#anyway I had a lot of fun today and I really like the rainforest cafe now so yeah

[type-a-nomad]

weekend feb 25

February 25 Sunday

Alright so this weekend has been crazy lazy.  Before I get into my lethargy and the justification for it, I want to address some of the information I forget to include in my general posts.  

One thing I keep forgetting to write down: THEY DONT USE TAPE HERE. My friend Sydney just came over and saw me writing and asked if I had written this down because she pointed this out last week and I totally freaked out.  Because THEY DONT.  It sounds small, but imagine if all of the tape in your life vanished.  WEIRD.  Super fûcking weird.  Instead of tape, they use this sticky white ticky-tac stuff to stick things to the walls.  Tape is better.   Another thing I forgot to write down: I extended and am now staying here until April 14th.  Yay! I came to this decision because the work here is meaningful, and the quality of life is high because I’m by the beach, the people are generally good, it’s a different culture that challenges me, and I am meeting new people almost every day because it’s a hostel so everyone comes and leaves at different times. ANOTHER THING. I talked to Shannon about what the crazy lady screamed at us on Thursday.  It turns out it wasn't all crazy.  The crazy woman mentioned people dying.  When I followed up, she was right.  I did not get a year for when this happened, but probably within the last five years, Shannon said that eight volunteers were walking in the street in the evening.  A drunk driver hit all of them.  Shannon was the first on the scene and one of the volunteers died in her arms.  Two others were in comas for several weeks, and all the others were injured but survived.  I did not press her further on the subject because, obviously, this is beyond a delicate topic.  I can’t imagine the kind of emotional experience that was for Shannon.  Also, she’s an amazing woman.   Shannon is only 28 and basically runs the volunteer program.  She has three adopted kids who she adopted WHEN SHE WAS 24.  Their mother was an alcoholic and a drug addict and I am not sure how Shannon was initially connected with them, but I think she met them all through the volunteer program and eventually interceded.  She is very connected to some of the families of the kids in the program, which I think is a great thing because we meet some resistance from the families sometimes and more communication helps.  It is easy to say that it’s crazy for families to be against their children being tutored, given attention, taught to swim, taken out to play organized sports, and taught to surf.  However, there’s more to the situation.  When you keep in mind the poverty these kids live in and the relatively luxurious lives the volunteers have just because we have couches, a fridge, running water, etc. I completely see why there would be resentment from somebody of that background playing with your kid after school.  Also, I’m sure there is some feeling of resistance against the idea of your kid being a charity case that rich white people use to feel like they're doing good things.  Some of the parents outright tell their kids they aren't allowed to go after school and play with us, that they want them to clean the house and babysit their siblings while their parents finish work.  These kids still come and sometimes they will mention “My mom told me I can’t be here, if she finds out….” and you can just tell that if the parents find out their child came to the program, they might face physical punishment.  That’s how much this program means to the kids.  And that’s how much somebody else offering privileges to your child that you cannot provide them upsets parents.   As for my weekend.  My weekend starts on Friday.  On Friday, it was only kind warm and I went out with Thora to the cafe we found and really like called Melissa’s.  After, I went with her to get her tattoo touched-up, which looked painful.  Then, I went surfing for about 3 hours. My ribs have been sore all weekend since.  I caught a lot of waves, but still haven't ridden any in.  I got the tiniest board and am not practiced enough to handle it.  Hopefully next time I’ll get a long board that isn't as hard to balance. That night, there was a Braai which was nice.  Coll made fantastic butternut squash with spanish and feta.  I almost always eat vegetarian here.  I went out with Thora after we had a bottle of wine with dinner and we checked out a cool bar I’ll probably go back to.   It’s called the boardhouse and it’s very beachy and very South African. Thora is trying to talk me into going vegan and I’m very morally conflicted.  I’ve been thinking a lot about global warming and how hard it is to not feel frustrated and stuck.  I want to just change everything.  I wish I had a billion dollars to buy the amazon rainforest, deploy a fleet of boats to clean the ocean, develop a way of fishing that doesn't destroy entire ecosystems, promote permaculture and make the entire mid-west quit mono cropping, change the meat industry and find more meat alternatives so people stop eating so many cows that pollute horribly, also invent electric airplanes.  I don’t know where to start.  Maybe I need to become God or something and just shake the world with my hands until everything goes back down and fixes itself, like a snow globe.  The permafrost is melting and I’m just sitting here in South Africa, so frustrated I want to scream.  On top of that I am ironically angry at people who just say they can’t do anything and its just too bad.  Like pick up a shovel and plant trees, go vegan, be a better human.  I should definitely lead by example.  I have a lot of ideas and need to start executing more.  I am eighteen and actually realizing my morals in my lifestyle is something that age isn't really an excuse for.  I know how to change things, I just want to change everything and just myself does not feel like enough.  My head is so full.  So is my heart.  

