Winter Wonderland 2022: Things to do in Ottawa – Quebec

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

After an incredible and hectic eleven months of 2022, my wife and I were looking forward to December. Most offices shut down the last 10 days of December across Canada and USA and people look forward to travelling even though COVID bowled a googly, in other words a curveball the previous 2 years. We were looking forward to this winter break to refresh and rejuvenate. The holiday started with one of the worst winter storms that Canada and the USA had seen. This threw a spanner in the holiday plans of many tourists. Flights, buses and trains were cancelled at the last minute, ours was no exception. The train operator “Via Rail” cancelled our plans a few hours before our scheduled start. But, an ad-hoc plan turned out to be an excellent experience. Here are some places that we visited during this winter that made our holiday season a very good one and might help plan your next trip to the Canadian Capital a pleasant one. Feel free to use this blog to create an itinerary of your own.

Abraska Laflèche: This place is a must-visit in the Ottawa/Gatineau region. This was a 30-minute ride from our Gatineau stay and downtown Ottawa. I would suggest booking the stay at Gatineau or the outskirts of Ottawa to save some dollars and avoid traffic. The staff at the location were very friendly and comfortable in both English and French. The guide (Our guide G.I. Joe, a.k.a Jonathan) knew well about the caves and the locations nearby. The hiking through the caves was about an hour. Hiking is a bit strenuous and involves walking through low ceilings and climbing steep stairs. But the experience is worth it. The guide was very helpful in helping us hike with ease and also shared some interesting insights about the caves and also asked some interesting questions about the cave. The experience of sitting inside the cave in complete darkness was spellbinding. I could sleep there with my eyes open. There is also an experience to camp inside the caves, we have added that to our bucket list. Winter hike through the forests is something we missed during COVID and if you get a chance rent their snowshoes and go for a good hike. Along the way, you also have some interesting riddles to solve along the way. The ziplining experience is reserved for summer and would be a great activity to do along with kids. Booking the ticket online is recommended.

Ottawa Winter Lights: The original plan was to see the Christmas lights in Quebec City but the winter lights in the capital were equally awesome. The streets of the capital were lit with thousands of lights. The dazzling lights are best enjoyed when you cover the streets by walking. Most of the streets that are lit are in and around downtown Ottawa. The icing on the cake is the multimedia projection on the Parliament center building. The multimedia takes us through the journey of luminous smileys that come alive in winter and travel across different landscapes of Canada illuminating the dark evenings. The lighting and the multimedia shows happen only during the holiday season, make sure to check the timings of the winter light show on the capital website before planning your trip. There is no parking in Capital Hill, so use SpotHero or any other app to find the best parking spot. There are many restaurants in and around the parliament building, check out York street. Do not miss out on Zak’s diner’s milkshake and the out-of-the-world moulin de Provence bakery.

Canadian War Museum: I have always found Canada a safe country, never have I heard about Canada’s involvement in any war. Many could even wonder why Canada needs a military. All those questions would be answered when you visit Canadian War Museum as they walk us through the different wars that shaped Canada from pre-contact warfare to the current warfare across the world. If you are a lover of history, you could probably allocate a day to this fascinating display of different eras of war. The Museum is located in Ottawa near parliament hill. Plenty of paid parking space is available. The museum was divided into 4 different zones, the Early wars, the First world war, the Second World war and the Cold war to the present. The artifacts on display like trenches, and war zones must catch your eye for sure. Some other displays like letters from the family, paper ads during wars, Hitler’s car, guns, and artilleries like cannons and tanks take you back in time. Some documentaries on war zones are sure to attract your interest. As a product manager, what I also liked about the museum was it had a mention of the estimated time you will spend in each section of the museum which helps you to plan better. Entry to the war museum can also be booked through Canoo App.

