Despite once again foregoing our previous night’s promises to one another of going running (I was not too devastated as I seem to have lost my runners), we woke relatively early (for us), and were checked out by 9:30. We proceeded to cruise around downtown Savannah, stopping at a local café to eat a proper breakfast for the first time in a long time. Cleland was the most adventurous opting for the eggs Benedict with grits (which appeared to be some sort of wheat porridge), while the rest of us settled for the continental.
Following this and after a quick stop at the Visitors’ Centre, we embarked on a walking tour around Savannah. It was not hard to see the remnants of the plantation wealth that once flowed through Savannah with huge mansions lining shady, tree-lined streets and numerous squares and parks, all of which seemed to have statues and fountains. It was completely different to any other place we had been so far and it was not hard to imagine how things might have been in the pre-Civil War years. One sight that we were particularly keen to see was the park bench that Tom Hanks sits on throughout the movie Forrest Gump. Despite knowing which square the bench was in, debate raged amongst the boys as to which bench was actually used in the movie. Given none of us had any real idea, this was a largely futile argument and after taking photos of every bench in the park we were soon ready to move on to get lunch.
After a bit of wild-goose chase around the city (it should come as no real surprise to our loyal readers that Mac was on decree duties), we eventually found some BBQ in an alley and had some delicious, though not exactly nutritious sandwiches. We then pushed on for Charleston, hoping to get there in time to buy groceries and have a look around the town before checking into the hostel.
We managed to get this done, got ourselves checked in and after a couple more games of BB and some delicious salads ala Wonderboy, we decided that it would be rude not to go and see what the Charleston nightlife had to offer. Given that all of the uni students are still on their Christmas break, there was not much doing and after a few quiet beers, a couple of games of pool and buck-hunter and chatting to some of the locals we turned in, hoping to get another early start the following morning.
Hope you’re all well,
Jez
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Fort Lauderdale to Savannah
Fort Lauderdale to Savannah via Disneyworld
Cleland and myself woke unprecedentedly early, excited by the idea of Disneyworld. After only 2 hours sleep, Jez and Carl were led to the car and belted in, where they remained for the next four hours. We made our way north along the Florida coast, stopping only to refuel and buy Burger King breakfast, during which time Carl and Jez remained asleep. We arrived in Orlando, shortly after Blizzard Beach’s opening time at 10 am. After helping Jez and Carl into their bathing suits, we descended upon the park – which is one of six within Disney World, and one of two waterparks.
Real Talk: Disneyworld at Orlando is ridiculously big. Spanning over 20,000 acres it contains 6 individual theme parks, 6 golf courses, over 2 dozen hotels and is purportedly the happiest place on earth.
Cleland’s enthusiasm was infectious and we quickly realised how much of a chore he must have been as a child. Mr and Mrs Cleland clearly deserve the Order of Australia for chaperoning him around Disneyworld for a week at the age of 12.
Once inside we headed straight for Summit Plummet, the tallest free-fall waterslide in the whole of the USA, (and the second tallest in the world by 2 inches). At 120 feet tall you were travelling at close to 55 miles per hour by the time you reached the bottom. The speed record for the slide 78 miles per hour which is well in excess of 120 km/h. Carl, with his irrational fear of heights and rollercoasters did not join us for this first run but was able to be dragged up there after several hours of peer pressure and constant ribbing from his supportive friends.
Only in the knowledge that everyone we knew was on the other side of the world and unlikely to run into us did we revert to children. It was a lot of fun but after four hours it was time to leave – keen to get some more miles under the belt and make it to Savannah that night. We made good progress and stopped just short of Savannah to stay at another classy motel 6. We ended the night with a Caesar salad at “Steamers” across the road and played BB until our customary fights and subsequent need for rule specification had us all in bed for a much needed early night.
Missing you all,
Nick
Cleland and myself woke unprecedentedly early, excited by the idea of Disneyworld. After only 2 hours sleep, Jez and Carl were led to the car and belted in, where they remained for the next four hours. We made our way north along the Florida coast, stopping only to refuel and buy Burger King breakfast, during which time Carl and Jez remained asleep. We arrived in Orlando, shortly after Blizzard Beach’s opening time at 10 am. After helping Jez and Carl into their bathing suits, we descended upon the park – which is one of six within Disney World, and one of two waterparks.
