Mei ManuelKonnichassu my dearest readers!
It has been ages and the site is still under constant updating. I do need to update the place since some of the old entries I have, especially for the ONE OK ROCK posts. I may have to update those accordingly before the live in September.
Anyway, I am writing this a bit early because I normally post these a month or so after a trip. But, considering it spans two weeks and I have the photos ready, I might as well make a blog entry already.
After all, its nice to post it when its still fresh in your memory!
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So I just came back from a two week trip to Canada. My first visit to the land of all things maple and some other things. It has been a long time coming since I bought the tickets late October thanks to BDO’s regular Travel Expo sales. I scheduled the trip on a June because it was my oldest niece’s summer vacation as she studies in the US and my sister was only free around this time. The next coming months would be impossible because she had to work on an accreditation for the firm she’s working on.
If not for the BDO Travel Expo sale, I would have spent around a thousand dollars for the ticket for the same day. Fortunately, that didn’t happen and I only spent at least half of that price. It did come with caviats though as you will see below.
My Canada trip will start with a one night stay in Mississauga, drive to Ottawa, then Montreal then to Niagara Falls then Toronto. Crazy trip!
As always with these posts, I will be putting the photos to give you a rough idea of how it went and some facts about the trip!
Packing for the trip initially was a minor affair since I was set on bringing only the blue hardcase luggage I got from an uncle who recently came home and my trusty grey carry on which has been with me in most of my Japan trips and several US trips done by my mum and my brother’s family.
However, mum went completely overboard with the amount of pasalubong I was bringing for my sister and her family so after a while, I ended up borrowing two bags from my brother. One was the red medium luggage in these pictures and a crossbody large enough for all my random stuff that I may need in the trip. The space was not enough because I ended up leaving my new travel Aquaflask (big mistake when I got to the airport)
I got to the airport at least 7 hours before the flight because my parents were paranoid I might be late for the flight and all that. But with the Skyway in NLEX, the whole trip from my place to the airport took only about 2 hours with traffic included. Dad dropped me off and I find myself in standing limbo as the lines for the airline I’m flying with (Asiana) wouldn’t open till after 2 hours since I arrived.
The waiting sucked because not only there weren’t enough chairs, I was thirsty (later on, while lining up for the check-in, I did see the free water dispenser). I did have enough time to check all the luggages in terms of their weight (I almost went over the allotted weight for all my luggages) and get some money converted to Korean Won.
More time did open for me because I paid my Travel Tax early through the online payment portal. In Terminal 3 in my last trip, the line for Travel Tax is a blockbuster so always pay it early.
I was able to get my luggages checked in easily because I got in line early before the gates opened. Its interesting to see that the attendants would line up first and welcome us in both English and Korean before they actually start processing check-ins. So polite.
Since it was my first NA tour and a trip that has a connecting flight with another airline, I did have to ask if they would transfer the bags to my next airline, Air Canada.
Air Canada and Asiana are from the same airline group – Star Alliance – and because of this, they do partner for certain routes. In this case, I will have to fly via Asiana to Incheon then I would have a layover before I take the trip from Incheon to Toronto, which is my last stop. They said they would automatically do that so that’s sorted out.
Here’s a snippet of my boarding pass from Asiana. I have not seen one since my last trip to Osaka and its great to see I am flying to a new country (sort of) and off to another adventure.
I did ask an officer about the Etravel card, the new Departure and Arrival card used by the government to streamline the Immigration procedure. I had to ask about my intended address since we were going to move a lot. He said it was fine to only list one then directed me to the Immigration counters.
The line was ok and when I got to the counter, got asked about the length of my trip and a bit about my work. Told him I have an approved leave (thank God I didn’t have to show my Leave of Absence letter although I do have it with me) and where I was from. Got ushered to the Security after that for the final checks and I was off to find food coz it was around dinner time when everything was said and done.
Unfortunately, the only good restaurant in that end of the airport (or the one closest to the gate the plane would be in) is Bo’s Coffee, which I was pretty ok with. I ordered one of their Bacon Pesto as you see here. It was ok but not too filling. Then an iced vanilla frappe, which may have been a mistake or not because I need to stay up so I won’t get jetlag in Canada. But thats what i had.
The gate for the flight. The seats near the gate were full, especially when the flight’s schedule came closer.
Photos of the entertainment dock for this Asiana flight. Given how bad the screen is, it is an old plane. But still works well.
A photo of me in the plane before takeoff. That mask only stayed with me till I arrived in Incheon. After that? It was gone!
My last view of Manila till I get back. I know, its a bad snapshot but I do only have an iPhone XS. I do need to replace it now hahaha.
The meal for the flight is a chicken congee, salad, bread and fruits. Review about it? The congee was ok. Salad is salad, bread is as dry as the Sahara and tasteless even with butter, and the fruits were ok. Did eat everything because I was famished.
The flight took around 3 hours and 30 minutes to 4 hours and since it was night, this is how Jeju Island looks like from the sky!
Flight details. Kinda nice they had this but I didn’t need to go out to get my bags anyway. LOL
Sleep update: I barely slept because there was a slight turbulence and no to jetlag
Upon arrival, I followed the arrows to the Transfer Desk where those who need to transfer to another flight should go. The line was pretty long even if it was one of the earliest flights to arrive in Incheon that day. We had to go through security again and the guy who checked my passport was so stoic. The net though, GOD! SO FAST! And no limit (yeah NAIA, I’m looking at you! Why do you have a net data cap for us passengers who had to wait at the airport for a long time)
After all that, here’s my first look around Incheon Airport. I was in the Asiana wing because most of the flights in this wing are Asiana
Here’s my breakfast, Bulgogi whopper from Burger King, fries and a medium coke (to wake me up). What’s great about Incheon Airport is the fact they do have food courts in each wing. For Terminal 1, it is in the second floor close to the rest areas and the lounges. Unfortunately, they do open around 6:30 am and its quite rare to find 24 hour cafes. Fortunately for me, I arrived during the morning so no lines in the foodcourt.
