Wonderful Vacation to Florida

One of my favorite trips was to Florida.It all started with a call from my uncle in India.He said that he was going to have a business trip to Florida in the summer.
I immediately understood that we were going to Brandon, Florida! We left on July 19, 2009. My grandmother,mom,my little sister Mithila,and I went together to Florida.My dad decided to join us on July 24,2009. I was so excited; I couldn’t wait to take that step off the plane into the hot and sunny Florida.

When I saw the apartment it looked nice.One thing I didn’t know about was the huge lake behind the apartments.I saw many cranes(bird),ducks,herons,an osprey!,laughing gulls,and my uncle says he had once seen a flamingo!!Well, I didn’t see it.It comes there rarely.I even saw my favorite animal, a pelican!!I was really happy to meet my aunt after a long time.I call my aunt Sarita Kaku.
Inside the apartment was really clean and posh.Sarita Kaku told me that my uncle, Sagar Kaka, will come from office after a while.He usually comes home by 5:00 in the evening.My aunt gave me a orange Monsters VS. Aliens balloon as a gift.I liked the movie Monsters VS. Aliens and I like orange so it was a nice gift.One thing I liked the most about the apartment is that there were many,I mean hundreds of lizards!! I like lizards a lot!!

The next day we went swimming.Then we went to the swimming pool everyday at 10;00 for one week. We also had a walk around the lake.We did little shopping at Walmart. My dad joined us at the end of that week. We had missed him a lot.My dad had rented a van for our trips.The next day the fun started especially MY fun.

Our 1st trip: Clearwater beach

It was a really nice beach.It is called Clearwater Beach because it has clear water.It is my favorite beach,now Can you guess why??Because there were pelicans!!!!

I started liking pelicans since third grade when I did a research report about them. I find them unusual and fascinating because of their pouch.

Oh, how excited I was to go to Clearwater beach. We did a lot swimming. While swimming I also saw a cormorant! I made up a game on the beach. In the game, you had to jump over the waves and there were levels you had to pass.After each level you go more into the ocean.We also went on the sunset cruise.We were hoping to see dolphins,but we didn't. There were many pelicans I saw on the
way.We had a little stop at an island for shelling.I found shells like ones that you usually find on beaches and other little conch-like shells.Since Mithila likes purple she took most of the purple-colored shells and Sarita Kaku also found plastic gold coins! Then we watched the sun set over the ocean.The sun going down the horizon made it be the most beautiful sunset I ever saw.The orange,purple,and pink mixed together looked fantastic.The reflection on the water was wonderful making it a must-see sight.I would never forget this sunset ever.That is how our day ended with a grand sunset.

Our 2nd trip: Magic Kingdom, Disney World

I was hoping it to be magical and it really was magical! We parked our car in the. Part of the Pluto section.Then we sat on a tram to the monorail station.A monorail is like train. The monorail took us to the entrance of the Magic Kingdom Park.I could already see the Magic Kingdom castle. When we started our trip at the Main Street U.S.A. Part of the park it was really hot. There was nothing much to do for ME, but Mithila met Mary Poppins. The park had six parts: Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, Mickey’s toontown fair, and Tomorrowland. We visited all the parts one by one.

In the Liberty Square, I liked the haunted mansion ride. It was mostly funny rather than scary. At the end of the ride, you see yourself sitting with a ghost in the mirror. Isn’t that funny? In Fantasyland, we enjoyed rides like ‘It’s a small world’, ‘Mad Tea Party’, ‘Cinderella’s Golden carrousel’, and ‘Mickey’s PhilarMagic: 3-D movie’. My favorite was Mickey’s PhilarMagic as I like 3-D movies. In
Adventureland, we went in the Jungle cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean. The guide in Jungle Cruise was kind of funny. We took a lunch break as the rain was already started and we were really hungry. Our lunch was already finished but the rain kept on going. We waited for a long time until finally it stopped. Then we headed to Mickey’s Toontown Fair.

In Mickey’s Toontown Fair, we did not go on any rides. I liked Mickey’s Country House. Mithila and I took photos with Minnie and Mickey. Mithila got to meet her favorite fairy, Tinkerbell. She was skipping and smiling when she came out of the Pixie Hollow (place for fairies).

