Cliff(y) Goes Travelling

Level 6, Near Gate 65, Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong Daily: 5.30am - 12.30am During the layover at Hong Kong International Airport, I spent most of the time at The Pier. It's not only the airport's largest, but also Cathay Pacific's most spacious lounge with a total area of 3,306 square metres. Originally inaugurated in 2001, it underwent a major renovation and extension in 2016.

YVR-HKG (13h 20m) Airbus 350-900 ETD: 9.40am (GMT - 7) ETA:  2.00pm (GMT + 8) I really had a blast in Canada, the country I thought I'd be settling down in when I was younger. Well, I'm certainly looking forward to exploring beyond British Columbia and Alberta. I flew back to Hong Kong in one of Cathay Pacific's Airbus 350-900 aircraft. It was my second time onboard its modern equipment, the first being a few years ago from Hong Kong to Jakarta, Indonesia.

5 Cox Terrace, Fort Canning Centre, Fort Canning Park, Singapore Daily: 9.00am - 9.00pm I'm almost done writing on my June 2019 trip to Canada, but for today, allow me to interject with something patriotic before the end of the year. This year is the 200th anniversary of Sir Stamford Raffles' landing in our Little Red Dot, one of the key turning points in our history as it marked the founding of modern Singapore.

Near Gate 71, Vancouver International Airport, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada Daily: 3.5 hours before flight departure Cathay Pacific unveiled its new lounge at Vancouver International Airport on 4 May 2016, adopting a contemporary and elegant design template that'd been rolled out in other airports in Hong Kong and Japan, but to name a few. Covering an area of 510 square metres, it has a seating capacity of 108 individuals.

3211 Grant McConachie Way, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada Vancouver International Airport is the second busiest airport in Canada behind Toronto Pearson International Airport. Did you know that it serves more direct flights to and from China than any other airports in North America or Europe? It's one of the few major international airports to have a terminal for scheduled floatplanes. 

YYZ-YVR (1h 25m) Boeing 737-800 ETD: 1.30pm (GMT - 6) ETA:  1.55pm (GMT - 7) Currently the second largest Canadian airline behind Air Canada, WestJet was founded in 1996. At the point of writing, the airline provides scheduled and charter flights to more than 100 destinations in Canada, the USA, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe.

2000 Airport Road NE, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Built in the late 1930s, Calgary International Airport is the busiest airport in Alberta and the fourth busiest airport in Canada. It's located roughly 150 km away from  Banff Downtown , making it the closest airport from there. The region's petroleum and tourism industries have significantly helped foster the growth of the airport.

1 Whitehorn Road, Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada Daily: 8.00am - 5.00pm Since all the trails were closed due to the unfriendly weather, my BFF and I spent most of our time at the Wildlife Interpretive Centre after taking Lake Louise Gondola . It's a small, but informative centre to discover what makes life in Banff National Park uniquely spectacular.

Whitehorn Drive, Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada Daily: 8.00am - 5.00pm Within Banff National Park, I was having a dilemma deciding between Banff Gondola and Lake Louise Gondola. I opted for the latter in the end, which is the gateway to one of the largest ski resorts in North America. I was in for a big surprise as I wasn't expecting snowfall at all in June 2019.

111 Lake Louise Drive, Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada Named Lake of the Little Fishes by the Stoney Nakoda First Nations people, Lake Louise is a glacial lake within Banff National Park known for its turquoise colour. In front of it is Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, a luxury hotel built in the early decades of the 20th century by Canadian Pacific Railway.

311 Cave Avenue, Banff, Alberta, Canada Daily: 9.30am - 5.00pm ( 17 May - 14 Oct) Wed-Sun: 11.00am - 5.00pm ( Other times) Cave and Basin is a site of natural thermal mineral springs around which Banff National Park, which is Canada's oldest national park, was established in 1885. Said to be the birthplace of the national parks in Canada, it's the lowest component of nine sulfurous hot springs of Sulphur Mountain.

101 Mountain Avenue, Banff, Alberta, Canada Daily: 8.00am - 11.00pm If you're looking for a place to escape from the crowds in Banff Downtown and smell the flowers, look no further than Cascades of Time Garden. The tranquil terraced garden, which underwent a  C$2.6 million (~S$2.68 million)  redevelopment project that was completed in mid-2018, is located across Bow River Bridge.

91 Banff Avenue, Banff, Alberta, Canada Wed-Sun: 9.30am - 5.00pm ( 17 May - 14 Oct) Sat-Sun: 11.00am - 5.00pm ( Other times) Banff Park Museum was established in 1895 to house an exhibit of taxidermy-mounted specimens of animals, plants and minerals associated with Banff National Park. From vintage stuffed bears to birds of all sizes, discover more about the wildlife inside western Canada's oldest natural history museum.

Banff, Alberta, Canada The town of Banff was incorporated as a municipality in 1990, which was the first one to be incorporated inside a national park. Situated at an elevation of 1,383 m, it's Canada's highest town. The bustling town centre covers an area of 3.93 square kilometres. The photo below was taken at a store called Cool as a Moose.

600 Banff Avenue, Banff, Alberta, Canada Located at the northeastern end of the town of Banff is Inns of Banff (3*), a mountain resort hotel that's the terminus of the Roam bus system. It's owned by Banff Lodging Company, a big company that manages 11 hotels, 8 restaurants and 2 spas at the point of writing.