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  • Ron's Odyssey

Canada & USA 2025

A 32-day adventure by Ron's Odyssey Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 29, 2025
    Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    All checked in

    August 29 in Nigeria ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    Shortly before leaving the house, I got an email that my Lufthansa flight has been delayed by 1 hour. Departure was now 9pm.

    Had an interesting Bolt ride from the house to the airport. The driver was very chatty. I ended up overpaying him, not remembering part of the payment was on the ride app. He was honest enough to call me back and refund the excess 15k. Nice guy. I will look for him on my return trip.

    PH international terminal has been upgraded with an electronic gate to the departure lounge where you have to scan your boarding pass to gain entry.

    There are still too many agencies at the airport, each trying to solicit money from passengers.

    We finally took off late at 21:37hrs instead of the scheduled 20:00 hrs    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Connecting at Frankfurt, Germany

    August 30 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Landed in Frankfurt at 6:41am, an hour late due to the late departure from Port Harcourt.

    Smooth flight from Nigeria. Dozed off a bit on and off.

    Departed Frankfurt at 10:10am. The silly checking cleark in PH gave me a middle seat in the middle and not an aisle seat on the side as instructed.

    The airhostess was a bit rude when I requested headphones, saying he was currently on trash collection, but I insisted I had pressed the call button over an hour ago, and none of them responded. He later brought the alairpeace and apologised.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Arrived & Meet up at Toronto Airport

    August 30 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Landed at Toronto Pearson Airport at 12:41am. Filled in my arrival information on self-service computer terminals, including declarations. The queue was short and fast. The immigration officer asked the purpose of my visit and duration and stamped the declaration form.

    My suitcases arrived quickly and I then proceeded to the departure section for my local flight to winnipeg. The kids also arrived Toronto at about this time from Ottawa and we were able to communicate on WhatsApp as I connected to the airport's free WiFi.

    Paid for one suitcase as my domestic ticket only covers one and I had two. The self service machine was confusing but I got an attendant to guide me through after which I dropped the bag on the automatic scanner. The scanner refused to scan my bags irrespective of the orientation of the luggage tag. The attendant advised I use another machine which I did before the bags were scanned and pulled away.

    By this time the kids were already seated at the departure gate for our Winnipeg flight. I had to go through security before arriving at the gate for our 2 year reunion.

    We had a rice meal at the airport    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Final leg to Winnipeg, Manitoba

    August 30 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Flight took off from Toronto Airport at 16:27hrs. Landed at Winnipeg at 18:29hrs. Our suitcases arrived within a few minutes and we called a Lyft to take us to our Airbnb.

    First views of Winnipeg was a quiet, not crowded city.Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Arrived Winnipeg

    August 30 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Arrived winnipeg shortly before 6pm. Flight was smooth and took 2hrs. I had a window seat and was able to appreciate winnipeg from air. The city is well laid out. Lots of residential areas with trees and greeneries.

    We took a Lyft from the Airport to the apartment. I had earlier contacted our host while in Toronto for the checkin details and code, so we were able to let ourselves into the apartment effortlessly.

    On opening the door we met the cleaner scrubbing the floor, she apologised for the late cleaning claiming her partner couldn't make it, so she had to work alone.

    The apartment looked a lot narrower than in the pictures. Initially I didn't see the 2nd room and thought the host had played a fast one on me.

    The apartment is located in downtown with a long balcony

    Soon after checking in, we headed off to Foodco to buy things for breakfast
    At Foodco.

    The store was a 20-minute walk from the apartment. We passed a central park with families and kids playing.

    The first view of winnipeg is a quiet, laid-back town    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Day 1 Winnipeg: Grocery shopping

    August 31 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Started the day off with a good breakfast, and then we headed off to Shoppers Drug Mart at Portage Place, a mall 8 mins walk from the apartment to buy Preggo bus cards which we loaded with 1 week unlimited bus pass.

    The mall was being fitted out for the shooting of a movie currently titled Violent Night 2. Based on the decoration, it is going to be a Christmas movie with a 2025 release date.

    I also bought a 1-month 30GB Chatr sim and data plan.

    Our next stop was Akin's International Foods, a Nigerian food market. Our main find was palm oil, but they didn't have any in small bottles, so we left taking the bus to another African food store.

    At African Foodways Market, we bought palm oil, stock fish, etc. Strangely, my Canadian bank card didn't work on their POS terminal, but my Nigerian card did.

    From here, we took the bus to Walmart Supercentre to buy all the groceries we needed for our stay in Winnipeg, including six 4 litre bottles of water.

    Due to our load, we had to hail a Lyft to take us back to the apartment where Imaobong cooked a sumptuous meal of Egusi soup.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Day 2 Winnipeg: Polo Park Mall

    September 1 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    My sleep was disturbed several times by incessant phone calls from Nigeria.

