Week 11: Week in Tampa and Kissimee, FL

Writing about New Orleans last week made me reminisce about the week before which I spent in Florida. Although I spent most of the week in training and on business (really!), I was able to have some tourist time. Unfortunately, since I had the New Orleans trip coming up, I was on a limited budget, so my only souvenir was this t-shirt.

I flew in the weekend before and was able to rent a car and drive to Kissimmee, FL. I've always wanted to check-out Disney World and Epcot Center so I thought this would be a great opportunity to do so. I landed in Tampa and rented a car to drive to Disney World.

It was my first time in Florida. I had never seen so many toll roads in my life (maybe except in Italy); glad I had enough change.

Disney World was so much fun, but hot! It's not as much fun riding solo, though. Also, I remember the rides kept stopping because of the heat.

Since I've already been to Disneyland, I only spent a bit of time at Disney and focused on Epcot Center. Epcot was completely different. I think my favorite spot was the World Showcase where there were different buildings featuring different countries. I was pretty tired from the rides already so I only went to selected buildings. The shows and photos made me reminisce about my previous trips to Italy, Japan, and China. I loved it.

I took the long way back to Tampa and drove along the Atlantic Coast. I was very tempted to stop at Cape Canaveral, but I was afraid that I would arrive late in Tampa. After all, we had an early start the next day (in Florida time. Remember, I live on the opposite coast). I did get a chance to stop at a beach and feel the waters of the Atlantic. I was surprised at how warm it was (compared to the Pacific).

The rest of the week was not too bad. Our little group enjoyed good food as we checked out the culinary delights in Tampa. We probably went to a different restaurant each night and mostly enjoyed seafood. I had my first encounter with a mudslide, the deceivingly alcoholic drink that looked like a milkshake on steroids (I enjoyed this again years later in the Cayman Islands). We were eating so much that one night I decided to skip dinner and work-out to burn those calories.

What's cool about this shirt is the detail on the back: It has the sun and two alligators; one biting the tail of the other. My husband commented that the one in front is him, and the one in back is me, since I am often biting his behind (metaphorically).

Front Alligator = Hubby, Back Alligator = me (No, its not sexual).

I'd like to return to Florida and maybe this time, go to the keys. No mudslides that trip, only margaritas. After all, the keys is Jimmy Buffet and Margaritaville country.