So coming to the point.. I went to Buffalo, NY for the long weekend (Labor Day).. primarily to visit my cousins and also to see the Niagara... secondary reason being I was getting hell bored sitting all alone at home, and Niagara made my weekend. One reason - I had a good time with my cousins and Niagara falls were one beauty to watch... thrill, beauty, awe and danger all mixed up in one rock cut 15 meters deep. The gallons of water flowing over the edge every second into what can be called nature at its beautiful best was breathtaking... literally!!!
I landed in Buffalo at midnight.. while the flight from Minneapolis to Chicago flew right on time, the connecting flight to Buffalo was delayed by 30 minutes... Not bad compared to my flight to Newark the time before. I somehow like flying at night when it is clear down below.. The pretty sight of the lights of cities all arranged in nice geometric patterns twinkling below is pretty awesome. In fact is it a sight to be seen and one which just wins your heart much like that of a lushly waterfall amidst wilderness with no human habitation around for miles.. Worth a lifetime and that's one time I hate cloud cover.
I had a good time at my cousin's place. We all met after almost 3 years so had plenty to talk about and obviously I got plenty of quality time to spend with my niece. The first day we just spent most of the time at home and late afternoon went to a state park. The journey was a little long although it was fun, and I got the chance to give some work to my camera. A digital camera is one thing I guess which has been a boon and a bane to humanity. While we click away to glory unmindful of the numbers incrementing in hundreds, it has lost its value. It has helped amateur photographers like me who no longer have to worry about spending a lot on films (no wonder photography was one costly affair in the past, even now, serious folk of this community love spending hundreds of dollars on accessories to their DSLR's) while trying a trick or two with your normal digital camera. It has also created a kind of apathy towards photos. I use the word apathy here to indicate the fact that we no longer show the same sense of commitment or interest in either preserving them or looking at them once in a while. I do remember those big albums full of photos which was a favorite timepass for the whole family whenever a guest came to our house. Everyone used to pick an album and lose themselves on the path of nostalgia for a while.
Now, the main attraction Niagara. We had to wait for a real long time in the queue, with my cousin complaining out loud that he never had to wait in such a long queue to see the falls, but the wait was worth it. Maid of the Mist - as the trip to the falls in a boat is called was simply superb. The mist created by the thousands of gallons of water falling every seconds off the edge was perhaps the densest mist (more kind of rain) of sorts I have been in. And its a simply superb sight when the sun reflects off at the edge of the water revealing the crystal clear water falling off the edge which itself gives the water a aquamarine shade. The color was mind blowing. Water in itself is a substance of purity. Whatever it touches it makes it pure. I just felt how wonderful is the creation of God and nature. The crystal clear water turning into pure while foam like a bed of cotton. I just wished I could linger in that mist for a longer time, but as every moment passes by, this one had to eventually pass by and I found myself again ashore, totally drenched from tip to toe in spite of wearing the plastic sheets provided to keep up dry.
If Maid of the Mists was a beauty, Cave of Winds was total freaking fun. Once again we found ourselves in a long queue, which was stretching over quarter a mile. Phew! waiting for another hour was kind of really irritating but once again what lay ahead was worth the wait (Ok! I accept only for first-timers)... My cousin kept nagging once again.. hehe...And finally after a long wait, we went down to the foot of the falls almost into the water. This was just awesome. One of the best experiences in a lifetime. The gushing water next to where you stand, ready to sweep you away is simply a lifetime memory etched. The water was ice cold and the force with it it came was memorable. For a moment it felt heavenly standing there with the dull sunshine on one end trying to keep you warm in its embrace while on the other the dancing waters gave you the chills and the beautiful rainbow caused by the mist reminding you the beauty of nature.. There is a philosophy in everything - that moment I realized the essence of life - Life is like the warm sun and the water flowing was like time, ever moving on. The rainbow denoted hope which makes it all more beautiful. I felt that hope was always there for those who at all times believed in the miracles of life and God was present in that very place trying to show us the beauty of life through that waterfall. A second when it all made sense and caused me to split into a warm smile.
What was coming next was the biggest thrill and then I understand why it was called Cave of the winds. The stairs were leading us under the waterfall. Now by under I did not mean to the midst of it, but to a point where water was falling on us directly from above but we were at one edge of the fall. Whatever I say will fail to describe it. Its called the hurricane spot and I must say it was very aptly named. Water was so forceful that we could not just stand it. I mean it was really hard to stay put there. I enjoyed it completely. When you are challenged by something you want to just do it, so I just went about half a dozen times just to prove I could stand it. I simply could not even open my eyes, but I still went to the farthest edge possible. I am sure Newton would not have needed an apple to fall if he was present these. Gravity and Matter presented themselves in a big way. The most surprising thing was the algae there. The farthest edge of the platform I was talking about earlier was completely covered in algae. I wondered how it survived the constant onslaught. Too bad I couldn't even dare think of taking my camera out. Well, End result - not a single fiber on my body remained dry but who cared!
Finally, once again the photographer in my took over and I was madly snapping pics trying to capture all possible combinations of things around me. The result - just over 400 pics captured. After a very exciting day we all decided no on had the energy for the Casino. So we all headed home, stuffed some dinner and gave some rest to our tired and chilled bones!
The next day was all about rushing. I had calls to take from office, then have a haircut (my cousin swore any girl would be proud to have my hair and that he would get me a haircut before I left Buffalo).. and then rush to the airport. Well we were a little worried I might miss the flight as I had very less time after attending to work related calls. Fortunately the airport was empty and I found myself having done with all checks sitting in the lounge way before the departure. Finally back home again with fresh experiences and fresh sights. Plenty to write and feel.
As someone said.. Life is what happens to us while we are busy making other plans!! Indeed.. for that one moment I felt this is what is life all about, enjoying every moment we live and not worry about what comes next, after all the drops of time which have flown past us will never return.
P.S: Believe me it took 2 months to post this thing which I started on my way back from Niagara.