Saturday, Thora was out with this guy named Ramis that she met at a festival.  Ironically, she went to that festival the weekend she got here with that guy who stole money from her.  We decided a good tactic to get over it was to distract herself and just have fun on her vacation, and this guy was nice and interested in being friends/ knew that she was there with somebody else.  Anyways, she was out with him at this really popular food market they have in Cape Town called the Old Biscuit Mill.  I could have done things, but it was cold and rainy and I didn't feel like it.  I ended up spending most of my day laying down and just talking, reading and thinking.  The talking part was first.  I got to call my wonderful boyfriend Mitchell and we talked from 8am-2pm.  You can do the math on that one.  After sitting in bed for that long, the back of my head hurt and I took that as a sign of a level of laziness that I probably shouldn't encourage in myself.  When he went to bed, I got up and ate some pickles and talked to Coll.  Then, I went on a little walk by myself just around a few blocks to stretch my lazy legs.  I got back and made toast with hummus and feta, carrots and hummus, and then Coll was an angel and gave me this amazing pretzel bun that she had bought at a nice market on her way into work.  She loves them and got a few.  She made tomato soup for dinner that night so we got to sample it while eating the obnoxiously large soft pretzels.  YUM.  I took two of these activated charcoal pills that my friend Whitney takes every morning and says they suck toxins out of your body.  Then, I sat in the hammock and read my book.  I am currently reading “A Little History of the World”, which is absolutely fabulous.  It just summarizes everything I’ve learned in history in the past 5 years of my life.  Totally fantastically unpretentious, interesting, and to the point.  10/10, highly recommend, 5 stars on Yelp!, all that.  I can’t say I’ve ever read a book as old as it and feel like I’m talking to somebody right now. I felt kinda weird all day Saturday, but I assumed that it was because I didn't really eat while I was on the phone with Mitchell so I didn't eat until way later in the day.  We had dinner, soup and bread, at 6 ish and after I went almost straight to bed because my tummy was nauseous.  I thought I could just sleep it off.  How I was wrong.  I sat in bed for around 2 hours.  The nausea was so bad that I couldn't sleep and after the first hour I started to think I might puke but fought hard against it.  Firstly, I hate throwing up.  Secondly, the toilets are all the way across the property, and I didn't want to walk all the way over there, puke, and then go back to bed.  Turns out, that’s exactly what happened and it was even worse because I had fought against it.  I ended up running out of my bed, holding my mouth and willing myself not to puke until I got to the bathroom, walking barefoot, past all the other partying residents of my hostel, to the bathroom.  Right before I closed the door to the bathroom, I started projectile vomiting.  All over the floor, doors, wall, toilet, everything.  I spent the next 10 minutes puking and the next hour sitting in my own vomit cleaning it up.  My clothes, face, and hair were entirely covered in puke. It was a lovely experience.  I walked backed to bed covered in vomit and shame.  Then I showered and changed and drank water.  Big mistake.  I got up again and vomited all my water out into the kitchen sink and then went back to bed.   Sunday has been weird because I have been recovering from puking all day.  I dragged Thora to the mini mart to buy ramen and soup-powder to try and trick my body into eating something.  I also got vitamin water and a lemon popsicle.  I sat in bed for most of the day, made some ramen.  Had a really nice and long conversation with one of the interns here named Matt.  He is from Norway and is here with his fiancé Kaia.  We talked about psychology and mental health and the consequences of the stigma surrounding it.  He was feeling sick too so we bonded over our misery.  Today, Thora left and a new girl from New Castle, England moved in.  Her name is Dani and she plays american football.  She’s a linebacker.  She’s very VERY English.  She says “innit”, and “proper” instead of “really” or “super”, and her accent is sometimes so strong it’s hard to understand.  I think she’s nice enough but I don’t think we are going to be that close.  She isn't interested school or news or politics, which isn't the actual problem it’s more of a symptom of how our minds are different.  I need to make some friends but don’t have the energy at the moment.  I want another really cool person to just kinda pop up, like Thora.  Or maybe I won’t.  Being alone is really not that bad of a thing, I just need to stop compensating for it by using technology.  Self-improvement is an ongoing battle.  My ramen was good but I am out of food and just ate my last stuff: half a jar of pickles.  Not sure what I am going to do for dinner, probably just eat my lemon popsicle and some ginger biscuits I also got at the market.  I also hear you can make scrambled eggs in the microwave.  The stove here doesn't work so I made my powdered soup with the water-boiling tea pot thing and can only make my eggs with the microwave.  I’ve seen it done, I just don’t know how I feel about it.  I’ll probably just go to bed.  I was invited to go out to Italian food with Linda, Whitney, and Coll, but I’m not sure if I feel up to all of that.  I’m really tired *yawns*.  I just wish I had some hot pesto pasta already made and my own bed.  Tomorrow I’m going on a wine tour with Thora which will be fun.  She’s staying in Muisenberg for a week and then going back home to Sydney.  It will also probably be good to change out of the PJs I’ve been wearing for about 24 hours now, including to the mini-mart this morning.  

