Thursday, March 22, 2007
Spring broke..
That's the state after spring break, and that's what precisely happened to me! But not before having a week of fun and party! and Florida is the best place for that!
AGAIN??? u ask? Yeah! It's been a hattrick for me! Since coming to US in the summer of 05, went to the sunshine state in Dec'05, then in Sep'06, and now Mar'07, and I would enjoy going to that state many more times!
This time, we were a group of 5 with a 6th one joining us during the weekend. We started from Knoxville on Sunday afternoon and first went to Brunswick in Georgia where we had another friend working. Brunswick is a neat little town with a few islands. Sunday night, after reaching Brunswick, we went to a Mexican restaurant, where I had the best Mexican food I've ever had.
Mon:
we went to Jekyll Island, had fun playing baseball, mini golf, and spent some time on the beach. Planned to go to a casino on a cruise but I screwed it up by misplacing my wallet and wasting time searching for it. Eventually found it in the main office on the island, but by then, our cruise had already left. We decided to make up for it by going to Jacksonville which was an hour drive.
Tue:
Originally planned to drive down to Tampa but ended up going in the opposite direction. No, we did not lose our way, but decided to hit Daytona as we had to drive to Orlando that evening. And Daytona beach is the place to be during spring break! Had a nice time at the beach. Wanted to go parasailing but couldn't do it due to lack of time.... and money...came back to Orlando, went to Paddy's house and headed to dinner in Woodlands. That brings back some pleasant memories of having eaten there in our previous trip. My stomach was struggling, however, and was packed like a Mumbai local train in peak hour, something like this:
But, like how the train moves still, even I kept moving. This time it was a Mysore Royal Thali for me and I did not miss it! And by the time I was done with my filter coffee in the end, my state was somewhat like last time. Came back home and hit the bed early that night.
Wed:
Plan was to leave to Miami by 8 AM. but IST creeped in between EST and we left 2 hrs late. Reached Miami at around 2 PM after paying tolls at some thousand locations on Florida's turnpike highway. The irritating thing in that is, at many places, toll is $ 1.25. Hunting for those quarters every time is a pain. Anyways, checked in to the hotel, and left for the beach. Decided to go on a speed boat cruise as it was evening and the beach was empty, and that was a thrill ride! The boat had a 1000 bhp engine and was cruising at 60 mph on the water and it was amazing! After the ride, we thought of checking out the nightlife near S.beach. Drove for around 1 hr trying to find a parking spot before finding one. Walked along Ocean Dr. (the road right after the beach running parallel to it) which is just amazing with all the crowd and the clubs and restaurants and the cars! Found 2 Ferrari's, 2 Lamborghini's, and other top cars, and some vintage classics as well, all parked on the street! Miami is one rich city!! Checked out one club/restaurant called Mango's tropical cafe, and the Salsa there was mindblowing! I am not talking about the famous Mexican side dish made of tomatoes, but the dance form. Stayed there for a while, thought we'll check out other clubs, but after a while, came back to Mango's as that was undoubtedly the best! When we reached our hotel that night, we decided to wake up early next day as we planned to go to Key West.
Thu:
Had set my alarm for 6 AM and woke up at 6! Never in my life will I do that if I have to go my class! But this was different. Was ready in 10 mins and started to wake up others, but none of them were ready to wake up as yet! Checked my mails, had my bath, was beginning to get totally jobless, when I hit upon an idea and switched on the TV with high volume. That woke the others and everyone started getting ready. By the time we checked out and left, it was around 9 AM. IST and Desis always go together, whether they are in India or Antarctica. According to me, a desi trip is never complete without those initial delays! Anyways, we finally set out towards Key West but before that, thought of checking out the 1st key, Key Largo, which is famous for snorkeling activities. We stopped at the visitor center and they told us that all keys are pretty much the same and there is nothing much extra in Key West, and also its a place for old people. Drat! Key West canceled! Lets have fun in Key largo and head back, atleast it saves us a 100 miles, we decided. We however had some bad news when they told us that the sea is very rough and snorkeling is not advised unless you are an expert swimmer and has done snorkeling before. So we decided to go on a cruise instead on a glass bottom boat. They gave us sea-sickness tablets and asked us to take one before leaving, but I shrugged it off. As we set off in the cruise, I was sipping a classic margarita and standing in the front of the boat as it was rocking back and forth, enjoying the breeze. As we neared the coral reefs, the boat rocked harder as water was not deep.And then I realized why they gave us those tablets and hoped that I can go back in time by an hour and take those tablets! While they were explaining those different corals, I was making half-boiled eggs in the men's room! Came back, took one tablet and slept for the rest of the journey..