    Imaobong prepared a delicious stew while Uddy roasted chicken and beef. The fire alarm beeped intermittently whenever the oven door was opened, so we left the balcony door open.

    After eating rice and stew for breakfast, we took the bus to CF Polo Park, a mall where I bought a few wears and shoes.

    We left the mall before 6 pm as it was Labour Day, and shops were closing by 6 pm.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Day 3 Winnipeg: Human Rights Museum

    September 2 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Imaobong had to work till noon so we waited for her to be through before commencing the day's sightseeing, leaving the apartment shortly after 1pm.

    Our first stop was the bank for the girls to pay in their shopping money into their account.

    Today was unusually cold at 17 degrees, and since I didn't have any light jacket, we went to H&M at Polo Park mall after exiting TD bank at the same Polo Park to buy a jacket

    After which we headed for the Canaduan Museum of Human Rights. The museum is housed in a beautifully designed masterpiece with 8 floors of exhibits focused on different aspects of human rights. Adult fee 22 CAD while young adults were charged 11 CAD. The museum was very informative and we spent 3hrs there.

    After exiting the museum, we headed for the famous Forks, passing by the world famous Winnipeg signage for a photo moment and then walking to the Forks Market, which is a well known winnipeg site for foods and drinks. There were a few souvenir stores there, but it was mainly occupied by stores selling foods. The Forks market comprises of two floors with middle court yards open to the ceiling for dinners to sit and enjoy their meals. I had a customised Craft Beer "BOXING ROCK - PUCK OFF BLONDE ALE" for 11 CAD from the "Commons".

    On our way back to the apartment, we stopped at NOFRILLS store to buy more groceries for breakfast.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Day 4 Winniped: Manitoba Museum

    September 3 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Had bread, sussages, and pork with orange juice for breakfast while waiting for Imaobong to close work at noon.

    After walking to the bus stop and waiting for the bus to take, which took too long to arrive
    We decided to embark on the over 20min walk to the museum. The weather was really cold as we walked briskly to Manitoba Museum.

    We eventually arrived at the museum shortly after 1 pm.

    Manitoba Museum is well laid out with several galleries focused on different themes covering human and natural history . The visit was rounded up with a show in the planetarium on the Aurora, its origin, how it forms, and how it impacts earth.

    We left the museum at about 4 pm and took the bus to CF Polo Park mall to shop.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Day 5 Winnipeg:Winnipeg Art Gallery

    September 4 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    Main activity of the day was the visit to Winnipeg Art Gallery, which houses the world’s largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art as well as extensive collections of fine art, decorative arts and photography. The gallery features exhibitions of local, national and international art, as well as innovative education programs and stunning spaces to just hang out, including the Gallery Shop, Katita Cafe and the famous rooftop sculpture garden. Qaumajuq, the new Inuit art centre is now open to the public. This first-of-its- kind centre connects to the WAG on all four levels, creating a 185,000 sq. ft. cultural campus in the heart of downtown Winnipeg.

    From the Art Gallery we took the bus to Best Buy located behind CF Polo Park mall where I ordered a new gaming laptop, HP Victus with a dedicated NVIDA graphics card to handle my processining intensive video editing requirements. The gaming laptop wasn't available in the store, so it will be shipped to me within the next 2 days.

    We ended the day with a visit to Outlet Collection Winnipeg, which is Manitoba's only dedicated outlet shopping centre. With over 100 retailers featuring the best in brand name fashion including; Kate Spade, Michael Kors Outlet, Coach, Nike Factory Store and more!. It is located less than 20 minutes from the airport and downtown Winnipeg.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Day 6 Winnipeg: Assiniboine Park Zoo

    September 5 in Canada ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    Started the day's sightseeing with two buses to the Assinibone Park Zoo. It took us about 40mins to get to the zoo. The zoo is quite large and spread out with lots of animals. Had my first sightseeing of a Kangaroo along with other non tropical animals. The main attraction of the zoo is the polar bear, which has been given a large space.

    Form the zoo we headed off on a 20min walk to The Leaf, an indoor Botanical garden with a butterfly pavilion. Saw lots of big koi koi fish swimming in an artificial pond.

    On my way back I stopped over at BestBuy to pick up my new high powered gaming laptop.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Day 7 Winnipeg: Trolley & Aviation

    September 6 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    The winnipeg trolley runs once a day at 10 am. I was up quite early, had my bath and breakfast while waiting for kids who took considerable time to be ready. They had called ahead to book the tickets. We left the apartment at 9:37am, rushed to the bus stop to get a bus to a mid point where we were to take another bus to the Trolley start off point but the bus wasn't going to arrive on time so we took a Lyft and got there 3 minutes before the take off time.

