VINTAGE;
rock on!
Went to Niagara Falls finally! (: would say that the tour to Niagara was the highlight of our travel and indeed, Niagara Falls is awesome! =)
We dragged our luggage down to Bowery Street NYC to board the tour bus that was going to bring us to Niagara. Was not surprised to see that majority of those on the tour with us were Asians, especially since our tour guides were both from Hong Kong and speaks Cantonese. They speak fluent Chinese but bad English, and I get a little uncomfortable listening to them speaking in English. =X
First day
Went to the Corning Glass Museum on the first day. Was slightly reluctant to pay the entrance fee for this attraction as we both knew we were not museum people. Lucky for us, we were not charged anything since we were both “below 19”. I would say that the museum was quite interesting and quite an experience, especially since it was free. (:
Had Arby’s for lunch. (Really interesting that the tour brought us to a fastfood restaurant for lunch) Well, we both loved the curly fries and the burger we had was cheap and good. 2 for $4USD!
Drove straight to the Niagara Falls after this. The first attraction was riding the “Maid of the Mist”, a cruise where we ride through the falls and view the majestic beauty of the falls from inside it. Niagara Falls is really really beautiful! Both of us were so excited when we saw it and no doubt, I think it’s one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen! (: Niagara Falls has two different falls separately, one being the Bridal Veil Falls (which is also the smaller fall), and the other being the Horseshoe Falls.
Pretty isn’t it?
As the cruise sailed into the falls, we were showered with really strong waters and it kind of felt like we were in a storm. Way cool. Wanling took this picture of me, and one second later, she was drenched with water because water started showering over us upon entering the falls. It was so funny to see each other getting all drenched, and no doubt, a memorable experience (: 
After dinner, we checked in at our hotel. Left our luggages back in the hotel and rushed down to visit the next attraction- Cave of the Winds.
This was another really good experience. We had the opportunity to walk along the Bridal Veil Falls and even managed to touch the waters! Caught the fireworks show right next to the falls as well and it was really pretty.
To prevent our clothes from getting drenched, we had to put on these raincoats. We certainly look like bananas here!
We walked up to the upper deck called ‘The Hurricane Deck”. Over there, the waters will fall directly downwards and hit the deck. Standing there was a huge challenge since the wind was really strong and the water just kept showering. Tried to take a picture over there and this was how it looked like. Haha. The strong waters made it impossible to take a nice decent picture.
Being daredevils, we deliberately made our way to the tip of the deck where the impact was the strongest. Geez, it really felt like we were in a hurricane. Came out all drenched but satisfying happy (:
Returned back to the hotel after this, marking the end of a very happy day(:
Day two
Crossed the borders over to the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls. Did many activities on the second day, but I would say I didn’t have half as much fun as I did on the first day. We proved to ourselves that we were not really the museum kind of person. =S
First attraction of the day: Skylon Towers
At the top of this tower, we could view both the Horseshoe Falls as well as the Bridal Veil Falls from the top. Here are some pictures we took from the angle we were at. I really love those falls. It’s so beautiful.
Attraction number two: IMAX theatre
Watched a movie on the Niagara Falls where there were stories about the few miracles that happened with regards to the falls. For example, a school teacher in her 60s was pursuing fame and wealth, so she decided to trap herself inside a barrel and let it roll down the Niagara Falls. Crazy but she survived. Unfortunately, even though she was the first women to survive the falls while trapped inside a barrel, she didn’t manage to get the fame and wealth that she wished for. She still died in poverty- if I remember correctly.
There was also a story about a 7year old boy who survived the falls despite only wearing a life jacket.
These are a few “boats” that some people used to prove that they can create better miracles than the falls itself. I would never do this honestly. Risking my life in such a manner to pursue fame and glory. But I do applaud these daredevils for this bravery.
Next attraction: Taking the cruise down Lake Ontario of Canada.
Not being fans of cruises, we were both rather bored by the 1 hour ride. Was introduced the different kinds of architecture along the harbor and viewed the pretty skyline. That was all. However, I have come to understand why many people choose to migrate to Canada after retirement. Canada is a really laid back country and even though we were in the banking district, it was all quiet and peaceful. There were not much people along the streets and little vehicles on the roads. Very unlike New York City. (: I would love to migrate to Canada myself when I’m 65. Hee.
Next on: Sightseeing at the old and new City Hall buildings.
Old City Hall 
New City Hall
We both personally prefer the old City Hall (: Moreover, even though we were in the City Hall Area, it was really quite and peaceful there! Quite unlike the busy City Hall in Singapore. We also chanced upon a Thai Carnival there! *signs to tell us that the day of which we return to South East Asia is coming very soon. =)
Next Attraction: CN Tower.
We had the opportunity to view Canada-Toronto from the tallest tower in the world! Even taller than the 101 building I visited in Taiwan- I thought this was already super tall. The view was really fascinating. More importantly, the very strong “breeze” made our day. Both of us did some stupid videos over there. Really lame but kind of fun.
There’s also the famous glass floor in the CN Tower! If we look below our feet, we could see the ground 1000plus feet below us! Cool.
Last stop: Toronto’s Chinatown!
Nothing special, yet another place that looks very Chinese except that it’s much cleaner, nicer and less crowded than the one in New York City. Moreover, it’s populated with a larger variety of people, unlike the one in NYC where we see people from China everywhere.
Had healthy Orange Julius there and bought some fruits to help AID digestion. Hee. Look at those lovely strawberries! But they don’t taste as sweet as it looks. Still yummy though!
Day 3
Last attraction of the tour before we cross the borders back to US: Cruise at Thousand Islands, Canada
Boring cruise, especially since no matter where we faced, we would still see the same sight of trees and water. I guess I’m not a very nature person because I really felt like I wasted my money on that cruise.
Despite this, there were still some nice pictures taken of the Boldt Castle! And some cutesy islands on their own. I wonder how life would be like if I live on one of those islands myself in future.
The moment we arrived at New York City, we rushed off to take a cab to JFK to catch our flight over to Bangkok. Was offered a ride by the two Indonesians sisters that were sitting behind us on the tour, and lucky for the ride, we were at JFK much earlier than we needed to be. However, it was an expensive cab ride =(
posted by *joanne- @ 10:13 AM
