I don’t know if you can imagine a scene, a mountain or a lake that is just so god-dammed perfect that I’m not sure anyone could describe it adequately enough. That it seems a sacrilege to try and put into words the colours, the textures or just the sheer awesomeness of the picture perfect scene that you are looking at. Well that is what it was like for me when I visited Lake Louise, Mirror Lake and Lake Agnes as well as a variety of other lakes too many to mention that were just exquisite. I didn’t even attempt to write about them in a creative way; just kept a daily journal about where I had travelled too. I even understood the science behind these mesmerising, unbelievable colours. Over the millennia, glaciers leave rock flour behind, which due to the chemicals and minerals contained in their deposits, don’t absorb blue pigments and so the blues are reflected back and leave a lake so scintillating that I couldn’t breathe when I saw them.
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Nearly every holiday that I have been on, I have been bitten by mosquitoes. They are terrible insects who are considered to be nuisances and pests because they consume the blood of humans as well as animals and don’t I know it! They’ve drained me enough times!
This holiday in Canada was no exception even though I covered myself in insect repellent containing Deet, which is supposed to be extremely effective against mosquito bites but to be honest; I don’t think the mosquitoes got the memo. The females are the culprits. They are the ones that feed on blood and you may be (or not) interested to know that when they feed their abdomen expands up to three times their own body weight! Mosquitoes cause more deaths than any other animal in the world because of the different diseases that they carry. All I know is that the red lumps that they leave behind are unsightly, sore and disfiguring. To say that I hate these ‘little flies’ (this is what the word means in Spanish and Portuguese) is an understatement and one early evening in Banff, my lovely husband and I were attacked by a swarm of them. It was not a pleasant experience. Did you know that the reason that they fly around your head is because they can sense CO2 or carbon dioxide when we breathe it out through our nose and mouth. That is why they prefer heavy breathers. They also prefer O- blood types, pregnant women and people with a high body heat. I’m not sure about my blood type and I know that I’m definitely not pregnant so I must have a boiling hot, hell-fiery body heat for them to be so attracted to me! However, this is enough information about these nasty little creatures. I actually wrote a poem about them after this particular encounter. I hope you like it. Mosquitoes. Deadly assassins Ninja winged warriors Silent stalkers Stealth bombers Injecting poison Causing Volcanic eruptions And leaving behind A pitted landscape On the surface skin Disfigured, Ugly And painful! What makes a parade successful? Is it the floats; the decorations on them, the number of them that pass or the interaction that they have with their audience?
Or is it the diverse cultures or societies that take part in the parade showing off their uniqueness. Could it be the marching bands? And let’s face it; no parade is complete without some form of marching band. In Banff there were the proverbial Scottish pipe and drum band, complete with kilt regalia and a show-band with twirling flags and synchronised choreographed dance moves. Or could it be the cause of the parade, such as when we watched the Canada Day Parade in Banff, where they were celebrating 150 years of being well -Canada. What about Christmas parades or local May Queen parades or possibly Gay Pride celebrations? Now, although I’m sure that you will agree that all of these are important but to me it is the crowd that makes a parade successful because without them there most probably wouldn’t be one! To me it is the people who line the streets and come out in their hundreds to watch and cheer the participants on. The people who wave flags and cheer. We watched the Canada day parade and the crowd was huge. They lined both sides of the main street; they dressed in Canadian t-shirts, (even my lovely husband and myself bought one each to show our solidarity) draped themselves in flags and painted flags on their faces in support of the day, which was colourful, and created an exciting atmosphere. They climbed up on roof tops and pushed into tiny spaces edging out those who had been there a long time. It was lovely to see but their response to the trucks and floats was to be perfectly honest disappointing. They seemed to enjoy just being altogether; greeting friends and family, waiting for the parade to begin rather than supporting the people who were taking part in the parade. They were all dressed up to be noticed but their response wasn’t as enthusiastic as I thought it would have been, as they seemed to be extremely proud of their country. Don’t get me wrong, there was some celebrating but I don’t know- it was just a little too reserved for my taste. It is to me the crowd’s excitement and willingness to cheer all of the floats rather than the one or two showy ones and to make the celebration an experience. For me that is what makes a parade successful. Banff in Alberta, Canada, is a tourist town or to some people a tourist trap! It is situated alongside the Bow River and surrounded by fir tree forests and mountains. Beautiful majestic mountains, which are covered in snow during the winter months as the town transforms into a popular ski resort. It is mainly a one street town. A few side-streets branching off the main road complete the town centre. The main street is just one spending mile of souvenir shops; one after another, all selling the same items. Prices must have been agreed upon before the season starts because there is no real competition between them to lower their prices. As per usual to find anything that is made in Canada is expensive and if you wanted anything related to the First Nation, well then you need a big cheque book. The shop owners must all belong to the same online shopping channel or visit the same shopping warehouse which is a shame. But it is commercialism at its best! On the way into Banff, both sides of the road are lined with hotels and lodges for guests; a mixture of holiday Swiss-style chalets often seen in Alpine regions of Europe. One hotel, which could be seen from our hotel balcony, was based on a Scottish Highland castle complete with turrets. It was huge and it nestled quite nicely between two mountains and the view that greeted us each morning was lovely.
Banff is a bustling, busy town with hikers, backpackers and regular money spending tourists and at the time I was there, with my lovely husband, four coach loads of Japanese tourists, complete with cameras and tripods were to be found visiting the sights. A walk along the river and the roar of Bow Falls can be heard. A fast flowing weir of white froth cascades over rocks emitting a spray of rainbow mist. Photo opportunities abound as was testified by the number of visitors getting in each other’s photo frames along the walk way. Everyone naturally wanted to have their photos taken in the best possible spots and so queues and queue jumping took place. A walk back in the afternoon sun was nice because it was much warmer than we expected. We were ready for a drink in a local café but what interested me the most on this walk was the names of the roads. It would have been really cool to live on one of the roads named after predators such as; Wolf Street, Cougar Lane, Bear Avenue, Lynx Road or some of the more famous wildlife, which are numerous in these parts such as; Elk, Moose and Caribou. But what made me laugh and would have been a great disappointment to me if I lived on one of the smaller creature roads such as; Gopher Street, Squirrel Avenue, Rabbit Road, Muskrat Lane, and so on. What I also found amusing was the local acronym for the letters B.A.N.F.F. Tourists --- BE AWARE NOTHING FOR FREE! Aren’t mountains magnificent? The impact that they have on the landscape of our world is awesome. Driving into the Canadian ski resort of Banff in the Rocky Mountains, there is a corridor of them, which line the highway. I was so impressed that I took out a pen and jotted down the thoughts and feelings they invoked in me. Mountains. How they hug the horizon. A protective barrier That tickles the sky. Slyly, hiding their splendour, Under a blanket of clouds, They pin-prick the blue With their snowy tops. Their shadowy crags Hide hideaway caves; Deep, dark and mysterious. Their rippling ridges of Russet brown, brick red And stone grey Are muted against The brilliant blues And emerald greens Which line the highway. They stand silent Like solitary sentinels, Resplendent in their wilderness. Solid stone; Immovable throughout time. And here to stay! Sue Westcott(C.) 2017 |
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