In Tommorrowland, we went in Astro Orbiter and Stitch’s Great Escape. In Astro Orbiter, you sit in a rocket and fly in circles and you can adjust the height. There is also a Tomorrowland Speedway where you drive a racecar. The funny thing was my grandmother had a hard time pressing the accelerator. She stopped a little every minute. But she enjoyed it.

My favorite part of the Magic kingdom was Frontierland. The only ride we went in Frontierland was Splash Mountain. The wait time was forty minutes; but it was worth it! Splash Mountain was the best ride I have ever been on! It was my grandmother’s and my first time in a ride like this. My mother was excited too. Mithila was not allowed on this ride. So my dad had to stay with her. Everyone was little scared, especially me! Inside the mountain, there was a rabbit, bear, and fox. The bear and the fox caught the rabbit and were going to eat it, but at the end of the ride the rabbit escapes. And that’s where we fell down from 87 ft height. I hugged Sagar kaka tight when we fell. We got really soaked. The ride was awesome!

Later in the afternoon, there was a parade in front of the big castle. It was called Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade. It showed most of the characters from Disney movies. There was also a Firework Show in the night called Wishes. It was spectacular! Mithila shouted out loud when she saw Tinkerbell flew in the sky. The grand finale was the best. The Magic Kingdom is a wonderful place to visit.

Our 3rd trip: Dinosaur World

I love dinosaurs! I was hoping for the day when I will visit Dinosaur World. Finally the day came and I was really excited since morning. My grandma decided to stay home since she wasn’t that interested in dinosaurs. So four of us (mom, dad, Mithila and me) went. Dinosaur World is located in Plant City, Florida. From the freeway you can see a T-Rex peeking out of the forest. That’s how I knew that we have reached Dinosaur world. As we entered there was a Triceratops and a sign that said Welcome To Dinosaur World.As I took a step into the entrance I said to myself that I am going to have the best day of my life.

When I saw the first dinosaur, it felt like I went back in time. More than 150 life-size dinosaurs were displayed in a forest making it feel more real. There were many kinds of dinosaurs with different sizes. There were flying dinosaurs too. There were both meat eaters and plant eaters. The one that scared me most was the big and famous T-Rex. There were two of them. One of the T-Rex’s mouth was wide open on top of my head making it look like it’s going to eat me. One of the cool things about the Dinosaur World was that they displayed dinosaurs in their real life situations. Few of the situations were like group of dinosaurs attacking a large dinosaur and plant-eater dinosaur, Stegosaurus, eating the trunk of a tree. A huge leg bone of Ultrasaurus caught my eye। I kept thinking if the leg was so big how big the body is going to be. A few minutes later, I saw the ultra body of Ultrasaurus. Some of the dinosaurs like Dilophosaurus, Dromaeosaurus, and Carnotosaurus were really ferocious looking. There was information shown in front of every dinosaur. I knew all the dinosaurs, but I also learned some new information about some of them.

On the way we also did some activities. One of them was the fossil dig. In the fossil dig, there was a sand pit with real fossils under the sand. In fifteen minutes, you have to dig as many fossils as you can. In the end, you get to pick your favorite three fossils to take home. Mithila and I enjoyed it a lot, especially me because I always wanted to dig real fossils. Another activity was called the Boneyard. In the Boneyard, you have to dig the bones of a dinosaur skeleton.

At the end, you get to see which dinosaur it is. There was little area called Skeleton Garden where there were replicas of dinosaur skeletons. In a small cave, they showed how the dinosaurs were made in Dinosaur world.The dinosaurs were made out of fiberglass.On the way, there was an area where you have to touch and feel small models of dinosaurs in a closed box and guess which dinosaur it is. I guessed all of them right except one. At the end, we headed to gift shop. My dad asked Mithila and me to choose one souvenir each. I had a hard time choosing what I wanted.Finally I chose a cast of T-Rex teeth. Mithila chose the T-Rex chomp toy. We both also got souvenir pennies. We took lot of pictures. While taking the pictures with dinosaurs Mithila and I were pretending to be the dinosaurs. One picture was me and Mithila in a dinosaur’s mouth. It came out kind of funny and scary. Even if we didn’t take any pictures I would have remembered this day. I returned back with a big smile.

Our 4th trip: Seaworld

I was looking forward to go to Seaworld because I also like sea creatures.We went to many attractions.Here is a list of them:

• Did you know that flamingos arepink because they eat shrimp? Unusual, right? That is what we learnt when we went to the flamingos. The flamingos were resting their curved necks on their backs. It looked weird.
  
