Aztec Trek - Part 15 - Marking the Date - In the Sunshine State

As it was Ian’s BIG day the following week (yes, the 40^th anniversary of his 20^th birthday!), I suggested as a special treat that I take him to one of his favourite haunts, Orlando.  As avid adrenalin junkies, we had visited most of the theme parks a few years back, and as we were both getting on a bit, I thought it might be the last time that we’d be allowed on some of the rides!

After a few hours delay, spent watching a big storm (and the President!) roll into New Orleans airport just in time for the Superbowl, we landed in Florida and set off to re-charge our batteries at our comfortable hotel on International Drive.

Taking the I-Drive trolley bus to Sea World, we spent the next day enjoying the thrills and spills of all the rides, including the Manta (where you are suspended face down, like a giant manta ray), the thrilling new Pipeline (the world’s first stand-up coaster), and got soaked on Infinity Falls. A fun time was had by all!

We headed out for some retail therapy the following morning, but on reaching the outlet malls, discovered to our dismay that prices were so high now in the States, there weren’t many bargains to be had.  Ian, however, did score a couple of pairs of Levis for a discount price, so he was happy.

Disinclined to drive too far (traffic was pretty horrendous here, with multiple lanes, lots of roadworks and unfamiliar signage), we went in search of something “not-Mexican” to eat.  To our surprise the next block boasted not only an Irish pub but an Ethiopian restaurant! Famous for their athletes rather than their food, I was impressed with the range of non-meat dishes, and very tasty they were too. Interesting fact: Their calendar is 7-8 years behind ours, so it’s only 2018… it made Ian feel a bit younger!

His big day was spent at Volcano Bay, our favourite water park and thankfully the weather was perfect.  I bottled out of the Ko’okiri Body Plunge, a free-fall of 125ft where you are dropped vertically through a trap door from the top of the “volcano” but enjoyed the other rides especially the Lazy River (I must be getting old!)

For dinner, we headed back to “The Lucky Leprechaun”, where Ian enjoyed a birthday meal of pie, chips and beans washed down with a pint or two of Guiness! He must be getting home-sick!

Some nine years ago, standing in the queue for immigration at San Francisco Airport, I started chatting to a nice lady beside me.  We got on so well during the hour long wait that we decided to go for a cup of tea, almost missed our respective flights, and have remained in touch via Facebook ever since.  Daria is from Michigan, but soon after we met, she and her husband Jeff, became “snowbirds” and bought a house in Fort Pierce, Florida where they spend each winter.

I couldn’t resist the urge to look her up while we were in the Sunshine State, and I was greatly looking forward to our re-union as we drove along the I-95 towards the Atlantic Coast. We received a very warm welcome from Daria, Jeff and their three cute little pooches, Thor, Zeus and Rocky (plus Buddy the cat) in their lovely home.  And later that evening, enjoyed catching up over a seafood dinner overlooking the harbour watching the incoming thunderstorm.

During our brief stay, we had a whistle stop tour of Fort Pierce.  Sadly, there was a distinct lack of manatees at the Manatee centre, but we did catch an interesting art exhibition at the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery.  In the 50’s a group of young African American artists started selling their colourful landscape paintings from the back of cars along the highway.  Due to the racial barriers at the time, they were not permitted access to galleries or shops.  Backus was a local artist who welcomed some of the Highwaymen into his studio and gave lessons.  Their distinctive portraits of local scenes were on display at the gallery, some now valued at thousands of dollars.

Daria had become quite an expert on the local flora and fauna, and we spent a happy hour or so chatting and trawling the beach for unusual seashells and sea beans (seeds of tropical plants that wash up on the beach) for her vast collection. 

Bidding our friends a fond farewell, and hoping that we would be able to return their hospitality in the not-too-distant future, we hit the road towards our final stop…we’re goin’ to MIAMI…

One of my enduring memories of this thriving and trendy city on the coast, is South Beach’s colourful art deco buildings. I’ve strolled around it, cruised along it in an open top car and learnt about the fascinating history on a walking tour.  Most of the beautiful and unique art deco buildings were constructed between 1923 and 1943 when the area was an up-and-coming resort for the rich and glamorous.

By the sixties however, it was beginning to decline – many of the apartments were used as cheap housing for the elderly and taken over by drug addicts and thugs – they didn’t set Scarface and Miami Vice there for nothing!  By the eighties, a lot of buildings were due to be demolished when a group of local activists stepped in to save them (thankfully!). Almost a square mile of properties was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and are it’s now home to some of the most stylish and exclusive boutique hotels and clubs.

After battling through the city traffic (it felt like they were digging up all the roads and building a huge bridge!), we settled into our cosy apartment in Little Havana.  Feeling quite drained after the drive, we bottled out of trying one of the extremely lively (and busy) Cuban restaurants along the strip that evening, settling instead for…you guessed it, a quick burrito!

Setting off to explore South Beach the following morning we drove past “Cruise Ship Alley” and were quite horrified at the sight of a dozen or more colossal vessels preparing to set sail.  After a pricey breakfast in the 11^th Street diner, we spent a pleasant few hours strolling along Ocean drive and Collins Avenue, soaking in the vibes.

Checking out early the next morning for an evening flight, we killed a few hours with a trip across the causeway to Key Biscayne.  This former coconut plantation was a stark contrast to the city and being Presidents Day, was busy with locals and tourists enjoying its natural attractions.  We took a long walk along the shoreline, past an historic lighthouse and watched amateur fishermen competing with the pelicans.  Stuffing ourselves for our last meal at the appropriately named Donut Gallery Diner, we headed off to the airport.

By this time our thoughts were on returning home and settling back into “normal” mode (and losing some of the weight we’d both put on with all fried food and cocktails!).  Our plans were thwarted however, when after several hours delay, including boarding and then deboarding our plane, we were put up in a hotel overnight. 

Enjoying a lie-in, we made our way back to the airport and finally took off, arriving home to a cold and cloudy London. As always, we greatly enjoyed our trip and loved experiencing a different culture, but found Mexico and especially the US to be much pricier than Asia.  I never thought I’d ever say this but – growing older – I think that our energy and enthusiasm tends to wane a little after a couple of months travelling.  We’re not sure where we’ll head off to later this year, but I think we’d prefer quality over quantity, so may spend less time on the road to better appreciate new places and experiences…