Real Talk: Disneyworld at Orlando is ridiculously big. Spanning over 20,000 acres it contains 6 individual theme parks, 6 golf courses, over 2 dozen hotels and is purportedly the happiest place on earth.
Cleland’s enthusiasm was infectious and we quickly realised how much of a chore he must have been as a child. Mr and Mrs Cleland clearly deserve the Order of Australia for chaperoning him around Disneyworld for a week at the age of 12.
Once inside we headed straight for Summit Plummet, the tallest free-fall waterslide in the whole of the USA, (and the second tallest in the world by 2 inches). At 120 feet tall you were travelling at close to 55 miles per hour by the time you reached the bottom. The speed record for the slide 78 miles per hour which is well in excess of 120 km/h. Carl, with his irrational fear of heights and rollercoasters did not join us for this first run but was able to be dragged up there after several hours of peer pressure and constant ribbing from his supportive friends.
Only in the knowledge that everyone we knew was on the other side of the world and unlikely to run into us did we revert to children. It was a lot of fun but after four hours it was time to leave – keen to get some more miles under the belt and make it to Savannah that night. We made good progress and stopped just short of Savannah to stay at another classy motel 6. We ended the night with a Caesar salad at “Steamers” across the road and played BB until our customary fights and subsequent need for rule specification had us all in bed for a much needed early night.
Missing you all,
Nick
Key West to Fort Lauderdale
Key West to Fort Lauderdale
Rising 45 minutes after what we thought was our checkout time, the day started with a mad rush to pack our bags and get the unmoveable log Preno moving. Even with Preno (Bat) doing his hair and showering, we still managed to leave the room in record time. From here we headed to the sourthernmost point of Key West and the US. We then visited a local beach for a much needed refreshing dip and caught a few rays which will be in short supply as we begin to move north.
Slightly refreshed we then made tracks for the Everglades. We made it to the Everglades National Park by late afternoon and after chatting to a park ranger were directed to two walks, the first of which was on boardwalks around a slough*. Being the dry season, there was an abundance of wildlife to be seen including birds, fish and turtles. Cleland was particularly interested in finding a swamp cougar, but there were none to be seen. The highlight though was seeing a number of ‘gators. Although tasteless, the boys could not resist the occasional Steve Irwin impression with plenty of Crikeys getting thrown around. The second walk was a quick one through a rain forest area which was on slightly higher ground. The light exercise, scenery and fresh air were much appreciated by all considering the excesses of the previous few days.
From here we drove north to Fort Lauderdale so we could drop Prentice at the airport at 4 the following morning. It was at this point that things took an unexpected turn. At around 10 o’clock Jez received a message that friends from New Orleans were now in Miami. With surprising exuberance he proposed a venture back to South Beach for one last night. This proposal was met with mixed reactions. While the two Nicks decided to sleep, Preno and myself thought it would be rude not to join him, especially given it was Preno’s last night.
What followed was free entry into a very loud nightclub, followed by some quiet beers at local bars. Arriving home at 3, Preno was taken straight to the airport having made the most of every minute of his time on the road while Jez and myself tried to get some precious sleep before our 6 o’clock start the following morning.
Cheers
Carl
*Real talk: a slough is formed by a depression in the land below the level of the swamp. Subsequently, in the dry season a large amount of water collects which draws an abundance of marine life.
Rising 45 minutes after what we thought was our checkout time, the day started with a mad rush to pack our bags and get the unmoveable log Preno moving. Even with Preno (Bat) doing his hair and showering, we still managed to leave the room in record time. From here we headed to the sourthernmost point of Key West and the US. We then visited a local beach for a much needed refreshing dip and caught a few rays which will be in short supply as we begin to move north.
Slightly refreshed we then made tracks for the Everglades. We made it to the Everglades National Park by late afternoon and after chatting to a park ranger were directed to two walks, the first of which was on boardwalks around a slough*. Being the dry season, there was an abundance of wildlife to be seen including birds, fish and turtles. Cleland was particularly interested in finding a swamp cougar, but there were none to be seen. The highlight though was seeing a number of ‘gators. Although tasteless, the boys could not resist the occasional Steve Irwin impression with plenty of Crikeys getting thrown around. The second walk was a quick one through a rain forest area which was on slightly higher ground. The light exercise, scenery and fresh air were much appreciated by all considering the excesses of the previous few days.
