At last I finally posted the final journal of my recent trip to Canada and the US.
I started packing up as early as possible to find out how much weight my bags could accommodate. This is not my first trip from abroad where I could carry back personal stuffs from my shopping spree and somewhat brings anxiety for paying the extra loads at the airport. Anyway, without using a weighing scale I am now experienced to assess my bag for not exceeding 25 kg. Surprisingly, as expected it is exceeded, but Im still optimistic that I could fit them all and pay nothing.
Basing from my past travels, I know that every passenger is allowed up to 50 pounds or up to 25 kg especially travelling from Asia to elsewhere. To have a peace of mind, I decided to call the Continental customer service and to verify the charges for excess. Amazingly, I found out that I am allowed two bags and 50 pounds each!
It was an emotional moment to say goodbye to my cousin's family particularly her two kids. I left the house 2 hours before my scheduled departure time from Pearson Airport and catch my connecting flight at Newark (Liberty airport). The day was cold dry and traces of snow are still visible along the roads. My cousin stayed for a while until I successfully checked-in my bags. It was a relief while carrying my hand carries and successfully passed the US immigration.
My flight arrive on-time at Newark and waited for less than two hours for my next flight for Belfast. To make my stay meaningful at the airport, I roamed around and took some photos of the airport and continued reading my Xmas bookcrossing exchange gift – Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters.
Quickly, I boarded the plane with the rest of Irish passengers which majority of them were come from their Florida's holiday. The flight was shaky and bumpy which brought my heart to beat faster! Thank God, the plane finally touched down at the International Airport of Belfast few minutes early as expected. While queuing in the immigration section, I was anxious to go home and sleep! But as soon as I handed my passport to the immigration officer, she searched all my visa stamps and I was surprised to hear from her "if I have encountered problems with the immigration". Well, I remember that I had one when I and my Indonesian friends went to Dublin last Sept 2006 and the bus that we were riding was stopped and unfortunately, we don’t have the Irish visa, we were not allowed to cross the border. I don’t want to explain what happened that day but, it was recorded in the system that I did something wrong which will be a problem every time I will travel in Europe. Anyway, I told her what happened and she finally handed my passport and let me to go!
Before meeting my friend outside the arrival area, I went to the Exchange money counter and asked to exchanged my Canadian dollars to English notes with the same rate when I left the airport three weeks ago which was good because the rate that day is lower than that of my departure. So, it was a good deal!
I met my friend outside the airport with smiling - recharged to face again my university work with new hope and enthusiasm to finish my PhD on time this year.
Oooh, it was a wonderful vacation I had in Canada and the US. I already miss my relatives and friends there! Visiting North Carolina, Niagara Falls, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal is something I will treasure while I am alive and kicking!
Showing posts with label canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label canada. Show all posts
Thursday, 7 February 2008
Saturday, 12 January 2008
Day 17, 18 and 19: Montreal and Ottawa City Trips
On the 17th day, we went to Square One mall. I felt like I was shopping inside the Galleria (Makati). Well the configuration is similar to Galleria Malls and even some of the lay-outs of the tenants and parking area. My cousin's kids had their haircuts!
We left Mississuaga for Montreal at 730pm on the same day and arrived Quebec at 1:30am. We stayed at Holiday Inn (Express) at suite accommodation. My cousin managed to get ½ price of the second night stay and fair enough the place is excellent for families. I slept in the sofa bed and I really enjoyed my stay considering that the hotel has as free wireless internet connection. I had the chance to finalise my report and sent it to my supervisors by email.
Well, on our first day, after we took our free breakfast at the hotel, we immediately proceeded to St Joseph Oratory. It was easy to find it using the newly purchased GPS gadget. The place is really interesting and well-recommended for people who have devotion to St Joseph, the father of Jesus. Later on, we went to the popular bakery for "Bagel". Believe it or not, a long line of people waiting to be served for delicious bagels! I love the chocolate ones, including the salmon filling. My cousin was telling me that, without tasting the bagel, it means you did not visit Quebec!
By the way, everybody speaks French in Quebec, even traffic signs and posts are in French! Generally, the city centre is not busy because of the weather, and it seems that the streets are bumpy most of the time. Houses are painted in bright colours with winding steel staircases in the front leading to the second floor of the houses. Maybe, a replica of French architecture!