Peace, Q

[wonderlusting16]

Jan 14-22

Jan 14

Beach day number two. Ended up sleeping for an hour and getting up at 5 am. Oh well. Got ready and went for breakfast, then walked to the pier to catch the first boat to Mamutik Island today. Just as beautiful as the last one. Spent 8 hours here snorkelling reading tanning. Probably a bit burnt.... left on last boat st 430 and went for some dinner Hummus. Wooooopp. Then walked to a mall as it started to rain and did some shopping. I got s new blanket!!!!! MADE ME SO HAPPY. Bought a new bathroom travel kit as mine has ripped. Found this amazing store I couldn’t leave. My friends would have gone crazy there too. Then I found a bookstore, and then walked home in the rain! was kinda late so showered and bed time EXHAUSTED.

Jan 15

Today I’m flying over to the other side of the island, to sandakan. In the rain forest. Short easy flight. Long cab ride to basically middle of the rain forest, awesome cab driver, and I’m in the jungle!!!! Woooo. Got there late so ate dinner at my beautiful resort. Met some friends and we all had some beers and a fun chat. Funny awesome people all travelling alone too. Fun night !

Jan 16

Woke up early for breakfast and tagged along with new friends to the rainforest research centre. Beautiful gardens and little lakes, canopy walks high in the sky. Was super awesome. Then I walked to the orangutan centre. BEST DAY. I love animals so much and to see such rare creatures in the wild... was amazing!! Then I got to see the young ones in rehab. Funny funny guys. Wanted to see the sun bears but they closed super early????

Had some dinner then started to realize my throat is closing on me again... wtf. Bed early. Sick.

Jan 17

Woke up sick too. DAMNIT when will this end. Stayed in bed until I checked out at 1130. Said by to new friends and took a cab to the airport for a VERY long 2 days of travel.... flight back to Kota, with a 10 hour layover so decided to take a cab into town and get a tattoo. Almost forgot to get one in Malaysia so it was quick and not very thought out. Went for dinner, then back to airport for a nap on the floor. Flight at 2 am. Lucky me

Jan 18

Woke up and caught my flight to Manila Airport. Another 10 hour layover..... so I grabbed a capsule at the airport hotel to sleep for a few hours when I landed at 5 am. Which didn’t end up sleeping too much... woke up at 11 and checked out, caught next flight to caticlan. Landed and took a bus to the jetty, then ferry to Boracay Island :) then a truck cab to my hostel. Met some awesome people on the way. Finally made it to the hostel, and decided to go out. Been a while since fun happened. Decided to grab some beers and go up to the roof. Then went over to coco bar and met some people here for a wedding. We all went out. Had a really good night but probably going to regret that in the morning !!

