As you are reading this, I'm on my way back home now. =)
Will see everyone real soon! I'm touching down on 24th midnight / 25th morning.
Till then! =))
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Leaving Bloomington..
Yet another airport day. We went again to Chicago to change flight. For united and canada airlines, they utilise the "hub" system, meaning that they have a few major airports and all other states and towns will fly only to the nearest major airport. So there is no direct flight from Detriot to Indianapolis. (that was the previous plane trip) This time, I'm travelling out of the country - to Canada. We again have to go through Chicago airport. Yes, its the 3rd time I'm at this airport. My flight here was at 10.37am and I reach Chicago at 10.48am (Chicago is 1 hour slower). Seems like minutes. Lolx.
For the 3rd lunch here, we chose to eat at a food court like place. The concept is very similar. I ate lasagna, and after that, ice cream! Then we went over to the gates and waited there for a while before getting on the next plane at 1.16pm.
Touched down in Toronto! (at 4.30pm) My dad booked tickets for the airport shuttle bus in advance but couldn't print the document out cos we din have access to a printer. So when we reached the counter, my dad gave the person at the booth the booking number and he just printed out one ticket when my dad booked two. Then my dad realised it, he went back and asked the man to check again. He said he couldn't check and that we should have printed the document. My dad insisted that he had booked two tickets and that the man should check again. The man finally clicked something to try to look for the information - which he got VERY SOON. Its really funny, as well as ironic, that the most advanced country can't convey accurate and important information between the ticket booth and the online system. And the people receiving the printings usually will doubt it first, and call to check. So wad's the point of booking and printing out documents - other than saving money (its much cheaper if u book online. They are promoting online booking yet they do not have a good system in place. Omg!). If it wasn't for the discounts, I'd rather purchase the tickets on the spot, save a lot of trouble. AND the signs here are bad, the people working at the airport are ignorant, so it took us a while to locate the booth. We touched down at 4.30, got our luggages by 4.45 but missed the 5.00pm bus. Luckily they were frequent and we caught the 5.15pm one.
So our bus came and we reached the hotel - Intercontinental Hotel, pretty fast. It was the third stop. We checked in and rested a while from our long travelling time. (made long by the lack of direct flights) We ate a quick dinner at a Greek Restaurant down the street. The food was bad. =( And the waiters were very rude, one muttered smthg in Italian ( i assume it to be a very rude comment ) when we said we wanted to share one meal. Idiot! Another thing is, I feel that people in restaurants look down on people who don't drink alcohol/wine here. Which is stupid in my opinion. But their unhappiness may be derived from the fact that they get less tips. They expect customers to give 10-15% of their bill as tips (aka gratitude), paid separately from the bill. U can either leave it in the bill they give or on the table when u leave. So since alcohol is expensive, their tips would be, too.
Time for a good night's sleep. This hotel seems to be a good hotel. But their internet system is bad - we cant access it today, its down. And we have to "charge it to the room" and then they'll deduct it in the final bill. Its free, but they end up having more accounting to do (charge then take away), imagine if it doesnt tally. OMG!
For the 3rd lunch here, we chose to eat at a food court like place. The concept is very similar. I ate lasagna, and after that, ice cream! Then we went over to the gates and waited there for a while before getting on the next plane at 1.16pm.
Touched down in Toronto! (at 4.30pm) My dad booked tickets for the airport shuttle bus in advance but couldn't print the document out cos we din have access to a printer. So when we reached the counter, my dad gave the person at the booth the booking number and he just printed out one ticket when my dad booked two. Then my dad realised it, he went back and asked the man to check again. He said he couldn't check and that we should have printed the document. My dad insisted that he had booked two tickets and that the man should check again. The man finally clicked something to try to look for the information - which he got VERY SOON. Its really funny, as well as ironic, that the most advanced country can't convey accurate and important information between the ticket booth and the online system. And the people receiving the printings usually will doubt it first, and call to check. So wad's the point of booking and printing out documents - other than saving money (its much cheaper if u book online. They are promoting online booking yet they do not have a good system in place. Omg!). If it wasn't for the discounts, I'd rather purchase the tickets on the spot, save a lot of trouble. AND the signs here are bad, the people working at the airport are ignorant, so it took us a while to locate the booth. We touched down at 4.30, got our luggages by 4.45 but missed the 5.00pm bus. Luckily they were frequent and we caught the 5.15pm one.
So our bus came and we reached the hotel - Intercontinental Hotel, pretty fast. It was the third stop. We checked in and rested a while from our long travelling time. (made long by the lack of direct flights) We ate a quick dinner at a Greek Restaurant down the street. The food was bad. =( And the waiters were very rude, one muttered smthg in Italian ( i assume it to be a very rude comment ) when we said we wanted to share one meal. Idiot! Another thing is, I feel that people in restaurants look down on people who don't drink alcohol/wine here. Which is stupid in my opinion. But their unhappiness may be derived from the fact that they get less tips. They expect customers to give 10-15% of their bill as tips (aka gratitude), paid separately from the bill. U can either leave it in the bill they give or on the table when u leave. So since alcohol is expensive, their tips would be, too.
Time for a good night's sleep. This hotel seems to be a good hotel. But their internet system is bad - we cant access it today, its down. And we have to "charge it to the room" and then they'll deduct it in the final bill. Its free, but they end up having more accounting to do (charge then take away), imagine if it doesnt tally. OMG!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Second day (and second last) in Bloomie
Today I did more exploring than yesterday. I went to the Arts Museum in IU (indiana uni). It consists of 3 parts but I onli managed to go to half of one. Its really big, with paintings, sculptures, photographs and even some artifact and fabric on display. Some of them belonged to Pablo Picasso himself. After coming here I realised how painters paint a nice scenery - they actually HAVE it. The skies are always blue, otherwise, its misty. And especially in Northern parts of America, painters should (my guess) like to paint summer. People here have winter almost all year, so they really look forward to summer. A few impressionism paintings hung on the walls, others are portraits of army personnel - yes, they are more honored here than in somewhere. Ahem.
For lunch, I ate at the Student Union (that place is really nice!), in the tudor room, a restaurant. How I wish there's one in NUS students' union! Anw, lunch was a buffet lunch with chinese and western food. Unlike other food places, the main course isn't the "main" thing. Dessert was! There's a long list of dessert pinned on the wall above the dessert table. Cheesecake, chocolate walnut cake, apple pie, etc. (I'll upload the picture and u can judge for yourselves). It was a sweet lunch. =)
For lunch, I ate at the Student Union (that place is really nice!), in the tudor room, a restaurant. How I wish there's one in NUS students' union! Anw, lunch was a buffet lunch with chinese and western food. Unlike other food places, the main course isn't the "main" thing. Dessert was! There's a long list of dessert pinned on the wall above the dessert table. Cheesecake, chocolate walnut cake, apple pie, etc. (I'll upload the picture and u can judge for yourselves). It was a sweet lunch. =)
We ate at Denny's Restaurant today. I've been wanting to eat Denny's ever since I reached Niagara Falls. The last time I was here in US, I really loved the hash brown they make at Denny's. Its not the MacDonald kind of hash brown, its sliced potato fried slowly. (yes, i'll load the picture soon! hope i did take though. I forgot.)
