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laura
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piecesof-meg
Wednesday, March 07, 2007

::day 2 (16 feb 07) - toronto/niagara falls::
as usual, mich & i had a hard time waking up in the morning! we had to rush - to catch the coach to niagara falls! much much thanks to zhu who awoke as early as us - just to make a fantastic breakfast of sausage+egg+phillycheese toast for us (who says zhu can't cook?!!) :) she also accompanied us all the way to the tour agency - in case we got lost!

on the coach - enjoying our breakfast! the 2+ hr journey was a smooth ride -we took the opportunity to catch up on some sleep!

the niagara falls - this world renowned set of massive waterfalls lie on the border between the us and canada. this is the bridge that separates the 2 states - can u see the canadian flag on the extreme left of the pic? the too-small-to-be-seen us flag is on the extreme right!

niagara falls comprises of 3 separate waterfalls..

first, we have the american falls (which as its name suggests, lies in us territory - of which, the nearest city is buffalo, new york)!!
here's a better picture of the american falls. adjacent to it (on the right - the last portion of the falls), is the bridal veil falls, which is much smaller in size. as u can see, this isnt the best time to visit niagara falls coz everything was covered with snow/ice:(

here's the horseshoe falls, which lies in canadian territory (the nearest city being toronto, ontario)

a better view of the horseshoe falls.

i was quite disappointed by niagara falls coz i expected it to be much higher and greater in size. however, i must say that it is very wide though. and the view of the waterfalls was still awesome:) the sheer power and force of the water flowing down, was clearly audible. it is no surprise that the niagara falls claims to be the most powerful waterfall in north america!

we knew we came at the wrong time when - most (if not, all) of the attractions were closed:(

maid of the mist tour boats stuck/stranded coz of the ice - it was a pity we couldnt go for the boat rides - which would have allowed us to get closer to the falls!

but it was nice walking around too - felt like we were walking in the winter wonderland...

it was really cold (do not be deceived by the sunny clear skies!!) - and we had to brave the crazily strong winds again:( we decided to seek refuge in the ferris wheel (which was advertised to be heated!!) - woohoo!!

on the ferris wheel - i cant remember the last time i sat on one! reminded me of cablecar rides in mount faber though - but as for the scenery, there's no basis for comparision.

perfect spot to view the niagara falls, in its entirety.

more views from the top!

hollywood-inspired touristy stuff at niagara falls

after that, we made our way back to the casino hotel in niagara falls..

spoilt for choice..

trying my luck on a jackpot machine? nah.

one of the best things i would remember about niagara falls, is the fantabulous buffet at the restaurant in the casino! just for cad$15, we enjoyed a full range international buffet, which included freeflow of drinks too! no surprise why mich and i spent most of our time in the restaurant, while we were at niagara! oops..haha. that is life:)

the amazing desserts section - there were too much for our own good. haha. my new love - pecan pie!! yummy:)

back in toronto, where we spent the rest of the evening exploring the city - some random street!

mich and i have a thing for fairmont hotels. haha. as u would be able to realize later, we always made it a a point to visit fairmont hotels in most of the cities that we visited! the fairmont chain of hotels in canada (or north america) is akin to the ritz-carlton/shangrila chain of hotels that we know of - very posh & exclusive! anyway we went into the fairmont hotel in toronto and got to see a chocolate exhibition..

the award-winning sculptures made from chocolate! with its enticing aroma, it was a pity these delicious-looking sculptures were only for display.

the (frozen) queen's quay in toronto! if i remember correctly, the temperature there was close to -20 deg c! the wind chill factor was a killer. i never experienced such strong (and freezing cold) winds before!!

the frozen/snow-laden jetty. no one in sight - i think mich and i were the only crazy ones who were out there walking along the jetty - in the freezing cold! but we endured through it:)

evidence of how cold we were (see: my red nose) - and how strong the wind was (see: our hair blown all over)

we also passed by the bloor street united church. jordan had earlier told me about this controversial christian church denomination, which incidentally, was inaugurated in toronto. one of its extremely liberal social doctrines include the recognition of same-sex unions. the church (if it can even be considered one in the first place) solemnizes marriages for same-sex couple and some church elders even advocate for gay rights in the community. it's not that i have anything against homosexuals, but the beliefs of this church are clearly contrary to that as espoused in the bible.

2:51 PM

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