Planning my vacation , I decided to travel to 2 states I’ve never visited so I can add to my collection of traveled states in the U.S .
Los Angeles, California was top priority. Choosing the second state was a huge brain task for me….Orlando, Florida came to mind quickly. Yes, I have been to Florida, but not Orlando.
On arrival at MCO international airport, Orlando, I was not as excited as I thought I would be. I had a long flight from Los Angeles, and the car rental agency tried to give me grief with the extra hidden charges.
I immediately drove straight to my hotel in downtown Orlando. I still needed something to brighten my mood. My close friend who was equally on the trip arrived Orlando from Maryland and indeed the “two Marylanders” started the city tour.
Food was number one on our mind. Staying downtown was a huge advantage, but then we still needed Google’s help with a nice restaurant to eat. Bam, we found a seafood restaurant with great reviews and decided to visit. King Cajun Crawfish had amazing New Orleans style seafood…Perfect for my Naija and African people who love spicy food.
Next stop was the Florida Mall. It was beautiful with a lot of outlet stores. I had to take care of my impulse buying craving and didn’t buy a lot.
We visited the Wonder Works building which was built upside down;looking more like a building that was turned over. An amazing sight to behold.
A trip to Orlando,Florida will not be complete without visiting Disney World,Universal Studios and Island of Adventure. We had tickets to Universal Studios and Island of Adventure, however we decided to leave it till the next day, so a full day will be dedicated to both places. …It was indeed a wise decision…. Do NOT go there if you intend to spend only an hour or two…. There’s so much to do, and in some places , a long wait .
We decided to go on the barge; a ride in a make shift water slide. The line was a long, but we only had to wait for about 20 minutes before it was our turn to get on the round boat-like ride. One advice, put away your valuables ,because they will get WET!! The ride was exciting ,and lasted for about 10 minutes. Of course, we all came out drenched.
Next stop was the famous roller-coaster… Yes, if you are impatient, scared of height, pregnant, dealing with panic attacks, you may want to avoid this part of the fun. However, if you can handle it, go for it!!
Let me start with the fact that I was asked to go and put all valuables, of course inclusive of my phone in a locker…That was the number one frustration I encountered. After doing that, I had to join the line again, and it was indeed a long wait which lasted almost 2 hours.
Eventually we made it to the roller-coaster… The security attendants made sure everyone had their seat belts and safety helmets on, then we were good to go! As frightening as the ride was, it was very interesting as I enjoyed every bit of it.
I took a tour round Universal Studios. At this time, I had zero patience for any more rides..I was exhausted !!!
Eventually I went to the parking lot, and of course it took me about 20 minutes to locate my rental car. One advice,always take a picture of the spot you parked, if it’s in a huge parking garage.
I found the rental car ,and drove back to my hotel room.
The next day I flew back to Maryland and went back to work…
How would I describe my trip to Orlando in one word?…. Amazing!!!
By Nkem.
This is my home right now.
This is correct!