Day 7 & 8 -- Niagara Falls Trip

Yurika Kawasaki 3L (16)

These two consecutive days have been the most exciting days of this trip. We were especially excited to see one of the seven wonders of the world and visited the Butterfly Conservatory. Living in Hong Kong is wonderful. However, as it is relatively polluted, we rarely get to see so many butterflies of many different species. During the visit, we all could observe closely these beautiful insects. The experience was great! I realised how Canadians truly cherish the nature and try their best to conserve it. They also take every opportunity to educate both locals and tourists the importance of nature conservation. Even the ‘Oh Canada Eh?’ dinner show is a way to preserve Canadian history and its unique culture. I realised how important it is to conserve both tangible and intangible heritage so that in the future, our next generation can experience its beauty. As for our trip to the outlet mall, we exercised our accounting and math skills to shop wisely by taking the advantages of the massive sales . Thankfully, we all got souvenirs for our parents and friends back in Hong Kong, with a few gifts for ourselves as well!

Shanice Li 3P (24)

In these 2 days, I had an amazing experience in Niagara Falls.

On the first day, we arrived at Niagara Falls in the afternoon. The area is crowded yet very beautiful. We rode on the hornblower and got very close to the Falls! Although all of us got wet, we were all amazed by the breathtaking and spectacular view. After the cruise, we had a journey behind the Falls. This time, we got even much wetter because we were just standing on a platform built next to the Falls. The time we spent in Niagara Falls was definitely unforgettable and remarkable.

In the evening, we enjoyed a dinner show called “Oh Canada Eh”. I was impressed by the singer’s singing skills and the show was so entertaining.

On the second day, we went to the Butterfly Conservatory in the morning. It’s so amazing to discover thousands of freely flying butterflies in a tropical garden. We were also able to view the butterflies at a close distance.

In the afternoon, we went to the outlet collection for shopping. We had a great time and a lot of fun shopping there!

We went back to Brescia University in the evening and had a pizza dinner, which was so yummy! We had a really fun and exciting weekend.

Belle Ngan 3P (29)

These two days had been exhilarating. On the first day, we set off early and headed to Niagara Falls. We all went on a vessel and took many pictures of the waterfall. The scenery was ravishing and the water cascading down the waterfall felt refreshing to me.

At night we went to the Oh Canada Eh! Dinner show, which was a very memorable experience for me as I enjoyed the singing and the comedy of the show very much. On the next day, we went to the butterfly conservatory. The view of butterflies flying around is very beautiful and it was great that we could observe the butterflies closely.

In the afternoon we went shopping at an outlet mall. The stores are very different from Hong Kong’s as they are very spacious and there are various products on sale. Although we were quite worn out, we still had fun throughout the whole journey. If I had a chance, I would definitely go back there again.

Carrie Chiu 3U (9)

It’s finally the weekend! We left Brescia for excursion to the Niagara Falls in a jubilant mood.

On Saturday, we went to one of the most famous tourist spots here — Niagara Falls. We took the Hornblower in the afternoon, which drove us along the waterfalls so that we could have a wider view of it; we also went for the Journey Behind The Falls after that. The mist and water droplets from the falls couldn’t stop us from taking photos and videos of the mesmerizing scenery. I had much anticipation for it and I would never forget my precious moments there. I have always desired to visit this iconic place since I was small.

At night we joined the “Oh! Canada Eh!” dinner show near the Fall. The performers were very expressive and professional. Their singing melted my heart and blessed my ears. I could also learn more about Canadian music and cultures through it. There were some jokes that were a bit difficult to understand as they are local puns or jokes, so I paid great attention wanting to learn more.

On Sunday, we first went to the Butterfly Conservatory. I liked how I was surrounded by the beautiful butterflies and I was glad to have held them with my finger. I was also grateful I could learn how they are conserved in the greenhouse. My favorite kind is the blue butterfly: it was brown and simple when it closed its wings but when they opened, the blending of blue was so magical and dreamy, like the colour of the butterfly emoji.

Then we moved on for outlet shopping. We bought souvenirs, clothes and shoes from the shops. It was enjoyable as the price generally is more affordable for us.

Carol Chan 3L (6)

The weekend excursion started off with a 3-hour bus ride to the Niagara region. Three hours may seem quite long but the mesmerizing journey there made everything worthwhile!

Upon boarding the cruise ship, the Hornblower, we were able to view Niagara Falls, totally immersed by the scenery. Despite getting all wet, we for sure enjoyed the short but phenomenal ride on the Hornblower. In order for us to capture the magnificent view, we could not but get wet, which made me reflect on how there is no such thing as a free lunch. Success stems from infinite hard work and effort. Soon after, we went on the journey behind the falls, another way that allowed us to see Niagara Falls from another perspective. We should also do the same in our lives in order to understand something thoroughly.

The highlight of the day was the ‘Oh Canada Eh Dinner Show’. We were in fact very fortunate to have witnessed the last show for one of the casts. We were fascinated by the passion and love the cast had or their jobs and towards each other. To them, this was no longer their job but their source of joy and comfort, as they are a family! The bond and connection between them were touching and hearwarming. Through the show, we were able to understand that it is essential for us to always have a dream and to try living it out by doing what we love and are passionate for as ultimately we shall not let others’ expectations drive our lives.