Parc Omega: A complete package for the family and I would call it the ultimate winter experience as we get to see Canadian wild animals in their natural surroundings. The snow-clad rocks, forests and freely roaming deers and other animals almost makes you forget that you are in a zoo. You can feed the animals like deer and boar that are considered safe with carrots. The 12-kilometre car trail lets one visit various types of wild animals like silver foxes, red foxes, wolves, turkeys, boars, deers, bison, elks, moose, mule deer and others. Due to winter, we missed out on the bears as we were told they were hibernating. The park also has some walking trails like the First Nations trail and the land of the pioneers. All along the way you would be treated with the joy of observing a plethora of wildlife. During winter there was also a show on the wolves where you get to know a lot about them and their behaviour. You also have a picnic area, a restaurant for a quick bite, and hot beverages in the middle of the car route. I would recommend packing your lunch for the trail especially if you go on a light day which might give you the entire day to enjoy the splendid beauty of the park. Omega park is located an hour from Ottawa or Montreal. Adding this to your itinerary is totally worth it. I am going back to the park in the summer for sure.

Canadian Parliament: Are you interested in knowing more about the place where important national policies are discussed and decisions that impact the lives of Canadians are made? Book some time to take a guided tour of the Canadian parliament and it is absolutely free. The tours are offered in both French and English. If you are interested in taking this 45-minute tour, book this when you plan your travel and the other activities around this one. Our group loved this experience completely and interestingly you can also attend the live session on a first come first serve basis. All tickets need to be booked online and there is no in-person ticket. Historic paintings adorn the walls of this beautiful Neo-Gothic structure. The tour takes you through the different chambers in the parliament and also guides enrich your knowledge through some fun trivia questions in between the tour. Fun fact: The word parliament came from the French word parler, which means ‘to talk’. Book your tickets through https://rts.parl.ca/en-CA/Home?

Vegetarian/Vegan-Friendly places tried

Pacini Gatineau: Italian; Plenty of vegetarian options. Avg: 35-40$ per person

Zak’s Diner: All-day diner, near Parliament hill, Must-try milkshakes $15-20 per person

Tanjai Ottawa: Authentic South Indian Restaurant, Good try, $25-$27 per person. Full Review.

Indian Cafe, Ottawa: Take-outs and short eats, Good channa masala and samosas, avoid their tea. $10-$15 per person. Not a must-try.

If you are wondering where to travel in Fall, check this post- Fall 2022

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Taking the Nature’s own course

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

We planned for a trekking experience but we rather had a tracking one. This blog should have come long back but better late than never. The interest is rekindled and I am here to post on the interesting experience while on a trip.

How does it feel, when your blind date happens to your EX who you recently dumped? That is how exactly I felt when we were trekking to the amazing Dudhsagar Falls. What I expected and what it turned out to be absolutely different. I hated that experience and was kind of pissed to say the least. But thinking of that now makes me laugh and enjoy every bit of that experience. I would even consider consider that as one of my best outings till date.

It all started with a short halt at Mangalore where we roamed around few temples and beaches and dinner at a restaurant where the waiter cannot wait to take our orders(pun intended). Amazing wait in the railway station till midnight or even past it to board the train to Madgoan. Then came the most adventurous part of the trip.

Got down from the train in just 4 hours to come to know that you have another 3 hours for the next train to Goa/Dudhsagar. Having boarded the train with an open ticket in a reserved compartment, we were being hunted by the officials and we had to resort to every possible antic to ensure that the officials do not throw us out of the train and finally, we got to Castle Rock station where we had our breakfast in the leaky cordon.

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We set off our journey into woods through a village which a friend of mine boasted he knew well of. But the bad luck continued to trail us, we ever informed that we need to get permission from the forest ranger who is like miles away and it was vacation day. Then came the horrendous train journey back to Dudhsagar station. Once again, we had to take the dangerous walk along the tracks.

