Saturday, September 23, 2017

Travel: Backpacking to The Maple Land - part 2

It has been months since my last post.  I've been so busy with work and kids and repeat.

Let me finish writing the last part of my backpacking experience in Canada, last year.  Yes it was last year and it feels like I just returned home last month.

In the last post, we stopped in Ottawa for 2 nights and stayed at the jail hostel on the last night.  From Ottawa, we took bus to Kingston.  Here's the journey goes...

21/10  5.00pm          
Depart Ottawa Central to Kingston for a 2.5-hour journey.  We purchased the ticket from busbud.com for a better fare of USD19 per person.  We arrived Kingston Bus Terminal around 7.30pm.  We took a taxi to Hernando's Hideway we booked via AirBnb at RM71 per person per night.  The host, David Eagan is a good looking good man.  His house is cosy, clean and safe.  That evening, David and his girlfriend gave us a ride to a hotel in town (forgot the name of the hotel) to see a psychic expo.  I've never planned in my entire life to visit a psychic expo! I'm just curious what it's like.

We walked around and listened to two presentations by the famous witches themselves.  Psychic is for believers.  I am not really a believer but it was really something.  An experience.





                               
22/10  11.40am        
Depart Kingston Train Station to Toronto via rail Canada for a 2.5 hours train ride.  It would be cheaper to go by bus, but we would like to experience the train ride. So we paid $65 per person.

In Toronto, we took a short walk to catch the GoBus from Toronto bus station to our next stop, Niagara Falls bus station.  The fare was $18.75 per person.

We checked in at Hi Niagara Falls Hostel, just a walking distance from the bus station.  It was raining and getting dark when we arrived.  This hostel is highly recommended for those travel on budget because of the good location, cleanliness, facilities, very friendly crew and owner,  at the rate of $38 per person per night, you will feel like home.  Breakfast is provided but you can also cook.  There are some food left by the previous travellers that you may take from the kitchen and cook if you like.

The hostel also provides bicycle rent.  We rented bicycles to explore the area.  Cycled along the rivers and trekking trails, it was just awesome!  We cycled to the Niagara Falls too.
                                   
                          
View from our dorm
The lobby
Us


Niagara falls



Niagara Falls











This is the owner of Hi Niagara International Hostel
                                   


24/10  12.00pm        
Depart Niagara Falls bus station to Toronto Central. Purchased ticket via busbud.com at $42.71 per person.  We stayed at Toronto Travellers Home at $57 per person per night.  The location is good if you're ok to stay in the middle of china town.  The hotel is walking distance to everywhere.  But I think it too expensive for the super small place and not much facility.  The caretaker asked for tips for almost everything.  I ended up paying more tips than I paid for the room. If you can, please find other place to stay.

We spent the whole day and night walking everywhere: CN Tower, Ripley's Aquarium, Casa Loma, Art Gallery of Ontario, St Lawrence Market, Hockey Hall of Fame, Kensington Market, Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto City Hall, Roy Thompson Hall and others.


stopped at a mosque in Toronto

Lunch

Canadian food - poutine














This serum helps keep my skin moist

                                   

26/10  3.00pm          
About 40 minutes walk from the hostel to Central Station. We took Union Pearson Express to Toronto International Airport at $12 per person pax for one way.

We departed by 9.50pm Emirates flight from Toronto International Airport to Dubai and later connecting to Dubai to Kuala Lumpur.  We arrived KLIA at 9am.

Home sweet home!




            

Friday, February 3, 2017

Travel: Backpacking to The Maple Land - part 1












I've never thought that I would visit Canada.  Too far, too cold, too expensive.  Opportunity comes when we least expected it.  The first part of the trip was totally work work and work.  We flew with Emirates from Kuala Lumpur to Toronto.  It was a long tiring 23-hour flight with stopover in Dubai. Departed KUL at about 4am (due to 2-hour delay) and arrived YYL around 5.30pm.  Stayed the night at Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel.  The next day we took 12pm flight by AirCanada to Montreal for about an-hour flight. Arrived LeWestin Hotel Montreal with jetlag starting to creep in our body system. As I said, it's all work work and work.  So I didn't have time to explore Montreal, at all.
corporate look

one of very few shots taken in montreal

The fun and adventure started on 19 Oct after we checked out from the luxury and comfort of LeWestin. The challenge for the trip was that we had to carry around our laptops, papers and all the business suits from our work trip in Montreal.  Ouch!

Let's see what happened next....

19/10  OTTAWA
- Walked across the street from LeWestin to take the train from Place-d'Armes to Berri-UQAM.  Only $3.25 per person. From Berri-UQAM walked about 4 minutes to Montreal Central Station.  
-  Took Greyhound bus from Montreal Central Station to Ottawa Central.  Paid $34.44 for a 2.5-hour ride.  I figured out it is cheaper if you purchased the tickets online via Busbud website.  A lot cheaper!
- Walked for about 45 minutes from Ottawa Central to Ottawa Backpackers' Inn. It costs us $26 per night per person in a mix dormitory of 10 bed.  A very comfortable hostel with a proper kitchen and cosy common area.  It's also just walking distance to everything - Kengsington market, restaurants etc.


more than 30 minutes walk from bus station to the hostel
passed by this building when walking to OBI

Our bed at OBI

Balcony at OBI


living room at OBI
Dawn at Kensington Market




20/10  OTTAWA

- the second day in Ottawa was more interesting because we slept in a jail! Yes a real prison!  We walked from OBI to Hi-Ottawa Jail Hostel under the rain. Yes it was raining since the day we arrived. At the rate of $40 per night per person, breakfast is included and a free jail tour!  It is also just walking distance to Parliament Hill, National Gallery of Canada, Byward market, cafes etc.  It is an old prison which was closed in 1972 and bought by Hi-Hostel International and transformed it into a unique accommodation.






an inmate
dangerous inmate






From Ottawa, we went to Kingston. What happened in Kingston??
...to be continued...