A Vacation to remember !!

Hey guys! I know I haven’t posted anything in, like, forever. But hey, it was summer vacation and I was too busy having fun. Now that school’s back, I finally have some free time to update my blog. And guess what? This is gonna be a pretty long blog, but don’t worry, it’s gonna be worth it. So stick around!

By the way, I just got back from New York, not the cool NYC, but the whole state. I was hanging out at this place called Jagannath Dham. Yeah, I know, it’s a bit of a mouthful. I went there with a group . The ride was like 6 hours long, without even counting the pit stops. It’s 350 miles! And let me tell you, the drive was really boring.

Tip #1: bring something to do for the whole ride.

I had this book with me you know? And I finished it super quick, like in just 2 hours! So there I was, stuck in the car for a whooping 5 hours, with absolutely nothing to do. The place around Jagannath Dham was all green and forest-y and…pretty!

But then we reached this place called Jagannath Dham, and it was BIG! Just open land, full of plants and flowers, a few buildings, and a goshala. You know what that is? It’s a cow haven, a place where cows can live and be safe. I didn’t think I would have as much fun as I actually had.

We got to Jagannath Dham at around 10 pm. So, we didn’t do anything that day except meet people. There were a couple people my age but most of the kids were younger than me. We went to sleep around 2 am. The next morning we had to wake up at 7am, so I hardly got 5 hours of sleep.

So, in the morning, we got our schedule for the day. First, we went to the temple, and then we headed over to the goshala. At the goshala, we saw how people milk cows. My brother and I even got to pet a calm cow named Shanti. She was like a grandma, really relaxed. Then, it was back to the house for some lunch. We had like 10 families, so we needed two houses? After that, I hung out with the other kids in the other house. We had this epic pillow war and built an awesome pillow fort. Wait, did I say war? Yeah, I totally did. It was crazy. There was this one kid who got buried under all the pillows, but don’t worry, he was totally fine. Then we had dinner, and when it got dark, we had a campfire outside. Oh my gosh, the s’mores were so good! We even sang a few songs. Overall, it was fun. The next day, we had to wake up early because we were headed to Niagara Falls, like, lots of families were going. We left around 9am and it was like a two-hour drive, not too bad. But when we finally got there, things got even more hectic.

Tip #2: Niagara is really crowded during long weekends! you can see my few moments here

We headed there on Labor Day weekend, and boy, finding a parking spot was like a never-ending quest! It ate up a whole hour of our precious time. But hey, we finally made it to the falls and they were pretty impressive! Couldn’t resist capturing the moment, so we went on a photo spree. And let me tell you, lining up for the Maid of the Mist was exhausting. We stood there for a solid hour or so. But you know what? When we finally hopped on that boat, it was pure awesomeness! I have to admit, the wait was totally worth it. Now, if you’re wondering what the Maid of the Mist is, let me break it down for you real quick:

Maid of the Mist is a boat ride that takes you really close to the falls. And there is so much mist (Hence the name – Maid of the Mist . Enjoy video). But when you go, like, really close to the main fall, it feels like there’s a hurricane. It doesn’t feel like mist. It feels like heavy rain. The hood of my cloak kept blowing off and by the end my hair was plastered to my face. I could hardly see through the mist. I couldn’t even open my eyes because of all the heavy rain, I mean mist. But I had lots of fun. My family had fun too, especially my brother. But his whole body was being protected by the railing. So he hardly got wet. But it was fun. Then we went on this whole adventure up to Crows Nest. Which is basically a lot of steps that take you close to the American falls. There is a lot of mist there too.

Tip #3: When you get to Crows Nest (which is right across from the Maid of the Mist) watch where you step. The mist makes the steps wet and slippery.

So, we went back to the house, helped out at the goshala, and ate. Then we fell asleep and woke up the next day, ready to leave. I know! So heartbreaking! We had a blast over there. In the morning, a bunch of kids went to the goshala to lend a hand. Later, my dad, brother, and I joined them. We bid farewell to Shanti and all the other animals, then headed back to the house. Said our goodbyes to everyone and hit the road. The car ride was long, so I killed time by reading the books again and daydreaming out the window. And that concludes my trip to Jagannath Dham! Can’t wait to go back next year! This trip has been unforgettable. Let me know in the comments what you got up to this summer! I’ve included some photos from my trip below. And check out the video made by yours truly. Enjoy! Catch you in my next blog post! Bye!