From here we drove north to Fort Lauderdale so we could drop Prentice at the airport at 4 the following morning. It was at this point that things took an unexpected turn. At around 10 o’clock Jez received a message that friends from New Orleans were now in Miami. With surprising exuberance he proposed a venture back to South Beach for one last night. This proposal was met with mixed reactions. While the two Nicks decided to sleep, Preno and myself thought it would be rude not to join him, especially given it was Preno’s last night.
What followed was free entry into a very loud nightclub, followed by some quiet beers at local bars. Arriving home at 3, Preno was taken straight to the airport having made the most of every minute of his time on the road while Jez and myself tried to get some precious sleep before our 6 o’clock start the following morning.
Cheers
Carl
*Real talk: a slough is formed by a depression in the land below the level of the swamp. Subsequently, in the dry season a large amount of water collects which draws an abundance of marine life.
Miami to Key West
After we finally managed to rouse the slumbering Preno, we said our goodbyes to all of our new friends from the hostel, exchanged facebook details, cleaned up the massive mess that had accumulated in our room and hit the road at about 11 – bound for Key West.
Key West is the southernmost town in the US and can only be reached by driving through Florida Keys – which is basically a sequence of small islands which are linked by bridges. If you’ve seen True Lies or Mission: Impossible 3 then you know the bridges I’m talking about – the ones that are really really long, surrounded by pristine turquoise water and, if Hollywood is to be believed, continually being attacked by Harrier Jets.
With this in mind we were quite looking forward to the drive, despite our sore heads and severe collective sleep deprivation. Unfortunately, though the scenery and the bridges were as spectacular as expected, the traffic was awful and what Emily told us would be a three hour drive took most of the day. However, the drive was redeemed somewhat by the level of conversation which started out relatively dignified with real talk and ended up well below gutter.
Upon arrival in Key West, which is a renowned party town, notorious for its flamboyant gay community, we checked into our motel and went for a wander – in search of some groceries. The two highlights of this were trying some authentic Key Lime icecream (the reviews of which ranged from “oh it’s alright” to “dear God it tastes like cough medicine) and Cleland getting groped by a homeless, toothless, predatory, gay man on the street.
At this point we were all feeling very much as though the past week in Miami had caught up with us, but stirfry ala Jez, Rocky IV, a few delicious Bud Lites and an hour spent watching “The 100 most unbelievable moments in sport” and we were ready to hit the town. We did so in fine style adhering to our new rule that we were only allowed to have one drink in each pub unless CENSORED. The first few bars we went to were largely uneventful and occupied primarily by real talk. However, once we got a couple of suicides under our belt, the vetboys got out on the DF to rock out to the cubic shuffle and the night proper had begun. We watched some pretty cool live music, did some stupid shots and soon we were invited en masse back to a party at a house with a Jacuzzi. At this point it was approximately 3:30. Gotta hate those Aussie accents. The rest of the night is something of a blur for all of us, though none more so than buzz who decided that a series of impromptu naps was appropriate. We eventually made it back to our motel at about 6:30, though we did stop to chase the crowing roosters on our way home. It was at this point that we realised that Cleland was nowhere to be found. We retraced our steps to try and find him but our efforts were to no avail. We would later find out that he was asleep on a pile of palm fronds on the side of the road. All plans of going snorkelling or jetskiing in the morning had officially been binned.
My body hates me,
Jez
Key West is the southernmost town in the US and can only be reached by driving through Florida Keys – which is basically a sequence of small islands which are linked by bridges. If you’ve seen True Lies or Mission: Impossible 3 then you know the bridges I’m talking about – the ones that are really really long, surrounded by pristine turquoise water and, if Hollywood is to be believed, continually being attacked by Harrier Jets.
With this in mind we were quite looking forward to the drive, despite our sore heads and severe collective sleep deprivation. Unfortunately, though the scenery and the bridges were as spectacular as expected, the traffic was awful and what Emily told us would be a three hour drive took most of the day. However, the drive was redeemed somewhat by the level of conversation which started out relatively dignified with real talk and ended up well below gutter.
Upon arrival in Key West, which is a renowned party town, notorious for its flamboyant gay community, we checked into our motel and went for a wander – in search of some groceries. The two highlights of this were trying some authentic Key Lime icecream (the reviews of which ranged from “oh it’s alright” to “dear God it tastes like cough medicine) and Cleland getting groped by a homeless, toothless, predatory, gay man on the street.
