Toronto Nightlife and Niagara Falls

Last night was great. P. and I decided to go to a club called Tryst which is located downtown. Girls are for free until midnight and guys have to pay 15$ or are free if on guest list.

The atmosphere in the club was great and we enjoyed our time there (even though I wasn't really prepared for the club dress wise). Mix drinks are around 7$. I managed to get through until around 1 am when I decided I really need some sleep, given that it was already 6am in the UK.

The next morning I got up fairly early and ready for the day trip I had booked via my Hostel. My mood had changed since last night and I decided to blame hormones and the lack of food, which lead to the confused stated I had been in. But meeting my friend and getting again different experiences and enjoying life made me feel better and I was more than ready to go ahead on this journey.

During check-in in the hostel I booked the Niagara tour for just 45$ , which seems to be a special offer, usually it cost 55$.

When I had done some research for the Niagara Falls I saw that you can take the Megabus for just 10 Dollar one way to get there. The Historic town Niagara on the Lake is close by as well, but to get there is not that simple. The reason why I had decided to go with the tour instead of managing it by myself is pretty simple:

•           Meeting new people
•           Seeing more attractions at the same price
•           Pick up at the Hostel
•           No navigating around

I am really not a big fan of tours, but without a car there are not that many options to get around for cheap.

Me and some other people got picked up from the Hostel and brought to the main bus which would drive us around all day.

We first headed out of the city while the driver explained a bit about the city and the landmarks we were passing.

The first stop was at the Niagara Airport for those that wanted to take a Helicopter ride above the falls for 140$/20 minutes. I was tempted to go ahead with that but thought there are other activities that will have priority within my budget.

The next stop was the Historic Niagara-on-the-Lake Town. This is a cute little town with an interesting background

By the time we reached NOTL I started having a good conversation with my seat partner Max, who just completes his journey after 1.5 years in Canada, mainly in Calgary and would be heading soon back to the UK. People like him are great companions along my own journey and don’t mind talking about this and that and whatever moves our life's.

We then headed to a Wine tasting at an award winning winery. Overall it was a nice winery, but these are the typical stops for tourists in order to make sales and not typically something I enjoy. But it is nice to see anyway.

We then started to get closer to the actual falls and made a quick stop at the Whirlpool for some snapshots and then continued to the falls.

Once we reached the falls I have to admit that I was rather disappointed. I am not sure what I expected, maybe something bigger, something that takes me away. It was still really nice to see, but just not something I thought I would get to see. The surroundings of the falls are covered with Hotels, Shopping Center and an entertainment mile for the tourists.

I decided not to take the Maid-of-the-Mist boat rides which would have been an 20$ extra. Even though I am sure it would have been nice, this was something I wasn’t interested in. I would certainly recommend bringing an umbrella along since you will get wet just by walking past the falls, depending of course on the wind.

I then just strolled alongside the streets, had a lunch at the park and enjoyed my free time there by just people watching.

The wheel - 12 $ admission

My conclusion about the tour is pretty simple. Just because of NOTL and the falls, it is already worth it compared to making the way on your own from a money perspective. Plus you get to meet new people.

Upon return to the hostel I joined the girls from the day before for a drink at their new hostel since they had to move due to room availability. Most people I had met so far were backpackers and minimum there for one month or the usual gap year. I didn't envy them, but I certainly miss the feeling to travel myself so freely without knowing what will happen next. We played cards and had some great chats in general with some of the people they met in the new hostel. We decided to explore the city together the next day as I had arranged a Couchsurfing Get-Together which they would like to join.

I headed back for a good night rest.

Happy Travels :)