We reached scholars inn early and took a rest. Tomorrow we're leaving for Toronto very early. Might not even have time for breakfast. =( Talking about eating, I think I've really been eating a lot since I've reached here!! Omg. I'm now wondering if I need to eat 3 plates of chicken rice in Singapore before I get full. Oh no.
First day in Bloomington
Breakfast in B&B is cooked by the people in charge of the place. A bit oily, but the juice made up for it. After that, I headed to Indiana University. I went for a few talks and grabbed a quick lunch of pizza from their student union.
The students' union is a huge building by itself. It has a bowling alley. YES, a bowling alley, with an arcade and pool table. There's a canteen, information centre, study room, reading room and so on. And one more thing is more exaggerated. There is an official University orientation for.. PARENTS. So i see a long line of parents at the union. What a sight. And here, parents get seriously upset when their kids leave for college (college here means university). To them its like losing their sons and daughters - cause children would leave home during this schooling period and visit them rarely after that. (they'd probably work there or at another town after they graduate and start their new life there.)
Today was a rather eventless day in terms of touring. We ate korean food for dinner! Healthy food again. =))
(I'm lazy to write too much so tt's it for today, unless u want me to write about the talks i went to.)
OH! Actually there is something interesting that I want to say about one of the talks i attended. Sidenote: the tables in the lecture hall are much smaller than those in NUS, its like somewhere less than half of ur A4 paper would fit, SO, be thankful. Anw, there was this talk about creating a vaccination for AIDs. For other viruses, they either inject weakened viruses so that our bodies can produce anti-bodies to fight it. For another group, they obtain the protein/substance that surrounds the virus and inject it as vaccine. This is so that our bodies can recognise the proteins and identify the virus. SO, there is research in this area that is trying to use the latter method to create a vaccine for AIDs, but there aren't anything conclusive yet. The reason for not using the first method should be obvious, who would want to take a vaccine for AIDs with a 2-3% chance of getting it?! For curable disease/sicknesses, its MUCH safer. But in the case of AIDs, everyone would be very cautious. One thing though, the protein obtained for the AIDs virus might cause our bodies to produce a lot of useless antibodies which aren't helpful to the situation. Thus, more research needs to be done.
Just thought u might want to know. =)
The students' union is a huge building by itself. It has a bowling alley. YES, a bowling alley, with an arcade and pool table. There's a canteen, information centre, study room, reading room and so on. And one more thing is more exaggerated. There is an official University orientation for.. PARENTS. So i see a long line of parents at the union. What a sight. And here, parents get seriously upset when their kids leave for college (college here means university). To them its like losing their sons and daughters - cause children would leave home during this schooling period and visit them rarely after that. (they'd probably work there or at another town after they graduate and start their new life there.)
Today was a rather eventless day in terms of touring. We ate korean food for dinner! Healthy food again. =))
(I'm lazy to write too much so tt's it for today, unless u want me to write about the talks i went to.)
OH! Actually there is something interesting that I want to say about one of the talks i attended. Sidenote: the tables in the lecture hall are much smaller than those in NUS, its like somewhere less than half of ur A4 paper would fit, SO, be thankful. Anw, there was this talk about creating a vaccination for AIDs. For other viruses, they either inject weakened viruses so that our bodies can produce anti-bodies to fight it. For another group, they obtain the protein/substance that surrounds the virus and inject it as vaccine. This is so that our bodies can recognise the proteins and identify the virus. SO, there is research in this area that is trying to use the latter method to create a vaccine for AIDs, but there aren't anything conclusive yet. The reason for not using the first method should be obvious, who would want to take a vaccine for AIDs with a 2-3% chance of getting it?! For curable disease/sicknesses, its MUCH safer. But in the case of AIDs, everyone would be very cautious. One thing though, the protein obtained for the AIDs virus might cause our bodies to produce a lot of useless antibodies which aren't helpful to the situation. Thus, more research needs to be done.
Just thought u might want to know. =)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Leaving the M den..
My plane took off early at 10.47am so I ate breakfast in the hotel again. A car picked us up from the hotel, with the same driver who sent us here from the airport, and sent us back there. On the way, she said that the US president had just sent more troops to Iraq for war. Immediately when I got to the airport I saw people in green uniforms (or number 4s) checking in their luggage. I found that the same two guys who checked their bags in at United Airlines was on my plane. [ I've skipped the part about the inefficiencies of the airport. Everyone should be tired of that now]
Before the plane took off, the flight attendant addressed the army men on board. She started with, " This might embarrass some of you, but its something I have to say..". She wished them all the best and thanked them for their service to the nation. They may not be able to make it back, so they are wishing them the best of luck and may disaster never befall on them. She asked those around them to shake their hand and give them well wishes. When she finished, the whole plane clapped in acknowledgement for their efforts. Quite sad. Especially when someone risks your life instead of you.
One hour later, we arrived in Chicago Airport. Feeling that the oily and fat food was getting to me, I ate salad for lunch. Caeser salad with chicken from Wolfgang puck. Healthily delicious. =) I felt much better after eating vegetables and healthy things for a change instead of their fat and oily meat, processed foods, etc. From Chicago Airport, we took a plane at 2.38 to Indianapolis.
We again reached in slightly over an hour, at 4.45. My dad's friend came to pick us up from the airport and bring us to our next accomodation - a bed & breakfast hotel, Scholars Inn (not the one in Shaghai, that one is Scholars' Inn - there is a difference!)
I've never been in a B&B before, so this is a first for me. Basically, its a house converted into several rooms where they'll rent out for visitors to stay in. Each has their own bathroom and facilities, like in a hotel room. Just that this one is nearer to nature and they do not limit the cups and types of tea that u drink, as well as coffee, or water for that matter. The rest of it is similar to that of a hotel.
After checking in is dinner. Chinese food! Healthy. =) Nothing much after that. Went to bed early.
Before the plane took off, the flight attendant addressed the army men on board. She started with, " This might embarrass some of you, but its something I have to say..". She wished them all the best and thanked them for their service to the nation. They may not be able to make it back, so they are wishing them the best of luck and may disaster never befall on them. She asked those around them to shake their hand and give them well wishes. When she finished, the whole plane clapped in acknowledgement for their efforts. Quite sad. Especially when someone risks your life instead of you.
One hour later, we arrived in Chicago Airport. Feeling that the oily and fat food was getting to me, I ate salad for lunch. Caeser salad with chicken from Wolfgang puck. Healthily delicious. =) I felt much better after eating vegetables and healthy things for a change instead of their fat and oily meat, processed foods, etc. From Chicago Airport, we took a plane at 2.38 to Indianapolis.