At this point we were all feeling very much as though the past week in Miami had caught up with us, but stirfry ala Jez, Rocky IV, a few delicious Bud Lites and an hour spent watching “The 100 most unbelievable moments in sport” and we were ready to hit the town. We did so in fine style adhering to our new rule that we were only allowed to have one drink in each pub unless CENSORED. The first few bars we went to were largely uneventful and occupied primarily by real talk. However, once we got a couple of suicides under our belt, the vetboys got out on the DF to rock out to the cubic shuffle and the night proper had begun. We watched some pretty cool live music, did some stupid shots and soon we were invited en masse back to a party at a house with a Jacuzzi. At this point it was approximately 3:30. Gotta hate those Aussie accents. The rest of the night is something of a blur for all of us, though none more so than buzz who decided that a series of impromptu naps was appropriate. We eventually made it back to our motel at about 6:30, though we did stop to chase the crowing roosters on our way home. It was at this point that we realised that Cleland was nowhere to be found. We retraced our steps to try and find him but our efforts were to no avail. We would later find out that he was asleep on a pile of palm fronds on the side of the road. All plans of going snorkelling or jetskiing in the morning had officially been binned.
My body hates me,
Jez
New Year's Day
Greetings Trailblaze enthusiasts! As a fellow blog reader over the past 6 weeks, I have been eagerly anticipating getting involved with the boys. So far, Miami has not disappointed!
New Years was a memorable one and a number of us were battling heavy heads to kick start 2009, but that was soon fixed by a quick swim and lunch at TGI Friday’s. Before hitting the sand I debated whether to wear my AUSTRALIA speedos, but soon felt at ease when I saw Jez had no problems walking around in public with his outrageous hair.
After a thorough summary of the previous nights exploits, Cleland and Jez decided an afternoon kip would best prepare them for the fun to come. Carl, Wonders and I went the other way, meeting a couple of my American mates from college and following them down a long and windy road to what they promised would be “a good scene.” What a massive understatement!
Hot tip#1: the pool at Shore Club is phenomenal. After producing our Aussie passports and walking through the gates, we were soon embraced by a wide array of really, really, really good looking people. The pool was about 25 metres long, surrounded by beds and couches, absolutely chock-a-block with scantily clad women. Tough times! A deejay made sure the vibe was right, the Heinekens ensured our thirst was quenched, and the sunnies ensured our stares were hidden. Good fun – even Busta Rimes came round for a bevvie!
A late afternoon shower and multiple calls from a now raging Jez and Cleland brought things to a blinding halt, so we decided to say goodbye to the models and made our way back to the hostel, referenced only as “a cool place down the road” to the high end revellers at poolside.
Multiple cases of America’s finest seemed to cheer the boys up and soon enough we were soon back on the wagon in preparation for another big night.
Hot tip #2: The bar at the Delano Hotel is every bit as cool as we had been told, and then some. Talk about opulence! Nothing is done in small measures at the Delano, and it didn’t take long for any of us to begin sampling the cocktail menu and mingle amongst the lively crowd.
What came next was even more outrageous than the setting – a ridiculously elaborate thirty minute tall story from Jez about his javelin exploits for the Australian track and field team at the Beijing Olympics! “Trajectory, wind tunnels, release point, rotational core strength”… nothing was spared! The poor girls fell hook line and sinker for his utter jibberish, and will now return to Cincinatti with tales of fortune and fame after meeting one of Down Under’s finest athletes.
Hot tip #3: Mango’s Bar on Ocean Drive is not a good idea when you have been actively participating in the Miami party scene for days on end. As the night wound down, one by one we retreated back to the hotel, some faster than others. Fortunately, Carl was around long enough to wake me up and call it quits .
Next stop, Key West. Until then,
Dave
New Years was a memorable one and a number of us were battling heavy heads to kick start 2009, but that was soon fixed by a quick swim and lunch at TGI Friday’s. Before hitting the sand I debated whether to wear my AUSTRALIA speedos, but soon felt at ease when I saw Jez had no problems walking around in public with his outrageous hair.
After a thorough summary of the previous nights exploits, Cleland and Jez decided an afternoon kip would best prepare them for the fun to come. Carl, Wonders and I went the other way, meeting a couple of my American mates from college and following them down a long and windy road to what they promised would be “a good scene.” What a massive understatement!