Jan 19

Yup. Regret. Not only hungover but sick af at this point. Gone to my chest. Breathing sucks. Terrible cough sounds like I’m dying. No voice. Here we go again. Not leaving bed today. Restarting antibiotics. Went for dinner and that’s it.

Jan 20

Worse. Shit shit shit. Went to Starbucks. Had a shower. Dinner on the beach watching the fire show. That was that.

Jan 21

Thank god antibiotics starting to work. Sick of laying in bed. Spent the day at the beach. So hot. Came back to shower and grabbed a beer at the bar below my hostel. Met a guy from Sweden and went for dinner on the beach. Went to another bar for live music. Careful not too drink too much or go to bed late.

Jan 22

Okay maybe I’m a bit hungover. Went for breakfast at my favorite lactose free cafe and walked around d’Mall area. Cool place. Cough is pretty bad today. Knowing I have to get checked out in Cebu for pneumonia when I leave here.... my last full day. Basically ruined. Haven’t seen or done that much, but boracay isn’t super my style. As beautiful as it is. It is just INSANELY busy you can barely walk through the crowds anywhere. Beaches are packed. People always trying to sell you things. Wishing I went to El Nido now. But I did get lots of rest and hoping this flu or whatever it is, is leaving me quickly. Flying to Cebu tomorrow and I am super excited. Except Cebu is a place with lots to do and explore and lots of moving around to new areas and long bus rides. I need to be better or philippines was a waste of money. 15 days left guys. A small part of me is like okay maybe I do miss home. I definitely miss my friends. My family, who won’t be home for another month anyways. And of course Casey... my bed. My room. Not much else though. I love this life more then the boring routine of home life. Working to live. Living to work. Not getting anywhere. I love meeting all these amazing new people everyday. Exploring these places I never even dreamed about. Learning more than school could ever teach me. Friggen freedom. And doing it alone was the best choice I ever made.

[thegirlbeneaththesmile]

I’m proud of myself, for the first time ever I actually managed to keep a travel journal while I was away on vacation. A part of me has always wanted to be a travel blogger, or some sort of travel blogger, but I haven’t exactly gone a ton of places to do so, and definitely none that are very exotic. Nor do I travel more than once or twice a year... yeah, I would be a lousy travel blogger, but still, it would be fun. Anyways, point is, I figured I would share my travel experiences on here, just to be a little bit of a travel blogger myself. (I went to Atlantic City by the way, sorry to its residents, but I would not recommend travelling there)

Day 1: 1) The U.S. is as bad as home when it comes to summer road construction 2) All the feels. A portion of our route was the same route we took to NYC which made me really want to go back. Especially once I started seeing the signs for NYC 3) I have now seen 2 Ivy League schools: Columbia and Penn State. They’re both beautiful, but they aren’t Ryerson 4) It is in fact NOT always sunny in Philadelphia. It was actually quite cloudy when we drove through, but it’s a really pretty cit 5) Not going to lie, Atlantic City is kind of sketchy looking. Maybe it’ll just take some getting used to, but right now I’m not loving it 6) I’ve been resigned to sleeping on the pullout couch because of my cold. It’s not the most comfortable but I guess it’ll have to do 7) I look like a ghost. This sickness has made all the colour leave my body. What the heck?

Day 2:  I didn’t actually write about this day, I just wrote down an idea to consider pursuing and I’m not in the business of having that idea taken right out from under me, so moving on.

Day 3: TEEN WOLF TEEN WOLF TEEN WOLF So this is what it feels like to watch an episode of Teen Wolf live. Not going to lie, it was a bit of a lack lustre premiere, but damn, Dylan O’Brien in his FBI attire. A solid 10/10. Also Derek’s back, that’s a win. He’s wanted for mass murder, but still, Derek’s back. I’m going to miss this show. It’s ironic how it’s coming to an end as I’m starting the next chapter of my life. It’s almost like it’s signifying the end of an era. Now that’s sad.

Day 4: My God it is hot here. It’s probably the same kind of hot here that it is at home... when it’s not raining a ton that is. You’d think that there would be a bit of an ocean breeze while walking the boardwalk, but nope, it’s all just sweltering heat. Thank God for the pool and hot tub (ironic, I know). Correction: thank God for the pool and hot tub when they’re both not busy and filled with screaming kids.