We again reached in slightly over an hour, at 4.45. My dad's friend came to pick us up from the airport and bring us to our next accomodation - a bed & breakfast hotel, Scholars Inn (not the one in Shaghai, that one is Scholars' Inn - there is a difference!)
I've never been in a B&B before, so this is a first for me. Basically, its a house converted into several rooms where they'll rent out for visitors to stay in. Each has their own bathroom and facilities, like in a hotel room. Just that this one is nearer to nature and they do not limit the cups and types of tea that u drink, as well as coffee, or water for that matter. The rest of it is similar to that of a hotel.
After checking in is dinner. Chinese food! Healthy. =) Nothing much after that. Went to bed early.
Second day in Ann Arbor
One extremely good thing about shopping in America is, they have sale every week. YES, EVERY WEEK. The culture here is this, buy newspapers on Sunday and collect all the sale advertisements (many chain stores can be found almost anywhere in this country, making it highly efficient) and then go to buy the on sale items. They are really generous with their slashings. There is no 10%, 20% discounts. Only 30% and above, and it can go up to 70%. Sometimes its 40% off and a sign next to it saying, "take another 50% off offer prices". And they are true to their word. ( Dont have to worry if its a fraud like in back home )
So I got a flip flop slipper at USD 3.49. (3.49 x 1.37 = SGD 4.78) AND ITS NOT MADE OUT OF PAPER, if that's what ur thinking. Sears had many good deals and I managed to find suitable clothes. Luckily, the size problem didn't affect me that much in here. Oh! And the shoes here, especially branded ones, are real cheap. New Balance, Reebok, Adidas shoes all cost from USD29.99 to USD59.99. ( $41 to $82 ), and their genuine.
For lunch, I just ate a quick hot-dog as I was catching a bus. I don't want to have to wait half an hour for the next one. Bus fares are relatively cheap. USD 1 per trip. If you had to change a bus, just ask for a transfer ticket when u board the first bus. So from any place point A to point B, it costs USD 1, instead of charging you every single time you get onto a bus.
Next stop is K-Mart. Its a one stop place for everything, like Giant. Just bigger. [ quite ironic ] The prices here are good as well. Its similar to K-mart and JCPenny, but the items on sale are not, so there is a point in visiting all of 'em.
Dinner was settled at an Italian restaurant, Zola. Food was very good. They gave bread as starters and I felt it was big enough to be my meal. For my entree, I had mignon steak with some sauce that had a little red wine in it. I took my father's advice that the steak wouldn't taste as good without the wine and turns out he was right. It did taste better with wine. Being quite exhausted from shopping, I went back to the hotel earlier than the few days before. I had to PACK all my shopping stuff into my luggage before I turn in as I'm leaving for Bloomington, Indianapolis.
So I got a flip flop slipper at USD 3.49. (3.49 x 1.37 = SGD 4.78) AND ITS NOT MADE OUT OF PAPER, if that's what ur thinking. Sears had many good deals and I managed to find suitable clothes. Luckily, the size problem didn't affect me that much in here. Oh! And the shoes here, especially branded ones, are real cheap. New Balance, Reebok, Adidas shoes all cost from USD29.99 to USD59.99. ( $41 to $82 ), and their genuine.
For lunch, I just ate a quick hot-dog as I was catching a bus. I don't want to have to wait half an hour for the next one. Bus fares are relatively cheap. USD 1 per trip. If you had to change a bus, just ask for a transfer ticket when u board the first bus. So from any place point A to point B, it costs USD 1, instead of charging you every single time you get onto a bus.
Next stop is K-Mart. Its a one stop place for everything, like Giant. Just bigger. [ quite ironic ] The prices here are good as well. Its similar to K-mart and JCPenny, but the items on sale are not, so there is a point in visiting all of 'em.
Dinner was settled at an Italian restaurant, Zola. Food was very good. They gave bread as starters and I felt it was big enough to be my meal. For my entree, I had mignon steak with some sauce that had a little red wine in it. I took my father's advice that the steak wouldn't taste as good without the wine and turns out he was right. It did taste better with wine. Being quite exhausted from shopping, I went back to the hotel earlier than the few days before. I had to PACK all my shopping stuff into my luggage before I turn in as I'm leaving for Bloomington, Indianapolis.
Ann Abor, Michigan!
As usual, we had breakfast in the Hotel restaurant again. Food's not bad, just too big and too oily. The tea was nice though. As it was a Sunday, many shops weren't due to open till 11am or 12 noon. So we ate a very long breakfast. From 7.30 to 9.30. The reason we woke up so early was to catch the sunrise. But sadly, there were too many clouds AGAIN that blocked our view.
After breakfast, we sat by the outside of the hotel ( an area with seats and a mini-pond ) to do some reading. Oh, talking about reading. There is a variety of newspaperes available in the US. First there's the national paper, USA Today, then there'd be the local papers. Another commonly found newspaper would be The Wall Street Journal. The papers here are much easier to read given their convenient size. I have never understood why Singapore newspapers have to be so HUGE! We have to open up the paper to its full size, flip the paper ( while trying VERY HARD to keep from hitting the next person ), find the page, fold it MULTIPLE times and then start reading. By the time I get to this stage, I don't want to read it anymore. So I choose to read Today most of the time. Yes, SIZE DOES MATTER.
We'd figured some exercise would be good while our room was being made. So we headed down to the Farmers' Market in town. Ann Arbor is a campus town, meaning that the university makes up most of the life and events happening in the area. Their school merchandise (as I've mentioned) is very exaggerated. They have school earrings, adidas cap (which someone gave to me), mugs, pens, pencils, bubble gum (yes, their very own M bubblegums), guitar picks, tennis ball, blanket, chair, license plate, teddy bears, bag, crumpler bag, hair tie, staple, mouse, etc. You get the picture.
Anyway, the farmers' market was supposed to sell fresh fruits and vegetables but when we arrived, they were displaying jewellery, soap, scents, postcards and some framed art. Weird. We later found out that we chose the wrong day to come to the famers' market. They only sold farm goods on Saturdays and Wednesdays. So we went to the supermarket, called Sparrows market, to buy fruits and water. The tap water in America is claimed to be drinkable but no one drinks it. And it has a certain smell. So everyone drinks bottled water.
For lunch, we ate at a Mongolian Cafe. It sounds Chinese or at least Mongolian, but its western food. Its a bit of buffet style and the jap ala carte style mixed together. U first go along the line to get vegetables, then meat, then sauces. At this point, everything is raw. After that u hand it to a chef who will cook the food in front of u and add in the sauce. And there comes ur meal. Delicious.
After lunch is shopping! We went to briarwood mall by means of their public transport. Bus! The buses here are really on time. Never late. That is one good thing. However, they have a low frequency of 30 minutes. =( Anyway, shopping wasnt too bad. There were many shops in one mall (much bigger than those in Singapore) but the sizes there varied a lot. In shops like Aerospace and H&M, the sizes would fit asians better (at least more reasonably), whereas hypermarts like JCPenny, Sears, Von Maur and Macy's had sizes that seemed to me as ridiculous. Sometimes I had to go to the kid's section to shop.