Headed back to Miami after the cruise and decided to go back and relax at the beach. More bad news was to follow and we were cursing that person at the visitor center as we heard that Key West had one of the best spring break parties! :(
But we still had fun in Miami and we headed back to Orlando that night and reached Orlando at around 3. All of us were totally exhausted and within minutes of reaching Paddy's place, the noise levels increased due to all those snores from everyone.
Fri:
I had enough of beaches by now. Luckily, most of them felt that way. So we all headed to Blizzard Beach. Crazy, you think? No, Blizzard beach is not a beach, but is a water theme park in Orlando. Its main attraction, the Summit Plummet, an amazing water slide which has a 120 feet drop, almost vertical, at a speed of 60 mph!! Check out this video to get a feel of that!!
Apart from that, it has many more attractions and is a good way to spend on a hot summer day!
Sat:
Our trip is almost coming to an end. But we decided to have a little adventure before that and so we headed out to Universal's Islands of Adventure. I have been there before, but that was in the night and I couldn't go to many rides. This time I made sure I will. One of the rides I had missed last time was the Hulk Coaster, and this time we took the front row. Had some delay there, as one of the guys had puked in the 1st seat and we started getting worried as we thought that we will have to sit in those seats, but luckily, there was an extra coaster, so the worries transferred to the people behind our group! The hulk is an amazing coaster, where you are accelerated from 0 - 40 mph in 2 secs during ascent, which is the best part unlike other coasters, and in next 2 secs, u are staring down 120 feet above the ground in the 1st of its several 360 degree loops! Check out this video and don't miss it if you visit this place.
Warning: Not for the chicken-hearted.
Sun:
Time to head back home. Had an awesome time in Florida and now its back to routine work. But this time, the drive back home was a big pain in the ass. End of spring break, Sunday, traffic is at its peak, and we got caught in 3 accidents before even reaching Atlanta and traffic was moving at a snail's pace. My friend who was in another car and was lucky to escape one of those jams and was way ahead of us gave us an alternate route through a bypass to prevent Atlanta traffic. But, to catch that road, we had to travel another 11 miles at approx 11 mph along with the traffic. So, Einsteins that we are, we decided to take another bypass route which will join on to the bypass that our friend mentioned before touching Interstate I-75 again. And there were many more Einsteins like us, and all of us were stranded on a 2 lane State highway. As we were inching along, we saw Lawrenceville Highway which is known for its desi restaurants. So we decided to have dinner at Udupi restaurant as it was 8.00 PM already. So another 45 mins was wasted trying to find the restaurant, but atleast we ended up having excellent Mysore dosas, vada sambar and filter coffee and we hit the road again by 9.45. (Why do they say, hit the road? we don't come landing on the road like a plane!!) By 12, we were 30 miles from Knoxville when there was another accident! Damn! This time, its not slow moving traffic, we were stranded at the same location for atleast 45 mins! And there was chaos all around, as people started driving on the grass inspite of all the cops around. Many people came out their cars and went for walks/jogs etc..., on the highway!! think about it! By the time we reached Knoxville, it was 2.00 AM, went to the parking lot where my friend had parked his car to see that his car's rear window was broken and someone had tried to steal the MP3 player but could not remove it from the car. More chaos, and some phone calls later, the insurance company had assured to pay the charges. Finally reached home at 2.45 after one of my longest return journeys ever!
and in this way friend, my spring breaks are now officially over, as I have decided to get out of school ASAP, and most likely, its gonna be this summer!
