VINTAGE;
rock on!
Miami Intl Airport has a really stringent security check that gets pretty annoying when you are in a hurry to catch your flight. It was such a long wait, getting through the air pressure machine that injects bouts of gas to screen you for drugs and weapons, and then having them dig open your belongings and doing tests on ALL the stuff, my camera, my laptop etc. So we had to run and catch our flight even though we checked in more than 2 hours ago! (Not to say we spent the whole night at the airport) There must be a lot of drug peddlers for them to execute such detailed checks. BUT it is only for people holding foreign passports. Americans (who I think have a higher chance of having drugs than two small-sized Chinese girls) does not have to undergo all those tests. So after one night without sleep, we slept throughout the whole 3-hour plane ride and arrived at Newark Airport for a Great American Bakery breakfast! (: Joanne’s egg and cheese bagel! My delicious Asiago Bagel with turkey, red pepper, egg and Cheddar Cheese. Took a Shuttle (38USD) directly to our hostel in Manhattan, and while we were happily thinking we don’t have to drag our luggage onto the Airtran or bus, we realized we were at the wrong hostel. ): And the Shuttle Car has left. ): We were at the Chelsea Center West, but we were supposed to be at Chelsea Center East. OMG*screams and tug at my hair* Seriously, NY is like THE place to exercise for us. Remember the very first day we were here? We ran more than 11 streets to settle her social security issue. And 2.5 months later, in the same city Manhattan, we were dragging my 52 pound luggage, laptop, sling bag and an additional carrier (cos I can’t squeeze the teddy bear and monkey) while Joanne lugged along her (over baggage limit) 58 pounds luggage and walked to the nearest subway station. Yes, we scrimp on cab fares and that’s why we get bruises on our palms due to all the abrasions we get from the weight we drag around with us everywhere. And if you think there were escalators and lifts in all the stations just like Singapore, you are wrong. Transfers were to be made, steps to climb to reach the platform, and many were to be done with all our baggage. It was definitely more than 8 flights of long and narrow steps on our Journey to the East. There were LOTS of self mocking, self wallowing of”我需要男人!!!!” ; constant perspiration, >25kg weight lifting, vertical marathon, weird glances from strangers and occasional nice people who helped us. (: And when we finally saw our hostel (once again, only a small sign on the wall), we saw 2 bloody long flight of stairs. *HOLY CRAP* I was praying like mad that we don’t stay on the 3rd floor! And luckily the hostel was on the 2nd floor! Hmm hostel was pretty hot with no air-conditioning and really small toilets. But yet, it was the most expensive hostel, costing us 35USD per person each night! One good thing was it was about 15mins walk to Chinatown, which Is where we were supposed to be for our 3D2N Niagara Falls+Canada tour. Staying beside a Cantonese store that sells eggtarts! (:Can’t resist grabbing one YAYNESS! And then we set off for a Chinatown excursion! REALLY LOOKS LIKE HONGKONG!!!! But some parts were quite messy and we were quite scared by some of the males there. It was despite being really used to all the wolf whistles, small talks and attention-grabbers. As long as you are a female walking down a street in US, it will in fact be weird if you don’t get people trying to attract your attention or having disgusting males stare at you in the most uncomfortable way. You don’t really get that in NY uptown though. It’s much safer there. (: Embarked on a quest for some long craved beancurd, but to no avail! ): So we ended up in HongKong Station for some noodles and soybean milk. Manhattan Bridge where Spiderman was filmed! =DDDDD Walking to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty. And indeed, it was really small haha. We could only see the side view of the statue from afar! The Sphere-This sculpture used to be in the Plaza of World Trade Center, but was damaged on Sept 11 2001. This eternal flame was ignited since Sept 11 2002 in honour of those who were lost on that fateful day. World Trade Center Site. Charging Bull of Wall Street And its Broker. Day8-NY Midtown Went up to midtown area near our hotel in our previous stay! We were really quite familiar with this area due to all the walking we gone through last time. Ate Wendy’s! Look at the huge 1/3lb double stacked burger! Even Macdonalds in Broadway is so cool! (: Madame Tussade! I like this photo because the lady in blue has the same pose as the statue. :D Vandalism! Korean Way! And snacks we bought for our trip tomorrow! (: Can’t wait! Day9-Niagara Falls! On board the bus with Joanne playing with her food. Apparently we booked with a Chinese travel agency! So in fact, majority of the people on this tour are Asians! So we have people from Indonesia, China, Philippines, Germany, US, Japan and many more! All admissions were not included, but we paid for everything because lazy us decided it was to troublesome to pick out those stuff we are less interested in. Meals were not provided too, so we had our choice of fast food, and today it will be Arby’s! First stop: Corning Glass Museum! Some personal favorites! attempting to blow glass! 