I bought a few things from Aerospace, cheap collar shirts for USD 5.99 (SGD 8.20), which was quite a good deal, given its material. Shopping in America is not as taxing as it is in Singapore. When we do it back home, we worry about price, quality, material, whether it'll shrink when washed, blah blah, etc. Here, the standard of the items are higher and more or less guaranteed. The only thing you have to worry about is size, design, whether it fits, colour and price. Size can be a big headache I admit, but that's still better when compared to worrying about quality. I browsed through a few other shops and got a few more things. Not a bad shopping trip.
For dinner we ate chinese food. And for some weird reason Americans always think that Chinese eat fortune cookies. At the end of each Chinese meal we are given one each. Of course, all of you know this doesnt happen anywhere with any Chinese restaurant in Asia. Actually, reports said that the Japanese were the ones who invented fortune cookies. But, oh well. The portions of Chinese food here is like American food. HUGE! And not to mention oily. I think I've been eating quite a lot of unhealthy food in this trip! =((((
After dinner, we headed back to the hotel. We managed to get our hands on the Sunday paper, where all the Sale Advertisements are in. I'll talk more about that tml. But today's not a bad day too. BUT tomorrow's even better (more shopping!). =)
After breakfast, we sat by the outside of the hotel ( an area with seats and a mini-pond ) to do some reading. Oh, talking about reading. There is a variety of newspaperes available in the US. First there's the national paper, USA Today, then there'd be the local papers. Another commonly found newspaper would be The Wall Street Journal. The papers here are much easier to read given their convenient size. I have never understood why Singapore newspapers have to be so HUGE! We have to open up the paper to its full size, flip the paper ( while trying VERY HARD to keep from hitting the next person ), find the page, fold it MULTIPLE times and then start reading. By the time I get to this stage, I don't want to read it anymore. So I choose to read Today most of the time. Yes, SIZE DOES MATTER.
We'd figured some exercise would be good while our room was being made. So we headed down to the Farmers' Market in town. Ann Arbor is a campus town, meaning that the university makes up most of the life and events happening in the area. Their school merchandise (as I've mentioned) is very exaggerated. They have school earrings, adidas cap (which someone gave to me), mugs, pens, pencils, bubble gum (yes, their very own M bubblegums), guitar picks, tennis ball, blanket, chair, license plate, teddy bears, bag, crumpler bag, hair tie, staple, mouse, etc. You get the picture.
Anyway, the farmers' market was supposed to sell fresh fruits and vegetables but when we arrived, they were displaying jewellery, soap, scents, postcards and some framed art. Weird. We later found out that we chose the wrong day to come to the famers' market. They only sold farm goods on Saturdays and Wednesdays. So we went to the supermarket, called Sparrows market, to buy fruits and water. The tap water in America is claimed to be drinkable but no one drinks it. And it has a certain smell. So everyone drinks bottled water.
For lunch, we ate at a Mongolian Cafe. It sounds Chinese or at least Mongolian, but its western food. Its a bit of buffet style and the jap ala carte style mixed together. U first go along the line to get vegetables, then meat, then sauces. At this point, everything is raw. After that u hand it to a chef who will cook the food in front of u and add in the sauce. And there comes ur meal. Delicious.
After lunch is shopping! We went to briarwood mall by means of their public transport. Bus! The buses here are really on time. Never late. That is one good thing. However, they have a low frequency of 30 minutes. =( Anyway, shopping wasnt too bad. There were many shops in one mall (much bigger than those in Singapore) but the sizes there varied a lot. In shops like Aerospace and H&M, the sizes would fit asians better (at least more reasonably), whereas hypermarts like JCPenny, Sears, Von Maur and Macy's had sizes that seemed to me as ridiculous. Sometimes I had to go to the kid's section to shop.
I bought a few things from Aerospace, cheap collar shirts for USD 5.99 (SGD 8.20), which was quite a good deal, given its material. Shopping in America is not as taxing as it is in Singapore. When we do it back home, we worry about price, quality, material, whether it'll shrink when washed, blah blah, etc. Here, the standard of the items are higher and more or less guaranteed. The only thing you have to worry about is size, design, whether it fits, colour and price. Size can be a big headache I admit, but that's still better when compared to worrying about quality. I browsed through a few other shops and got a few more things. Not a bad shopping trip.
For dinner we ate chinese food. And for some weird reason Americans always think that Chinese eat fortune cookies. At the end of each Chinese meal we are given one each. Of course, all of you know this doesnt happen anywhere with any Chinese restaurant in Asia. Actually, reports said that the Japanese were the ones who invented fortune cookies. But, oh well. The portions of Chinese food here is like American food. HUGE! And not to mention oily. I think I've been eating quite a lot of unhealthy food in this trip! =((((
After dinner, we headed back to the hotel. We managed to get our hands on the Sunday paper, where all the Sale Advertisements are in. I'll talk more about that tml. But today's not a bad day too. BUT tomorrow's even better (more shopping!). =)
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Leaving Beautiful Waterloo =(
I had breakfast at the hotel again today. The great food!! =)) A great way to start the day. Too bad I have to leave so soon. I've only been here for only one full day! We got onto the car and was on our way to Toronto Airport at 9.40am. On the way we stopped for a quick dim sum lunch (this one is authentic, too) and went straight to the airport.
AGAIN when it comes to airports I have nothing good to say. ( I kinda feel like Shin Jung commenting on NEWS ) Firstly their system is not good. Inefficient! First we tried to check in our luggage at row H. Then they asked for our boarding passes, we told them we hadnt collected them yet. So they directed us to row G to check in our luggage or the machines to collect our boarding passes. We chose the latter one and it was a huge mistake. The machine asked for our address in Michigan (the state we're going) and other mundane information. Irritating. We managed to settle that part with some effort.
So now we went back to row G. They weighed our luggages but did not check them in. Weird. Then they said, u need to go through immigration office, go behind the counter and into the immigration office. So we did as we were told, filled in the neccessary forms and went for immigration. After spending 15 minutes there, we finally got to check in our luggages.
FINALLY when we got into the check in area, we started to locate our gate. 286. We saw a sign: "200 - 299" with an arrow pointing down an escalator. So we went. When we reached the lower level we saw this horrendous sign. "Passengers going to gate 200 - 299, please wait for the shuttle bus to bring u there". I got a shock. It felt as if they were saying: " Your gate is in Terminal 3 but please check in in Terminal 1 and we'll send a bus to bring u here.". Argh. What a mess. Luckily there was a bus waiting and we quickly got on. The bus ride took forever man. Like 15 minutes! In the end it was a container terminal. We literally waited in a container.
NOW we are finally at where we're supposed to be at. How long-winded. The path from the gate to the plane wasnt fully sheltered. Perhaps its because the flight was a less important one (quite short, about 1hr 20minutes), so they gave us the faraway gate.