A Kind reminder: I already mentioned about my state after spring break, so donations are accepted, only cash or check. I am too broke to spend money on a card swiping machine, you see...
AGAIN??? u ask? Yeah! It's been a hattrick for me! Since coming to US in the summer of 05, went to the sunshine state in Dec'05, then in Sep'06, and now Mar'07, and I would enjoy going to that state many more times!
This time, we were a group of 5 with a 6th one joining us during the weekend. We started from Knoxville on Sunday afternoon and first went to Brunswick in Georgia where we had another friend working. Brunswick is a neat little town with a few islands. Sunday night, after reaching Brunswick, we went to a Mexican restaurant, where I had the best Mexican food I've ever had.
Mon:
we went to Jekyll Island, had fun playing baseball, mini golf, and spent some time on the beach. Planned to go to a casino on a cruise but I screwed it up by misplacing my wallet and wasting time searching for it. Eventually found it in the main office on the island, but by then, our cruise had already left. We decided to make up for it by going to Jacksonville which was an hour drive.
Tue:
Originally planned to drive down to Tampa but ended up going in the opposite direction. No, we did not lose our way, but decided to hit Daytona as we had to drive to Orlando that evening. And Daytona beach is the place to be during spring break! Had a nice time at the beach. Wanted to go parasailing but couldn't do it due to lack of time.... and money...came back to Orlando, went to Paddy's house and headed to dinner in Woodlands. That brings back some pleasant memories of having eaten there in our previous trip. My stomach was struggling, however, and was packed like a Mumbai local train in peak hour, something like this:
But, like how the train moves still, even I kept moving. This time it was a Mysore Royal Thali for me and I did not miss it! And by the time I was done with my filter coffee in the end, my state was somewhat like last time. Came back home and hit the bed early that night.
Wed:
Plan was to leave to Miami by 8 AM. but IST creeped in between EST and we left 2 hrs late. Reached Miami at around 2 PM after paying tolls at some thousand locations on Florida's turnpike highway. The irritating thing in that is, at many places, toll is $ 1.25. Hunting for those quarters every time is a pain. Anyways, checked in to the hotel, and left for the beach. Decided to go on a speed boat cruise as it was evening and the beach was empty, and that was a thrill ride! The boat had a 1000 bhp engine and was cruising at 60 mph on the water and it was amazing! After the ride, we thought of checking out the nightlife near S.beach. Drove for around 1 hr trying to find a parking spot before finding one. Walked along Ocean Dr. (the road right after the beach running parallel to it) which is just amazing with all the crowd and the clubs and restaurants and the cars! Found 2 Ferrari's, 2 Lamborghini's, and other top cars, and some vintage classics as well, all parked on the street! Miami is one rich city!! Checked out one club/restaurant called Mango's tropical cafe, and the Salsa there was mindblowing! I am not talking about the famous Mexican side dish made of tomatoes, but the dance form. Stayed there for a while, thought we'll check out other clubs, but after a while, came back to Mango's as that was undoubtedly the best! When we reached our hotel that night, we decided to wake up early next day as we planned to go to Key West.
Thu:
Had set my alarm for 6 AM and woke up at 6! Never in my life will I do that if I have to go my class! But this was different. Was ready in 10 mins and started to wake up others, but none of them were ready to wake up as yet! Checked my mails, had my bath, was beginning to get totally jobless, when I hit upon an idea and switched on the TV with high volume. That woke the others and everyone started getting ready. By the time we checked out and left, it was around 9 AM. IST and Desis always go together, whether they are in India or Antarctica. According to me, a desi trip is never complete without those initial delays! Anyways, we finally set out towards Key West but before that, thought of checking out the 1st key, Key Largo, which is famous for snorkeling activities. We stopped at the visitor center and they told us that all keys are pretty much the same and there is nothing much extra in Key West, and also its a place for old people. Drat! Key West canceled! Lets have fun in Key largo and head back, atleast it saves us a 100 miles, we decided. We however had some bad news when they told us that the sea is very rough and snorkeling is not advised unless you are an expert swimmer and has done snorkeling before. So we decided to go on a cruise instead on a glass bottom boat. They gave us sea-sickness tablets and asked us to take one before leaving, but I shrugged it off. As we set off in the cruise, I was sipping a classic margarita and standing in the front of the boat as it was rocking back and forth, enjoying the breeze. As we neared the coral reefs, the boat rocked harder as water was not deep.And then I realized why they gave us those tablets and hoped that I can go back in time by an hour and take those tablets! While they were explaining those different corals, I was making half-boiled eggs in the men's room! Came back, took one tablet and slept for the rest of the journey..
