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USA: Niagara Falls State Park

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332 Prospect Street, Niagara Falls, New York, USA Aside from the Schengen area, my international land border crossings were limited to Singapore - Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Hong Kong - Shenzhen, China and Macau - Zhuhai, China prior to this trip. With the Niagara Falls straddling the international border, a simple bridge crossing took me from the Canadian side to the USA, adding another experience to my travel repertoire.
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CAN: Niagara Falls

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Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the USA. The largest of the trio straddles the international border, while the other two lie within the USA. In Canada, the city that goes by the same name was incorporated on 12 June 1903.
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CAN: Super 8 by Wyndham Niagara Falls

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5577 Ellen Avenue, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada I suppose seeing Niagara Falls is one of the essential experiences when visiting Ontario, Canada. Without checking out of our hotel in Toronto, my BFF and I embarked on a quick 2D1N trip to the iconic destination. We opted to stay at Super 8 (2*), a budget-friendly choice managed by Wyndham Hotels, which offers complimentary breakfast to guests.
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CAN: Toronto Downtown

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Toronto, Ontario, Canada Toronto, the capital of the Ontario province, is the largest city in Canada. As an international centre of business, finance, arts, sports and culture, it's one of the most multi-cultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world. It's said that approximately half of its residents were born outside of Canada.
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CAN: Radisson Blu Toronto Downtown

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249 Queens Quay West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Strategically located in the heart of Toronto downtown, specifically at the Harbourfront area, Radisson Blu Toronto Downtown (4*) caters to both leisure and business travellers. It's located within walking distance from Union train station, and is also in close proximity to the iconic CN Tower that stands at 533.3 m.
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TWN: EVA Air BR226 & BR36 (Economy)

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[BR226] SIN-TPE (4h 35m) Boeing 777-300ER ETD:  1.15pm (GMT + 8) ETA: 5.50pm (GMT + 8) Here's to a new travel series! Join us as we set out on our very first round-the-world trip, a voyage filled with anticipation and wonder as we went back to Canada after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ushered in the festive spirit of Christmas in Panama and New Year in Colombia. The journey began with EVA Air BR226 from Singapore to Taipei, Taiwan.
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MAS: Malaysia Airlines MH53 (Economy)

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KIX-KUL (7h) Airbus 330-300 ETD:  9.55am (GMT + 9) ETA: 3.55pm (GMT + 8) The eagerly awaited post-pandemic family trip concluded with a pretty enjoyable flight on Malaysia Airlines MH53 from Osaka, Japan to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, followed by MH607 to Singapore. Unlike the inbound flight  MH52  that encountered a one-hour delay, the outbound flight departed on time as scheduled. 
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JPN: Hotel Stay the Kansai Airport

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2-5-1 Kasamatsu, Izumisano, Osaka, Japan Situated not far from Rinku-Town station, Hotel Stay the Kansai Airport (1*) is just one train station away from Kansai International Airport, the primary airport serving Osaka and the broader Kansai region. Having been in operation since 2020, the self-check-in hotel has got a few rooms that can accommodate groups of 6 to 8 people.
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JPN: Yuasa Downtown

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Yuasa, Wakayama, Japan Located to the south of Wakayama City, Yuasa is a small, but thriving port town. Since I was in the prefecture, I made it a point to go to this birthplace of shoyu (Japanese soy sauce). In the past, Yuasa was a resting place for pilgrims travelling the oldest pilgrimage route in Japan known as Kumano Kodo.
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JPN: Wakayama Downtown

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Wakayama City, Wakayama, Japan Wakayama City is the capital and the largest of the nine cities of the prefecture bearing the same name. On average, it takes just about an hour by train from Osaka, and an hour and a half from Kyoto. The area occupied by the city was the centre of the ancient Kii Province (紀伊国), from which the Japanese bookshop chain Kinokuniya (紀伊国屋) derives its name.
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JPN: Toyoko Inn JR Wakayama-eki Higashi-guchi

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2-1-7 Kuroda, Wakayama City, Wakayama, Japan A chain of Japanese business hotels founded in 1986, Toyoko Inn (3*) has been expanding rapidly since the 1990s. At the point of writing, the franchise boasts an extensive network with over 300 branches, including overseas ones in the Philippines, South Korea, France and Germany. My family and I stayed for two nights at the branch near Wakayama station.
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JPN: Nara Park

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Nara, Japan A public park located at the foot of Mount Wakakusa, Nara Park is a captivating blend of natural beauty, cultural richness and enchanting wildlife. Established in 1880, the expansive park that sprawls over 500 hectares is renowned for its friendly inhabitants: over 1,200 free-roaming sika deer that's native to much of East Asia.
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JPN: Mikasa Ryokan

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728-10 Kawakami-cho, Nara City, Nara, Japan Perched on the slopes of Mount Wakakusa, Mikasa Ryokan (3*) is a haven of tranquility, making it a choice of accommodation that I was truly grateful for booking. It was a restful one-night retreat, thanks to the peaceful ambience and picturesque surroundings. The hotel provides a free shuttle service from its small office near Kintetsu Nara station.
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JPN: Henn-na Hotel Nara

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46-1 Takama-cho, Nara City, Nara, Japan I first found out about Henn-na Hotel (4*) through my friend's social media posts detailing her stay at the Huis Ten Bosch branch in Nagasaki Prefecture. Intrigued by the world's first robot-staffed chain of hotels registered under the Guinness World Record, I decided to check out the Nara branch that's located near Kintetsu Nara station.
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JPN: Omihachiman District @ Shiga Prefecture

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Omihachiman, Japan One of my personal aspirations in life is to visit all 47 prefectures of Japan. For that, I brought along my family on a day trip to Shiga, a landlocked prefecture encircling Lake Biwa, Japan's largest freshwater lake. The quaint Omihachiman district was our destination, which is easily reachable by train from Kyoto.
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JPN: Osaka Downtown

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Osaka City, Osaka, Japan First of all, Happy New Year! Formerly known as Naniwa, Osaka stands as Japan's second largest metropolitan area after Tokyo. It's served by two airports: Kansai International Airport  (KIX) and Osaka International Airport that's also referred to as Itami Airport (ITM). This short post features two areas renowned for their pulsating nightlife and culinary delights.
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CAN: Toronto Downtown

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Toronto, Ontario, Canada Toronto, the capital of the Ontario province, is the largest city in Canada. As an international centre of business, finance, arts, sports and culture, it's one of the most multi-cultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world. It's said that approximately half of its residents were born outside of Canada.
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CAN: Super 8 by Wyndham Niagara Falls

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5577 Ellen Avenue, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada I suppose seeing Niagara Falls is one of the essential experiences when visiting Ontario, Canada. Without checking out of our hotel in Toronto, my BFF and I embarked on a quick 2D1N trip to the iconic destination. We opted to stay at Super 8 (2*), a budget-friendly choice managed by Wyndham Hotels, which offers complimentary breakfast to guests.
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TWN: Tze-Chiang Limited Express (Puyuma) 218

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Taipei - Xincheng (2h 1m) ETD: 10.26am (GMT + 8)  ETA:  12.27pm (GMT + 8) Having heard of the unparalleled beauty of Taroko Gorge, my BFF and I made it a point to see it with our own eyes despite the rainy season in June. Our journey began from Taipei Main Station by making use of the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) system on Tze-Chiang Limited Express (Puyuma), the newest, fastest and more spacious train type introduced in 2013.
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