencang jadinya dingin banget :p

      Delete
  21. Anonymous18/7/13 14:32

    Dingin mana bu sama Blitar?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ya jelas lebih dingin Blitar donk *gubrakkkk* :p

      Delete
  22. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous17/9/13 17:37

    Kayak di dongeng. Bagus banget :')

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pemandangan alam Canada memang bagus banget :')

      Delete
  24. Bisa ya injek glacier gitu, seru ya, jadi gak sabar ke sana *kekep tiket

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. bisa dong, kan tebel glaciernya, hihihi. Waaa mau ke canada ya? have fun! :D

      Delete

Thank you for stopping by. Please do leave a little message, it means the world to me. Cheers! :)

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...