We landed in Detroit very soon. A car was waiting to pick us up from the airport to send us to our hotel, Campus Inn at Ann Arbor in Michigan, 45 minutes away. We checked in and explored the area around. Its really a campus town. University of Michigan (UM in short) is at the centre of the town. All around it are cafes, bookshops, UM apparel shops. One thing about American Universities : They have all sorts of merchandise, so many that there are several shops set up just to sell them. ( more than ours in acjc lehx, darren! =(( They own us like nothing. )
Of course, there are antique shops and boutiques and other weird shops. There was one selling India's incense and fashion too.
We settled dinner at a corner restaurant called Pottebelly and they have good sandwiches. I shared one with my dad. I guess the travelling and the hectic airport made us lose our appetite. So back to hotel for us and that's another day well spent.
AGAIN when it comes to airports I have nothing good to say. ( I kinda feel like Shin Jung commenting on NEWS ) Firstly their system is not good. Inefficient! First we tried to check in our luggage at row H. Then they asked for our boarding passes, we told them we hadnt collected them yet. So they directed us to row G to check in our luggage or the machines to collect our boarding passes. We chose the latter one and it was a huge mistake. The machine asked for our address in Michigan (the state we're going) and other mundane information. Irritating. We managed to settle that part with some effort.
So now we went back to row G. They weighed our luggages but did not check them in. Weird. Then they said, u need to go through immigration office, go behind the counter and into the immigration office. So we did as we were told, filled in the neccessary forms and went for immigration. After spending 15 minutes there, we finally got to check in our luggages.
FINALLY when we got into the check in area, we started to locate our gate. 286. We saw a sign: "200 - 299" with an arrow pointing down an escalator. So we went. When we reached the lower level we saw this horrendous sign. "Passengers going to gate 200 - 299, please wait for the shuttle bus to bring u there". I got a shock. It felt as if they were saying: " Your gate is in Terminal 3 but please check in in Terminal 1 and we'll send a bus to bring u here.". Argh. What a mess. Luckily there was a bus waiting and we quickly got on. The bus ride took forever man. Like 15 minutes! In the end it was a container terminal. We literally waited in a container.
NOW we are finally at where we're supposed to be at. How long-winded. The path from the gate to the plane wasnt fully sheltered. Perhaps its because the flight was a less important one (quite short, about 1hr 20minutes), so they gave us the faraway gate.
We landed in Detroit very soon. A car was waiting to pick us up from the airport to send us to our hotel, Campus Inn at Ann Arbor in Michigan, 45 minutes away. We checked in and explored the area around. Its really a campus town. University of Michigan (UM in short) is at the centre of the town. All around it are cafes, bookshops, UM apparel shops. One thing about American Universities : They have all sorts of merchandise, so many that there are several shops set up just to sell them. ( more than ours in acjc lehx, darren! =(( They own us like nothing. )
Of course, there are antique shops and boutiques and other weird shops. There was one selling India's incense and fashion too.
We settled dinner at a corner restaurant called Pottebelly and they have good sandwiches. I shared one with my dad. I guess the travelling and the hectic airport made us lose our appetite. So back to hotel for us and that's another day well spent.
Second day in Waterloo
Had breakfast in the hotel today. It was super good. The toast was good, the jam was delicious, the potatoes were the best! When I drank the apple juice I felt like I was munching on an apple!! Love it.
After breakfast we went to visit University Of Waterloo. My dad was meeting some people there. I got to go into one of their research labs and use the computer! But I was too lazy to blog. Sorry larx, maintaining a blog DOES require a lot of effort. I surfed the net to find places to go to. The students there recommended a park nearby, which I found out in the end was Waterloo Park. I've heard of it from a friend so was eager to go and check it out. The way there was simple. Just follow the railroad ( not the yellow brick road ).
We lunched at a korean-jap restaurant. Ate salmon again!! =) Just a nice and simple meal. After eating, I headed to Waterloo Park on my own. The air was really fresh and there were so many kinds of flowers on the way. Its strange why they call Singapore a garden city when I see so much more greenery here. Anyways, along the park was a mini-zoo. I was told that it did not contain any interesting animals so I gave it a miss the first time I passed it. Instead I came to Silver Lake at the end of the park. There were ducks, some owl-looking bird and swans. The swans werent afraid of people and came just right where I was standing at the edge of the lake. They obviously whined for food. I found some food-looking thing at the sides of the pool and fed it to them. It worked. Bad move though, they followed very closely behind me after that.
On the way back to the university, I again passed by the mini-zoo. Aware that I still had some time left, I decided to go in to have a look. It turns out they DID have something interesting. There was this albino peacock and peahen. When the peacock showed its tail feathers it was beautiful. Totally white, looks very clean. Heex. They had lamas, ponies, bambis (deer actually), pigs, guinea pigs, a giant tortoise, rabbits, chickens, goats and that's about it.
I went back to UW and off we went to Elora Gorge. We hiked there for half an hour and got loads of fresher fresh air and a cooling atmosphere. The rapids created reason for people to bring their round rubber tyres (not real car tyres of course) to float downstream. Camping here is really convenient. There are already "booths" (segregated by hedges) set up for people to set up their tents and even a bench for picnic including a fireplace for some. So cool.
After a bit of exercise, we ate dinner at a chinese restaurant called Lai Lai (brought over from Taiwan). The chinese food here reminds me of Singapore cos it was authentic and cooked with the exact same style as that of home. Only thing is, the portions are bigger than home and slightly oilier.
While on the way back to the hotel, we passed by a performance. Some uptown jazz festival thing. So cool! We dropped by for a while. Molly Johnson, apparent quite a well-known Jazz singer in Canada, was performing. Her voice was great. I would buy her album if I can find it in Singapore. The jazz music is just right for me, not too acid, not too heavy metal, just simple voice and accoustics. One interesting thing, the town people bring THEIR OWN CHAIRS to attend the "concert". We left at 10pm, ( we started watching at 9.00)
What a fruitful day. =)
After breakfast we went to visit University Of Waterloo. My dad was meeting some people there. I got to go into one of their research labs and use the computer! But I was too lazy to blog. Sorry larx, maintaining a blog DOES require a lot of effort. I surfed the net to find places to go to. The students there recommended a park nearby, which I found out in the end was Waterloo Park. I've heard of it from a friend so was eager to go and check it out. The way there was simple. Just follow the railroad ( not the yellow brick road ).
We lunched at a korean-jap restaurant. Ate salmon again!! =) Just a nice and simple meal. After eating, I headed to Waterloo Park on my own. The air was really fresh and there were so many kinds of flowers on the way. Its strange why they call Singapore a garden city when I see so much more greenery here. Anyways, along the park was a mini-zoo. I was told that it did not contain any interesting animals so I gave it a miss the first time I passed it. Instead I came to Silver Lake at the end of the park. There were ducks, some owl-looking bird and swans. The swans werent afraid of people and came just right where I was standing at the edge of the lake. They obviously whined for food. I found some food-looking thing at the sides of the pool and fed it to them. It worked. Bad move though, they followed very closely behind me after that.