After that, we had a quick tour to the Olympic Stadium of Montreal – the place where 1976 summer games took place. I was really excited to get in the stadium and grab some souvenirs, but we can not find a good parking area and besides side streets were covered with snow! From a distance, my first impression to this huge sports complex is like a space ship.
Later on, we had a quick shopping in Costco and proceeded to the hotel for a rest. After taking a short break, we decided to go out and had the last evening French mass at Notre-Dame Basilica. This church is stunning especially the altar area. We did buy some souvenirs in the nearby shops and again it is expensive for T-shirts!
Early in the evening, we had our dinner just near the hotel and again we tasted the "Smoked Tuna sandwich" which another food to taste while in Montreal. It was a lovely dinner and the owner and the waitress of the restaurant were kind to serve us at the last costumer.
That night, I had a bad condition – running nose and sneezing! Frankly, I don’t drink tablets to stop, but since I can not bear anymore of it and not to spoil my sleep and to contain it to myself (considering that there are two kids which are vulnerable for colds), I took a tablet of Claritin and took one after 12 hours.
The following day (19th day), we woke early, packed our things and had our breakfast. We checked out and using the GPS gadget, we left Quebec and after two hours, we arrived our next destination, Ottawa. The roads were ok and not much of traffic along the way.
By the way, everybody speaks French in Quebec, even traffic signs and posts are in French! Generally, the city centre is not busy because of the weather, and it seems that the streets are bumpy most of the time. Houses are painted in bright colours with winding steel staircases in the front leading to the second floor of the houses. Maybe, a replica of French architecture!
After that, we had a quick tour to the Olympic Stadium of Montreal – the place where 1976 summer games took place. I was really excited to get in the stadium and grab some souvenirs, but we can not find a good parking area and besides side streets were covered with snow! From a distance, my first impression to this huge sports complex is like a space ship.
Later on, we had a quick shopping in Costco and proceeded to the hotel for a rest. After taking a short break, we decided to go out and had the last evening French mass at Notre-Dame Basilica. This church is stunning especially the altar area. We did buy some souvenirs in the nearby shops and again it is expensive for T-shirts!
Early in the evening, we had our dinner just near the hotel and again we tasted the "Smoked Tuna sandwich" which another food to taste while in Montreal. It was a lovely dinner and the owner and the waitress of the restaurant were kind to serve us at the last costumer.
That night, I had a bad condition – running nose and sneezing! Frankly, I don’t drink tablets to stop, but since I can not bear anymore of it and not to spoil my sleep and to contain it to myself (considering that there are two kids which are vulnerable for colds), I took a tablet of Claritin and took one after 12 hours.
The following day (19th day), we woke early, packed our things and had our breakfast. We checked out and using the GPS gadget, we left Quebec and after two hours, we arrived our next destination, Ottawa. The roads were ok and not much of traffic along the way.
We did not stay long in Ottawa – the capital city of Canada. We immediately proceeded to the Parliament Hill and climbed to the chamber where the bells are housed. The main building's interior is impressive and well-maintained. Highly- recommended to visit the place in summer. Took some photographs and left the city centre back to Toronto. It took us another 4.5 hours to finally reach our destination, but this time to attend a b-day party. It was a foggy late afternoon and I met some of my hometown friends and exchanged stories about our lives. We did not stay long and we finally drove back to my cousin's house after long hours of driving from Ottawa.
We left Mississuaga for Montreal at 730pm on the same day and arrived Quebec at 1:30am. We stayed at Holiday Inn (Express) at suite accommodation. My cousin managed to get ½ price of the second night stay and fair enough the place is excellent for families. I slept in the sofa bed and I really enjoyed my stay considering that the hotel has as free wireless internet connection. I had the chance to finalise my report and sent it to my supervisors by email.
Well, on our first day, after we took our free breakfast at the hotel, we immediately proceeded to St Joseph Oratory. It was easy to find it using the newly purchased GPS gadget. The place is really interesting and well-recommended for people who have devotion to St Joseph, the father of Jesus. Later on, we went to the popular bakery for "Bagel". Believe it or not, a long line of people waiting to be served for delicious bagels! I love the chocolate ones, including the salmon filling. My cousin was telling me that, without tasting the bagel, it means you did not visit Quebec!
