We’ve only been here in Toronto for less than 48 hours — but it is an understatement to say that we are immensely enjoying this trip. So far, no glitches of any kind, no sorry tales to tell, and in spite of the jet lag and exhaustion, we are in such high spirits. Even Aya is enjoying herself, surprise surprise. I’ve been to the States quite a few times already, but compared to the States, I don’t feel as if somebody is lurking in the corner to snatch my wallet, or as if I have to bitch my way to anyone. Canadians seem friendly and polite, and so far we haven’t met any disagreeable persons yet. Not that we’re expecting to, anyway.
.A funny anecdote here: when we arrived at the airport, a Pinay walked up to us, took a good look at Baggy, and after deciding that he definitely looked Pinoy enough, summoned her courage and asked us for 50 cents. She needed it to call on the public phone. Sorry na lang siya, because we just got there and all we had were bills. When we got to Hilton hotel, a guy named Vicente took care of our baggage. When he heard Baggy talk to Aya in Tagalog, he brightened up and of course introduced himself as a kababayan. Aba’y naglipana pala ang mga Pinoy dito sa Toronto. Feels like home!

An experience to remember

We went to Niagara falls yesterday. No trip to Toronto would be complete without visiting the famous waterfalls. I’ve seen the falls on pictures, but nothing would have prepared me for the enormous sight. We took the tour offered by a tourist company here, and we were definitely treated to a great experience of this natural wonder. I told Baggy, after seeing the waterfalls, that I would never, ever, look at any waterfall in the same way again. Maria Cristina falls in Iligan was the biggest one I’ve ever seen before this, so you could just imagine my surprise at seeing a waterfall of such gigantic proportions. Maybe Niagara falls is about 50 times the size of Maria Cristina falls.

We took the “Maid of the Mist” boat ride, which took us near the Canadian falls (there are two, American and Canadian falls), right smack in the middle of the rapids. As you can see in the picture, we all wore ponchos so as to keep us from getting wet. Well, I still got wet, and our camera got wet. It was all worth it!

More on the Canadian adventures (that is, if we could manage to get connected on the Internet again) in next entries