Dear friends!

Here I am, back with another exciting report of the past few days. As you all might have read on the previous post, I have spent 2 days in Toronto, one of the biggest cities of Canada. And yes, big it is! Oh and yes, I finally got to meet Ron! We have been in contact since last October, so I was very excited to meet him. He let me stay at his appartment for 2 nights which was a great experience. Ron was the most generous person with a great sense of humour, and incredible stories to tell. I felt so bad yesterday because I had to leave.

So what about Toronto? Well, did I already mention it’s BIG? The blisters on my feet tell me it is. It is a very multicultural city with lots of very nice and interesting streets. On Monday I have done what I always tend to do in a big city: getting lost… I wandered around for hours, seeing the nicest things. I walked in the district with high office buildings, I took a ferry to the park where I had a nice view of the Toronto skyline, I walked around in fancy neighbourhoods, … As I don’t really know where I have wandered, I cannot give more details but it was great fun. I will just let the pictures speak for themselves. Check out my picture website for these pics. Then when I got home from this exhausting walk, I talked a while with Ron and then enjoyed the amazing view from my bedroom. Just check the header picture and you will know what I mean. Yep, that picture is taken from my bedroom window.

Tuesday I decided to take it a little more easy because my feet were hurting so much, so I did more things with the subway.But there was one thing I had to do: conquer my fear of heights. The people that know me a little better know I am terrified of heights (although I love rollercoasters and stuff). Well, in Toronto they have the highest free standing tower in the world, being the legendary CN Tower. I decided to go up there and even do something more impressive. More about this later… The CN tower is 553m high and has the highest restaurant in the world. A glass elevator takes you up at a dazzling speed. It takes only 58 seconds to the restaurant which is 351 metres above the ground. From the restaurant you have a great view of Toronto and on clear days you can look more than 50km far. Too bad it was not a clear day. Anyway, I was not really there for the view although it was really beautiful. The CN tower has a spot where the floor is made of glass. I had promised myself to conquer my fear and stand on the glass floor. Well I did! Even better, I have proof that I have actually been lying down on this glass floor. I was terrified at first, but then I got used to it and it was a great experience. Pictures as usual on my pictures website.

After this enlightening experience I walked around on beautiful Queen street and then returned to the port. One thing I didn’t mention yet was the heat. It has been so incredibly hot in Toronto that even turning your head makes you sweat. It was above 30 degrees centigrade but the humidity was so high it felt like 40. You can imagine what this heat does to a person. So I chose to cool down next to the water at the beautiful port. I sat there, reading a book for a few hours before I decided to go have a beer in the Queen Street surroundings. I found this place called ‘The Rex’ where they played live jazz and blues music. Cosy place and with a patio! That is one thing I discovered about Canada: not many places actually have a patio where you could sit outside to have a beer. That is one thing I miss about Belgium. But anyway, this place did have a patio, so I have installed myself there with a beer, waiting for Aurora to show up. She responded to my question on CouchSurfing to meet and have a drink or something together. By the time she showed up, I had company of 2 men. One of them is a gay hairdresser. At first I was a kind of embarrassed because of what he was saying all the time, but the evening turned out to be really crazy with lots of laughter, lots of beer and great company. It was a pleasure to meet Aurora.

It got so late I actually missed my subway back to Ron’s place, but I was lucky to find a bus (thanks Aurora!) back. I got home around 2.30AM. Not bad for a week night. Good times! That’s for sure!

Yesterday it was time to pack because I was heading for the legendary Niagara Falls. My bus left around noon, so I had some time to pack and say goodbye to Ron. He gave me this cute little dog as a present! You have no idea how happy I was with that. I now carry it always with me, wherever I go. Thank you so much for everything, Ron! You are a true friend!

A greyhound bus took me to the Niagara Falls where I had 4 hours to spend before I needed to take the bus to where I am now. For those who don’t know the Falls, there’s actually 2: an American side and a Canadian side. Most people say the Canadian side is more impressive and it is according to me. The horseshoe falls (as they are called because of their shape) are impressive. Standing next to them makes you feel so small and helpless. It’s just so hard to describe it, so I will let the pictures talk for themselves once again.

After seeing the Falls I went up the hill to see what was up there. You have no idea unless you have seen that. It is just one big circus. I thought I was in Disneyland. For one reason or another they have decided to make what looks like a small scale theme park with attractions, museums and restaurants. Incredible to see, but I didn’t like it that much. Too touristy. But I left Niagara falls with a feeling of satisfaction.

From Niagara Falls I took the bus to Buffalo (Surprise, Surprise) which is right across the border with the United States. Yep, I am on American soil right now. I am staying with 2 guys named Shawn and Mark. I am actually about to get out and see the city because I haven’t done anything yet today. I won’t tell about my further plans, but you will see. Some people already know, but most don’t. Check this blog for more updates on where I am heading next.

Life on the road is great and you know what, I don’t even miss being home. Maybe that will come, but now I just feel great with all these incredible experiences, nice people, … This is a wonderful experience. Peroid.

Check back after the weekend for more updates and make sure you check my pictures.

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Beste vrienden

Ik heb echt niet veel tijd om veel te schijven in het Nederlands, dus ik hoop dat jullie voor deze keer aan de Engelse versie genoeg zullen hebben om te weten wat ik de voorbije dagen uitgespookt heb. Na mijn avonturen in Toronto en prachtige momenten bij de Niagara watervallen ben ik nu in de Verenigde Staten beland in de stad Buffalo. Die ligt net over de grens met Canada. Ik zal nog niet vertellen wat ik hier doe en wat ik de komende dagen zal doen, dus houd zeker deze blog in de gaten.

Ik houd het hierbij zodat ik nog wat kan gaan verkennen hier in Buffalo. Een kwestie van toch nog eens buiten te komen he.

Groetjes aan iedereen en tot binnenkort!