By the way, everybody speaks French in Quebec, even traffic signs and posts are in French! Generally, the city centre is not busy because of the weather, and it seems that the streets are bumpy most of the time. Houses are painted in bright colours with winding steel staircases in the front leading to the second floor of the houses. Maybe, a replica of French architecture!
After that, we had a quick tour to the Olympic Stadium of Montreal – the place where 1976 summer games took place. I was really excited to get in the stadium and grab some souvenirs, but we can not find a good parking area and besides side streets were covered with snow! From a distance, my first impression to this huge sports complex is like a space ship.
Later on, we had a quick shopping in Costco and proceeded to the hotel for a rest. After taking a short break, we decided to go out and had the last evening French mass at Notre-Dame Basilica. This church is stunning especially the altar area. We did buy some souvenirs in the nearby shops and again it is expensive for T-shirts!
Early in the evening, we had our dinner just near the hotel and again we tasted the "Smoked Tuna sandwich" which another food to taste while in Montreal. It was a lovely dinner and the owner and the waitress of the restaurant were kind to serve us at the last costumer.
That night, I had a bad condition – running nose and sneezing! Frankly, I don’t drink tablets to stop, but since I can not bear anymore of it and not to spoil my sleep and to contain it to myself (considering that there are two kids which are vulnerable for colds), I took a tablet of Claritin and took one after 12 hours.
The following day (19th day), we woke early, packed our things and had our breakfast. We checked out and using the GPS gadget, we left Quebec and after two hours, we arrived our next destination, Ottawa. The roads were ok and not much of traffic along the way.
By the way, everybody speaks French in Quebec, even traffic signs and posts are in French! Generally, the city centre is not busy because of the weather, and it seems that the streets are bumpy most of the time. Houses are painted in bright colours with winding steel staircases in the front leading to the second floor of the houses. Maybe, a replica of French architecture!
After that, we had a quick tour to the Olympic Stadium of Montreal – the place where 1976 summer games took place. I was really excited to get in the stadium and grab some souvenirs, but we can not find a good parking area and besides side streets were covered with snow! From a distance, my first impression to this huge sports complex is like a space ship.
Later on, we had a quick shopping in Costco and proceeded to the hotel for a rest. After taking a short break, we decided to go out and had the last evening French mass at Notre-Dame Basilica. This church is stunning especially the altar area. We did buy some souvenirs in the nearby shops and again it is expensive for T-shirts!
Early in the evening, we had our dinner just near the hotel and again we tasted the "Smoked Tuna sandwich" which another food to taste while in Montreal. It was a lovely dinner and the owner and the waitress of the restaurant were kind to serve us at the last costumer.
That night, I had a bad condition – running nose and sneezing! Frankly, I don’t drink tablets to stop, but since I can not bear anymore of it and not to spoil my sleep and to contain it to myself (considering that there are two kids which are vulnerable for colds), I took a tablet of Claritin and took one after 12 hours.
The following day (19th day), we woke early, packed our things and had our breakfast. We checked out and using the GPS gadget, we left Quebec and after two hours, we arrived our next destination, Ottawa. The roads were ok and not much of traffic along the way.
We did not stay long in Ottawa – the capital city of Canada. We immediately proceeded to the Parliament Hill and climbed to the chamber where the bells are housed. The main building's interior is impressive and well-maintained. Highly- recommended to visit the place in summer. Took some photographs and left the city centre back to Toronto. It took us another 4.5 hours to finally reach our destination, but this time to attend a b-day party. It was a foggy late afternoon and I met some of my hometown friends and exchanged stories about our lives. We did not stay long and we finally drove back to my cousin's house after long hours of driving from Ottawa.
Day 15, and 16: Snowy (negative degrees) in Mississuaga, Toronto
On Day 15, my cousin's sister and I woke up early and immediately drove to Sherway Garden – a shopping mall, 20-minutes away from the house. Fortunately, I was able to buy my favourite shirts in Abercrombie without any fuss. I had the chance to have a one-hour swim at the River grove Community Centre after weeks of not having a regular exercise. Frankly, I gained weight and I feel that my tummy is noticeable this time of the season.
