Is Winnipeg boring?
The Canadian has a notorious reputation for massive delays, so when my train was scheduled to arrive at 10:00 pm, I thought I wouldn’t actually roll into Winnipeg until sometime the next morning. If it indeed happened, I could save one night stay at a hotel! Instead, we pulled in Winnipeg Union Station right around 11:00 pm. The streets outside were completely empty. I checked into my hotel, where I’d originally booked three nights but ended up adding a fourth to cover my bases.
I slept so late the next morning that the housekeeper knocked on my door while I was still standing there brushing my teeth. Once I finally got moving around noon, I headed straight for the Forks Market. It immediately reminded me of the Central Market in Kuala Lumpur, with its long lines of food vendors and local artisans selling handcrafted goods. The area itself has such a deep history around the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers—a crucial gathering place for Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. It is closely tied to Métis history and Louis Riel, who led the Red River Resistance to defend Métis rights before Manitoba was brought into Canada.
Looking around, Winnipeg gave me serious Singapore vibes: a true city in a garden, with green space around skyscrapers. In my opinion, Winnipeg is a paradise for art, history, and Indigenous culture. There are multiple museums and art galleries in downtown. Indigenous displays can be seen in many places. But beyond that, there’s honestly not a lot to do, and once you step outside the downtown core, food options become pretty scarce.
I did run into one really frustrating moment at a local grocery store. I walked in, wandered around the aisles without finding what I wanted, and headed for the exit without buying anything. The cashier suddenly asked me to stop and demanded to check my bag, suspecting I’d stuffed something inside. I’ve never experienced anything like that back in China. It made me realize how common shoplifting must be here, but the cashier was way too sensitive, and it left a bad taste in my mouth.
I spent the next two days visiting the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Learning about the conflicts between European settlers and Indigenous peoples was eye-opening, alongside a heavy look at moments in history where people's rights in Canada were destroyed and later restored. I read through the history of the Chinese head tax, the internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War, and the suspension of civil liberties during the October Crisis in Quebec. On a lighter note, I found Inuit culture at the art gallery very interesting, particularly the legend of Sedna, the sea goddess who rules over the marine animals from the bottom of the ocean.
By evening, I took a walk around the Exchange District and stumbled right into the Fringe Festival. I ended up stopping on the street to watch a juggling show, bringing a light end to a heavy few days.
