WATERFALLS BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES

NIAGARA FALLS: Viewed from New York State and Ontario, Canada. 

Niagara Falls is located on the boundary of New York State and Ontario, Canada. 

It is one of the most famous waterfalls in the world that I dream of visiting one day whend I am no longer "touristang pobre", o' di ba? 

The other falls are: Angel Falls in Venezuela, Victoria Falls in Matabeleland North at Zimbabwe and Zambia, and Iguazu Falls in Brazil and Argentina. 

This is my first time to visit Niagara Falls. I only heard stories about it from my friends who have been to upstate New York and visited the falls many times. 

Now, it is my turn, haha. Here's my short story. 

First, I prepared my passport and my state identification card. 

Together with my daughter's family, we toured Niagara Falls on the New York State side. 

After that, we crossed the Rainbow Bridge to have lunch at Ontario and then tour the City of Niagara, Ontario, Canada. This story I will explain later or hereunder. Let's go. 

Shown in this picture are the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls.  This is the American side of the Falls.  The Horseshoe Falls is located on the Canadian side, (pictured and captioned below.) Photo by Henry Libo-on onboard the Maid of the Mist. 

It is still Autumn and soon Niagara will be frozen. Do you have any travel plans?  If you do not have one, I suggest this place that might be one of your unforgettable travel experiences.  Niagara Falls.  Niagara Falls is one of the most awesome waterfalls in the world. Niagara is taken from a Mohican (Mohawk) word that means “neck”. It is a native American Language spoken in Northern New York, Ontario, and Quebec.

According to Wikipedia, its coordinates are 43.0799 degrees N 79.0747 degrees W or 17 miles (27 km) Southeast of Toronto between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.

There are three (3) falls that comprise Niagara and these are: The Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side and American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls on the U.S. side.

TP is on board the Maid of the Mist. 

My research from Wikipedia further revealed that the verdant green color of the water of Niagara River is a byproduct of several tons of dissolved salt and the “rock flour”, very fine rocks caused by the erosive character of Niagara itself. I visited Niagara Falls about a year ago enroute to Ontario, Canada.

Excitement and anxieties were strong emotions at that time since I knew that I will be going with my children to boarding the Maid of the Mist.

Source: Alamy Stock Photo.  Thanks, Alamy. 

After passing through all the requirements, we boarded the boat. It glided through the river and all the Falls were visible from a distance. Then, we reached Horseshoe Falls which is on the Canadian side. While I was looking at the falls I realized that the Maid of the Mist was so little. The Horseshoe Falls drops the water with such tremendous strength and every visitor on board the boat knew how great a falls it is. I observed, there were tall buildings on the Canadian side like hotels.

As the boat made a left turn, we came closer to the Bridal Veil Falls. I took a picture of these Falls. To me, it was the best picture I shoot in my entire life, haha…Imagine, the challenges I experienced before achieving that! My camera had to be hidden in my pocket or covered with my plastic “raincoat”. The management required us to wear “raincoats” or else we will get wet. The Bridal Veil Falls had a hidden cave under its right side. Also, there were pedestrian bridges where tourists and honeymooners can have a good look at the falls. The picture I posted here shows the Bridal Veil Falls and the American Falls.

As the boat came closer to the American Falls I felt a great sense of fulfillment, the fact that I have seen Niagara this close. It was awesome. The Falls dropped the water so powerfully that I was breathless. Somebody told me that this side of Niagara has hidden lights and once lighted at night, it made the whole falls looked magical.

The Maid of the Mist “dropped anchor” so to speak, at the wharf where she picked us. We walked through a crowd of visitors on our way to the exit. I looked up at the viewing deck and saw more people were coming to see the falls from there.

It was almost lunchtime when we decided to leave Niagara and have lunch in Canada. Take note, from the U.S. we had lunch in Canada…haha… From the U.S. side of Niagara Falls, it takes only about 15 minutes to cross the Rainbow Bridge to Ontario, Canada. After crossing the bridge, we reached the Immigration Office where we presented our travel documents to the Immigration Officials and after processing, we drove to Niagara Falls City, Canada side. We explored that part of the city that faces Niagara Falls on the American side. It was an awesome view from the Canadian border. After exploring the city and had lunch at Boston Pizza, we said goodbye to Ontario and went back to New York.

The source of the photo is - www.marriottonthefalls.com.  The picture also shows the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls on the U.S. side. 

Niagara Falls is a tourist destination that attracts visitors from all over the world. For someone who came from the Philippines, I could not imagine the distance of my country to New York State and the travel time it took to be there at Niagara Falls.  I, therefore, considered myself lucky. What will happen if I went there to discover that Niagara was frozen? For sure, I cannot sing "Let It Go"... haha...At that time of my visit to the falls, I observed some visitors speaking different languages that made me think I was in the United Nations.   Other than for pleasure, my tour of Niagara Falls was, indeed educational. For honeymooners and lovers, Niagara Falls is the best spot to strengthen that love.

I just hope that someday, my next adventure would be to walk in the vicinity of the falls when it is frozen.

