Friday, January 12, 2007 . 7:40 AM
miami: first 11 days of 2007
Hey guys,
First and foremost, a very Happy New Year 2007 to all my dear friends… (sorry, I know it has been more than a week already).. and kudos to Nickless for detailing diligently about his Christmas break. I am delighted to know you guys had a good time bonding together during the holidays…. And yes, you guys should meet up more often before Weibin returns Downunder. And to Weibin, don’t 重色轻友！haha….
Well, as some of you might know, I could not make it down to South America due to some visa problems and the last minute planning. So I’m stuck at Miami now, but I shall be heading for Atlanta tomorrow… so sick of the beaches now. And Jared, I’ve decided to give Bahamas a pass because I realize that it’s pointless for me to go alone. I’ve thought of returning (if possible) to spend time at those wonderful places, with the person I love! HAHA... Perhaps a romantic getaway to the seemingly pristine beaches and waters… wa, I have to save hard for that man.*winks* As a result, I’ve been wandering around the city alone, making friends with the Subway auntie (coz I have subs for lunch and dinner) and making plans for my uncalled for trip to Georgia. Honestly, I’d rather go down to Venezuela, but guess I just couldn’t make it there afterall…
Shall not dwell into the year 2006, instead I shall blog about 2007 and my amazing “adventures” at Miami…
Day 01@Miami 1st jan (mon)
After a 3 hour drive, we managed to arrive at Miami from Orlando, an hour before ushering the New Year. The roads of Miami were severely jammed packed and finding a parking lot was a problem. In desperation, we parked alongside the McArthur causeway and did our own countdown. The moment it struck 12a.m, there was incessant honking (apparently, it’s American culture to honk when they are happy, maybe pissed too) and fireworks spewing from the Bayside…. After the countdown, we drove to a dilapidated construction site where we called it a night, waiting for the break of dawn so we could check-in to our motel. Spent much of the day resting and by evening, we managed to overcome the huge inertia to leave the motel and headed for Miami beach…
Day 02@Miami 2nd jan (tues)
Gotta return the car at the end of the day, so we rushed to the various attractions, namely the Miami Seaquarium, Viscaya museum and gardens and the Miami Museum of Science and Planetarium (don’t ever visit this one – waste of time!).
Day 03@Miami 3rd jan (wed)
Went on a day tour – a long 4 hour drive to Key West. After that arduous bus ride, we finally made it to the southernmost point of continental USA. We also saw Ernest Hemmingway’s house and had a very filling seafood buffet at Captain Mario’s. The 0 mile marker is also there… It marks the start of the US 1 highway – somewhat significant I guess…
Me and the vast blue Atlantic Ocean...
Day 04@Miami 4th jan (thu)
Amazing race became so real to me as I ran from one airticket counter to another…. American, Avianca, Aeropostal… everything from A to Z, but nothing. Every flight was full. I tell you, I can memorize all the airline companies of the Americas already!!! Stranded at the airport was pretty torturous. Hungry, tired, and have to be constantly alert of my belongings so I can’t just doze off… GAH… Don’t remind me!
Day 05@Miami 5th jan (fri)
Went to the Jewish Museum and to my surprise, Florida’s one the state that has the largest Jewish population in the States… Following the Jewish persecution days during the Hitler era, many of them actually sought refuge at the US with most eventually ending up at Florida, New York and California. Learnt a few things about the Jewish culture there too. We headed for South beach this time, simply lazing around, basking under the sun and enjoyed the sea breeze…
Day 06@Miami 6th jan (sat)
Saw gators at the marshes of the Everglades… and other wildlife to. The tour on the airboat was rather short and we weren’t allowed to explore the Everglades much. Perhaps, it’s a protected state park and only parts of it are accessible to visitors.
Day 07@Miami 7th jan (sun)
Visited the Holocaust Memorial in the morning. It was rather heart-wrenching to read about how the Jewish were dehumanized by the power-hungry Hitler…. Superior race? Gimme a break! We took the 25cents south beach locale bus to Lincoln Mall – something like the “Orchard Road” of Miami… The food there was way out of our budget we ended up at McDonalds instead. Sad rite? :( But they day ended well again with a platter of mouthwatering SUSHI!!!
Day 08@Miami 8th jan (mon)
The trip down to the Venezuelan consulate was a waste. Couldn’t have my visa made in time, so had to call off the trip. :( Went to Bayside and explored the downtown area of Miami… at this point, we all felt that we had too much of Miami…. So the next day, my friends set off for Tampa, the last leg of “our” vacation. As they’ve already booked accommodations and bus tickets to Tampa, I was unable to join them so I had to figure out how to spend my remaining days till my flight back to Chicago on the 17th….
Day 10 and 11 @ Miami 10th jan/11th jan
I’m left alone here in this big city… not the first time I’m traveling alone, so it’s ok. But somehow, I feel that Miami’s less safe than Cambodia. Well, at least I see foreigners traveling around in Cambodia… Not here in Miami… people are just too busy to even care what’s going on around them… No friendly smiles… No warm “Good mornings”… Even the Subway auntie thinks people in Miami are not the friendliest Americans around… And with the hustle and bustle of this trip dying down, I was able to find a quiet spot and time to pray…. To really pray…
Speaking of Subway, I shall be making my way there for dinner soon….. Thursday Special.. Italian B.L.T… Haha…. This is my last day at Miami…. I’m quite certain that I wouldn’t return to Miami given a chance, but with Miami being the gateway to so many other exotic places on Earth (think Bahamas, Jamaica, Cuba etc..), I’m pretty certain I’ll stop-by this place sometime in future…. At the meantime, the chapter is coming to an end….
Hope you guys are enjoying school…. I’m so looking forward to returning to Madison and begin the new semester, coz the end of the spring semester will mean I’ll be back
H O M E
byebye MIAMI!
d sh