It was a stunning sight to see the water flow down from such height. But the main part of our adventure started here. We searched and inquired our way to reach the top. But our friend Bad luck wins again. We missed a downhill path in between a double tunnel and went 2 or 3 miles further only to get lost and lose all the hopes of seeing the majestic falls in full view. We still had the best solution on hand. Walk in tow as friends with fun talk and not knowing where this one is going to end. Just like our childhood school days, we put the mobile phones in our bags and decided to talk the way humans did pre-technology. Walking in the woods and seeing awesome creatures on our way through including Peacocks, Monkeys, and snakes that looked like sticks.

Finally, we labored through to a station and somehow found our ways back to the Margoa station. Slept on the platform with unknown bugs and people lying around us, rather I was awake the most part of the night. This was an experience on its own. All these happening just 2 months before my marriage was even more terrifying. But thinking of it now, the trip gave the friends to catch on the school day banters and got everyone close. I am sure none of my friends would ever forget that trip and we will once again plan our Goa trip.

peTROLLED

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

Disclaimer : I am supporter of no political party.

“No Stocks”, “We are out of stock” hoardings were posted across the city yesterday in the petrol bunks. Facebook walls/timelines are being updated with funny cartoons or agitated comments about the price hikes. (but for the 8 to 11 30 pm slot which was ruled by Dhoni and his men). In fact in some place across the city the traffic was blocked because of the queues in the petrol bunks. This situation has become a common sight in India off late. No wonder when the price hike is as much as 75% in 3 years.

But I have a question for all the guys who question. Aren’t you the same guys who take your Enfield out in the beach road to impress your Lover by showing her the Sun rise and Sun set?. Aren’t you the same people who use their scooters for going to the shop next street? You are the same person who did not care about the lights and fans that were left turned on in an empty room. Forgot to mention the racing on the each road and during the rain and owning a low mileage vehicle just for the sake of style.

The most common answer that people have got it “Life is to enjoy”, “Dude U cannot understand the feeling”. But what you people have failed to understand is that you are wasting non renewable source of energy. It is high time you people think of renewable sources of energy, car pooling, using public transport. There is no point in complaining always. We panic and react only at the time of crisis like we did after the Tsunami effect. We need to be proactive enough in securing our future not only financially. Last but not the least Yes i agree this a steep increase in the prices.

How can i miss the picture that made like laugh my heart out. Here it is.

Save Me

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan
"Save me" earth

Rising temperatures, unseasonal rainfall, people falling sick often, lack of water supply, increase in food prices, inflation surging above 8.1%……… The list of sufferings that people undergo go on and on and on. All these topics are crucial in all the political meetings. Blame game will be at its best. But the worst part is not many are seriously concerned about major issues that plague us today. “Global Warming” is real and “Preserving Our Earth” is the need of the hour. I have never heard or read anything serious regarding the ones i have mentioned recently. Just a coincidence June 5th happens to be Environment Day.

The following links may help u in understanding in what dangerous stage we are in:

I felt very happy when Chennai corporation introduced the segregation of degradable and non-degradable waste. How far and how strictly its being followed??? I seriously doubt that. Even some of my neighbors don’t follow that and consider it a waste of time and money. Recent NDTV survey says 80% of the waste are Recyclable waste. But only 10% of that is being recycled. What a pity [:(]. Recently steps were taken to remove unauthorized ad boards in chennai and also throwing the waste and spitting in public has been made punishable offenses. Great steps taken. Y dont the government also make the separation of waste compulsory. Why not take more steps to create awareness among the people about Global Warming? Y not the planting of trees be taken strictly? Y not most of the roads if not all be the one like in Korattur full of trees?( Myself and my friend watson love traveling thro that road) Y is the government so lethargic about this?? GOK=”God Only Knows”. Hope we start planting more trees as they have planned in Brazil. Their target “One Billion Trees to be planted be4 2010“. Hope the rest of the world take them as an example and adopt AFFORESTATION. Save the world. Save the fellow creatures. Live and Let live. We Indians believe in Bhoomi Matha. Lets join hands and save her.