Madison - at long last

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Never thought i would be so glad to return to Madison. Just last month, I was looking forward to FLorida, and now, I can't wait to zoom back home. I am probably exhausted from 3 weeks of travelling. It could be because we had spent too long in Miami, FL. 2 weeks in FLorida would have been just nice. And I would suggest spending a little less than 1 week in Miami. Trust me. Miami isn't a place you would want to stick around much. Go to beaches in other parts of Florida like St. Petersburg.

We were checking the weather in Madison every other day, just one and a half weeks before our return. And we realized the temperature was constantly dropping. From around 40F, it dropped to 32F, then to 20F and finally to 8F. Congratulations to us! We escaped the mild, and were just in time for deep winter. And we weren't armed with our down jackets and what nots. But whatever. I don't care if I freeze...

We arrived in Madison at long last. The feeling of being back 'home' was really good. I can't imagine how I will feel 5 months later when I finally get back to singapore:)

Winter Break 2007 - Florida - Part 4 - Tampa & St. Petersburg

Tampa

This leg of the journey started off badly. We did not know there were 2 La Quinta Inns in Tampa. We got down at the wrong stop, and still ignorant of our mistake, we started to trudge along the highway to the inn, each complete with 12 kg plus of luggage which we had to bear the weight of because we did not get trolley bags (that's another story). The Inn was probably 800m from the bus stop.




















then as if sent by an angel, a good samaritan stopped by to ask if we needed any help in getting to wherever we were heading to. Elcias offered us a ride to the La QUinta down the highway. There, we realized that it was the wrong La Quinta! The right one was like 4-5 km away. Oh Man! We were really really thankful that Elcias stopped by to help us. He even invited us to a cuban dinner with his family! Wow! But we did not want to impose on him anymore, so we declined the offer. Looking back, I wonder what I had done to deserve such kindness from a complete stranger...


Florida Aquarium @ Tampa Bay

This is a really good aquarium. It would beat Miami Seaquarium handsdown. ANd I found it much better than the Underwater World at Sentosa. Haha, maybe it is because I haven't been to many aquariums. But I found it to be an eye opener.



































































St. Petersburg


A really peaceful, pristine place to tour around, and possibly stay in. The inn we stayed in was run by a couple, and it was a really homely place.



























Bayside




























Salvador Dali Museum



It was a real eye-opener. I don't profess to be a fan of Dali, but through the tour of the museum, I have gained a deeper insight into Dali and his works, and I must say they are really really impressive.



















15 Jan - Commemoration of Martin Luther King





















the procession

Kayi and I, with the beaded necklaces that they were giving out during the procession...

Winter Break 2006/07 - Florida - Part 3 - Miami

Saturday, January 13, 2007

After a 3 hour drive, we finally arrived in Miami. The original plan was to countdown from Miami BEach, but the roads there were packed, and we could not find a parking lot. So we headed back to McArthur Bridge which overlooks Biscayne Bay. The view of the skyline of downtown Mimai was really nice. Reminded me so much of Singapore.
















Miami's downtown - pretty right?
















Welcome 2007!

When the clock struck 12, we heard lots of honking on the causeway. It's probably how the Americans express their joy. lol

Miami Seaquarium

was not as good as I had expected it to be. not a must - go...

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

A really impressive architecture. You can imagine its grandeur during its era. Had lots of fun taking pictures here

the exterior of the museum. we could not take pictures inside the museum

behind the hedge... lol

statues

Florida Keys

the atlantic!





















Part of the US 1 Highway Between MArathon and the Lower Keys (Florida Keys, FL)
















the ocean!

WCPs @ 0 mile marker of US 1 Highway (Key West, FL)

AHH.. Physics

LEarning how to Cycle

I am so happy that i learnt how to cycle @ Miami. I still cannot cyle well though. But at least I can balance on the bike already! Woo! Have to thank the guys - Khian Hong, Kangyi and SOngyu - for their patience in teaching me how to cycle! Haha. It must have been tough for them, because i know how hopeless i am with the bicycle.

I could not practice more that day though, because I had a blister from gripping the bike handle too much. But when i get back to SIngapore, I will definitely make sure I learn how to cycle properly:)

Everglades

i liked the airboat tour through the everglades, although it was quite a short one. Firstly, it was a unique experience, zig-zaggingthrough the marshes on an airboat. Secondly, it wasn't as scary as I had thought it would be. THe alligators were not as big as i imagined them to be. We probably saw around 3 -4 gators, each at most 1.5 - 2 m long, and slim.

swampy

on the air boat

mahjong tiles - PONG and 眼睛

Aventura Mall

And how can a trip to Miami be complete without visiting the much touted Aventura Mall? We expected the bus ride from South BEach to Aventura to be long, perhaps an hour. But the ride turned out to be 1.5 hours long! Oh man! And there was nothing much at Aventura. The usual anchor malls like SEARS, MACY's, plus the usual boutiques like GAP and Abercrombie which were not within our reach. The highlight though, was the Cheesecake Factory! Yummy! We don't have a Cheesecake Factory in Madison. The nearest one to us is in Chicago. Despite its proximity to Madison, it is ironic that we have never found time to tour Chicago. Sad right? OK, I digress. Back to the Cheesecake Factory. Would we let the opportunity slip us by? NO... Haha.

Tiramisu CHeesecake - NIce, but was a tad too sweet.

Adam's Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple - Good!

Kayi and I did not eat lunch. But we were SOO full after eating the cheesecake. I cannot imagine how people have such cheesecakes for dessert. Hmm... lol

Next one on my to-try list - Godiva Chocolate CHeesecake. Yummy! We wanted to try this, but it was sold out:(

Winter break 2006 - Florida - Part 2 - Orlando

Kennedy Space Centre - NASA

rocket garden








WCP @ rocket garden

act blur

Florida's Natural Orange Grove

can't get enough of oranges

presenting... the orange grove!

(seems like we are in a large grove) hee

Cypress Gardens

The rides are more thrilling than the Disney's, but there was no theme to the park. The whole park felt like a "pasar malam". Haha...

Chicken Dance

waterfall at cypress garden

Wonderworks & Ripley's Believe it or Not

Virtual Reality - Goalie

ooo! Backwards Clock

WCP

Winter break 2006 - Florida - Part 1 - Orlando, Disneyworld

Our flight to Orlando was at 1030 am, 24 Dec. We took the bus from Madison to Ohare, and We arrived at around 5 am. Checking in was really chaotic. But on the lighter side, we had a really good laugh at how the lady at the checkin counter pronounced our last names.

Tried Dunkin Donuts for the first time. I tried Apple and Spice. Its really good! Yum yum! This one was like a soft pastry with apple filling in it.

When we arrived at Orlando, the scramble to find directions to our accomodation and to rent a car was really a memorable one. Something I Will find hard to forget. the entire process of getting the key was like a treasure hunt. After unlocking the first clue, you get another clue which will lead you to the next clue.

























outside our apartment @ high grove


Disneyworld!



Magical experience:)













































Animal Kingdom






























we simply love donald duck!

Magic Kingdom

Just some thoughts:

Whilst we were queuing up to take pictures with Donald and Mickey, we noticed something really interesting. The children had autograph books that they wanted the characters to sign. We were like - these aren't even the "real" DOnald and Mickey. But i guess the children don't realize this yet. To think parents actually buy autograph books for their kids, and encourage their children to get autographs from the characters! Hmm...