Kingston & Toronto, Canada

                                             Canada

Image 1: Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada 

June, 2015

Kingston, Ontario

A family trip to Canada back in 2015, mainly because my brother was finally graduating from undergraduate school. Nonetheless, this trip was and is still one of my favourite trips I've gone on so far. For most Malaysians, traveling to Canada would most likely be the last on their "to visit" list because of how far it is from Malaysia. 

Practically across the globe, a flight to Canada would take an entire day (24 hours) and at least one transit - sometimes two! Hence, despite my brother studying there for 4 years we decided to come visit him only for his graduation in the Summer of 2015. (Well, at least we made it!) 

Our first stop was Kingston, where my brother lived for 4 years. Kingston was a very peaceful town, a town where most Canadians choose to raise their kids and settle down. Kingston is the very opposite of Kuala Lumpur. Things were slow paced and its people were very welcoming to outsiders, almost always making you feel at home. 

Image 2: Kingston City Hall, Kingston

We spent our first few days in Kingston since we had to attend my brothers graduation ceremony at Queen's University. He was graduating from the School of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering, if you're wondering. Queen's University had a campus which was widely spread out, making it look like a mini town on its own. It doesn't even feel like its a campus at times. Most students also live on campus, forming a close knit family-like bond amongst one another. 

My brother's graduation took place in the Ontario Hall, a Victorian Romanesque building which back in 1903 housed the Department of Art which then later became Queen's Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. In fact, over the years, the building  has served many purposes including the home to the department of Mineralogy, Physics and Geology. Today, the building serves as lecture halls, display rooms, an art library and even art studios. 

Image 3: Ontario Hall, Queen's University

Other buildings nearby the Ontario Hall included the Douglas Library,  one of the campuses' landmark and the oldest of Queens' libraries. The library has an immense role of functions over its history of 70 years. Originally built to house the university's whole library collection, Douglas Library soon evolved to be the the university's main social sciences and humanities library.

The Douglas library was then eventually replaced to a library for the Faculty of Engineering and Social Sciences and several science departments within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Today, the Douglas library is known to be the Engineering and Science Library. 

Image 4: Douglas Library, Queen's University 

If you're more of an artsy person like myself (Engineering and sciences just don't appeal to be to be honest), then you'd love the Agnes Art Gallery - also known as Agnes Etherington Art Centre which is also located in Queen's University's campus. Agnes Art Gallery is a research-intensive art museum which features eight galleries of artistic traditions of the past and also innovations of the present.

Image 5: Agnes Art Gallery, Queen's University

Image 6: Queen's University Campus, Kingston 

Kingston is also known for its vast amount of flea markets housing the oldest market in Ontario which is the Kingston Public Market. Founded in 1801, Kingston Public Market has been providing a sense of community and food for Kingston's residents. Here you are able to browse through an immense amount of vendors selling the best quality of local products including garden plants and flowers, processed foods and also handmade crafts. 

The best place for you to truly experience the local scene and to also get yourself a Canadian-made souvenir to take back home! However, Kingston Public Market only opens on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays so be sure to plan your trip accordingly if you're planning to insert this to your list of "places to visit" while you're in Kingston. 

For more information on Kingston Public Market, visit the site below: 

http://kingstonpublicmarket.ca

Image 7: The Kingston Public Market, Kingston

Now, if you're very altered to the Malaysian way of eating, then Canada in general might disappoint you and you'll know why once you're there. However, that doesn't mean that all Canadian dishes are not edible. It really just comes down to your preference at the end of the day. From my entire stay in Canada, I had the best breakfast at the hotel I was residing at - Four Points by Sheraton.  

Image 8: Breakfast @ Four Points by Sheraton, Kingston

Also, a fun fact about Canada is that most people who don't travel around by car actually get around by using an e-bike - an electronic powered bike. So, my brother also eventually hoped on the bandwagon and got himself one to travel around and even go to classes with. According to him, e-bikes are popular among students in Canada since Canada provided Electric Charging Vehicle Stations everywhere. Go Green everyone! 

Image 9: My brother's e-bike

Image 10: Discovery Cruise Ticket Booth, Kingston

Last but not least (my personal favourite and highlight of Kingston) is the Kingston Discovery Sightseeing Cruise. This cruise will provide you a fascinating introduction to the unique sights and the world famous 1000 islands region - focusing on the historic waterfront of Canada's First Capital City. 

Besides that, you will also get some very interesting insights on Kingston's famous landmarks such as Fort Henry, Canada's Royal Military College and Kingston's Penitentiary. Truly spectacular! The duration of the cruise is roughy 1 hour 30 mins. 

For more information on Kingston's Discovery Sightseeing Cruise, visit the site below:

https://www.1000islandscruises.ca/sightseeing/discovery/ (Ticket are priced at RM110 per adult) 

Image 11: Discovery Cruise, Kingston (Photo Credits: Lonely Planet)

Toronto, Ontario

Image 12: Toronto, Ontario

Now to the second half of our trip to Canada - Toronto. Toronto is the capital province of Ontario which happens to be a major Canadian city located along Lake Ontario's northwestern shore. Toronto is also known to be the city with the most skyscrapers in Canada. Canada generally doesn't consist of that many skyscrapers - also housing the famous CN Tower. 

Image 13: CN Tower Canada, Toronto

Soaring Toronto's skyline at 553.33m (1,815 ft 5 in), CN Tower is Canada's most iconic and recognisable icon. CN Tower is a Wonder of the Modern World and is internationally renowned for its architecture. CN Tower is a premium entertainment and dining destination and a must see if you're in Toronto. Ultimately, CN Tower is a concrete communication and observation tower which held the record as the "World's Tallest Free-Standing Structure" for 32 years up until the Burj Khalifa took over in 2007. 