After my swim, I joined my cousin's brother and sister-in-law to visit CN Tower in the downtown area of Toronto. It was a wonderful quick visit to the tallest tower in the world. It is a magnificent structure that provides a panoramic view of the metropolitan Toronto area. Viewing the area at night provides a different perspective of the city where you could only see different lights below the ground.
On Day 16, I joined again my cousin for a ride train going to the city centre. I did a quick tour of the subway area, instead of walking the main streets. When I had my first visit of the city, I noticed that only few people were walking and I thought that maybe because it was early in the morning. But on the second visit, I found out that everybody is walking below the ground – where basements of the buildings are interconnected to each other and where the sub train stations are also connected. All the major shops and restaurants are located few feet below the grounds and well-heated. The concourses are confusing but I managed to remember the colour codes: North – Blue; South – Red; East – Yellow and West – Orange. I was lost for several times but luckily I managed to find my way back where I have to meet again my cousin.
Half of the day, I spent much time at the Uni of Toronto main library in Robarts Building and did some revision of my university research which I successfully sent it by email to my supervisors two days after while in Montreal.
On the evening of Day 16, we celebrated two birthdays: my cousin's husband and her father (my grandfather). It was a simple celebration for family members only with a big cake, a big bowl of fruit salad, including fried chickens and native pasta.
After my swim, I joined my cousin's brother and sister-in-law to visit CN Tower in the downtown area of Toronto. It was a wonderful quick visit to the tallest tower in the world. It is a magnificent structure that provides a panoramic view of the metropolitan Toronto area. Viewing the area at night provides a different perspective of the city where you could only see different lights below the ground.
On Day 16, I joined again my cousin for a ride train going to the city centre. I did a quick tour of the subway area, instead of walking the main streets. When I had my first visit of the city, I noticed that only few people were walking and I thought that maybe because it was early in the morning. But on the second visit, I found out that everybody is walking below the ground – where basements of the buildings are interconnected to each other and where the sub train stations are also connected. All the major shops and restaurants are located few feet below the grounds and well-heated. The concourses are confusing but I managed to remember the colour codes: North – Blue; South – Red; East – Yellow and West – Orange. I was lost for several times but luckily I managed to find my way back where I have to meet again my cousin.
Half of the day, I spent much time at the Uni of Toronto main library in Robarts Building and did some revision of my university research which I successfully sent it by email to my supervisors two days after while in Montreal.
On the evening of Day 16, we celebrated two birthdays: my cousin's husband and her father (my grandfather). It was a simple celebration for family members only with a big cake, a big bowl of fruit salad, including fried chickens and native pasta.
Day 14: New Year's Day
It was snowing at 1 degree C! I helped shovelling the snow in front of the house. My cousin's husband used the snow blower for easy removal of the snow.
After that, I proceeded to the backyard to make my first ever snow man! With my excitement, I easily shaped the snow man, including his orange eyes, nose and mouth with matching blue hat!
Having a snowman outside the house is my dream came true. While growing up and brainwashed with American films, I always think that Xmas celebration is not complete without snow man. Anyway, at least I managed to have it and being enjoyed by my cousin's kids which later on the head of the snowman was cut-off!
I also met my former officemate and his family in the afternoon. I also met his four kids and the eldest is already a beautiful 19 year old lady. My friend and family left the Philippines when the eldest was only 7 years old.
After that, I proceeded to the backyard to make my first ever snow man! With my excitement, I easily shaped the snow man, including his orange eyes, nose and mouth with matching blue hat!
Having a snowman outside the house is my dream came true. While growing up and brainwashed with American films, I always think that Xmas celebration is not complete without snow man. Anyway, at least I managed to have it and being enjoyed by my cousin's kids which later on the head of the snowman was cut-off!
I also met my former officemate and his family in the afternoon. I also met his four kids and the eldest is already a beautiful 19 year old lady. My friend and family left the Philippines when the eldest was only 7 years old.
Day 12 & 13: Shopping in Mississuaga
We just toured around the Mississuaga area and visited some shopping areas. We went to Sherway Garden and just to find out the people were queuing in front of Abercrombie store. So we decided to take our lunch and decided to come back after New Year's day. The mall is quite similar to shopping centres in the Philippines but it has only two floors. Well, it is expensive to shop in Canada compare to the US especially for signature items.
