After 3 years of flying, finally in my top-bidding month this round, I got a Toronto flight. First time stepping foot in Canada! Of course I was excited.
It's not that easy to get this flight. There were a lot of first-timers (crew) on my flight. 13 of us decided to join a one day tour and hang out together. This is our itinerary:
- Bus to and from Niagara Falls - Wi-Fi, bottled water, fresh fruits on board
- Airplane tour for 30 minutes of Niagara region - including Niagara Falls
- Wine tour and tasting at a world renowned winery on Lake Ontario
- Visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada's prettiest town
- Niagara Falls
- Niagara river cruise "Maid of the Mist" right up to the Niagara Falls
We paid 177 Canadian Dollars per person. Later we found out that this was not cheap at all even though we were told this was the group pricing for airlines crew. Two outsider participants of our tour paid only $120 per person via the Groupon website. Do your research before the trip and I'm sure you can find a lot of good deals.
7am in the morning, we were picked up from the hotel.
I expected a bus or a van, until I saw this.
A freaking limo-style party bus.
Of course the guys were excited. They were blasting music throughout the ride. There were 13 of us from 13 countries - that's how cosmopolitan our company is LOL.
First was Niagara-on-the-lake - the so called prettiest town in Canada.
Too bad we were too early. Nothing was open. A few of us had a quick breakfast at Starbucks before heading to the most exciting activity of our trip - the air tour! I am so used to big airplanes but not this one which can fit only 4 people including a pilot.
Niagara Falls lies on the Niagara River between Canada and New York. This picture below shows the river separating the two countries.
River separating Canada and the United States |
Can't describe my excitement seeing Niagara Falls from the sky. This is probably one of the coolest thing I've done.
Then we were brought to a winery on Lake Ontario.
Wine tasting |
We had some really good wine, including ice wine! But I'm not too sure if I liked the intense sweetness of ice wine.
After some good wine, we were then brought to this nice outdoor restaurant for lunch.
Happy tummy means we were ready for Niagara Falls, like finally! Can't believe that was the last on our trip.
Rainbow Bridge |
Everyone was given this raincoat before boarding. Trust me you don't want to go without a raincoat.
Everyone got splashed and wet and it was almost impossible for me to get pictures. Look at my camera lens above.
Niagara Falls is comprised of three waterfalls. The boat starts off at a calm part of the Niagara River, near the Rainbow Bridge, and takes its passengers past the American and Bridal Veil Falls, then into the dense mist of spray inside the curve of the Horseshoe Falls.
American Falls (left) and Bridal Veil Falls (right) |
Spot the double rainbows! |
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There is nothing like the rainbows of Niagara Falls. This was incredible! I still prefer to enjoy it from a distance.
The trip ended at 6pm and we got back at 8.30pm. It was one loonnnnnnnggggg day!
The next day I had dim-sum for breakfast with my auntie and cousins who live here, and they were nice enough to show me around town.
You won't believe how 'Chinese' some parts of Toronto are!
One thing I noticed too was the beggars. They are also there on the roads stopping traffic asking for money.
Generally my first impression of Canada (more specifically Toronto) was, it looks like the States. Certain parts, like the structure of downtown remind me of Australia too.
Would I return to Toronto? Well I'd love to return to explore the countryside and mountains of Canada instead!
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