Alberta and… Banff.

The second half of our west coast trip took place in Alberta. We were visiting my mom’s cousin in Calgary, where one of her other cousins was also visiting from India. We were only there for two days, but did a lot in the short time frame.

Day 1

On the first day we drove from Calgary to West Edmonton Mall. We were mainly going because we heard this mall has a roller coaster inside it (it turns out there were a couple). We got into the car and drove three hours. I have to be honest. Alberta is EMPTY and as we drove to Edmonton I could not help but think we were in the middle of nowhere. Everything was flat and green. Beautiful, but way too quiet for my tastes. We got to the mall and were a bit underwhelmed. The mall was cool, but I would not drive three hours for it.

That being said, we made the best of the situation and it seemed like it had some awesome points. We rode the roller coaster and I have to say it was one of the scariest I’ve ever been on. The fact that we were indoors and everything was so enclosed made it very scary to go over flips and turns. I’m no pansy when it comes to rides, but I was a bit scared. Unfortunately, the ride smelled a bit so we did not go on it again, but here’s a picture of some of it so you can get the idea:

Afterwards we walked around in the mall. I already mentioned that I am not a huge shopping fan, but there were some unusually cool things about this mall. It had a petting zoo, virtual reality sector, huge pond in the middle of the mall where they orchestrated seal shows, a zip line and wave pool. Again super unorthodox and cool… wouldn’t drive three hours for it again.

We finished the day with warm pizza and awesome family time, so can’t complain. I would recommend going to this mall, but would not keep it as a main attraction.

Day 2

On the second day we went to Banff, which has always been a dream of mine to visit! (Vancouver and Banff were my Canadian must-visits). I did a 9th grade geography project on Banff, so I was very excited to see it in person (nerd, I know). AND IT WAS MORE BEAUTIFUL THEN I COULD IMAGINE!

We just did a lot of hiking because we were with a lot of family, though I would have loved to do some other activities. We did do the Gondola ride to the summit. It is expensive but I recommend it. The view is breathtaking (consult pictures below for reference) and one day I definitely want to come back to snowboard!

 

I can definitely go on talking about it, but I’ll just let you see for yourself. Definitely recommend this place, go with a lot of time on your hands. It will not disappoint!

Overall

Overall, I had a great time in Alberta and definitely want to make my way back to explore Banff more thoroughly. Huge shout out to the Brar and Sidhu family (my aunt and uncle’s clan 🙂 ) for hosting us and showing us around their home. I usually do a lot of solo travels, so it means so much to me when I get to go, visit and be with family. I don’t take that security and comfort for granted. Thank you!

 

And readers… VISIT BANFF! (Pictures below).

Also… The crazy hot girl beside me is my sister. 😀