On the way back to the university, I again passed by the mini-zoo. Aware that I still had some time left, I decided to go in to have a look. It turns out they DID have something interesting. There was this albino peacock and peahen. When the peacock showed its tail feathers it was beautiful. Totally white, looks very clean. Heex. They had lamas, ponies, bambis (deer actually), pigs, guinea pigs, a giant tortoise, rabbits, chickens, goats and that's about it.
I went back to UW and off we went to Elora Gorge. We hiked there for half an hour and got loads of fresher fresh air and a cooling atmosphere. The rapids created reason for people to bring their round rubber tyres (not real car tyres of course) to float downstream. Camping here is really convenient. There are already "booths" (segregated by hedges) set up for people to set up their tents and even a bench for picnic including a fireplace for some. So cool.
After a bit of exercise, we ate dinner at a chinese restaurant called Lai Lai (brought over from Taiwan). The chinese food here reminds me of Singapore cos it was authentic and cooked with the exact same style as that of home. Only thing is, the portions are bigger than home and slightly oilier.
While on the way back to the hotel, we passed by a performance. Some uptown jazz festival thing. So cool! We dropped by for a while. Molly Johnson, apparent quite a well-known Jazz singer in Canada, was performing. Her voice was great. I would buy her album if I can find it in Singapore. The jazz music is just right for me, not too acid, not too heavy metal, just simple voice and accoustics. One interesting thing, the town people bring THEIR OWN CHAIRS to attend the "concert". We left at 10pm, ( we started watching at 9.00)
What a fruitful day. =)
Friday, July 11, 2008
From Niagara to Waterloo
The last day in Niagara I woke up at 5am to catch the sunrise! =) The sky was already lit at 5am and the sun started to show itself at exactly 5.46 (right? =) )
I left Niagara at 11am and headed to Niagara-on-the-lake. Its a countryside nearby with vintage and old-style buildings and lifestyle. On the way we passed by a winery, Inniskillin , and stopped for a tour. We tasted Riesling Wine, some Red wine and their famous Icewine. I didn't really like the taste. Both me and my dad took a sip of the wine and poured the rest away. However, the Icewine is the best wine I've tasted so far ( I haven't tried many - can count with one hand ).
After visiting the winery, we went to pick cherries!! Its CAN$10 for a big bucket! They let us in to the orchard and allow us to fill the bucket so that it overflows just a bit. One thing I learnt: Cherries that are darker and further in near to the stem and up the tree are the sweetest! Oh, and they allowed us to eat as we're picking the cherries, so i sorta veted the cherries before I picked them in large numbers from a particular tree or branch. Yummy!
Now to Waterloo! Its a small town with a small population of about 100,000 - majority made up by the few universities found there. We first went around the campus of University of Waterloo to have a look. There was a group of geese eating at the side of the road. I was told that eventually when they do cross the road, the create a scene. Interesting.
I checked in to my hotel - Waterloo Inn. The rooms here in the west are all quite big I presume. Each time there were two beds that were meant for two people. BIG! I can practically lie flat and still have a lot of room. =) The room was old-style. The lights didn't have switches, u had to turn a knob to turn on the light (literally TURN ON the light). There was a beautiful porch as well as swimming pool area, with lots of seats to do reading and hold conversations. The place allowed a lot of light in so it was a cheerful and "brightening" place.
After dropping our luggage off we went to a all you can eat sushi buffet. The food was great. I ate a lot of salmon and ice cream. =)) Too bad I was tired, I would really love to explore the place. But that's the plan for tomorrow!
I left Niagara at 11am and headed to Niagara-on-the-lake. Its a countryside nearby with vintage and old-style buildings and lifestyle. On the way we passed by a winery, Inniskillin , and stopped for a tour. We tasted Riesling Wine, some Red wine and their famous Icewine. I didn't really like the taste. Both me and my dad took a sip of the wine and poured the rest away. However, the Icewine is the best wine I've tasted so far ( I haven't tried many - can count with one hand ).
After visiting the winery, we went to pick cherries!! Its CAN$10 for a big bucket! They let us in to the orchard and allow us to fill the bucket so that it overflows just a bit. One thing I learnt: Cherries that are darker and further in near to the stem and up the tree are the sweetest! Oh, and they allowed us to eat as we're picking the cherries, so i sorta veted the cherries before I picked them in large numbers from a particular tree or branch. Yummy!
Now to Waterloo! Its a small town with a small population of about 100,000 - majority made up by the few universities found there. We first went around the campus of University of Waterloo to have a look. There was a group of geese eating at the side of the road. I was told that eventually when they do cross the road, the create a scene. Interesting.
I checked in to my hotel - Waterloo Inn. The rooms here in the west are all quite big I presume. Each time there were two beds that were meant for two people. BIG! I can practically lie flat and still have a lot of room. =) The room was old-style. The lights didn't have switches, u had to turn a knob to turn on the light (literally TURN ON the light). There was a beautiful porch as well as swimming pool area, with lots of seats to do reading and hold conversations. The place allowed a lot of light in so it was a cheerful and "brightening" place.
After dropping our luggage off we went to a all you can eat sushi buffet. The food was great. I ate a lot of salmon and ice cream. =)) Too bad I was tired, I would really love to explore the place. But that's the plan for tomorrow!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Update of the Journey here to Toronto
As I havent got much time to blog (and I happen to have some now), this is the update of the 30 gruelling hours of travelling that got me here to Niagara Falls, Canada. The falls have credit for this too; when I got here, the view was so mesmerising I forgot all my previous complains of the tiring journey here. And so, I forgot to write about it when I first got the chance to blog. =)
Anyways,
It started at Changi Airport where I boarded UA 0896 (UA = United Airlines). This plane brought me to Hong Kong [some weird name airport, don't blame me Allena, blame the person who gave it it's name!] in the first part of the flight after 6 hours (it goes to Chicago). Not a very long flight.
Here I went straight to the check in area to transit. In the meantime, me and my dad grabbed a quick lunch at a Taiwan Beef Noodle restaurant (Hint hint! Calyn =p). It was sumptious -- it has received some gold award for its famous beef noodle, really good stuff. They gave free internet access to those who dine and I happily forgot to blog as I wasn't fully aware that I HAD a blog. So off I went to Chicago, America. This flight, however, took 13 LONG HOURS.
Same plane, UA 0896. Here I was given the panel seat, meaning that the movie screen was staring at me straight in the face. This seat has more space and leg room, but with the screen down, it's FREAKING hard to move out!! AND imagine the words on the screen so big u couldnt make out what the subtitles were. That was how bad it was for me. Seriously, it can be torturous. I had a hard time falling asleep due to the glare of the screen, though I did manage to watch 3 movies.
LUCKILY and FORTUNATELY, I sat next to a mother holding a 8-week-old baby, which made time on the plane pass more quickly. The baby's name is Zoe, a very cute name. Rebecca, Zoe's mum, was a friendly person who kept me quite involved in Zoe's activities; be it daiper changing or a slight cry. Oh! Zoe was quiet throughout the whole trip - she hardly cried and even if she did, it wouldn't wake anyone up. Real good girl.
