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They do bill it as the 'late' tour...
Sep. 7th, 2007 01:31 amIt's almost 2am, and a taxi has just dropped me off out the front of the hostel. I've been at Niagara Falls today; a landmark that somehow manages to overpower the Las Vegas-style casino town that's growing on both sides of the river.
The falls, especially the upper rapids, are beautiful. It's a primal, savage beauty that says "don't f**k with me" to all the property developers, casino operators, and any shipping on the river. It's mesmerising to watch. A few metres from the top of the Horseshoe Falls is the rusting hulk of a cargo ship that was caught in the current - scuttled by its crew to prevent the whole thing being dragged over the edge.
The town surrounding it is well worth skipping entirely, and I'd happily avoid it if I come back to the area. I've enjoyed most of the meals I've had over here, but tonight's plate of spaghetti and meatballs from a tarted-up roadside diner (put some cloth on the table and you become a restaurant...) has been a culinary low point so far; costing an arm and a leg, and not tasting much better than the truckstop food in central Henan Province, China.
Still, if I have to visit any bloated tourist trap on this trip, I'd rather visit one with a waterfall capable of tearing through four feet of limestone each year :) I'm glad I went - good company, good photo opportunities, good day out.
It's when the day was winding down that things changed a little...
Half an hour out of Toronto, stuck in that grey limbo between offramps on the highway, we blew a tyre on the bus. The girl in front of me, drifting off to sleep, was sitting right over the wheel. I don't think I've ever seen someone wake up, jump out of their seat, and run to the other end of a bus quite so quickly...
Of course, changing a bus tyre isn't as simple as fixing a car. And the only company Moose can use for repairs had their one truck on the other side of Toronto, two hours away. So we sat, and talked, and waited.
Eventually, the driver called for cabs. Eventually, the cabs began arriving. It's a Thursday night, and the cabs were sent in from Oakville - not exactly a happening nightspot at the moment, so I think we used every cab in the area. Right now, I'm quietly packing my bags out in the hallway (so as to avoid waking people in the dorm) - I check out of the hostel at breakfast time, and I'm determined to get everything ready so I can beat the queue to the showers before then.
The falls, especially the upper rapids, are beautiful. It's a primal, savage beauty that says "don't f**k with me" to all the property developers, casino operators, and any shipping on the river. It's mesmerising to watch. A few metres from the top of the Horseshoe Falls is the rusting hulk of a cargo ship that was caught in the current - scuttled by its crew to prevent the whole thing being dragged over the edge.
The town surrounding it is well worth skipping entirely, and I'd happily avoid it if I come back to the area. I've enjoyed most of the meals I've had over here, but tonight's plate of spaghetti and meatballs from a tarted-up roadside diner (put some cloth on the table and you become a restaurant...) has been a culinary low point so far; costing an arm and a leg, and not tasting much better than the truckstop food in central Henan Province, China.
Still, if I have to visit any bloated tourist trap on this trip, I'd rather visit one with a waterfall capable of tearing through four feet of limestone each year :) I'm glad I went - good company, good photo opportunities, good day out.
It's when the day was winding down that things changed a little...
Half an hour out of Toronto, stuck in that grey limbo between offramps on the highway, we blew a tyre on the bus. The girl in front of me, drifting off to sleep, was sitting right over the wheel. I don't think I've ever seen someone wake up, jump out of their seat, and run to the other end of a bus quite so quickly...
Of course, changing a bus tyre isn't as simple as fixing a car. And the only company Moose can use for repairs had their one truck on the other side of Toronto, two hours away. So we sat, and talked, and waited.
Eventually, the driver called for cabs. Eventually, the cabs began arriving. It's a Thursday night, and the cabs were sent in from Oakville - not exactly a happening nightspot at the moment, so I think we used every cab in the area. Right now, I'm quietly packing my bags out in the hallway (so as to avoid waking people in the dorm) - I check out of the hostel at breakfast time, and I'm determined to get everything ready so I can beat the queue to the showers before then.