The second day of the excursion began with a visit to the Butterfly Conservatory, where the greenhouse simulates the tropical habitats of butterflies so as to create the most appropriate and comfortable environment for them. At the conservatory, not only were we able to get into closer contact with nature and see the beauty of them, we were also able to see the kindness and compassion of human beings. Everyone tried their best to protect the butterflies and not disrupt their living environment. The day ended with shopping at the Outlet Collection at the Niagara, where we could purchase goods for ourselves, our friends and families.

This weekend excursion was truly fulfilling and was a chance for us to step out of our comfort zones and have more interactions with Canadians. Through the experience we had, we were able to have better knowledge of the customs, culture and history here; most importantly, we were taught lifelong lessons of humbly valuing the intrinsic values of Canada through cultural exchanges.

Cherie Hung 3A (18)

On Day 7, we left the Brescia Campus to visit Niagara Falls. After stopping at Clifton Hill for lunch, we got on the Hornblower, the ship that could take us closer to the falls. However, while we were boarding the ship, I noticed that there was dirty white foam and yellow lumps floating in the water in the gorge. It reflects how water pollution is a serious problem even in tourist attractions. The seagulls living near the water would sometimes float on the water and get very close to the harmful substances. Seeing this, I was worried about the health of the animals in the area as they may get sick from drinking the polluted water.

At night, we watched the 'Oh Canada Eh!' dinner show. The food was quite good and the musical was more than what I had expected. Every singer and musician in the musical put on a flawless performance. We were lucky enough to witness the final show of one of the show’s long-time performers. Even though it was our first time there, we joined the audience in a standing ovation for her in her last song. It was touching to see people expressing their heartfelt gratitude and bidding sincere farewells to their colleague.

Having stayed for a night at the Brock University dormitory, we set off for the Butterfly Conservatory. Unlike the butterflies in the wild, the butterflies in the conservatory would land on us or move onto our fingers if we stayed still. I was able to touch a few butterflies but there was a particular species of butterfly that landed on me more than once. I didn’t mind because all of them landed on my clothes but not directly on my skin.

The afternoon activity was shopping at an outlet mall. It was rather disappointing as the clothes there were much more expensive than what I had imagined! There was no way I was going to buy a hoodie for 100 CAD (around 500-600 HKD excluding tax). Apart from this, there weren’t any shops that sold things other than clothes, cosmetics or food, so I found a place to sit down and chat with my friends. One thing that I liked about the Outlet Collection was the sushi because it looked more similar to traditional sushi than that of Masonville. However, I think the Masonville mall which I visited some days ago is more interesting because it has a larger variety of shops.

The excursion ended with a delicious pizza dinner back at the Mercato on the Brescia campus.

Camille Wong 3A (36)

We woke up early in the morning and set off to Niagara Falls. Even though I’ve been to the Niagara Falls, I was still amazed by my experience. It was rainy at the beginning but it actually didn’t dwindle the enjoyment we felt. We took many pictures and left with a whole new album of memories!

Then, we watched a dinner show called “Oh Canada Eh?” featuring all sorts of Canadian food, history, etc. I had a blast there as the show was both hilarious and informative. Afterwards, we went to Brock University, our accommodation at night. The hallways there were creepy, quiet and quite dark, which got me quite terrified.

The next day, we visited a butterfly conservatory, where we were able to see the butterflies fly freely all around, and I even got to hold one on my finger. It turned out it wasn’t as ticklish as I had thought!

Finally, we went shopping at the Outlet Collection. The things there are much cheaper than in Hong Kong. We spent a lot of money buying things for our family, friends and ourselves. It would be more fulfilling had we got more time there, but overall enjoyed the weekend thoroughly.

Sunnie Chan 3S (4)

I would say visiting Niagara Falls is the highlight of our trip. I had been anticipating to visit the world’s largest fall for long. The breathtaking view of the waterfall is something I had never seen and would never forget. Oh Canada Eh was an entertaining and fantastic dinner show, those passionate performers sang really well and I really enjoyed the atmosphere there. We went to the butterfly conservatory in the next morning, I saw myriad types of butterflies there. There was a species with hideous colour and patterns on the outside of their wings. I dared not to touch it as I was scared by its horrible patterns, but the inside of their wings was light blue in colour which made them look quite elegant.I learnt not to judge a book by its cover and we should not neglect one’s inner beauty.

Christy Mou 3T (27)

We took a 3-hour ride to the Niagara Falls and ate lunch at local restaurants. This was our first time visiting the falls and when we were on the hornblower, we were so excited as the waterfall was so powerful and marvelous. We got wet even though we wore a raincoat. One could tell how powerful it was! The Journey behind the Falls was amazing too. We got the chance to have a closer look at the waterfalls and the rocks. We were so lucky that we got to see a rainbow near the falls. The dinner show, Oh Canada Eh! was so amusing as we could know more about history and traditional songs of Canada. We really enjoyed it.

The next day, we went to the butterfly conservatory and there were more than 2000 butterflies flying around us! This was a really great chance for us to observe butterflies as we don’t usually see butterflies in our busy city. The shopping experience in the outlet was excellent as well. We took our time and bought souvenirs for our friends and family. We were all very tired after the excursion.