It was December when I arrived in Ontario. An unfamiliar coldness, one that shot straight to the bones, overwhelmed me as I got out of the plane. I took it as Canada's comical way of welcoming me, a first time visitor from the tropics.
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| Rattray Marshland |
I knew it was going to be challenging to be outdoors during this season, but the abundance of hiking trails around the city made it irresistible to squeeze in some quick hikes.
Rattray Marsh, in the city of Mississauga (pronounced as Missy-sah-guh), is one of the many trails that can still be accessed during winter. Located inside an enormous conservation area (94 hectares huge!) managed by Credit Valley Conservation Foundation, it is home to hundreds of plant and bird species, as well as mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish.
We left the car at Jack Darling Memorial Park. From here, we walked towards Waterfront Trail, a concrete pathway with a nice view of Lake Ontario and continued until we got to the trailhead of Rattray Marsh.
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| Lake Ontario from Waterfront Trail. That's Downtown Toronto on the horizon. :) |
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| At the entrance of Rattray Marsh |
During this season, the trees are nearly bald, its dead leaves carpeted the forest floor. Brown, white and grey were the dominant colors in the environment. While all these make the scenery appear gloomy, I found beauty in nature's slumber.
My two brothers may not be as addicted to nature as I am but they enjoyed going around Rattray Marsh, especially since it was an easy, walk in the park. Me? When it comes to nature, I'm easily amused.
We reached a section of the river and I spent some time staring at it. It was my first time to see a frozen river. :)
It didn't take us more than an hour to go around. It was a weekday but we encountered other visitors who were popping in for a quick stroll. Some were even in business clothes, a rare site for me as the Philippine trails are often in remote communities, making it difficult for someone to take a quick break from work just to hit the trail.
As it started getting too cold for us, we skipped the secondary trail which is 1.8 KM long. We could have gone around and exited in another section of the trail but since we had to go back for the car, we decided to just walk back the same way we came in.
After our short hike, we enjoyed a late lunch at Watan Kabob, a popular Afghan restaurant in Mississauga offering affordable (10 CAD above) and sizeable rice meals. It's my fave!
Resources :
For more information on the places we visited, check out the following sites,
Jack Darling Memorial Park (close to Port Credit, a nice part of town with restaurants and cafes)
Rattray Marsh Trail
WINTER TRAVEL TIPS FOR FILIPINOS
What I wore?
I didn't give much fuss of what I wore, just went with the basics.
- tuk (or beanie)
- scarf
- jacket I'm not a fan of bulky winter jackets so I opted to get a ski jacket from a Columbia outlet store in Toronto (60.45 CAD). It's material is very light and durable.
- innerwear. Inside my jacket, I wore Uniqlo Heattech Ultra Warm which I bought in the Philippines. At the time, temperature went down to -32 to 34 feels and this innerwear proved effective.
- winter socks from Uniqlo (500 Pesos for 2 pairs). I just bought two pairs and bought a couple more when I arrived in Canada. (Tip: Shop at outlet stores to get good prices on winter clothes. Toronto Premium Outlet, Vaughan Mills were some of the nice outlet stores we visited.)
- waterproof hiking shoes from Columbia
TRAVEL INFORMATION
Canada Tourist Visa Application for Filipinos
I applied for a Canada tourist visa online and the entire process took 3 weeks. This includes the time I successfully submitted my application online 'til I got my passport back from the courier. Note that timeline may vary depending on your situation. For tips, please check out, Poor Traveler |Canada Visa Requirements & Application Process for Filipinos. This blog was very helpful guide when I applied for my tourist visa.
Link to the Visit Canada government website is here. This is also where I got information on the visa requirements.
How to get to Canada from Manila?
The popular entry points from Manila are the cities of Toronto and Vancouver.
The popular entry points from Manila are the cities of Toronto and Vancouver.
From Manila to Toronto Pearson airport, I booked a flight through the Traveloka mobile app. Airline is EVA Air (love them!) with a connecting flight in Taipei.
Return flight back to Manila was via Calgary with a connecting flight at Vancouver airport. This, I booked through a ticketing partner of Philippine Airlines (TravelPros in SM Mega Mall). Airfare would range around 40,000 Pesos and above for a roundtrip ticket from Manila, depending on point of entry and when flight was booked. Tip : Check skyscanner for airfare rates.
Return flight back to Manila was via Calgary with a connecting flight at Vancouver airport. This, I booked through a ticketing partner of Philippine Airlines (TravelPros in SM Mega Mall). Airfare would range around 40,000 Pesos and above for a roundtrip ticket from Manila, depending on point of entry and when flight was booked. Tip : Check skyscanner for airfare rates.
Philippine Airlines now has direct flights to Toronto and Vancouver departing from Manila.