2nd stop: Maid of the Mist! =DDD It was always part of my dreams to visit Niagara Falls, so I was really excited! And it was really worth every single cent! EXTREMELY GOREGEOUS! Bridal Veil Falls, the smallest out of all three! Horseshoe Falls! When we were approaching this Falls, it was almost like we were in a sudden downpour. I was clean and dry while taking this photo for Jo, Everyone looking blue! Super happy because its SOOO pretty! =DD You really have to be at the Falls to experience its beauty! Photos don’t give it any form of credit! Check in to our nice hotel near the Falls! A great change from our hostel in NY hahaha! 3rd Stop: Cave of the Winds You get to touch the waters of Bridal Veil Falls! And we were just in time for some fireworks while we were on the trail! This time we all look like bananas! Look at the rainbow and the colourful falls! Approaching the Hurricane Deck. Day 10-Canada We wanted to wake up at 5am and catch the sunrise by the Falls. Sadly once again, we overslept! ): BOOHOO there goes my breakfast by the Falls. ): I really like the view more in the morning than in the night. First stop of the day: Skylon Tower View of Canada! 2nd stop: IMAX theatre of Nigara Falls It showcases the history of Niagara Falls and some of the famous daredevils who went over the Falls and survived it! The screen was 6 stories tall and 6 times the size of a regular cinema screen. WOW~ It was a good 45mins show, but I was so tired I actually dozes off 3 times unknowingly. *upset with myself* This one belongs to Ann Taylor who even brought her cat in with her! Lunch at Gino’s Pizza! 3rd Stop: Lake Ontario Cruise by the Queen’s Bay Hmm it costs USD19.50, and I seriously think this is worth skipping if you don’t have time. On board the ship Yatch Clubs! City Hall! The Old one which we both agreed that it looks way prettier! The New one! Fate brought us here to witness a Thai Festival Fair, when we are going there in 2 days’ time! 4th stop: CN Tower The tallest tower in the world, 1815feet tall and 181 stories high! Glass Floor! Ultra windy! Fruity dinner with Raspberry Julius, Peach Julius and real strawberries with apple at Chinatown Looking goodeliously red, am I right! (: Day11-Thousand Islands at Kingston Woke up at 4.30am and headed all the way to Kingston for our last attraction. An hour Cruise on board Gananoque Boat Line touring the Thousand Islands. In this area, there is like approximately 1864 islands, with most only accessible by boat! Main attraction here is Boldt Castle! Transiting to Anchorage, Alaska, then to Taipei and 3 more days in Thailand. After that, it will be home sweet home! =D
Day7-NY 
I was so full after eating half of it!! 
looking clean and refreshed after a nice bath, unlike how we look when we first arrived, sweaty and haggard. *poor us*
Bought some fruits, woohoo after being deprived for almost a week! 
I like the curry fishballs, but it’s a tad too spicy for me! 
Had Mcflurry with Mini Pretzels we just bought. 
*YUMSS* But the Mcflurry costs about 4.50SGD! 
Does not he look real?!! 
Empire State Building! The tallest tower in United States.
Tsk tsk, she just cant grow up hahaha! 
Woven heaven
then the next moment I was drenched and she was laughing at me! My poor cam endured this whole period with us! (: Kudos to it!
And BOY, we now completely understand why it was named so. The waters were splashing onto us and it was SOO strong and windy, it was almost as if we were really in midst of a hurricane! (: ULTRA COOL! I wanted to make our money worth and walk to the very edge, but I don’t have the strength and courage to go that near because I really think I might be blown away. 
Good view of Niagara Falls from the Canadian side!
Just look at ONE slice of its Pepperoni Pizza, HUMONGOUS! 
Ohman, it looks really relaxing!
CN tower which we will be going there later! 
Really pretty castle. Heard from a fellow passenger that it is an exact replica of a castle in London, but of a smaller size.Heading back to New York right now, close to an 8hour drive excluding lunch break!
Here the lil boy who is on the same tour as us!
OH-SO-CUTE!
I hope we can catch our flight in time!! It suddenly dawns on me that we are leaving the States for good. All the flights we previously took were all domestic flights. Both of us are so used to life here and seeing Caucasians, Black and Latinos is such a common thing. In fact, I felt so weird seeing only Asians when we were in Chinatown! Three months maybe a short period of time, but we did learnt a lot from this trip. Both of us came with so much caution, fear yet excitement, but left with many memories and experience. Just 3 months ago, we were two girls who don’t even dare to step out in the dark in US and clutch our bags close to us whenever we are on the streets in fear of thieves. Now 3 months later, we can walk on the streets and feel totally at ease. (: While many will say there are many crazy and scary people in US, I can proudly tell you that the chance of meeting one is still really low.
posted by lilmisswhite @ 9:17 PM