Day 5: 1) Ryerson released the schedules! My schedule isn’t bad, the only downside is this really big chunk of time between my Friday classes, and the fact that my last class of the week is from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. The poor sis had to sit with me for almost an hour while I tried to figure out how to change my lab times around. If all goes according to plan on Tuesday, I should have Mondays off and be done downtown by noonish on Fridays. Overall this is getting me more pumped for school to start. 2) Something happened down at the beach. Don’t know what exactly happened, but something happened. There were a bunch of ambulances, then helicopters and a boat scanning the water. I think they were looking for someone. I’m going to keep an ear out and see if I can figure out what happened. 3) Update on the cold: the cold is almost fully gone. Now just to clear my nose and get rid of this damn cough.

Day 6: 1) If I get melanoma it’ll be on my legs. My bad habit of not putting sunscreen on is being put to an end by the mother and sister. Unfortunately my legs are already a different shade than my torso which did have sunscreen on. Hopefully I just tanned though. Mum and the sis are already pink/burnt. Thank God that doesn’t usually happen to me. 2) Yeah, so I got a bit burnt. Whoops.

Day 7: 1) Wow we are in the sketchiest area of Atlantic CIty. Brigantine, Ventnoor (?) and Ocean City are so much nicer than where we’re staying. Brigantine beach patrol is also HOT to top it off. The sis and I turned some heads too which is always a compliment. 2) Suicide Squad isn’t bad. The character development was probably the best part in my opinion. I think I’ll stick to my Marvel movies though.

Day 8: According to my family, today is my birthday, or at least it is at Rainforest Cafe. I strongly dislike being sung to at restaurants. It’s quite embarrassing. Yes, the (typically) free dessert is nice, but please spare me the singing and clapping. Especially when there’s a cute bus boy working. If tonight’s dinner extravaganza is any indication, I will forever not know what to do while people sing happy birthday to me.

Day 9: Wasaga Boy texted me, which was really out of the blue. A lot of people have been texting me like that lately. It turned a rather uneventful day into something somewhat interesting. Otherwise I would simply be writing about how in a day’s course I’ve read 75% of my new book and how Dad and I watched Rogue One again. Man, there really isn’t a lot to say about Day 9.

Day 10: Okay, so we weren’t really in New Jersey today, but it’s close enough. Philly’s a lovely city, it kind of reminds me of Montreal with the mix of the old and the new. It’s very American though, considering so much of American history happened there, but when you’re driving down the old streets lined with townhouses you start to forget. It’s days like these that remind me how much of a city girl I am, and how that’s where I feel the most at ease. Or at least in the non-sketchy parts of town. I can’t wait to be downtown everyday come September.

Day 11: Today was a lazy day. It was raining and I really didn’t want to do anything. So I didn’t. I sat and finished writing the next episode in my TV series. Then I formatted it. And then I proof read it. I’m probably going to have to proof read it again before I start writing the next episode. Either way, I’m happy because it’s progress. I forgot (or at least temporarily forgot) how much I love writing, and this show practically writes itself. It feels good to have an actual show up my sleeve. Now just to finish writing this season.

Day 12: 1) Course Selection: ☑️ Ideal Schedule: ☑️ I survived the semi-annual Ryerson Hunger Games. It was stressful as all hell, but at least it’s done now. Plus it was good practice for all those mornings I’ll be waking up at 5:00 a.m. to make it to my 8:00 a.m. classes. This definitely makes it feel more real, like it’s actually happening now. 20 days from now frosh week will begin and I’ll officially be part of the Ramily. My excitement levels could not be higher; if only my sleep deprivation didn’t mask it. 2) Finally some cute boys.They’re probably younger than I am, but who cares, I’m just glad to know that they exist in my vacation universe. That, and I have a boy anyways. 3) Passengers is a really good movie. 10/10 would recommend. For such a limited cast it was so human too. I really enjoyed it. 4) Baths are kind of overrated. At least ones without bath bombs. They’re relaxing sure, but when you think about it, unless you showered first, you’re sitting in your own filth. Which is gross.

