Day Trip, Miami!

One simple remark could sprout a seed of desire lying dormant for ... perhaps 3 months.
It all started with me casually saying to Vicky one day, " if you are going to Miami some time, remember to call me along!"
and then just a few days later, she organised a trip to Miami!
yay, it was my idea

'Rise and shine' was not applicable on wednesday morning, 9 december, when we assembled at our estate entrances to await the chartered cab. even with the illogical implementation of Daylight Savings Time which makes the sun rise at about 6am and set at 6pm, we were waiting for the cab already before the sky was lit. i understand. setting it at this time was for best measure, so that by the time we get to Miami following a 4 hour long road trip, it would still be morning time, with a good amount of sunlight hours to spend there.

unfortunately, the cab driver was almost an hour late. i dont know if it was his culture or what, but he acted like it was all OK and didnt even acknowledge that he was late. well, for one i know he spoke spanish. we didnt make a fuss, and just got on. perhaps we were too tired to bother. for most of my fellow trippers, it was a mere nap before coming. but for me, the 2 days were joined together by a late night at work, then some preparations for the trip (talk about cooking potatoes at 4am...) and then making my way off at 5+am. not a wink of sleep, and i couldnt wait to get some on the cab.

5 of us met at Patterson, and picked up another 4 at Vista Way and headed for Miami. 9 people fitting into a cab meant for 12 people. 12 Americans, to be more precise. the amount of space each of us had was very comfortable indeed. i could actually lie down inclined to sleep.

waking up 2 hours later by a dirty hand on my face and shaking me up, (i havent gotten back at her for that) i saw that we were still on the road, driving by countryside, and soon pulled over at mcdonalds for toilet break. still quite some more distance to go...

finally, when the countryside scenery changed into cityscape, we knew we were getting there. This is more like it! havent seen a building over 20 stories tall for 3 months already; the last one being the control tower at Changi airport. i couldnt help but feel that Miami is such a great difference for the better compared to the Orlando environment. A great treat for my eyes the place was.

First stop was the harbour. well actually a mall next to the harbour. not much shopping to do here, and we were only given 2 hours. looked at a few shops, decided nothing was of interest, and went on. took loads of photos of the irresistable harbour scenery, and settled down for some irresistable food for lunch overlooking the irresistable scenery.

Chilis restaurant. Mexican cuisine. heard much of it, seen much of it, but never really understood the variety they had, nor tried it. we all ordered different stuff. salads, tortillas, grilled chicken, tacos; with red beans and spice rice as the main carbohydrate. food was delightful. and so complemented by the surroundings. though not so delightful after the bill comes to $15 after tax and tips, for a miserable piece of margarita chicken on cheap red beans and spice rice. but hey, its all for the experience.

with a little bit of time left before the agreed meeting time, we took the city monorail and went in one round. didnt get off anywhere else - we just wanted to get some sightseeing and photo taking, and we got what we wanted, cause the views are great from the monorail.

then once again, the driver was late. urgh. we could have taken the monorail a second round with that time. for whatever good that may do.

then the driver took us to South Beach, supposedly the most famous and popular beach in America. clear blue waters, waves excellent for surfing, white soft sandy beaches, uninterrupted shoreline and an infinite expanse of sea across the horizon. i could understand why it would be so popular, even though it was not crowded at all when we went there; probably it was the blazing sun that turned them off. it was too sunny for comfort. The driver told us too that there is section for nude beachers, but we couldnt find it. only the beach birds were nude here.

Speaking of birds, the beach was infested with them. lots of seagulls everywhere, and also armies of these weird birds that i dont know what theyre called. they are literally like an army, moving around in groups and arranges themselves into formations. seagulls would fly and hover in mid air whenever someone would throw a morsel of bird feed into the air. for them it is their way of catching the food before it lands and becomes free for all to grab, but for the beachers it is for their entertainment.

we got bored. out of the 5 of us there at south beach, 3 were not in appropriate attire for swimming, and one that was didnt know how to swim. which left only ME to get into the waves and swim in the sea. not so fun alone, and also with the waves throwing me around and getting sand all over me. so we decided to take a walk along the shoreline, and at a chosen spot, decided to bury me. alive. the soft sand was just so comfortable to be buried in - i could just sleep that way! plus it was cool underneath and shielded me from the scorching heat.


when we had enough, we were taken next to a shopping mall. although i feel that shopping is such a waste of time and should not be done on a short holiday trip where we are not so bored and need to kill time. in the end, we hardly bought anything. just a totally unproductive time of window shopping. at least for consolation, we had nice christmas displays to see there. it is a grand and really nice looking shopping mall compared to those in Orlando, but pick any newer shopping mall in orchard road and it would be a fair fight.

little time was left before the scheduled time to depart, but we bought dinner to eat there. we learned from our lesson and gave the driver ample time to come. but this time, when it is time to go back, he was on time! so oh wells, we had to pack the food and he had to let us eat on board.
the day was ending, the sun was setting, and we made our way back to Orlando after a really short but memorable trip.

we were trying to make it back in time for the Winter Formal event, a disney event for cast members happening only once a year. but we arrived back late, and realized that by the time we wash up and transform from casual beach wear to formal and take the bus to the ball, it would be almost over. what a waste. but any ways, im sure i would have chosen the Miami trip over the winter formal any time.

Now whats up next... Tampa Bay? heh.