Canada Beyond The Niagara Falls

There's more to Canada than snow, white scenery, ice skating and grizzly bears. When the snow melts, it's a country that steps out to celebrate summer. A first-timer's impressions

- Rukma Saluja

There's more to Canada than snow, white scenery, ice skating and grizzly bears. When the snow melts, it's a country that steps out to celebrate summer. A first-timer's impressions

Another destination ticked off from a travel list many of us have in our buckets. Although, Canada was there, and yet not there on mine. A cold distant country that sits on top of the mighty US of A, and a magnet for immigrants with an eye on the social security provided by the government... that's what it was to me.

All very staid. Why it was there at all was because of relatives, those ubiquitous blood connections we Indians have in all corners of the globe. The invitation to visit was longstanding and sincere, but the time was never right. And then it happened — the call came.

What's striking about Canada are the wide open spaces and the greenery: It is lush and verdant, and spotlessly clean. The infrastructure is geared to everybody, with particular care for the elderly and those with disabilities. For a first-timer from India, it appears sparsely denizened, a huge landmass with facilities made with utter care for so few people. Tim Horton's is the ubiquitous coff ee chain found in virtually every corner in this country. Its ice cafe is a version of a frappe, and most welcome in the heat. Summer here is nothing like what many Indians imagine: Acres of snow blanketing everything, from roads to tree-tops to roofs. It's a surprise then to have to dress in summer clothing like shorts and tees. Toronto is so cosmopolitan that you won't feel as if you are in North America. With snatches of dialects and languages from around the globe to deal with, you could be mistaken for thinking it's a united nations, a true melting pot of nationalities with costumes to match, and perhaps a glimpse into the future given the mass movement of people from all corners of the earth.