A visit to the sunshine state, Florida

Initially, I was apathetic to go on a road trip to Florida as I was writing up my experiments and driving at least 16 hours at night put me off.

Finally, I went since I promised Greg that I would go at the beginning of 2008 and I needed a break too.

We left on Friday night, May 16 and drove along I95, passing through D.C., Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. We took turns to drive and stopped to sleep for two hours since we were drowsy.

We reached Florida on Saturday morning where I picked up some brochures and had complimentary orange and grapefruit juices at the visitor center.

Before going to Tampa, we en routed to University of Florida (UF) where Greg showed me around his alma mater.

I was impressed by the sheer size of the football stadium for a university. There were at least five more stadiums for baseball, track-and-field, basketball, softball etc. Among the sports facilities on campus, I liked the Olympic-sized swimming pool the most. I was fortunate to see the real mascot of UF not once but thrice around edges of Lake Alice, gator as Floridians will call an alligator.

On Sunday, we went to Clearwater Beach, ranked eighth in Florida where the sand was soft and white, and the seawater was literally clear. There were a lot of sunbathers basking under the summer sun.

Thinking that I came from sunny Singapore, my skin should be used to the sun and I applied suntan lotion instead of sunblock. But I had forgotten that I had covered my body for half a year from the cold weather. I strolled along the beach for two hours. After that, I went under Pier Six for shade and felt that my body was hot literally. It was irradiating heat. I was burnt on the second day and wondered how I was going to 'survive' in sunny Florida.

The next day, I was red like a lobster and sensitive to touch. On this day (May 19), Greg accompanied me to Busch Gardens, Africa where I enjoyed the 90 degree plunge from 200 feet in the air on the new ride, Sheikra. There were also other hair-raising and scream-inducing rides like Gwazi and Kumba. One commendable show was KaTonga, an African theme musical with energetic dance moves, lively music and great performances by the actors. The theme park also has a safari where gentle animals such as giraffes, zebras, antelopes roam freely in an enclosed area and visitors can go on the Serengeti Express, a truck or a jeep.

We parted in the evening where I picked up my one-way rental car from Tampa Airport and headed towards Orlando where I checked into backpackers' inn. To save on gas and parking fee, I parked the car at my lodging and took Orlando public transport.

I liked the public transport with buses arriving on time and they were cleaned. There were TVs on board which reminded me of Singapore's Mobile TV. At least, the volume in Orlando was not deafening.

As I was going on a tight schedule and not willing to spend a lot on theme parks, I had to choose two of four parks I wanted to visit at Walt Disney World. I bought tickets to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios. I gave Magic Kingdom a miss since I went to Disneyland, LA when I was still in my teens. I was uninterested in the animal theme at Animal Kingdom.

At EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), the theme revolves around creative technologies gear towards the future. I love the icon of Epcot, The Spaceship Earth which is like a gigantic golf ball where visitors were taken on a ride in the 18-story dome. We were shown how human communication had helped shaped the future, one step at a time. I was impressed by how Disney showcased the message of conserving energy for a large audience where we were seated liked at a movie theater but moved around in The Universe of Energy pavilion. I had my adrenaline rush going on Test Track where the ride went at 60 mph and 45-degree inclination with winds blowing through my hair.

By Tuesday evening, I only managed to finished taking all the rides but had not seen the World Showcase of 11 countries: Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, United Kingdom and United States of America. Each country pavilion displays its culture and sells products made in each country. With only two hours left before my designated schedule, I zipped through majority of the pavilions.

As I needed to catch the last bus and I wanted to watch IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth at World Showcase Lagoon, I had to walk towards the entrance while watching a display of fireworks, lasers, fire and water fountains. After the 13-minute show, I dashed through crowds and managed to catch the last bus.

On Wednesday, I visited Disney's Hollywood Studio. It was smaller in scale than Epcot. I caught several live shows including Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show and Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. I admired how the daredevils maneuvered cars and motorbikes in the tight stage space.

I was surprised that I enjoyed Voyage of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage. This is the magic of Disney which kinder one's childhood imaginations and dreams. I even went for an animation class where I was taught how to draw Winnie the Pooh. Inside The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, I was lifted off my seat because of the 'free falling' effect of the elevator, with camera in one hand and holding on to dear life with the other.

My head was hurting and my body was aching by evening. I did not enjoyed my last ride on Rock & Roller Coaster since I felt my brain hitting against my skull with every twist and turn. I had to give up Fantasmic, a fireworks and visual hydrotechnic show since I needed a rest and I had watched a similar show at Disneyland.

By Thursday, after another bad night of sleep, I felt better. It was the searing temperature yesterday, lack of hydration and exhaustion. Since my departure from Greg's parents' place on Sunday, I had been catching at most five hours of sleep because I was sleeping at a six-bed dorm where strangers come in at weird hours and I got up early to travel.

After checking out from the dorm, I went to Disney's Blizzard Beach, a water park. I rejoiced at the overcast since I was sunburn and I was wet anyway. The first slide I went was Summit Plummet which is the world's tallest and fastest free-fall body slide. It stands at 120 feet (36 m) tall where riders can reach speeds of up to 55 miles per hour. My bums hurt after going down a couple of times at breakneck speed. As I was alone, I asked a father and a son if I could join them in a family ride called Teamboat Springs. After I had enough of slides, I took out my camera and stood in line for Summit Plummet. People thought I was going down with my Nikon D70S but I wanted a bird's eye view of the water park.

I had never went to four theme parks for four consecutive days. It was fun but tiring. I bid farewell to Orlando and drove along Route 4 towards Daytona Beach.

After checking into my motel room which overlooked the sea, I asked the front desk to recommend a good seafood restaurant nearby. I proceeded to Aunt Catfish's on the River. I loved the ambience and the food. A lot of locals were dining there. After a hearty dinner, I bought some fruits, mineral bottled water and a bodyboard at Publix supermarket for tomorrow.

On Friday, I woke up to the rising sun and strolled on the beach. I was surprised that cyclists could cycle on the beach. The sand was coarse and compact. Then, I went bodyboarding where I saw a family of sting rays, two parents and three kids. The waves were not fantastic compared to those at Barnegat Light, NJ. There was also a school of fish caught in a wave and heading towards me. That night, I had dinner at Down the Hatch, another great seafood restaurant.

On my last day in Florida, I headed towards St Augustine, USA's oldest
continuously settled city established by Europeans. It was founded by Pedro Menéndez on September 8, 1565. The city has a Spanish charm with intricate facades and designs. I did not felt I was in USA. There were many museums to visit e.g. the Fountain of Youth, San Sebastian Winery and the Castillo de San Marcos. There is free wine tasting at San Sebastian Winery. To get around the city, you can go on a sightseeing train with detailed narrations at historical attractions.

I returned the car at Jacksonville Airport in the evening of May 25 and met up with Greg where we took the arduous 16 hours night driving back to Baltimore.

Look for eight Florida picture folders here.