Niagara Falls and Niagara River.  On the left side of the picture is the U.S. side which is New York State and on the right side of the river is the Canadian side of Niagara Falls City in Ontario.  In the background, you can see Horseshoe Falls which is the Canadian side. This photo is borrowed from - travelsort.com. 

How does Niagara Falls look like when it is really a cold winter season? Below is the photo of a Frozen Niagara Falls.  Photo Credit:  Twitter GARYBO718 through www.huffingtonpost.com "Some 'Frozen Niagara Falls' Photos Really Are Too Good to Be True."

Photo Credit: Twitter GARYBO718 at www.huffingtonpost.com 

Location of Niagara Falls

According to search.yahoo.com', the three (3) Waterfalls of Niagara Falls, "straddle the international border between Canada and the United States".

The United States side is upstate New York, and the Canadian side is the Niagara Falls City in the Province of Ontario. There is a bridge that connects the U.S. and Canada.  This is called the Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge or Rainbow Bridge for short. The photo below shows the Rainbow Bridge.  Photo credit to Jennifer Longhurst through www.skylon.com.

                               

Comments:

Together with my daughter's family, we crossed the Rainbow Bridge to have lunch at Boston Pizza.  We paid in U.S. Dollars.  After lunch, we toured the City of Niagara in this province called Ontario.  From the park near the Niagara River, we saw the Niagara Falls on the U.S. side.  It was a very fulfilling experience.  Why don't you try it?

Sorry, I do not have a picture of the place where we had lunch.  But I remember this is where we ate.  Do you know why? Because I remember the steps going to the place and took a ride on the Ferris Wheel pictured here that gave me a good view of Niagara City in Canada and the U.S. side.   Photo Credit: www.tourniagara.com.

Source:  www.tourniagara.com 

On the picture of the Rainbow Bridge, you can see a tall circular structure with a rectangular structure connected to the mainland.  That is the Viewing Deck where visitors can have a good view of the Falls. We have been there. Actually, I took a photo of the rainbow bridge right after our cruise but I cannot find that picture from among the thousands of photo files in my memory card. 

Below that Viewing Deck is, I think, the wharf where visitors can board the boat named the Maid of the Mist and enjoy a cruise of the river to have a close encounter with Niagara Falls. We did that too. 

If you are visiting the U.S., it follows that you have a U.S. Visa, right?  In order to cross the Rainbow Bridge to Canada, you must apply for an eTA online.  I think this is an Electronic Travel Authority.  When you apply you must be ready with your documents such as a valid Passport, a Credit Card, an email address, and access to the Internet. This takes a few minutes only.

You can visit this link for more information about Canada's Electronic Travel Authority - https://www.etacanadavisa.online/.

Before entering Canada, you have to present your valid passport with the eTA and your Identification Card to the Canadian Immigration Officials who are holding office at the Immigration Booth, right after you pass by the Rainbow Bridge to Ontario.  Please check with your host family if this rule is still the same.  Thank you. 

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Photo of Embassy Suites by Hilton Niagara Falls on Canadian Side, Niagara Falls City, Ontario, Canada.  Source: https://img2.10bestmedia.com


Photo of Embassy Suites by Hilton Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
A breathtaking view of Niagara Falls from the Canadian side.
Source:  https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com

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Finally, if you enjoy this story, please LIKE my Facebook Page and SHARE this story with your friends.  Ciao. 

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Additional acknowledgements: 

*Rainbow Bridge Photo Credit - Jennifer Longhurst.

Frozen Niagara Falls Photo Credit - Twitter GARYBO718 at www.huffingtonpost.com

*Boston Pizza Photo Credit:  www.tourniagara.com

*Rich Childs for Angel Falls photo.

* Diego Delso for Victoria Falls photo.

*Enaldo Valadares for Iguazu Falls photo.

THANKS, TO YOU ALL. 

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Touristang Pobre a.k.a. Henry Libo-on stands on the viewing area of the Maid of the Mist. Niagara Falls, N.Y. 

Onboard the Maid of the Mist. 

Niagara Falls boat ride. 

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Hereunder are the remaining three waterfalls that I dream to see. 

By the way, they are also the most visited waterfalls. 

Source of photos - en.wikipedia.org.  

1. IGUAZU FALLS 

Location: Between Brazil & Argentina

Photo source: en.wikipedia.org

By: Enaldo Valadares. 

DISCLAIMER:

We do not own these photos. 

The owners are duly acknowledged here. 

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. 

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2. VICTORIA FALLS

Location: Matabeleland North Zimbabwe and Zambia

By: Diego Delso 

The photos are sourced from Wikipedia.Source: en.wikipedia.org

Disclaimer:

We do not own the photos featured herein.

No copyright infringement intended.

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3. ANGEL FALLS 

Location: Bolivar State, Venezuela

By: Rich Childs 

Disclaimer:

We do not own this photo. 

No Copyright infringement intended.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

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Wandering 

Sang by Frank Sinatra 

Source: YouTube by Cosimodills

April 30, 2023. 

Wandering 

Sang by Frank Sinatra 

Source: YouTube by Cosimodills