Toronto, Canada

I made 2 visits to Toronto, Canada back in 1998. The first time was for a quick look at an upcoming franchise called Shred-it, and the 2nd was for a 3 week stay learning the franchise.

Whenever I think of Toronto, 3 things always pop into my mind.

These are CN Tower, Niagara Falls, and Mississauga.

It was a long journey from Singapore to Toronto. Flew on Cathay Pacific (wonderful choice) via Hong Kong and Anchorage. The aircraft took what is known as the 'Great Circle'. This meant flying over the North Pole. On a flat map, it looks like a long rounded journey but in reality it's the shortest distance between the 2 points.

The CN Tower was the tallest concrete building in the world at that time. Situated in Toronto beside Lake Ontario. It is owned by the Canadian National Railway, hence CN. On a clear day, it is claimed, you can see 100 km distance.

Going up the tower in high speed elevators is literally a ear popping experience. The view from the top, needless to say, is awesome. They even have a panel of flooring made out of tempered glass and your legs go like jelly trying to walk across the glass floor, looking more than 300m down to the bottom!

Niagara Falls.

The most impressive thing you notice about Niagara Falls is the sheer volume of water that constantly pour over the edge! Unless you've seen this yourself, there are simply no words to describe this wonder. It's hard to fathom that there's so much water pouring over the Falls every second for years and years.

And of course, only crazy tourists will ride on that tacky Maid of the Mist boat up to the base of the falls! You will get drenched for sure, that's why they give you a free poncho, haha.

Mississauga is a suburban town to the east of Toronto. In fact, the reason why I wrote this blog was that just last week in The Straits Times, there was a full page write up about a Singaporean lady who migrated to, and was writing all about her new hometown of Mississauga.

Mississauga was where the headquarters for a franchise called Shred-it was located. In 1998, I was in a partnership to bring this franchise from Canada to Singapore. This involved having to stay in Toronto to learn the business for 3 weeks before qualifying for the franchise.

Mississauga at night.