Winter Fun in the Florida Sun
January 28, 2014
Early morning on my first day in Florida, my family and I set off to Discovery Cove, a resort connected to the Sea World Theme Park. As a lover of any activity related to water, I was ecstatic to go snorkeling at the beautiful getaway retreat. With my goggles continually fogging up, I had to learn to breathe through my mouth the hard way. The trick is to slightly bite onto the mouthpiece! The water in the cove was heated and the underwater tunnels led to deep caves, coral reefs, waterfalls, and even lagoons with unique tropical animals in their simulated habitats. I was able to glide through the water, swim with brightly colored fish, and even come face-to-face with live sharks behind a glass divider. Not only did the resort include bird aviaries where visitors could feed the animals, but it also offered a full day of relaxation with complimentary snacks, cocktail, as well as continental breakfast and lunch.
This was the day I had been waiting for. I would finally be able to check off a top item on my “Must-do-before-I-die List.” Before break began, I signed up for a group session at the Orlando Sea World Resort. The trainer guided us through instructions, emphasizing how dolphins hate being petted close to the eyes since it irritates their sight. The human-dolphin interactions included: petting, hugging, high-fiving, clapping, waving, belly-rubbing, and kissing. I was surprised to find that dolphins have very velvet-like skin that is not slimy whatsoever. They always look excited and energetic; even the dolphin that I met, who was 54 years old, seemed to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed(not that he had a tail, but you get the picture). When I clapped, he would do the same and then splash me with cold water. When I waved, he would jump and then wave back. The most astonishing part of the time I spent with Harold, however, was when he pulled me from the deep end of the water back to the shore. Holding onto his back and left flipper, I was suddenly effortlessly gliding on the water as he swam at full speed.
The moment I walked through the bridge connecting Jurassic Park and the Harry Potter Wizarding World, I could smell the butterbeer scent in the air. The drink itself, well, imagine creamy butterscotch and vanilla soda in a fluffy and frothy mixture. Besides the well-known butterbeer wagons that were scattered in the Wizarding arena, the theme park also had multiple gift shops, designed and decorated just like the ones in the Harry Potter movies. In the boutiques, you could get yourself a genuine Hogwarts uniform or discover the wand that’s just right for you. There were also many sights to see in the area, such the “Book of Monsters” all caged and locked up, the flying broomsticks on display, and the vividly reproduced Hogwarts train. It was the stone sidewalks and the snow-covered rooftops that did it for me, as “I can’t believe I’m actually in Diagon Alley!” kept running through my head. In the spur of the moment, after getting my first wand and messenger owl, I felt as though I had suddenly transformed into Hermione Granger. For all the Harry Potter fans out there, the Wizarding World is the perfect place to satiate your Harry Potter withdrawals.
The start of the water sport adventures. Day 4 was for boating. In my hot, red speed boat on the Tampa Bay, I felt oh-so-free drifting through the waves at 80 mph. Having received my drivers license already, the feeling of steering my own boat out on the wide body of water felt even more liberating than being on the road. The exhilarating rush of adrenaline that rushed through my veins every time I yanked the nozzle down and felt the head of the boat rise was unbelievable. The engine would churn each time I did so, causing the back of the boat to sink while the front rose until it got difficult to see the water in front of me. It’s exciting and yet scary at the same time, since it felt like there was a possibility of falling out of the boat, although it’s actually quite hard to do so. Later in the afternoon, after all of that Fast & Furious action, I decided to tone it down a bit by just relaxing at Omni Resort’s 850-foot Lazy River. The long swimming pool wound left and right and wasn’t very deep; the one I drifted in had tunnels and gentle rapids too. Some days, we all need a breather. Floating on Lazy River is definitely the perfect place to reflect.
I’ve always wanted to know what flying feels like, so parasailing was the next best thing. The crew members first strapped me into this swing-like seat fastened by a parachute. Then, as the they started pulling me along, they slowly released the string. I felt myself floating higher and higher until my legs started to feel a bit tingly and numb. Parasailing made me feel like I was floating on a cloud. During those serene moments, time stopped for a moment, and I was able to just breathe and take in the beautiful landscape. Afterwards, we ate lunch and went airboating, which is the main method of traveling through gator swamps. We were looking for alligators, pelicans, turtles, and any animals lurking around in the murky water. Airboating is, in some ways, similar to speed boating. There’s that same feeling of flight and speed — the only difference is that in speed boating, you steer your own boat and in airboating, you simply ride and feel the cool breeze and light splashes.
