Karina and I at City Hall
It’s official, I want to move to Toronto! It’s amazing how close Canada is to America yet so many people have never been: myself included. I have a goal of going outside of the USA at least once a year and for 2015 I chose Canada. For very basic reasons 1.) it’s close 2.) I didn’t feel like being on an airplane for hours upon hours.
Prior to my visit I contact a friend I met while I was traveling in Soul, South Korea. Her name is Karina, she was originally born in El Salvador and moved to Toronto at the age of 5. Since then since was raised in Canada in a bilingual household. We met in Soul while she was doing a two year contract of teaching English to high school boys.
Kensington Market
Throughout my entire trip she was the ultimate host. We painted the town! The public transportation was extremely reliable and and efficient. The beautiful thing about Toronto is that it's incredibly diverse. Alongside people of European descent, I came across many people from China, India, West Indies, and Latin America. Visiting China Town I felt like I was back in China (I'll write about my year long stay in China at a later date)! I ate ALL the the good Chinese food! No, no egg rolls or egg-foo-young. Authentic!
Instead of liquor stores they have LCBO
We went through all of the preparation of planning our day trip to Niagara Falls, hitting up the Caribbean club, and soooo many other things. Then she hit me with a question I wasn’t expecting, “can you bring some hot Cheetos? We don’t have them here in Canada.” I busted out laughing! This cute little "mami" was asking me for some hood snacks. And best believe she loved them!
Throughout my entire trip she was the ultimate host. We painted the town! The public transportation was extremely reliable and and efficient. The beautiful thing about Toronto is that it's incredibly diverse. Alongside people of European descent, I came across many people from China, India, West Indies, and Latin America. Visiting China Town I felt like I was back in China (I'll write about my year long stay in China at a later date)! I ate ALL the the good Chinese food! No, no egg rolls or egg-foo-young. Authentic!
Karina at Niagara Falls
An authentic Canadian dish called "Poutine." It's french fries, with gravy, and cheese curds. Don't miss out on your blessing!
And because I love lists I made one. So here’s a list of the highlights from my trip and reasons why you should visit too…
1. I met up with an international friend who knew every little detail of the city. Reach out to people that are local to give you the "real-deal" tour.
2. They have a China town! And the food was authentic…yum!
3. The public transportation is everything and extremely accessible
4. Toronto is a clean NYC
5. The people are friendly
6. It’s an international city. Everyone is from somewhere else
7. The Economist named it one of the "Top Most Livable Cities In The World"
8. Free health care
9. Canada is a neutral country. Unlike the USA.... (but I'm sleep)
10. I tried AirBnB for the first time and really liked it! Did you know that the host rate the guest as well? Cool way to keep the AirBnB community honest and safe.
Another great day that I had was visiting Niagara Falls. The Falls are are considered one of the natural world wonders which was completely breathtaking!
Niagara Falls
Lesson Learned: When traveling always try to visit cities where you have friends. Staying/visiting a local is the best way to gain a holistic experience. Plus, it’s cheaper! You can stay with your friend and skip out on lodging costs, you won’t get cheated out of your money, you’ll experience everyday activities, and gain an understanding of the history of the city/country. All in all. Don’t be surprised if I move to Toronto in the near future.
Toronto Skyline. Going to Toronto Islands