SiamWEB Social Corner: Niagara Falls Guide
Story & Photos by: Rucksapol Jiwungkul
Edited by: Rick Connolly
Visual Appeal: Putt

I have been to Niagara Falls twice. The first visit was in 1983 during the spring break while I was at St. Louis University. Several Thai friends and I decided to travel to the east coast of the U.S., so we rented a car and drove to Niagara Falls from St. Louis. We left St. Louis in the evening and a Thai friend drove us all night to Niagara Falls. I was amazed that he was able to drive for many hours without sleeping. We did not plan to go to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls because we did not get visas to go there, so we only could see the falls from the American side. People who have gone to Niagara Falls would know that you cannot see the American Falls from the American side that well because the falls are actually facing Canada. Sure, you could walk out near the edge of the American Falls, but you would not see much. Not to mention that you could hardly see the famous Canadian Horseshoe Falls that you often see in pictures or postcards. Last year in August, a friend and I drove from New Jersey over a three-day weekend to revisit Niagara Falls. This time we went to the Canadian side and stayed there. If you are a permanent resident in the U.S. or a U.S. citizen, Canada doesn't require a visa to visit. You have to be prepared to show your permanent resident card or a birth certificate when passing immigration. You will find that the roads to go to the bridge across to Canada are a little bit confusing, so it is helpful if you have a map. With several maps and a guide book from AAA (a popular automobile club), it was very easy for us to find our motel. We actually made a reservation about two weeks before our arrival. We did not want to stay in a fancy hotel because it could be very expensive. However, we wanted to make sure that we stay very close to the falls, so we stayed at the Oakes Inn motel which is located in front of the Horseshoe Falls. This is a very small and old motel. This motel did not have much of a lobby, but that was fine with us because we wanted to be out closer to the falls anyway. We paid about $120 U.S. a day to stay in this motel. Obviously, there are many more well-known motels and hotels near the falls. In fact, there are a few big hotels that are located in front of the Horseshoe Falls. I am certain that we would have paid a lot more to stay in those hotels. For people who might not want to spend a lot of money, there are also some hotels that are a few minutes from the falls which might be more affordable. There are some advantages in staying in a hotel that is very close to the falls. First, you do not have to find a place to park when you go to the falls. The parking cost is very high. You can expect to spend several dollars to park a car for an hour if you are lucky to find a place to park at all. Second, the traffic is a little busy, so you might be spending time in your car instead of enjoying the falls. From the Oakes Inn, we could go to the Horseshoe Falls by taking the "people carrier" that moved up and down the face of the bluff at about a 45 degree angle. It made getting between the motel and the falls very convenient, and it cost us 60 cents U.S. for each trip. Unfortunately, you would not want to go up and down many times with the "people carrier" because it moved very slowly. From the Canadian side, the Horseshoe Falls are awesome. Even when you can't see the falls, you can hear the deep rumble of millions of gallons a minute falling onto rocks 60 meters below. But if you start feeling that this is nature at its most powerful, then don't come back to the falls at night. When the lights are turned out and the tourists have all returned to their hotels and motels, the flow over the falls drops dramatically. Much of the water is diverted to huge reservoirs on the American side used to feed hydroelectric generators for Buffalo, New York and Niagara Falls, Canada. I was told that if it weren't for the tourist business, the generators could use all the water in the Niagara River, leaving the falls as just dry cliffs. Probably the easiest way to see the Niagara area is to buy a tour package. There are many tour packages that you can buy ranging from $15 U.S. to much more. We bought a tour package about $15 U.S. that came with a sticker allowing us to use the bus line that traveled along the Niagara River for a day. The package included a ticket to go down the tunnels that let us walk behind the falls and we could get out to see the Horseshoe Falls from the river level. We also received a ticket to go across the famous whirlpool by a suspended car. By using the bus, we went to the Maid of the Mist boat ride. Actually, there are several Maid of the Mist boats. Some leave from the Canadian side and some from the U.S. side. The boats take you into the center of the semi-circle formed by the Horseshoe Falls. The boats try to hold their position for several minutes, while you look up on three sides to see a torrent of water falling 18 stories. The noise is tremendous, and the spray of water is constant. They give you free souvenir ponchos; without them, you'd be soaked. If you will be taking a camera or camcorder with you on this ride, you might want to bring along a big Ziplock bag to keep it dry. If you really want to take some pictures from the Maid of the Mist boat, you may want to consider buying a disposable waterproof camera with film. Other thing that might surprise you is that everything in Canada costs more than in the U.S. The Canadian dollar has been worth about $.75 to $.80 U.S. for the past several years, so a U.S. dollar will convert to about $1.25 Canadian. Even so, Canada is expensive. My friend and I went to Denny's for dinner. It would have cost about $15 in the U.S. It cost nearly $28 in Canada. Don't forget to get customs rebate forms when you purchase something. You can get back some of the taxes you pay in Canada if you keep the receipts. When you leave, there are duty-free shops near all the major bridges back to the U.S. that you can submit the rebate forms. Alcohol and cigarettes are very cheap, but don't try to bring any Cuban cigars back to the U.S. They are illegal and will be confiscated by customs. You can also find some cheap T-Shirts and sweatshirts at these shops. However, the shops are very crowded and you might have a problem finding a place to park your car. By the way, I belive if you don't stay in Canada longer than 48 hours, you may only bring in about $100 of goods without having to pay any duties. If you stay longer than 48 hours, you may bring in about $400 of goods. The U.S. immigration officer will ask you how much goods you are bringing back to the U.S. So, if you have two or three days and are near New York, Niagara Falls makes a nice short trip and break from work. It's an impressive sight, and makes for a vacation you'll remember for a long time.