    The trolley tour took us around Winnipeg to all the key sites, while the tour guide gave us running commentaries, history, and recoĺection of important moments in the development of Winnipeg. The tour ended at 12:45 pm

    We later took the bus to the Royal Aviation Museum, which traced the history of Canada in the aviation industry, covering both Commercial and Military Aviation. There were lots of old aircraft on display.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Day 8 Winnipeg: Home Depot

    September 7 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Today's plan was to go to the beach but because of the cold weather we had to find something else to do.

    I decided to visit Home Depot to buy some tools but only found a long drill bit to buy. I then proceeded to Marshalls, where I bought some gift items and finally to the Canadian Tire to buy a couple of miscellaneous itemsRead more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Day 9 Winnipeg: Forth Whyte Alive biking

    September 8 in Canada

    Took two buses to Forth Whyte Alive. A nature park with Bisons roaming freely. We hired bikes and rode around the massive park, passing by a field with lots of Bisons and several lakes with ducks. The weather today was warm and lovely.

    After leaving the park, we took a bus to Canadian Tire to buy a suitcase, dropped it off at home, and headed off to the Forks for a 7:15pm boat cruise along the river.

    The boat cruise gave us a different perspective of major landmarks in Winnipeg close to the river. The cruise lasted for 35 mins with a very knowledgeable boat captain, reeling off historic information on each landmark and statue.

    Following the boat cruise, we went to the Forks Market for our last meal in Winnipeg. I had an Asian rice bowl meal eaten with chopstick.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Bye bye Winnipeg

    September 9 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    After 9 full days and 10 nights in Winnipeg, the explorers packed their suitcases and headed off to the airport to catch the 11:50am Air Canada flight to Ottawa.

    We had a lovely time in the quiet, easy-going town of Winnipeg, even though the girls said they didn't really feel the vibes as Ottawa residents they are used to a more busy fast paced city.

    Our flight was delayed by 25 minutes. Sadly, the seat we booked 2 months ago had no windows. We finally pulled back from the gate at 12:15pm.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Arrived Ottawa: IKEA & Groceries

    September 9 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Arrived at Ottawa at 15:35hrs. The stop was abrupt and short as the pilot brought the plane to a halt almost immediately after touching down. As this was a domestic flight, we just walked straight from the plane to the baggage hall. The luggage tracking system on Air Canada is digitalised. Once you check in your bag at the airport, you get a notification. Also, notifications are sent as your bag is loaded into the plane and offloaded at the destination.

    We got an Uber XL to take us to the kids' apartment. There was a lot of traffic on the road. After dropping off our stuff, we headed up to IKEA to pick up the 4 seater dining set the kids ordered while we were at Winnipeg. An Uber XL dropped us off at the apartment.

    At this point, we were hungry, so we took an Uber to Suya Palace, a Nigerian restaurant where we ate Jollof rice with beef suya, dodo and salad side. After which we took the train to Walmart at South Keys Shopping Centre to buy groceries.

    At 10:30pm we started assembling the dinning table and chairs which took us 2hrs to complete.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Day 1 Ottawa: ByTown Museum

    September 10 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Tried to load CAD 30 onto my Preston bus card using the mobile app. Payment was successful, but it couldn't detect and transfer the credit to my Preston bus card.

    Took the bus from the apartment to the ByTown museum. The Bytown museum chronicles the growth and development of Ottawa, formerly known as Bytown, from its rough days to the bustling metropolitan city it is today.

    Besides, the museum is the Ottawa locks, comprising 8 locks connecting Ottawa River with Rideau canal, which made it possible for boats to travel from Kingston to Ottawa, journey of over 200kms. The two water bodies are at different heights. The locks help in raising and lowering the connecting water bodies, making it possible for boats to sail through.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Day 2 Ottawa: Ottawa boat cruise

    September 11 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We had planned to go on the Rideau Canal cruise but got to the take off point shortly after 4:30pm and saw the boat leaving. Next cruise was at 6:30pm and we weren't ready for the two hour wait. Luckily the Ottawa boat cruise was taking off from Ottawa Docks at 5:00pm so we google maps tool us there and we were able to get on the cruise.

    The take off point was behind the Bytown Museum I had visited the day before.

    The cruise lasted for 1 hr. We saw lots of important buildings in Ottawa including the parliament building undergoing renovation, it been undergoing renovation since my last visit in 2023. We passed by the French embassy, incidentally the French ambassador also lives in the same building. We saw the American embassy with the American flag at half mast indicating the ambassador was out of Ottawa. Also beside it was Rideua Hall which is a large building with a parmenent room for the American president. We also saw the Canadian Prime minister's official residence perched on the hill.