Hot tip#1: the pool at Shore Club is phenomenal. After producing our Aussie passports and walking through the gates, we were soon embraced by a wide array of really, really, really good looking people. The pool was about 25 metres long, surrounded by beds and couches, absolutely chock-a-block with scantily clad women. Tough times! A deejay made sure the vibe was right, the Heinekens ensured our thirst was quenched, and the sunnies ensured our stares were hidden. Good fun – even Busta Rimes came round for a bevvie!
A late afternoon shower and multiple calls from a now raging Jez and Cleland brought things to a blinding halt, so we decided to say goodbye to the models and made our way back to the hostel, referenced only as “a cool place down the road” to the high end revellers at poolside.
Multiple cases of America’s finest seemed to cheer the boys up and soon enough we were soon back on the wagon in preparation for another big night.
Hot tip #2: The bar at the Delano Hotel is every bit as cool as we had been told, and then some. Talk about opulence! Nothing is done in small measures at the Delano, and it didn’t take long for any of us to begin sampling the cocktail menu and mingle amongst the lively crowd.
What came next was even more outrageous than the setting – a ridiculously elaborate thirty minute tall story from Jez about his javelin exploits for the Australian track and field team at the Beijing Olympics! “Trajectory, wind tunnels, release point, rotational core strength”… nothing was spared! The poor girls fell hook line and sinker for his utter jibberish, and will now return to Cincinatti with tales of fortune and fame after meeting one of Down Under’s finest athletes.
Hot tip #3: Mango’s Bar on Ocean Drive is not a good idea when you have been actively participating in the Miami party scene for days on end. As the night wound down, one by one we retreated back to the hotel, some faster than others. Fortunately, Carl was around long enough to wake me up and call it quits .
Next stop, Key West. Until then,
Dave
New Year's Eve 2009: South Beach, Miami
Rising on New Year’s Eve, the boys were eager and excited for the night that waited in Miami. The day was one in which we could reflect on the past year and think about resolutions for 2009. These included getting fit, eating healthily and drinking less. Needless to say these were all immediately delayed for at least another month. It was also the day we welcomed our 5th celebrity roadtripper and our 9th overall – Mr David Prentice. Preno is a great mate of mine from Pius days, he now lives in New York and would be joining us for the next four days, as always it was good to see him again. While I battled the new year’s traffic to get to the airport, the boys hit the beach. There, Nick, Monty and Jez caught some rays and Wonders strutted his budgie smuggler/earring combo.
Meeting back at the hostel, and after a brief reintroduction, Preno and I headed to the beach, while the other boys commenced the day’s drinking over a game of cards. Upon our return, we found ourselves already surprisingly behind in the drinking stakes. New Years’ was looming to be large.
We went for a walk along Ocean Drive, which had now been completely reserved for pedestrians and had a feed and a beer at one of the many bars / restaurants. Our waitress was a young redhead who we suspected was from the UK. Wonders being the friendly socialite that he is, soon enquired to where exactly her accent was from, this was met with a surprised look and the response that she was born and raised in Seattle. Wonders probed further convinced that she must have an English parent. The reply to this was the she had formerly had a speech impediment and had undergone 5 years of speech pathology. As soon as she left earshot Wonders could be heard to say “well don’t I feel like a dickhead”. Great bloke. He was now displaying the attitude to match the earring.
We then planned the evening, which consisted of buying supplies for the night (ie alcohol) and deciding that the beach was our preferred way to spend New Years opposed to a club. The $200 party at Mansion, featuring Lindsay Lohan, did not seem good value given the battered states of our bank accounts and Cleland’s reconnaissance from the night before. We then went back to the hostel where we drank with our newly made friends and had the hostel supplied beans on rice with chicken for the second night in a row. Unfortunately Preno was unable to sample the dinner instead deciding to decorate the court yard with it, in a crowd silencing fall.
By 9, the group had swelled to consist of approximately 20 people representing 10 different nationalities*. Up to 11, amongst various banter and chat, various drinking games were played including “dance locomotion” and “Zumi Zumi”. At 11, we decided to get out and amongst the Miami crowd for New Years. Throughout South Beach (along Collins, Ocean Drive and the beach), the atmosphere was musical, vibrant and busy. This included organised fireworks on the beach, self-organised parties on the streets and long night club ques. Whilst enjoying the atmosphere, 12 o’clock quickly snuck upon us and the fireworks started to explode overhead. While wishing everyone Happy New Years we suddenly noticed that Jez was missing a mystery that would not be solved until several hours later.
