Welcome to Toronto, the most multiculturally diverse city on the planet: over 140 languages are spoken. It’s estimated that over half of Toronto’s residents were born outside Canada, and despite its complex makeup, Torontonians generally get along. When the weather is fine, Toronto is a blast: a vibrant, big-time city abuzz with activity. Some of the world’s finest restaurants are found here, alongside happening bars and clubs and eclectic festivals.

During our stay in Toronto, I stayed with Hubert’s relatives in the neighbourhood of Markham, which is like an Asian neighbourhood. Markham is a city in the Regional Municipality of York within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. Again, it felt like I did not step out of Asia. From Asian supermarkets to restaurants and even companies with Chinese wordings, this feels like an ethnic enclave outside of Toronto. It takes about 45 minutes drive to get to Toronto downtown. All the houses in this neighbourhood look like they came out of the same cookie cutter mould, with a porch, garage, garden and two stories. Typical North American suburb.

Since we had one full day to explore Toronto, we decided not to waste any time sleeping in despite the jet lag. In the morning, we met Lily, my friend who had did her semester exchange in Singapore. We met up for brunch at “Next-door restaurant” in Unionville, a cafe serving fusion food. It was a Sunday and there was a fun fair or event promoting various activities, from hiking in the Canadian national parks to girl guides selling cookies for a cause. It was nice to soak in with the locals as they came out to enjoy the sunny day with their children in tow. I could hear Chinese, Cantonese, Korean, Japanese and Canadian-accented English being spoken on the streets. Lily also showed us some nearby places such as the lake with many geese.

After brunch, we headed to the city. Lily dropped us at the nearest metro station (Don Mills) and we took the metro to the downtown area to meet Erica, our Canadian friend whom we had meet in Halong Bay during a trip to Vietnam 6 years ago. The ride to town took 45 minutes with one change to the yellow line.

Erica and her boyfriend picked us up in their car and drove us to Kensington market, our first stop for the afternoon tour. Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in downtown Toronto. The market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city’s most well-known. Toronto’s most unique neighbourhood, Kensington Market retains its charm and wonderful diversity through its eclectic mix of vintage clothing stores, grocers, restaurants and cafes. I like how you can find Argentinean food to Chinese to sushi or Mexican cuisine all along the same street. There were also some cool murals which made for Instagram-worthy backgrounds. It reminds me of Haji Lane back home, except that this occupies a much larger area.

Next, we went to Chinatown which is the largest one in Canada. Did you know that the present day Chinatown extending along Dundas Street West and Spadina Avenue was once a Jewish District? Today, the area is referred to as Old Chinatown. There are a number of shops, restaurants, activities, historic monuments, and even spas to check out when you visit Chinatown. There are also many Cantonese restaurants and also souvenir shops selling Canada emblems but made in China goods of course. I heard that most of the renowned Hong Kong chefs have moved overseas, including to Toronto, no wonder there is a lack of good Cantonese cuisine in Hong Kong.

After Chinatown, we drove past the CN Tower, a 553.3 m-high concrete communications and observation tower located in the downtown core of the city of Toronto. The CN Tower is an internationally renowned architectural triumph, an engineering Wonder of the Modern World. The entrance tickets are quite expensive at C$38 for one adult, plus we have enough of skyscrapers in Singapore or Hong Kong, so we decided to skip this attraction.

Toronto is situated along the shores of the Great Lakes, forming a part of Lake Ontario. Across the lake, which appears to be like an ocean, we can imagine the United States of America to be just over on the other side. Actually, New York is not too far away, about 8 hours drive from Toronto. Almost like an ocean — that’s how enormous Lake Ontario seems. One of five North American Great Lakes, the 19 000 square kilometres freshwater body is flanked on the southeast by New York State and Toronto, Ontario on the west. That’s bigger than the size of the whole of Singapore! It has 1146 kilometres of beautiful shoreline, including offshore islands. And as you might imagine, the shores are lined with tree-filled parks, sandy beaches, and restaurants with a view — all near urban Toronto. There’s a reason “Ontario” means “beautiful lake” in Iroquois. It makes for a relaxing afternoon to chill by the edge of the lake, away from the bustling city.

Since it started to drizzle, we headed back to the car and decided to go someplace indoors. We ended up at the Bandit Brewery. Once an auto shop, this watering hole serves house-brewed Belgian-style beers & sharing plates. It serves nice craft beer and was filled with people, including families with young children. We had a taster tray which consisted of four different types of beer. It was good and my favourite was the stout which had a tinge of chocolate and coffee taste. We did not try the food as we were still quite full.

For those looking to enjoy some nature in the big metropolitan city of Toronto, there is High Park. It spans 161 hectares, and is a mixed recreational and natural park, with sporting facilities, cultural facilities, educational facilities, gardens, playgrounds and a zoo. We chanced upon a squirrel darting up the trees while walking within the sprawling grounds of the park. It has lush greenery and a huge space for dogs to run around.

We parted ways with Erica and her boyfriend before heading home for dinner. It was a fulfilling day spent in Toronto catching up with friends and seeing quite a number of places thanks to our local friends! Other than the metro being old, dirty and not able to accept payment by credit card unlike in Vancouver, I think Toronto is a nice city to live in because it is laid-back. There are also accessible parks for jogging or walking your dog and these parks are still quite ‘wild’ because they are not regularly pruned so the trees and plants can grow in the natural surroundings.