Our lunch meal was really good and we went home open-handed because too many people inside the mall and it was not really advisable to wait to queue for paying or even getting in the shops.
Mississuaga area is a thriving community which is now becoming a catchment area for people who don’t want to stay in the city centre of Toronto. I observed that most of the houses are big, at least 4-5 bedrooms, including a basement, quite similar to American houses.
Our lunch meal was really good and we went home open-handed because too many people inside the mall and it was not really advisable to wait to queue for paying or even getting in the shops.
Mississuaga area is a thriving community which is now becoming a catchment area for people who don’t want to stay in the city centre of Toronto. I observed that most of the houses are big, at least 4-5 bedrooms, including a basement, quite similar to American houses.
Saturday, 22 December 2007
Day (3): A visit to the University of Toronto Library at Robarts Building
We left the house today at 620am catching the train for the city. Again, along the way, we talked again about our work, family and our future plans. Arriving the city almost 7am and it is still dark, where tall buildings were still lighted and the street lights guided our way to my cousin's office at Room 500. I took some photos of the buildings, including CN Tower and also shots in the front desk area of my cousin's office.
I finally left the building, and decided to walk (instead of taking the subway) towards University Avenue heading to University of Toronto. Hardened snow is everywhere and I always careful for my steps not to slip my shoes over the snow. Almost 30 minutes of walking and I asked several people for the exact location of the main library at St George Street.
Along the way, I also took the chance to take photographs of the buildings along the main road, and also when I finally reached the library at Robart's building, I took my camera from my pocket quietly and quickly took shots in the interior of the building. The design of the building is interesting, especially to find out that the building has 13th Floor which is unusual for buildings. Well, maybe Canadian people don’t believe the bad reputation of number 13. I roamed around the building after I got my pass from the information desk.
While enjoying the ambience inside the building, I did not notice that my pass was lost until I had my quick meal at the canteen. Well, again I always talk to the strangers! I noticed the lady watching me while I took a shot of Starbucks store inside the canteen. She might be curious why Im taking a photograph inside a canteen. With my little ESP talent, I quickly faced her and talked to her. She nicely responded and finally joined in my table. I found out that she works with the library since 1970s. Gabriela originally came from Chile and she works now with the Public Affairs office of the library. I also found out that the newsletter that I was reading while sipping my hot chocolate was her work being the Editor of the publication. It was funny because she was also confident to say I came from the Philippines of my surname! You know what, I finally found out that my library pass missing! Well, talking to a stranger has save my day! … she left the table and shortly she left carrying a piece of paper – the library pass. She explained that the information desk is strict for issuing another pass, so she signed the new pass after I showed to her my university ID! I always believe that I met this very nice lady because for a reason – I lost my pass and she will give me another one not to avoid embarrassment if I will get a new one from the information desk.
Back to my main reason of visiting the library, I successfully able to locate the books that I want to read and spent 13 dollars to have some pages to be photocopied. I did mistake of using the photocopier machine which few pages where spoiled at 15 cents each!!! Anyway, I was happy because I did some shots inside the restricted floors where the floors are kept. Believe me, I thought my university library back in Brisbane (Thailand) was the biggest library I visited, but this library is the 4th largest bookkeeper in North America, or maybe one of the largest libraries in the world. The only difference is that it has floor number 13 where books are also found!
I finally left the library at 330pm after I received a call from my cousin that we will meet at her office building at 4pm. It was lovely day spending time with books and with the rest of people who love to learn new things!
Day (2) Part 2/2: Catching-up with my cousin and her family
Last night was a busy day after coming from New Jersey in the morning. After I was picked up from the airport by my cousin's husband, we immediately proceeded to the house. My cousin and her parents were there, while her kids were still in the baby sitter's place. While waiting for the kids to arrive, I took the opportunity to have a long conversation with Lola (my cousin's mother) in the dining room. She prepared a Filipino style breakfast. We did discuss a lot of things – my family, about my plans in the future and whereabouts of our friends back in the Philippines. She was my former English teacher in high school and I took the opportunity to thank her personally for being strict in the class and somehow the discipline she instilled in us, personally helped me prepared in my undergrad program back in Manila.