The night continued with all of us spread between local bars, staying put on the beach and attempting to get into different night clubs. I am not sure how but it ended with us all recounting the nights stories in front of the hostel around 4 a.m. This included Monty deciding to decorate the hostel room with a pot plant and go swimming and Cleland losing his socks. Even Jez reappeared and informed us of his amazing night in which he made many new friends and extended his list of available accommodation in Europe. At this point we all went to bed agreeing it had been a great night.
Wishing you all the best for 2009
Carl
*Real talk: I soon found out that they also play “the game of life” ie push-ups for saying MINE, in Zimbabwe and South Africa. I learned this the hard way as one of the Zimbabwean blokes asked what the seagulls were saying in the movie “Finding Nemo”. My response of “mine, mine, mine, mine” resulted in 40 punishing and embarrassing push-ups.
Meeting back at the hostel, and after a brief reintroduction, Preno and I headed to the beach, while the other boys commenced the day’s drinking over a game of cards. Upon our return, we found ourselves already surprisingly behind in the drinking stakes. New Years’ was looming to be large.
We went for a walk along Ocean Drive, which had now been completely reserved for pedestrians and had a feed and a beer at one of the many bars / restaurants. Our waitress was a young redhead who we suspected was from the UK. Wonders being the friendly socialite that he is, soon enquired to where exactly her accent was from, this was met with a surprised look and the response that she was born and raised in Seattle. Wonders probed further convinced that she must have an English parent. The reply to this was the she had formerly had a speech impediment and had undergone 5 years of speech pathology. As soon as she left earshot Wonders could be heard to say “well don’t I feel like a dickhead”. Great bloke. He was now displaying the attitude to match the earring.
We then planned the evening, which consisted of buying supplies for the night (ie alcohol) and deciding that the beach was our preferred way to spend New Years opposed to a club. The $200 party at Mansion, featuring Lindsay Lohan, did not seem good value given the battered states of our bank accounts and Cleland’s reconnaissance from the night before. We then went back to the hostel where we drank with our newly made friends and had the hostel supplied beans on rice with chicken for the second night in a row. Unfortunately Preno was unable to sample the dinner instead deciding to decorate the court yard with it, in a crowd silencing fall.
By 9, the group had swelled to consist of approximately 20 people representing 10 different nationalities*. Up to 11, amongst various banter and chat, various drinking games were played including “dance locomotion” and “Zumi Zumi”. At 11, we decided to get out and amongst the Miami crowd for New Years. Throughout South Beach (along Collins, Ocean Drive and the beach), the atmosphere was musical, vibrant and busy. This included organised fireworks on the beach, self-organised parties on the streets and long night club ques. Whilst enjoying the atmosphere, 12 o’clock quickly snuck upon us and the fireworks started to explode overhead. While wishing everyone Happy New Years we suddenly noticed that Jez was missing a mystery that would not be solved until several hours later.
The night continued with all of us spread between local bars, staying put on the beach and attempting to get into different night clubs. I am not sure how but it ended with us all recounting the nights stories in front of the hostel around 4 a.m. This included Monty deciding to decorate the hostel room with a pot plant and go swimming and Cleland losing his socks. Even Jez reappeared and informed us of his amazing night in which he made many new friends and extended his list of available accommodation in Europe. At this point we all went to bed agreeing it had been a great night.
Wishing you all the best for 2009
Carl
*Real talk: I soon found out that they also play “the game of life” ie push-ups for saying MINE, in Zimbabwe and South Africa. I learned this the hard way as one of the Zimbabwean blokes asked what the seagulls were saying in the movie “Finding Nemo”. My response of “mine, mine, mine, mine” resulted in 40 punishing and embarrassing push-ups.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Tampa to Miami
Despite the promises of the night before, we failed to get up at 8 and, as has become standard, it took us an inordinate amount of time to get out the door. Once we did finally manage to do so, it was decided that there would be minimal stops so that we could get to Miami asap. But first, in a belated attempt to apologise to our bodies for the punishment that they had received as part of the McDonald’s Day festivities we stopped at a supermarket to load up on fresh fruit, vitamins and Gatorade.