The best thing was, I got to carry Zoe!! TWICE!
Eh, well.. The first time I carried her, she burst out crying. My fault! I was nervous! I think that was the loudest she ever cried on board. Ooops!
Then the second time it was so much better. I played her favourite game -- standing up and then sitting down (simple and fun) with her and she was more relaxed. Plus I kept pointing her mum out to her. It was really COOL. =))
Sadly, I only managed to get one picture with her and she was asleep. =(
But nevermind, I'll ask for some pictures and of course permission!, to put in this blog as a part of my journey.
Ok, so the plane landed on time despite having been delayed by 30mins. However, due to some stupid resistance of the Chicago airport that they will NOT transit our luggage, we had to wait patiently at the belt to collect them and re-check them in. They took forever!
Our waiting time for transit, which was 1hr 45mins, proved to be too short for the inefficient airport. By the time we got out of the arrival hall, re-checked ourselves into the check in area, rushed to the gate, it was CLOSED. Our plane leaves at 3.45pm and we got there at 3.41pm. The gate had JUST CLOSED! Man!
And the next flight was 2 hours later!! We were directed to the customer service area and they gave us our new tickets; we got to keep the old ones (well, they were deemed useless anyway. The gate WAS closed.)
By then we knew we were going to reach our hotel at 12am earliest. No choice. We HAD to wait. So we treated ourselves to pizza from Wolfgang Puck. Then we headed to our gate to wait and I slept for 1 hour. No luck with the internet access here either. All were pay-to-use portals. BOO!
Then 6.40pm came. We boarded UA 1110 -- a small plane with only two row of seats. I got the window seat this time but was too tired throughout the flight to take any photos. The took off here got delayed AGAIN due to some missing international clearance documents that someone overlooked (maybe the pilot?). The plane had left the boarding area and we had to go back there to collect the stuff. It took FOREVER. A few pieces of paper caused the flight to be delayed by 1 hour. Incredible.
We arrived at Toronto, Canada at 9.20pm and just look at how bright it is. (Don't you just agree its like 7.20pm? That's what I thought when the pilot announced the time. Apparently I got it wrong, it IS 9.20pm)
Here the luggage took forever, as expected. Those of you who think how great America or the West is, think again. They can be really ineffecient many a times. (and problematic when it comes to systems)
yet to finish this...
Anyways,
It started at Changi Airport where I boarded UA 0896 (UA = United Airlines). This plane brought me to Hong Kong [some weird name airport, don't blame me Allena, blame the person who gave it it's name!] in the first part of the flight after 6 hours (it goes to Chicago). Not a very long flight.
Here I went straight to the check in area to transit. In the meantime, me and my dad grabbed a quick lunch at a Taiwan Beef Noodle restaurant (Hint hint! Calyn =p). It was sumptious -- it has received some gold award for its famous beef noodle, really good stuff. They gave free internet access to those who dine and I happily forgot to blog as I wasn't fully aware that I HAD a blog. So off I went to Chicago, America. This flight, however, took 13 LONG HOURS.
Same plane, UA 0896. Here I was given the panel seat, meaning that the movie screen was staring at me straight in the face. This seat has more space and leg room, but with the screen down, it's FREAKING hard to move out!! AND imagine the words on the screen so big u couldnt make out what the subtitles were. That was how bad it was for me. Seriously, it can be torturous. I had a hard time falling asleep due to the glare of the screen, though I did manage to watch 3 movies.
LUCKILY and FORTUNATELY, I sat next to a mother holding a 8-week-old baby, which made time on the plane pass more quickly. The baby's name is Zoe, a very cute name. Rebecca, Zoe's mum, was a friendly person who kept me quite involved in Zoe's activities; be it daiper changing or a slight cry. Oh! Zoe was quiet throughout the whole trip - she hardly cried and even if she did, it wouldn't wake anyone up. Real good girl.
The best thing was, I got to carry Zoe!! TWICE!
Eh, well.. The first time I carried her, she burst out crying. My fault! I was nervous! I think that was the loudest she ever cried on board. Ooops!
Then the second time it was so much better. I played her favourite game -- standing up and then sitting down (simple and fun) with her and she was more relaxed. Plus I kept pointing her mum out to her. It was really COOL. =))
Sadly, I only managed to get one picture with her and she was asleep. =(
But nevermind, I'll ask for some pictures and of course permission!, to put in this blog as a part of my journey.
Ok, so the plane landed on time despite having been delayed by 30mins. However, due to some stupid resistance of the Chicago airport that they will NOT transit our luggage, we had to wait patiently at the belt to collect them and re-check them in. They took forever!
Our waiting time for transit, which was 1hr 45mins, proved to be too short for the inefficient airport. By the time we got out of the arrival hall, re-checked ourselves into the check in area, rushed to the gate, it was CLOSED. Our plane leaves at 3.45pm and we got there at 3.41pm. The gate had JUST CLOSED! Man!
And the next flight was 2 hours later!! We were directed to the customer service area and they gave us our new tickets; we got to keep the old ones (well, they were deemed useless anyway. The gate WAS closed.)
By then we knew we were going to reach our hotel at 12am earliest. No choice. We HAD to wait. So we treated ourselves to pizza from Wolfgang Puck. Then we headed to our gate to wait and I slept for 1 hour. No luck with the internet access here either. All were pay-to-use portals. BOO!
Then 6.40pm came. We boarded UA 1110 -- a small plane with only two row of seats. I got the window seat this time but was too tired throughout the flight to take any photos. The took off here got delayed AGAIN due to some missing international clearance documents that someone overlooked (maybe the pilot?). The plane had left the boarding area and we had to go back there to collect the stuff. It took FOREVER. A few pieces of paper caused the flight to be delayed by 1 hour. Incredible.
We arrived at Toronto, Canada at 9.20pm and just look at how bright it is. (Don't you just agree its like 7.20pm? That's what I thought when the pilot announced the time. Apparently I got it wrong, it IS 9.20pm)
Here the luggage took forever, as expected. Those of you who think how great America or the West is, think again. They can be really ineffecient many a times. (and problematic when it comes to systems)
yet to finish this...
Second Day at the Falls
I went on a day tour today to get the most out of my stay here. It starts from my hotel and lasted about 5 hours. Our first stop was the Skylon Tower, the tallest building here! (Not for long though, Hilton hotel is building a 59-storey extension; 4 levels higher than the Skylon Tower)
The view from up high is really great. But picture-wise, its not as wonderful. They have put up metal fences as precautionary measures. Nonetheless, I've not been detered! =)
However, with the sun behind me, its hard to take a picture that isnt exposed. This is the best I could get.