It was a long and never-ending story of life and we laughed a lot remembering those happenings almost 22 years ago! Finally, the kids arrived and at first they were quite hesitant to approach me especially the girl, Andrea. On the other hand, Alex (little boy) was happy enough to sit besides me watching the High School Musical 2 film on dvd. Most of the time, Alex and Andrea will stand up and showed their prowess in dancing and singing, imitating the main cast of the film, Troy and Gabriella. I was really amused how these young kids entertained me (their Uncle) as their guest.
I was at ease playing with them and easily got their attention especially the little boy. Being a new friend, Alex asked me so many things, especially my Xmas presence for them! It seems that the boy is really excited to open his gift. I was successful not to tell them about the real identity of the gift until my cousin's sister arrived from work at the hospital. By the way, the sister has 2 grown up kids which were shy to extend their hands for a hand shake's welcome. After preparing my lunch, Lola is busy playing the cards, while the kids are still pre-occupied with their toys, including the drawings I made for them. Well, these drawings were requested by them with proper name for each drawing. At the end, the girl (Andrea) showed her anger and cried because I failed her not to draw a princess based on her specifications – long hair and opened hands! I also failed to write properly the name she wants for the princess which really triggered her to show here tantrums. Well, with that early stage of knowing them, I finally say that kids sometimes are demanding and making their parents' blood to rise!
When my cousin arrived from her office, she invited me to join her to go for shopping at Wal-Mart. The kids heard this and they were desperate to convince their mum to be with us, thinking that I will be leaving very soon. And because of my instant attachment to the kids, especially with Alex, my cousin convinced them to stay after a bubble warm bath, and not to worry that Uncle Rey will leave, but stay in the house for almost 3 weeks. Anyway, we finally left the house and it was freezing outside and the boulders of snow along the roads are still visible. We had our dinner at Harvey's first before going to Wal-mart. It was an excellent meal – friend chicken and rice (ala Kenny Roger's style). We talked about so many personal things and we just having a good time to share our stories after not seeing each other for almost 15 years.
As usual, visiting the store will guarantee a book purchase and this time I bought for my cousin to read, One More Day of Mitch Albom at 40% discount. I already read the book few months ago and it is highly recommended to everyone! I also volunteer to prepare a dessert (fudge) for the family tonight and hopefully some of them will be packed and consumed during my long travel to North Carolina tomorrow, Saturday (Day 5) to spend our Xmas day with close friends.
We arrived the house and the kids were already asleep. I did a quick shower and helped my cousin wrapped some gifts for her boss' two young kids and officemates. I went to bed almost past midnight with things ready for my first visit to the city centre of Toronto. I only slept 8 hours in the span of two days.
It was a long and never-ending story of life and we laughed a lot remembering those happenings almost 22 years ago! Finally, the kids arrived and at first they were quite hesitant to approach me especially the girl, Andrea. On the other hand, Alex (little boy) was happy enough to sit besides me watching the High School Musical 2 film on dvd. Most of the time, Alex and Andrea will stand up and showed their prowess in dancing and singing, imitating the main cast of the film, Troy and Gabriella. I was really amused how these young kids entertained me (their Uncle) as their guest.
I was at ease playing with them and easily got their attention especially the little boy. Being a new friend, Alex asked me so many things, especially my Xmas presence for them! It seems that the boy is really excited to open his gift. I was successful not to tell them about the real identity of the gift until my cousin's sister arrived from work at the hospital. By the way, the sister has 2 grown up kids which were shy to extend their hands for a hand shake's welcome. After preparing my lunch, Lola is busy playing the cards, while the kids are still pre-occupied with their toys, including the drawings I made for them. Well, these drawings were requested by them with proper name for each drawing. At the end, the girl (Andrea) showed her anger and cried because I failed her not to draw a princess based on her specifications – long hair and opened hands! I also failed to write properly the name she wants for the princess which really triggered her to show here tantrums. Well, with that early stage of knowing them, I finally say that kids sometimes are demanding and making their parents' blood to rise!