Review of the Bulgogi burger is ok. It is a big serving and it was very sweet. Will try again.
For the payment, they do accept credit card or cash. I opted for cash because I wanted to see how much I’d spend that day so I know how much to leave from my budget for my return trip.
They have a lot of these boards up in key areas of the airport and it scrolls between English and Korean every other minute.
As mentioned above, there was a caveat with the flight I took. Since it was a promo ticket, I had to face a long layover in the process. In this case, I have 14 hours to kill in the airport (or opt to take the Free Transit Tour, which I didn’t take because this was my first NA trip and I did not want to be late to my next flight even if I had a long layover) before I need to check in to my next flight.
Fortunately, the airport has you covered because they do have Cozy Areas in the second floor of the airport (near the Transfer Desks) where you can sit and charge your phone like in this photo here.
Or you can try grabbing a seat in the Nap Area. I did have to wait for a seat in the Nap Area to try getting some sleep even for a bit. It is a wide seat that allows you to lounge but I do not recommend sleeping on your side with this because of how the seat is designed. I tried but regretted it immediately.
They do have several Nap Areas in other wings of the terminal. BUT, both have limited slots so you need to wait. What’s good is they do have a console beside the seat to charge your phone and all your electronics. It is also semi-walled so there is a a bit of privacy.
They do have a hotel for transit travelers but when I was there, it was under construction. It would reopen after I fly back home from the trip so that sucked. Next time I will stay there.
After getting a semblance of a nap in that Nap Area, I went to search for the gate for the Air Canada flight (which was in the other wing of Terminal 1) and find something to eat coz I basically skipped lunch/dinner (its confusing now I know).
While walking around, I found out that Riot Games – the guys behind League of Legends and Valorant – had a special setup there to allow passengers to try out their games through their Riot Arcade.
When you get inside, you can do the stamp rally as seen in this picture. When you complete it, you can get a free water bottle (which I sadly wasn’t able to bring home because my trip was 2 weeks so hahaha. Its in Ottawa somewhere being recycled right now). You can also try out the games, which I did.
I learnt that I suck at Valorant but my old know-how in playing Warcraft III was still there and helped me be a decent League of Legends player.
If you were good, you can get travel items and other goodies they have there. They even have a special Coke Zero blend that you can only get there.
When in Korea, you need Korean fried chicken. I don’t know the actual name of this place (but it is in the same area as the Baskin Robbins spot in Terminal 1) but it was very good. Maybe next time I will go in Seoul itself to try out Kyochon.
The Air Canada flight was delayed and full so I had to eat again so I don’t faint while waiting for the food service. I had a small cup of Auntie Anne’s almond pretzels. It was really good.
What I like about Air Canada though is the fact they did offer free check-in for carry-ons given that it was a full flight. I availed it because man, it is hard to lug around my carry on… which may require changing the wheels because it doesn’t wheel properly from the side which sucks.
The plane while it is being filled. I didn’t get to see my luggages while they were loading it up.
It is kinda nice that Incheon Airport already has a clear idea which gates would be used for all incoming flights without jamming the place with passengers at any given time. They also have super cool charging areas while you wait. Just bring an adaptor because its quite difficult to be first in the USB slots to charge since everyone will pick that option.
Inside the Air Canada flight and they have a fancy entertainment system.
And yes, another plus thing with this flight is they have a full meal service. It all looks good! I did take photos of it but it was dark. Taste was amazing for some of them. Bread is as dry as the Sahara and the sandwich was so cold.
I did find some sleep during the trip but the unfortunate part of the trip was the constant turbulence. So I did wake up ever so often.
Surprised I never used the toilet through it all though. But I was too tired to even move away from my seat.
My arrival in Toronto was sadly delayed due to a variety of factors, from another plane in our gate, we left Incheon late to the long turnover. So, this is the only photo I took as I rushed in the airport.
My first impression of Toronto’s Pearson Airport, at least that side, was it wasn’t as better as NAIA coz the whole place was under construction so the arrows were all over the place. The kiosks were also malfunctioning so I had to do the old school immigration interview. Fortunately, the officer who did my interview understood that I was so exhausted from the trip so she only asked me the basic questions she needed to know and I was so amused that she asked me about our possible itinerary and if I came from a farm or will go to one. Canada is very strict with passengers coming from these areas and the food you will bring in must be declared. I had to do that because I brought with me fresh shrimp paste, dried fish and pickled veggies for my sister. The officer did smile at me for being honest.
When I got to the baggage counter though, chaos! There were bags already standing in one area then there’s no clear monitor as to where you should go for your flight. In my case, I had to ask an officer to help me find it. It took a while to get my bags and stormed out of the airport after getting my money exchanged.
Saw my sister and my in-law after that with their brand new car and drove to the rainy Ontario night to our overnight stop. No photos there. I was too exhausted, in need of a bath, hungry and basically just want to rest while catching up with the crew I will be with for two weeks.
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That’s pretty much it for Day 1 or something coz of the timezone jump. I will try to write Day 2 soon and it will most likely be this long until the end of the trip.
I’m in Threads now so just look for @kythe there and you’ll find me. Thank God you can use your IG handle for it. Hahaha!