Day 13: Even though this building doesn’t have a floor 13. 1) So some idiot thought it was a good idea to clear the smoke from their kitchen out by leaving the door to their room open so it would escape into the hallway. At 7:20 a.m. setting off an alarm for the whole building. This annoying buzzing sound plus a recording saying that an emergency has been reported and to listen for further instructions. That went on for like 10 - 15 minutes before the “All Clear” message took over... for another 10 minutes. That was exactly how I wanted to wake up. Because waking up before 8:00 two days in a row is at the top of my list. 2) Well then, cute boys really do exist here, and this time there were actually two that are the right age for me. These two boys who we’re guessing are cousins are 19 which is good for me. It was so cute to watch them playing with some little boys and goofing around with them. They were definitely the kind of eye candy I want while lounging around the pool. And of course it was pretty nice to have them checking the sis and I out. It was a good day at the pool.

Day 14: The last day is always pretty bittersweet. Sweet, because it’s a day to enjoy and make the most of. Bitter, because it means packing up and heading back to the same old same old. Usually by the time the 2 weeks is over the condo and area feel like home (okay, Atlantic City does NOT feel like home, but the condo is home-like). It’s almost as if we could actually live our lives out of the condo if we decluttered and brought all our stuff out to meet us. Am I going to miss New Jersey? Probably not. Will I want to come back to Atlantic City? Definitely not. It was nice while it lasted: the sun, the hot tub, the pool; but I think I’m actually ready to go home. Maybe it’s the anticipation building up for university. Maybe it’s the fact that I miss my people back home. Whatever the reasoning, it’s been good, but it’s time.

Day 15: A.K.A. checkout day A.K.A. my birthday (my 18th to be exact) and what better way to spend it than in my favourite city? Not only did I get to relive bits and pieces of my NYC trip, but I got to play tour guide too and stay in one of those hotels that the main character in a film stays in when they go to the city. It’s been the best birthday yet, even if the sis picks fights, even if tomorrow is going to be a mad dash. 18, has been a great one.

Day 16: Today it’s the mad race against time as the Shawn Mendes concert looms in front of us. The only thing standing in our way is the 8 hour drive and the threat of traffic, construction, and getting stuck at the border. This definitely wasn’t our best plan but it makes for an interesting journey and a fun story. After all, not many people wake up in NYC to finish with a night out in TO. This should be fun.

P.S. If you made it all the way to the end, thank you for sitting through this, you’ve got my gratitude

P.P.S. we made it to the concert, time to spare and all

- 08/15/2017

[itdisneymatter]

Day 08 - Animal Kingdom

TLDR: Animal Kingdom. The new area of Pandora is absolutely stunning, great scenery and even better rides, especially Flight Of Passage - its phenomenal. The other noteworthy attractions was The Lion King show which was simply amazing. Nice little lunch in a rainforest, well in the Rainforest Cafe, though it was wetter outside than in. Tired adults and even tireder children so home to for some much needed rest after another ride or two.

Hakuna Matata!

Today kicks off the start of Week 2, and its a real struggle to get up today, especially the kids, but thats why we have energy shots eh? :P Pick up my mum and dad and headed off to Animal Kingdom. A completely new area with a few new rides and lunch in a rainforest sounds like a pretty good day to me. We get there and go through the usual bag check by a girl called Precious <insert LOTR jokes here> and I Just Cant Wait To Be King kicks in as soon as we enter the gates.

We had some time before the first Lion King performance of the day so we went to visit the new area in Animal Kingdom: Pandora - The World of Avatar. We watched the movie recently so we're kinda clued up a little on the Na'vi and what their world looks like. We have the Na’vi River Journey Fast Passed for later so had some time to take in the beautiful sights and sounds of this place. As soon as you enter the area you see the huge floating mountains and waterfalls - it's spectacular. Although there are a few rides here, its more than just that, they’ve created an immersive world and thought of every little detail to mirror world of Avatar. Cant wait to be back and try the rides out.

So we head round to Africa next to get a good seat for The Lion King show. As soon as it starts youre drawn right it, its definitely one of the best Disney Park attractions out there. Not do they sing all of the iconic songs, but they have huge Lion King characters on floats, acrobatics, dancing, hot girls dressed as zebras dancing, fire breathing, hot girls dressed as lionesses dancing, stilt-walkers and also hot girls dressed as tigers dancing (well I think it was tigers anyway...). Seriously though it was absolutely breath-taking, one of the best and a must see if you visit here.