    After the tour we headed off to an African store to buy fish and some other ingredients for our barbecue the next day. The African store was well stocked.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Day 3 Ottawa: Kiweki Point

    September 12 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Visited Kiweki point which is situated on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation. Since time immemorial, the Algonquin Anishinabeg have cared for the land of what many now call the “Ottawa River Valley.” The low-lying shores of the Ottawa River were ideal places for seasonal encampments along one of Canada’s original water-based “highways.”

    In the 19th and 20th centuries, the area was called Nepean Point, and was used for military purposes. In 1909, the Ottawa Improvement Commission, the NCC’s predecessor, turned the site into a park and public space.

    From Kiweki point we walked across the Alexandra bridge, constructed in 1901, into Gatineau, and headed off to the Jacques Cartier park where we spent a few minutes enjoying the serene and peaceful atmosphere of the well manicured Park, watching ducks afar, before taking the bus back to Ottawa and the train to South Keys shopping centre to buy a back pack for my extra luggage at Marshalls

    On getting to the apartment we prepared for our barbecue and headed off to the sky roof of the apartment building to grill our fish and meat    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Bye bye Ottawa

    September 13 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    After a 14-day visit with my daughters, it was time to leave. We had a lovely barbecue dinner at the Skylounge of their apartment building. At 11pm, the gas to the open fire was turned off, and a few minutes later, we were told the sky lounge was closing.

    I woke up quite early to organize my luggage. I had to move some heavy clothing ( jeans) into the backpack I bought yesterday at Marshall's, along with 2 pairs of Bismarck's shoes, in order to get the suitcase weight below 23kg. In the process, I had to leave my newly bought body cream and soap behind.

    Got a Lyft to take me to the airport which was less than 20mins away. Checking was smooth. This time around I was familiar with the self checkin machine and was able to get my boarding pass and pay for my bags without any problem. I called the attendant to help me in attaching the luggage tags correctly as I didn't want a repeat of what happened in Toronto last time.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Toronto Transit, leaving Canada

    September 13 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    The flight from Ottawa to Toronto left the gate at 12 noon. It was a short flight, less than 1 hour, and we were served pretzel and apple juice. My seat this time around had a window beside it, unlike the previous flight.

    On landing, I had to take a very long walk across the airport to where American flights depart, passing through a security check / scanner and American Immigration known as preclearance. The immigration officer asked what I was going to the US for, how long I would be staying, where I would be staying, and if I had anything to declare. After the preclearance, I began another long walk to the F Gates of the airport, which is located in an isolated area. Immediately you enter the wing, the place darkens due to the dark, sobre colors (black roof) used in this section of the airport.

    Flight from Toronto to Boston lasted for 1hr 24mins. We were given Pretzels with apple juice. The onboard flight map didn't track the flight, and we weren't provided with headphones to enjoy the entertainment on board.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Touchdown Boston, USA

    September 13 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Flight landed at Boston Logan International Airport shortly before 6 pm. The airport is located beside a body of water, presenting a lovely, serene view as we approach the airport. Walk from the plane to the baggage carousel was short. Met Enobong at the baggage claims area. Her flight from Philadelphia landed less than 30 minutes before mine. After picking up my suitcases, I hailed a Lyft to take us to our AirBnB.

    Drive to the apartment from the airport was only 11 minutes. The Airbnb host had sent us checkin information ahead, so we let ourselves into the apartment by using the codes provided.

    After settling in, we took a stroll to a nearby convenience store, 7 Days, to buy water and some essentials.

    Dinner was delicious, Jollof Rice and Chicken Enobong had prepared and brought from Philadelphia.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Day 1 Boston: Freedom Trail walking tour

    September 14 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    The first order of the day was to get a transport card, which is called the Charlie Card in Boston. We bought this at a vending machine at Beachmonth Station, where we later took the Blue line to Boston Common to join the walking freedom trail tour.

    The tour guide wore a classical olden day English clothing and was very knowledgeable on the events leading to the revolt of the colonialists and eventually war of independence. The walking tour ended at Faneuil Hall, which is the 11th stop on the trail. The remaining 5 stops terminating at Bunker Hill were not included in the walking tour.    Read more

  • Ron's OdysseyCanada & USA 2025Traveler

    Day 2 Boston: Boston Duck Tours

    September 15 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    The day's sightseeing started off quite late, Enobong has school work till about 12:30pm. We didn't leave the house till after 3:00pm. We got to the ticket office beside the new aquarium as the 4:30 pm tour was loading and we were booked on the 5:30pm tour. We hung out around the docks, taking in the sight of different types of boats moving along the river.

    Boston Duck Tours offers narrated tours on World War II-style amphibious vehicles that travel on both land and water, providing a "Big Splash" into the Charles River. The tour runs for a duration of 80 mins, 20 mins of which are in the water and circles round Boston to important landmarks, and cites around the city.    Read more

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