We were soon back on the road and so keen was Carl to get to Miami as quickly as possible he decided not to pay one of the tolls but instead to cruise through the “Sunpass Only” booth. It is not at all clear why he did this. However, we did make good time and arrived in Miami at around 3:30. What happened next was an absolute shambles. We arrived at the hostel keen to book in only to find perhaps the world’s most flustered man behind the reception desk and about 20 other people in the same position as us. It seems that the hostel is relatively new and the systems that they had in place were woefully insufficient for the volume of people that were arriving to spend New Year’s Eve in South Beach. After initially having been sent to a room that had people in it, we were eventually shown to the right room, by which time a good two hours had passed since our arrival and we were all pretty fed up with it.
Given that it was too late for a swim, we wandered along the beach for a while and had a stroll along Ocean Drive* and around South Beach. It was almost exactly the same as the stereotypes would suggest, with lots of tanned beach bodies, heaps of art deco architecture, drag queens busking out the front of bars, other pubs populated by people singing and dancing on the bars, and lots and lots of people rollerblading around wearing minimal clothing. Also, strangely enough, the beach itself had big sections where there was only a couple of inches of sand with concrete slabs underneath. Having gauged the lie of the land we bought beers and headed back to the hostel to play cards and start drinking.
We did this for a couple of hours and chatted to a bunch of random people in the hostel, most of whom seemed to be either Scandinavian or Australian. Whilst the rest of us were being sociable, Dr Wonderboy was working on his image. Deciding that Miami was the perfect place to show his intimidating side, he retired to our dorm room and using our recently purchased ditrcheap Vodka as an antiseptic and ice to prevent bloodflow, proceed to pierce his ear. The result was a sparkling success – he now looked much more “threatening” and somewhat less friendly. This achieved, we headed out on the town
It was an odd sort of a night. We went to a number of different bars, got offered copious amounts of drugs, Cleland managed to sneak into South Beach’s swankiest nightclub without waiting in line or paying a cent, Wonders and I played Connect 4 (literally – I’m talking about the boardgame) at about 2 in the morning at a nightclub and we all had massive slices of delicious pizza on the way home. We all eventually made it home, at some point between 3 and 5:30 and turned in for the evening – saving ourselves somewhat for New Years the next night.
Over and out
Jez
We were soon back on the road and so keen was Carl to get to Miami as quickly as possible he decided not to pay one of the tolls but instead to cruise through the “Sunpass Only” booth. It is not at all clear why he did this. However, we did make good time and arrived in Miami at around 3:30. What happened next was an absolute shambles. We arrived at the hostel keen to book in only to find perhaps the world’s most flustered man behind the reception desk and about 20 other people in the same position as us. It seems that the hostel is relatively new and the systems that they had in place were woefully insufficient for the volume of people that were arriving to spend New Year’s Eve in South Beach. After initially having been sent to a room that had people in it, we were eventually shown to the right room, by which time a good two hours had passed since our arrival and we were all pretty fed up with it.
Given that it was too late for a swim, we wandered along the beach for a while and had a stroll along Ocean Drive* and around South Beach. It was almost exactly the same as the stereotypes would suggest, with lots of tanned beach bodies, heaps of art deco architecture, drag queens busking out the front of bars, other pubs populated by people singing and dancing on the bars, and lots and lots of people rollerblading around wearing minimal clothing. Also, strangely enough, the beach itself had big sections where there was only a couple of inches of sand with concrete slabs underneath. Having gauged the lie of the land we bought beers and headed back to the hostel to play cards and start drinking.
We did this for a couple of hours and chatted to a bunch of random people in the hostel, most of whom seemed to be either Scandinavian or Australian. Whilst the rest of us were being sociable, Dr Wonderboy was working on his image. Deciding that Miami was the perfect place to show his intimidating side, he retired to our dorm room and using our recently purchased ditrcheap Vodka as an antiseptic and ice to prevent bloodflow, proceed to pierce his ear. The result was a sparkling success – he now looked much more “threatening” and somewhat less friendly. This achieved, we headed out on the town
It was an odd sort of a night. We went to a number of different bars, got offered copious amounts of drugs, Cleland managed to sneak into South Beach’s swankiest nightclub without waiting in line or paying a cent, Wonders and I played Connect 4 (literally – I’m talking about the boardgame) at about 2 in the morning at a nightclub and we all had massive slices of delicious pizza on the way home. We all eventually made it home, at some point between 3 and 5:30 and turned in for the evening – saving ourselves somewhat for New Years the next night.
Over and out
Jez
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