Headed back to Miami after the cruise and decided to go back and relax at the beach. More bad news was to follow and we were cursing that person at the visitor center as we heard that Key West had one of the best spring break parties! :(
But we still had fun in Miami and we headed back to Orlando that night and reached Orlando at around 3. All of us were totally exhausted and within minutes of reaching Paddy's place, the noise levels increased due to all those snores from everyone.
Fri:
I had enough of beaches by now. Luckily, most of them felt that way. So we all headed to Blizzard Beach. Crazy, you think? No, Blizzard beach is not a beach, but is a water theme park in Orlando. Its main attraction, the Summit Plummet, an amazing water slide which has a 120 feet drop, almost vertical, at a speed of 60 mph!! Check out this video to get a feel of that!!
Apart from that, it has many more attractions and is a good way to spend on a hot summer day!
Sat:
Our trip is almost coming to an end. But we decided to have a little adventure before that and so we headed out to Universal's Islands of Adventure. I have been there before, but that was in the night and I couldn't go to many rides. This time I made sure I will. One of the rides I had missed last time was the Hulk Coaster, and this time we took the front row. Had some delay there, as one of the guys had puked in the 1st seat and we started getting worried as we thought that we will have to sit in those seats, but luckily, there was an extra coaster, so the worries transferred to the people behind our group! The hulk is an amazing coaster, where you are accelerated from 0 - 40 mph in 2 secs during ascent, which is the best part unlike other coasters, and in next 2 secs, u are staring down 120 feet above the ground in the 1st of its several 360 degree loops! Check out this video and don't miss it if you visit this place.
Warning: Not for the chicken-hearted.
Sun:
Time to head back home. Had an awesome time in Florida and now its back to routine work. But this time, the drive back home was a big pain in the ass. End of spring break, Sunday, traffic is at its peak, and we got caught in 3 accidents before even reaching Atlanta and traffic was moving at a snail's pace. My friend who was in another car and was lucky to escape one of those jams and was way ahead of us gave us an alternate route through a bypass to prevent Atlanta traffic. But, to catch that road, we had to travel another 11 miles at approx 11 mph along with the traffic. So, Einsteins that we are, we decided to take another bypass route which will join on to the bypass that our friend mentioned before touching Interstate I-75 again. And there were many more Einsteins like us, and all of us were stranded on a 2 lane State highway. As we were inching along, we saw Lawrenceville Highway which is known for its desi restaurants. So we decided to have dinner at Udupi restaurant as it was 8.00 PM already. So another 45 mins was wasted trying to find the restaurant, but atleast we ended up having excellent Mysore dosas, vada sambar and filter coffee and we hit the road again by 9.45. (Why do they say, hit the road? we don't come landing on the road like a plane!!) By 12, we were 30 miles from Knoxville when there was another accident! Damn! This time, its not slow moving traffic, we were stranded at the same location for atleast 45 mins! And there was chaos all around, as people started driving on the grass inspite of all the cops around. Many people came out their cars and went for walks/jogs etc..., on the highway!! think about it! By the time we reached Knoxville, it was 2.00 AM, went to the parking lot where my friend had parked his car to see that his car's rear window was broken and someone had tried to steal the MP3 player but could not remove it from the car. More chaos, and some phone calls later, the insurance company had assured to pay the charges. Finally reached home at 2.45 after one of my longest return journeys ever!
and in this way friend, my spring breaks are now officially over, as I have decided to get out of school ASAP, and most likely, its gonna be this summer!
A Kind reminder: I already mentioned about my state after spring break, so donations are accepted, only cash or check. I am too broke to spend money on a card swiping machine, you see...
