I've always wanted to hit up Toronto during the Caribana weekend and I
finally got my chance to do so.
My friends and I decided to make it a road trip. From NJ to Toronto is roughly 7hrs. Getting to upstate NY was a breeze. But once we got "close" to the Canadian border, it was a wrap. Our road trip ballooned to 9-10hrs. Coming back was even worse because of the torrential downpour throughout our ride. But we made it safely both ways and that's all that matters.
My friends and I decided to make it a road trip. From NJ to Toronto is roughly 7hrs. Getting to upstate NY was a breeze. But once we got "close" to the Canadian border, it was a wrap. Our road trip ballooned to 9-10hrs. Coming back was even worse because of the torrential downpour throughout our ride. But we made it safely both ways and that's all that matters.
We stopped by Niagra Falls, on the Ontario side. I was completely blown away by the beauty of Niagra Falls. Mother Nature at its best, I swear. We hopped on a cruise that took us in front of the Falls, around the Falls, and, finally, right through the damn Falls! I was giddy the whole time.
After that excursion, we made our way to Toronto aka T Dot aka Drake's city. It was my first time visiting and I liked what I saw. Toronto kinda reminded me of a laid back NYC. I like to add that Toronto is very diverse. Anywho, since this was a short trip, I didn't get a chance to partake in tourist-y things (I was looking forward to checking out the CN Tower but instead I had to eye it from a distance.)
The festival was a lot of fun. Even with a fence wrapped around the whole boulevard, I still manage to capture the festival's vibe. It was hot-n-humid so anytime I saw a bit of shade, I practically ran to it. The islands definitely represented but at one point there was a float playing Nigerian music. Also someone was waving a Nigerian flag. That made me smile. Nigerians: We everywhere.
It was a great weekend, overall. I would love to go back and get my tourist on. And especially to visit folks up there including Assa. Assa tried her best to come see me but my schedule was all kinds of wack due to traffic, traffic, and more traffic. During my stay, she kept in contact with me to make sure all was well on my end. So nice of her!
To view more photos from my trip click here.
