I flew over Lake Ontario, one of the Great lakes, and landed
on a small island just offshore from the mainland and downtown Toronto. The
skyline looked somewhat underwhelming after New York, which I decided was not a
bad thing at all because I was ready for a city that wouldn’t take me to long
to wrap my head around.
After getting on the worlds shortest regular ferry (a bridge
would incur addition taxes for the island airport), I was able to walk to my
accommodation which was a big convenience. Toronto is kind of small, at least
compared to the likes of NYC and Mexico City, but is the biggest city and
capital of Canadia. It is extremely safe and it doesn’t take long to notice
that the people here are pretty laid back (again, especially compared to NYC
and Mexico City). It was nice to stay in a city, and in a part of the city,
that didn’t feel unsafe to walk home to at night. Can’t remember the last time
I’ve had that luxury.
Speaking of luxury, I stayed in a part of town where
Chinatown meets Hipsterville, in a room whose opposite walls I could touch with
outstretched arms, which had a shower put into what used to be a wardrobe, mattress
on the floor, and the toilet right next to the bed so the bowl was about fifty
centimetres from my pillow. I was just glad to finally have a room to myself
after a couple of weeks.
The thing about the city that most stands out is the CN
Tower, a big space needle that dwarfs all the other high rises and was once the
world’s highest building. The city looks nice from the waters of the great
lake, from which the opposite shores cannot be seen because they are so far
away, making it feel like a calm ocean. Yonge Street is the ‘main drag’ and
extends from the Lake edge all the way up into Canada, a couple of thousand
Kms, making it the longest street in the world.
I also visited the St Lawrence market, which National
Geographic proclaimed to be the world’s best food market. It isn’t, that title
surely goes to somewhere is Asia, but it was good. The following day I caught a ferry out to the
Toronto Islands, and explored the pine and birch filled parks and yacht lined
waterways that run through them.
Another notable thing about Toronto is the diversity of
people. Amazingly, more than 50 per cent of Toronto’s population were born in a
different country. This gives the city a cool melting pot feel, where all are
welcome, where all mix, and where great food is in abundance. There’s Little
India, Little Italy, Greek Town, Chinatown, etc. This type of multiculturalism is
in contrast to the towns and smaller cities elsewhere in the state of Ontario,
and in regional Canada in general, where the minorities have far lesser of a
presence.
Oh, and nowadays you can’t come to Toronto without hearing
news, seeing graffiti, or even T-Shirts about their now internationally
notorious mayor, the alcohol abusing, crack smoking, re-running Rob Ford.
Probably the most disrespected man in town, at least amongst the people spoke
to.
I found out all this and more about Toronto and Canada when I
met up with some friends I had made a few months before. In Panama I met Matt
and Kelly, two young professionals from Toronto. I let them know I was in town
and they were keen to take me out for a few drinks. We had a great night
together and it proved to me again that travel is like normal life on steroids;
the friendships you make seem to fasten so much quicker than normal.
The following day I met up with a guy I met in Greece, Scott.
I didn’t notice him at first, he now had a bushy beard and long hair, whereas
previously he had short hair and clean shaven. We got in his car and left
Toronto. After being in nothing but cities full of strangers for a while I was
glad to another friend. It was also nice to escape the concrete jungle and high
rises for the open road, the fields and the pine forests.
The country life awaited me…
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