When my cousin arrived from her office, she invited me to join her to go for shopping at Wal-Mart. The kids heard this and they were desperate to convince their mum to be with us, thinking that I will be leaving very soon. And because of my instant attachment to the kids, especially with Alex, my cousin convinced them to stay after a bubble warm bath, and not to worry that Uncle Rey will leave, but stay in the house for almost 3 weeks. Anyway, we finally left the house and it was freezing outside and the boulders of snow along the roads are still visible. We had our dinner at Harvey's first before going to Wal-mart. It was an excellent meal – friend chicken and rice (ala Kenny Roger's style). We talked about so many personal things and we just having a good time to share our stories after not seeing each other for almost 15 years.
As usual, visiting the store will guarantee a book purchase and this time I bought for my cousin to read, One More Day of Mitch Albom at 40% discount. I already read the book few months ago and it is highly recommended to everyone! I also volunteer to prepare a dessert (fudge) for the family tonight and hopefully some of them will be packed and consumed during my long travel to North Carolina tomorrow, Saturday (Day 5) to spend our Xmas day with close friends.
We arrived the house and the kids were already asleep. I did a quick shower and helped my cousin wrapped some gifts for her boss' two young kids and officemates. I went to bed almost past midnight with things ready for my first visit to the city centre of Toronto. I only slept 8 hours in the span of two days.
Thursday, 20 December 2007
Day 2 (Dec 20) Part 1/2: Arrival to Pearson Airport (Toronto)
As I mentioned in my earlier journal, I did not able to get a seat for Toronto flight last night, but finally got booked one in the first flight today at 7am. I woke up at 430am and catched the shuttle bus from the hotel at 5am to the airport (New Liberty Airport). I proceeded to the security checkpoint. I dont know why, Im always being selected for the random inspection which is really time consuming! Every personal item contained in my handcarry bag was inspected by swiping a white filter paper to the item and the paper is being feed to the computer for examination for any dust or powder. They want to know if I have a metal implant in my body!
Before I left the airport last night, I asked the Continental customer service staff about the details of my bookings, including my luggage claim. I was told that it will be on the same flight with me and nothing to worry about. Well, this is true but my big bag was flewn to Toronto last night in good condition.
New Liberty Airport is a huge airport and takes a while to reach the designated gate of my flight. It is very ironic to find out that the gate indicated in the boarding pass was changed and then I have to went back where I had my inspection. First flight will always empty and only few people really book to wake up early, but with my experience, it is worth to be there early to avoid traffic along the road, less people queuing in the security points and it is not crowded inside the aircraft.
Leaving New Jersey in a clear sky is showing good condition above with less turbulence and preventing my ears to ache. I was able to continue reading the book of Sarah Waters. By the way, every time I travel abroad, the visit is not complete without grabbing a good read from a bookstore at the airport, so I bought a hardbound pocket book entitled Heroes, Saving Charlie (inspired from the TV series with the same title) to be added in book collections.
It took almost 2 hours to reach Pearson Airport. While approaching the airport, I could see the whiteness in the landscape of Toronto from top view after a snow storm over the weekend. The airport is not grand compare to New Liberty Airport, but the former's arrival area is like a mall's lobby but less people. Immigration inspection was easy and not much of questions regarding my itinerary. After 30 minutes of waiting, my cousin's husband arrived and I finally have a glimpse of the vicinity of the airport. It takes 15 minutes to reach my cousin's house (in Missisauga) and along the way, patches of snow can be seen along the road and roof's houses.
It was an emotional meeting with my cousin and her parents after 15 years of not seeing each other since we left our hometown. Her parents were my former high school teachers. Im tired and hungry and immediately they prepared my breakfast with Filipino food on the table! Im excited to meet my cousin's kids, ages 4 and 5. We are planning to make a Snowman as soon as they will arrive from school's Xmas party later today.
I realised that travelling during Xmas time especially going to America requires careful planning especially for connecting flights. I booked with Continental airlines for the reason of having cheaper flights during the season. I tried with Zoom.com but my preferred flights were already fully booked with no seats available, and while Air transat does not have flights in December from Belfast, otherwise fly via Edinburgh or Glasgow.
Next journal...shopping at the downtown area of Toronto!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
My Philippine Tour Map
My Lakbayan grade is C+!
How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!
Created by Eugene Villar.