Saturday, November 21, 2009
We wanted to leave early in the morning, but we did not get out of the house till 10:30 am. We packed as lightly as possible to minimize "stuffing" the car. The drive was very easy and calm. There was minimal traffic, but we saw a lot of cops along the way. We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale around 7:30 pm. We were the first people to check-into the newly renovated resort tower. They still had furniture sitting in the hallways. But the suite was very cozy and comfortable. We had booked a 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
We got up late, as "we were on vacation". Around noon time, we drove to SawGrass Mills mall, where we took Tejas to Wannado City. This is a park where Tejas gets to enact almost any occupation. He played the role of a fireman, police officer, dentist, detective, and many others. He actually played the role of a chef, and made his own pizza, which he ate !!! It actually tasted quite good !!
While Sudhir, Ashwini and Tejas were enjoying Wannado City, Tata and Ajji were shopping in the massive mall. They observed that the most commonly pourchased item at this mall was a SUITCASE !!! Hard to belive but true.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Late morning, Gopi and Padma arrievd at Ft. Lauderdale to join us on vacation. After coming home from the airport, we had a nice home cooked lunch. We relaxed for a short while, after which Gopi, Tata, and Tejas went Putt Putt golfing. After a few rounds of golf, we all decided to drive to South Miami Beach. We got there just as the sun was setting, so we enjoyed the beach in the evening dusk. We all got to dip our feet in the Atlantic Ocean for a little while.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
We decided to go to Key West, as the predicted weather would be "perfect". The weatherman did not disappoint us. The weather on this day was absolutely perfect. We had bright sun, around 75 degrees, with no rain. We could not ask for a better day.
We left around 8 am, and headed towards Key West on Highway 1. We arrived at Key West around noon, after making a couple of extended stops. Once we arrived in Key West, Tejas, Sudhir, and Ashwini decided to go parasailing, while the 4 "old folks" went shopping and drink savory coffee.
Parasailing was fantasic. We were takan out on the gulf, with a tether of 900 feet, allowing us to climb over 350 feet. We had an amazing sight of the islands from high up. The guide dipped us into the gulf water a few times, which was actually an amazing expoerience. Tejas and Sudhir were screaming for joy, while Ashwini was scared stiff !!
After we finished the parasailing, we met up with the "old folks". They had purchased some T-shirts, and drank some delicious coffee. Around 5: 30, we all boarded a large sail boat for a sunset cruise.
We listened to a lot of fun music, danced on the ocean, while watching the beautiful sun as it set into the Gulf of Mexico. This was an absolutely fun cruise !!
After the cruise, we were all quite hungry, so we had a quick dinner at a Fine Authentic Mexican Restaurant - Taco Bell. We then drove back to our resort, about 3-1/2 hour drive. We got back into the resort around 1 am.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
We were all tired from the long day in Key West. So we all got up late. We went to the mall, where we all did some window shopping. We were all amazed how crowded the mall was, especially considering this bad economy and associated recession.
After the relaxing day, we drove to the local Hindu Temple. We were all pleasantly surprised at the beauty of thtis temple. All the priests spoke Kannada !!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
This was another bright, sunny day, with a temperature of around 75 degrees. We decided to "meet the alligators". We took a short drive to the Everglades, where we took an Airboat Tour. These boats move on the surface of the water, being propelled by above-water, large "fans". This was a lot of fun, as we glided thru the Everglades, and had close encounters with numerous alligators. We saw some beautiful, colorful native birds, as well as saw some unusual vegetation.
After the Airboat Tour, we watched a demonstration at an Alligator Farm, where the trainer put his head inside an alligator's mouth, and still lived to smile about it!!
In the evening, we drove through a local park, which had been decorated with wonderful Christmas lights. After the nice drive, we were all tired and went to bed early.
Friday, November 27, 2009
We got up bright and early, as Padma & Gopi had to head back to New Jersey. After dropping them off at the airport, Tejas & Sudhir headed back to Wannado City. As before, Tejas had a fantastic time at this great park.
In the afternoon, we all headed to the beach. We lounged around for a good while, while Tejas played in the sand and ocean water.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Sadly, this was the last day of our vacation. After a wonderful, relaxing week in South Florida, we had to head back to reality. The drive back to Macon was uneventful. We are now planning our next vacation.
It was very nice to spend this Thanksgiving Week with Padma & Gopi. It is always nice to spend this time of year with close family.