For more information on CN Tower, visit the site below: 

https://www.cntower.ca/en-ca/home.html (General Admission is priced at RM119 per adult)

Image 14: Casa Loma, Toronto

Another must visit if you're in Toronto is the Casa Loma - a 98-room castle in the heart of Toronto that bankrupted a 19th century electricity multimillionaire. Sir Henry Mill Pellat a Canadian soldier and financier who gained immense wealth, founding Toronto Electric Light Company in 1883 - bringing electricity to the streetlight's to Canada's largest city. 

His monopoly continued to grow on for a solid 28 years until 1911 before it started going downhill from there on. Being intrigued by European castles during his trip in his teenage years, Sir Henry Mill Pellat decided to build his very own personal chateau with his fortune of $17 million (Modern day - $412 million), naming it Casa Loma. Try converting that to MYR! It's no surprise that bankruptcy was bound to happen.

For more information on the Casa Loma, visit the site below: 

https://casaloma.ca (General Admission is priced at RM102 per adult)

Image 15: View of Toronto City from Casa Loma Tower, Toronto

Casa Loma also offers some of the best views of Toronto City from its highest point - the tower. So to those photographers seeking to get the perfect shot of the city, you know where to go! 

Image 16: Rogers Centre, Toronto 

Canadians are also very much into Baseball- dating all the way back to 1969 where Canada's major league team Montreal Expos was formed. One of their current major league team today is the Toronto Blue Jay which was founded back in 1977. 

Originally named SkyDome, Rogers Centre was given a new branding after being purchased by Rogers Communication who also owns the Toronto Blue Jays. Rogers Centre is a multipurpose stadium and is known to be the first stadium to have a fully retractable motorised roof. 

For more information on Rogers Centre, visit the site below: 

https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/ballpark

Now to the ultimate highlight of my trip to Canada and probably anybody who plans on visiting then country - one of Nature's Wonder of The World, Niagara Falls! There's truly no way to fully describe the beauty of Niagara Falls and no picture taken would even do it any justice as compared to when you view it in real life.

Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. Niagara Falls also consists of three collective falls - American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and the Canadian Falls. Niagara Falls also happens to be the international boundary between Canada and the United States of America. Niagara Falls may look tall, but the truth is there are about 500 water falls that are "taller" than Niagara Falls. 

Image 17: Canadian Falls, Ontario

However, what makes Niagara Falls so impressive is the amount of water flowing over. Hence the combination of both its height and volume makes it one of the reasons why people travel from all across the globe to witness this amazing site. 

For more interesting facts and information regarding the falls, visit the site below: 

https://www.niagaraparks.com/visit-niagara-parks/plan-your-visit/niagara-falls-geology-facts-figures/

Niagara Falls Canada's official website is: 

https://www.niagarafallstourism.com

Image 18: Hornblower Niagara Cruises, Ontario

If you're not fully satisfied with viewing Niagara Falls from afar, then you might want to consider hopping onto the Hornblower Niagara Cruises. I can promise you that it'll be one of your top cruise experiences of all time! And not because of  a typical feeling of exclusivity when you're on a cruise but because of the overall thrill of being "this" close of the falls and getting to witness its true form in its wetness and how loud the falls are when you're up close! 

For more information on the Hornblower Niagara Cruises, visit the site below: 

https://www.niagaracruises.com (Tickets are priced at RM90 per adult) 

Image 19: Rainbow sighting onboard Hornblower Niagara Cruises

What makes Niagara Falls just that much more amazing is that on a sunny and clear day, you may even be able to witness the presence of a rainbow or even double rainbows at the falls. In the case of Niagara Falls, a rainbow or rainbows are usually formed as a result of the mist in the air around the falls. As if Niagara Falls wasn't already spectacular enough? 

Image 20: Maid of the Mist Boat Tour (USA side)

Both Hornblower Niagara Cruises and Maid of the Mist Boat Tour would be able to take you the falls despite its different origins. Horn blower departs from Ontario (Niagara Parkway) whereas Maid of the Mist departs from New York (Niagara River). You can always cross over the border via Rainbow Bridge to choose which cruise of your preference provided that you have valid travel documents. For Malaysian visitors, that would mean you would need both a Canadian and US visa. 

For more information on the Maid of the Mist Boat Tour, visit the site below: 

https://www.maidofthemist.com (Tickets are priced at RM78 per adult) 

Image 21: Canada's Wonderland, Ontario

As for our last stop for our Canada trip, we decided to kick in some adrenaline rush at Canada's Wonderland. Canada's Wonderland is 134 hectare theme park located in Vaughan, Ontario. Since it was also summer break in Canada, it gave us all the more reasons to spend it by hopping onto thrilling roller coasters and awesome rides. 

Canada's Wonderland is the first major theme park in Canada and the largest one too. With 17 roller coasters, Canada's Wonderland is is ranked the second in the world by number of roller coasters just behind Six Flags Magic Mountain in USA. Canada's Wonderland also only opens between May to September and closes the whole of winter due to unsuitable weather conditions. Lucky for us, we came at the right time! 

For more information on Canada's Wonderland, visit the site below: 

https://www.canadaswonderland.com (Tickets are priced at RM134-RM498 per adult) 

Image 22: Fruit Slushee @ Canada's Wonderland

Canada's Wonderland was only the place where I had one of the best fruit slushee known to man kind. Definitely the perfect drink for the summer and not to mention on how cute the plastic bottles are?! The bottle is yours to keep - a small souvenir you get to take home along with all the other memories made in Canada.