Exactly one year ago, I set foot in a foreign land, a place my younger self would never have believed I would ever reach. Canada, the land of maple syrup, northern lights and the iconic maple leaf.
Back Story
The plan to travel to Canada started in 2022, when the world began to open up again after the pandemic. One of my best friends, now a Canadian citizen, invited me and another best friend working in Japan to visit. We were immediately excited and quickly submitted our paperwork for the visa. But fate had other plans. Our visas weren’t approved in time for our September 2022 flight. The disappointment was real especially we only got 50% refund of our airfare. Still, hope wasn’t lost. Two months later, in November 2022, the approvals finally came through. We aimed for 2023, but life took a turn again. I made the bold decision to quit my job in Singapore and take a much-needed year to rest and recharge. Canada would have to wait. And wait it did… until August 2024. Finally, after two years of delays, the trip happened.
CN Tower in Toronto
Flatiron Building
Ontario Legislative Building
Old City Hall
The flight
We booked EVA Air for our flight to Toronto. My journey was from Cebu-Taipei-Toronto, while my friend from Japan flew from Tokyo-Taipei to join me. We would be together starting from the Taipei leg of the trip. The flight was far from pleasant, probably one of the toughest I’ve ever experienced. Nearly 15hours in the air, with the seatbelt sign on most of the time due to constant turbulence. My hands were freezing, and I kept thinking to myself, “I shouldn’t have pushed through with this trip,” and “Maybe this will be the cause of my demise.” 😆😆😆 The roughest part was flying over the Kuril Trench. I could feel the plane dropping suddenly, as if falling through the sky in waves. It was terrifying. The only thing that kept me sane was playing Plants vs Zombies thanks to their in-flight entertainment. I even managed to reach a high level.😆
See how I’m holding off the zombies with this defense pattern 😄
After what felt like forever, we finally touched down in Canada. My Canadian friend was waiting for us at the airport, ready to pick us up and warmly welcome us to this new adventure.
Yummy breakfast served by our gracious host
Just look at this stunning view and sunrise right from his balcony!
The First day
We will be staying in Canada for a month and a half altogether, but as with every trip, the first day is always the most memorable. That is when the excitement is at its peak not minding the jetlag yet, just pure energy. We slept for only 4hours, then set off to explore downtown Toronto. We were thrilled by the mix of old and new architecture. There are so many charming brick buildings standing tall alongside modern skyscrapers. Our host was incredibly accommodating, making sure our first day was nothing short of amazing and unforgettable.
I will let the photos do the talking. Here you go! (Warning: lots of me in these shots. I just couldn’t resist these gorgeous views!😝)
This spot was featured in one of the music videos of Shawn Mendes.
At Nathan Phillips Square
It was August, summer time, but surprisingly, it wasn’t too hot.
I still brought my umbrella though, just in case the sun decided to turn up the heat.
CN Tower and Rogers Centre
Striking poses like there’s no tomorrow lol
Union Station
Exploring More of Toronto
We also explored Montreal, Quebec, some neighboring towns, Moncton, and Halifax. But for this blog, I’ll focus first on our Toronto adventures. Toronto was our base since my friend lives there. On non-travel or regular days, when we worked the graveyard shift at night, we spent our daytime exploring more of Toronto. That’s how we designed our Canada itinerary. We used our vacation leaves to visit other places like Montreal, Quebec, Moncton, and Halifax. Here are more scenes from our wanderings around Toronto:
We biked around Humber Bay
Yonge–Dundas Square
If you are familiar with this sitcom
Almost everyday we pass by St Lawrence Market
This street by St. Lawrence Market is just gorgeous.
At Berczy Park
Tyler Davidson Fountain
In Toronto Island
Exploring Yorkville
Roy Thomson Hall
Look at this artsy building
Favorite Toronto Experiences
I loved my time in Toronto, and here are the moments that stood out most during my wanderings around the city:
- Eating Oysters
- Rooftop Bars and Patios
- Leisurely Park Walks
- Tim Hortons
- Canada Walk of Fame
- The Ordinary
This branch is in Distillery District
We ended up buying a lot since it's cheaper here.
- The Umbrella Academy Filming Locations
- Hunting for Early Autumn Foliage
When I see autumn trees I immediately strike a pose LOL
Reflections and Farewells
I truly loved my time in Toronto so so much that I could have easily stayed another month. But my bank savings were already crying as it’s not exactly a cheap city. Working the graveyard shift from 10PM to 4AM Canada time also took its toll on me. There were days when I barely had any proper sleep, yet I still went out, driven by that traveler’s mindset: I’ll get all the sleep I want when I’m back home in the Philippines. LOL!
If Toronto were just a five-hour flight from Cebu, it would be my second “Japan”—a place I’d visit almost every other month. But reality hits: it’s far, airfare is expensive, and the combination of long travel hours plus graveyard work was… well, a little challenging.😰
Me in the graveyard shift LOL! Laban laagan! Ginusto mo yarn!😆
Still, my love for this place outweighs all that. I hope to return before my visa expires in 2032, fingers crossed for 2026. Toronto, this isn’t goodbye. Just a see you later. 🙂
Stay tuned for upcoming editions of this Canada travel series featuring Quebec, Montreal, Moncton, and Halifax.
* All content is mine unless otherwise noted. All photos taken with my iPhone 14 Pro Max.