Toronto diaries – Trip to the Niagara Falls

The first outing in Toronto outside of Toronto was to Niagara Falls. I guess the name says it all J. It indeed is a wonderful place – amazing sight. More on it later. First the journey.

I, Yogesh, Shashin and Ankur rented a car for the trip. Only Ankur and I had our driving licenses; so Ankur was the designated driver and I was to be a backup if required. We are not used to the left-hand drive and expected some trouble; and trouble it was in the initial part of the journey. It took Ankur some time to get used to the brakes and the seat belts came into good use (yeah me and Yogesh were wearing seat-belts sitting on the back seat). Also he was having trouble deciding which lane to drive in as here it is completely opposite to India. Add to it his confusion in ‘left’ and ‘right’. And to make matters worse he was dealing with 3 side seat drivers. We had one hell of a ride. Although I must say once he got hang of the car and we stopped giving directions he drove pretty well.

Niagara Falls is some 120 kms from Toronto and we reached there in less than 3 hours. The moment we got out of the car we could feel the chill. It was cold and windy. The temperature was touching 0 and it felt like about -3. We parked the car and walked towards the falls. As we reached near the falls came into view. They seemed small compared to what I had heard (and imagined) but never the less they were beautiful. As we reached near the railing I found that they were not the actual falls; the actual falls were a little further. As it came into view all I could do was stare at it (and exclaim WOW). I am sure trying to describe it will be a waste of time. I will let the photos do the talking.

It was freezing out there. We had a coffee spend some more time there and then started back. On our way back we went to a couple of vineyards. One was an unknown entity – a new setup which wasn’t yet in market. The wines were pretty good. Tasted ice-wine for the first time and it was pretty good. The second winery that we visited was a well-known brand – the setup was too commercialized for my liking. On our way back we stopped near Lake Ontario. It was so cold out there that within a couple of minutes I couldn’t feel my ears. Got back in the car and went to an Indian restaurant for dinner. I can’t believe we waited for around 50 mins for vegetarian food (yeah it’s true).

Overall it was a wonderful day and a wonderful visit. Thanks to Ankur for driving all the way despite our comments, and thanks to Yogesh and Shashin for making the trip wonderful. And finally to Niagara Falls for being so breathtaking.

Toronto diaries – the first week

It’s been a week in Toronto and it feels like I have been here quite long. It’s been a strange city so far. Sometimes I feel like going back home and sometimes I feel as if it is a nice place to settle in – yeah settling here has crossed my mind. Haven’t been able to explore much as office has kept me busy. But got some flavor of the place from my colleagues who have been here for some time.

I am staying in a corporate apartment provided by my company. It’s a 2-bedroom apartment which I am sharing with a colleague who has come with me. The apartment is nice and has almost everything. There is a microwave, an oven, burner, washing machine & drier, fridge, dishwasher, utensils, TV, toaster, juicer etc. in short almost all the essentials that you need are provided which makes the stay easier. Thermostat keeps the apartment warm and cozy.

My roommate has brought lots of ready to eats so food isn't a worry as well. Although its nothing compared to home cooked food, it is quite comfortable not having to cook or eating all meals outside. Lunch we are having outside but breakfast and dinner we make in room. A couple of dinner invitations from people already staying here haven’t been bad either. Automatic Washing machine reduces the effort of washing clothes. Dishwasher takes care of the dishes. I guess it has been a comfortable stay thus far.

About Toronto, well it seems a nice place. Our apartment is in downtown, so there are lots of people around. The office is 20 mins walk. The weather is amazing – amazingly cold I should say. The temperature has stated touching 0 and expected to go to -2 next week. Moreover for the past 2 days wind has been blowing continuously making it feel even colder. But I am kind of enjoying it. And I got a glimpse of snow fall although it can hardly be called a snowfall. Can’t wait for the actual snowfall J. Toronto has a nice subway which prevents you from walking outside in the cold; you only have to go few blocks in between in the open. Traffic rules are pretty good. People around seem well as well.

The food here is pretty bland. I won’t be wrong if I say I hardly enjoyed any food so far. There are almost no spices and taste is nowhere compared to India. Even the vegetables seem to lack their own taste. Maybe soon I will have to start cooking, but that might not make much difference :P. Also the place seems to be on the costlier side; at least by Indian standards. Another thing I have seen so far is they don’t seem to have a concept of small. All food items seem to come in large packets/sizes. Plus most of the eatables are towards sweet here I have hardly found anything spicy so far.

I believe that’s it for now. More posts to follow soon.