After we had recovered, we were set up nicely for our first Fast Pass of the day, the Kilimanjaro Safari, which was just around the corner. Standard safari fare, catching a glimpse of Eleflumps, Giraffes, Cheetahs, Rhinos and a load of other things I cant remember the name of. The lions didn't want to come out and play though, which was a little disappointing. 

I flew a Banshee and I liked it!

The rain came on then, so we put on our rain-jackets. Ten minutes later, the sun was back out and we were starting to cook, so we took our rain-jackets back off. That’s what it been like for the last few days, and its a nice break to the blistering heat at times. We had some time before our lunch reservation, so though we'd head back to Pandora and check out the first ride, Flight Of Passage. This had already come recommended and the build up to the ride through the queues and then this staging area where they did a full body scan (for the purposes of which was to link your genetics to an Avatar of course) and you could see your outline on screen as well as the other 19 peeps in the room all moving about - it was pretty cool! However the actual ride... the actual ride was another level. The ride has you linked with an Avatar riding a Banshee (a big flying dragon-y dinosaur type thing) and you fly through various landscapes including jungle, mountain and ocean. It actually feels like youre doing it, in some sort of surreal dream, the smells, the sounds and you can even feel the heartbeat of your banshee your sitting on.  I physically gasped several times during the course of it and its probably the most spectacular thing I've witnessed (when it comes to theme parks experiences). For me this is my best ride ever and knocks Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey down to second place. I will definitely be doing this again before the holidays ends. So here’s a nice segway into Patrick's Fun Fact Of The Day before we head off for lunch. I loved this ride, and according to Patrick:

When you say you love someone it may actually be an form of OCD which causes a complete obsession in other person.

Seriously, where does he get this stuff? I googled this (for reference) and it took me to several different psychology sites about relationships and emotional response. Anyway moving on, we had lunch booked at the Rainforest Cafe, which is a cafe kitted out like a rainforest. Seriously. All sorts of animals and animal noises were in there as well as a thunderstorm that passed every 15 minutes or so. It was awesome! Gracie thought the tigers were real though so I had to reassure her they were only pretend, which she then seemed a little sad about. Our server asked if we were from Scotland because my dad sounded like Sean Connery to which my mum replied she wished he looked like him! XD Lunch was ordered and as soon as they brought Ann's plate out, I realised the gravity of my mistake (don’t you just hate that though). You see, I like tacos and I really like fish tacos in particular - they're one of my favourites, so Ahi Tuna Street Tacos was an obvious choice for me. However Ann got this thing called Tastes of the Islands, which was described as follows: Caribbean Coconut Shrimp, dynamite Scallops and shrimp, blackened tilapia topped with mango salsa. The plate looked epic and it tasted amazing (Ann inst Joey - she does share food). My tuna tacos were fine an all but yeah if I were to go again I probably get this, and if I were to go again after that, I'd probably get this - it was that gooooood.

Through a valley of fear, to a river so deep...

After lunch, which included a big bowl of dirt and worms for Gracie's dessert (read crushed up oreos and gummy worms), we headed off for our next ride and the second of the new ones, Na'vi River Journey! This one was a slow boat ride with lots of magical visuals along the way. Think Small World on LSD. I am actually really interested to see what they plan to do with the next films (oh and what Massive Entertainment do with the IP). Few pics below dont do the ride justice and I can understand why both ride in Pandora have extremely long wait times.

With the on and off rain cancelling our final Fast Pass of Kali River Rapids and all of the party getting a little weary, we decided to call it a day and head home to get a good night rest. We missed about half the park, but as we’ve scheduled a second visit to Animal Kingdom (which we were hesitant about but now so glad we did), we will catch the what we missed on the return visit.

We did swing by the Liquor store to pick up some whisky, (which happened to be a nice wee bottle of Woodford Reserve), and I got ID'ed. Nothing to worry about as I now carry my driving license about with me everyone now, since the Uno incident on 2013 (see previous blog post). However my dad said he was also ID'ed earlier in the week at the same store! Hehe my dad Sean Connery getting ID'ed eh? :P No plans for dinner just our daily ritual of going to Walmart to buy trading cards and other non-essential things before heading back to the hotel to relax... and sleep... and blog.