Next: Canadian Plaza (or something like that)
Lunchtime! I had pizza and pretzel. On the way here we passed by many bed and breakfast hotels, B&B in short, and many of them are really SPECIAL. Here are some I caught on the camera. Oh! And my lunch of course. =p
Last Stop: Maid of the Mists
As they like to say, leave the best for the last. Indeed, this ride is the BEST of this tour. Everyone who's been here says that this ride is A MUST! Otherwise, you wouldn't have been to Niagara falls.
This boat brings us up-close to the falls, going strongly against the water currents to let us "enjoy" all the mist we can get. I sure did "enjoy" a lot of it. This is a picture of me (with a VERY sheepish look) after getting totally drenched and soaked from the falls.
WELL, with the falls right above you, who can avoid getting wet?! But i DID dash up to the top of the boat once I got on. Heex. I'm here anyway, might as well go all the way and savour the moment while I can.
The tour has really been very entertaining. Out tour guide has told us MANY stories during the trip as well as shown us articles and pictures of all the unbelievable events that occurred here, including the daredevil stunts (an old woman went DOWN the falls in a barrel together with her cat) when many tempted fate.
Disclaimer: For all those who see this post without the pictures, SORRY! I haven't uploaded the pictures yet but will do so ASAP when I get a chance to. Just be patient, yeah? =)
The view from up high is really great. But picture-wise, its not as wonderful. They have put up metal fences as precautionary measures. Nonetheless, I've not been detered! =)
However, with the sun behind me, its hard to take a picture that isnt exposed. This is the best I could get.
Second stop : Journey Behind the Falls.
This attraction brings us right at the spot where the river just begins to fall over the edge. We are given ponchos to avoid getting drenched -- though with that on, it's still hard not to get wet. These are some pictures I got from the portals, and the outdoor balcony. (The falls are really close - we can practically touch the water. But the wind currents are just too strong for us to get near; I felt that I could have been blown away if it got any stronger!)
This attraction brings us right at the spot where the river just begins to fall over the edge. We are given ponchos to avoid getting drenched -- though with that on, it's still hard not to get wet. These are some pictures I got from the portals, and the outdoor balcony. (The falls are really close - we can practically touch the water. But the wind currents are just too strong for us to get near; I felt that I could have been blown away if it got any stronger!)
Next: Canadian Plaza (or something like that)
Lunchtime! I had pizza and pretzel. On the way here we passed by many bed and breakfast hotels, B&B in short, and many of them are really SPECIAL. Here are some I caught on the camera. Oh! And my lunch of course. =p
We're off again! Butterfly Conservation.
This is like the Zoo's Butterfly Parks, just more colours, shapes and sizes. Some stopped on us (sadly only one on me and only for a split of a second) and here are the different butterflies that didn't fly away before I snapped.
This is like the Zoo's Butterfly Parks, just more colours, shapes and sizes. Some stopped on us (sadly only one on me and only for a split of a second) and here are the different butterflies that didn't fly away before I snapped.
Last Stop: Maid of the Mists
As they like to say, leave the best for the last. Indeed, this ride is the BEST of this tour. Everyone who's been here says that this ride is A MUST! Otherwise, you wouldn't have been to Niagara falls.
This boat brings us up-close to the falls, going strongly against the water currents to let us "enjoy" all the mist we can get. I sure did "enjoy" a lot of it. This is a picture of me (with a VERY sheepish look) after getting totally drenched and soaked from the falls.
WELL, with the falls right above you, who can avoid getting wet?! But i DID dash up to the top of the boat once I got on. Heex. I'm here anyway, might as well go all the way and savour the moment while I can.
The tour has really been very entertaining. Out tour guide has told us MANY stories during the trip as well as shown us articles and pictures of all the unbelievable events that occurred here, including the daredevil stunts (an old woman went DOWN the falls in a barrel together with her cat) when many tempted fate.
Disclaimer: For all those who see this post without the pictures, SORRY! I haven't uploaded the pictures yet but will do so ASAP when I get a chance to. Just be patient, yeah? =)
Monday, July 7, 2008
First Post since I arrived at Toronto!
Hihi!! Long time no see. It's been a good 2 days since I've left Singapore and 1 day since I've arrived at Toronto, Canada, or more specifically, Niagara Falls! I spent 30 long hours travelling -- getting onto airplanes, getting off, waiting to transit and getting on again. In between I did miss a flight at Chicago airport, due to their refusal to transit our luggage. But we were back on track 2 hours later.
Since I do not have much time to blog now, I'll touch on the main point.
NIAGARA FALLS IS SO BEAUTIFUL!
This is the American falls though, cos America is just opposite the river!
The Canadian Horseshoe falls is even BETTER!!
The boat you see in the pictures is called the Maid of the Mist, one of the main (and very important) attractions here at Niagara Falls.
For those of you who are worried that I have not taken enough pictures, don't be. In my short walk of about 3 hours, I took about 250 pictures, not including the videos!
Since I do not have much time to blog now, I'll touch on the main point.
NIAGARA FALLS IS SO BEAUTIFUL!
There is a rainbow that walks alongside you when u stroll down the river banks next to the falls. It seriously follows you. =)
I had some time to walk by the falls today and the view is really breath-taking. I've tried to upload some pictures onto the blog but for some weird reason it doesn't work ( in the end i realised i did not check the box which said "I agree to the terms and conditions", no wonder ). But not to worry, they're coming back with me to Singapore. =)
Hmm.. More on the falls. The coolest thing is, I can see the horseshoe falls of Canada right from my hotel room. Look at this:
The falls from my window. So amazing.
My hearty breakfast with a VERY GOOD scenic view. =)
Nearer the falls, it is even more i-dunno-how-to-say-but-it-just-rocks! (Magnificent, mesmerising, amazing, fantastic, wonderful, great, pretty, majestic, beautiful, elegant..) I just stood in awe.
See for yourself!
This is the American falls though, cos America is just opposite the river!
The Canadian Horseshoe falls is even BETTER!!
The boat you see in the pictures is called the Maid of the Mist, one of the main (and very important) attractions here at Niagara Falls.
For those of you who are worried that I have not taken enough pictures, don't be. In my short walk of about 3 hours, I took about 250 pictures, not including the videos!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
My new blog! =)
Hi hi. Welcome to lynxcat's new blog.
As most of you know, I'm going to America in 12 hours' time! And so as to update you guys without being online forever and sounding like a tape recorder (repeating the story again AND again to everyone), I've decided to create a blog. =)
Anw, my plane is leaving for Toronto, Canada at 6am on Sunday and reaching at 6.30pm (canadian time). My first stop would be Niagara Falls. Oh man, I cant wait!! I promised to take TONS of photos and be assured I will.
As most of you know, I'm going to America in 12 hours' time! And so as to update you guys without being online forever and sounding like a tape recorder (repeating the story again AND again to everyone), I've decided to create a blog. =)
Anw, my plane is leaving for Toronto, Canada at 6am on Sunday and reaching at 6.30pm (canadian time). My first stop would be Niagara Falls. Oh man, I cant wait!! I promised to take TONS of photos and be assured I will.
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