  
• Next, we saw Loggerhead sea turtles and they were still as a rock. And guess what? PELICANS! The Brown Pelicans were preening or grooming their feathers.
  
  
• We also touched stingrays. They felt kind of slimy.
  
  
• Next stop was the dolphin feeding at Dolphin Cove. They were so cute! Mithila and I fed them fish. Each time we dropped the fish, wherever it went, the dolphin would catch it. The dolphins always had a smile on their face. You have to do the dolphin feeding.
  
  
• We also saw a dolphin show. My grandmother and Mom sat out of the soak zone but my dad, Mithila, and I sat in the soak zone hoping to get soaked. Unluckily, we just got sprayed by water instead of getting soaked. The dolphins were acrobatic! One dolphin’s whole body and tail were in the air, but only its tail fins were underwater kicking to go forward. It was really good show.
  
  
• We saw manatees and alligators.It was my first time seeing manatees. They looked like walruses without the tusks. The alligators were quite small.
  
  
• Everyone was excited to see the Shamu show. Shamu show is the show of a world famous killer whale named Shamu.The name of the show was ‘Believe’. I never knew some whales are more acrobatic than dolphins. Before Shamu’s grand entrance, we all cheered for Shamu. Then Shamu jumped out of the water with a big splash. Then he started to splash water on the people with his tail. A man balanced himself on the tip on Shamu’s mouth! Shamu did other cool tricks. If you go to Seaworld, don’t miss the Shamu show.
  
  
• We also saw a seal show. The show’s name was Clyde and Seamore take the Pirate Island. It was so funny!! In one part of the show, a seal was putting only his fin up out of the water circling around the pirate making it look like a sharks fin (remember the movie ‘Jaws’).
  
  
• The Shark Encounter exhibit is inside an underwater –viewing tunnel. You can see sharks swimming over your head. I remember seeing sand tiger shark, leopard shark, bamboo shark,hammerhead shark, and black tip shark.
  
  
• We saw many different kinds of penguins at the penguin encounter. Penguin encounter is a home to over 200 penguins.
  
  
• The Wild Arctic felt like we really went to Arctic. I saw walruses, polar bears, and beluga whales. The polar bears were sleeping. The walruses were really big, but they could swim really well. The beluga whales were small for a whale. They looked funny with the hump on their head. After really hot day going into the cold Arctic was refreshing! I played couple of games in the game area. I won Shamu soft toy for myself and pink one for Mithila. We were very excited to show them to Sagarkaka and Sarita kaku. Anyone who likes ocean should visit Sea World.
  

Our 5th trip: IMAX movie at MOSI

We decided to take break and rest at home. Everybody was tired of walking in the hot sun for last four days. So we all woke up late in the morning and had a nice breakfast. We watched the pictures and videos of the last four trips. After lunch, we thought of going to a movie. My dad looked over the internet for a theater close by. He found a place called MOSI that had an IMAX Dome Theater. ‘Night at the museum II’ was the only show in the evening. And that’s the movie I wanted to watch.

On the way to MOSI, we saw a statue of a dinosaur made out of recycled stuff and it was called Recyclosaurus. When we reached at the MOSI, I learnt that it is Museum of Science and Industry. I was so surprised to see two dinosaur skeletons displayed in the hall. We went upstairs to the dome theater. The movie screen was large and round like a planetarium. The IMAX movie makes you feel that you really are in the movie and the sound was surrounding us. It took few minutes for my mom to get used to the screen over the head. But I was completely okay and enjoyed the movie. Mithila was asleep during the movie. In a way it was good that she was sleeping. The movie was really funny. We all enjoyed the movie with the unique dome + IMAX combination.

Our 6th trip: Busch Gardens

I thought Busch Gardens was a nice place to go to when I heard about it from Kaku and Kaka. I also found out that it is in Tampa. Our apartment was in Brandon, which is near Tampa. So it was a short ride to Busch Gardens. When we reached Busch Gardens I could already see the rides from the entrance. One ride that I saw was the Sheikra. It was a really hot day, obviously. Our plan was to do all the rides first then the other stuff.

I saw the map and decided to do the Stanly Falls and Congo River Rapids rides first. The rides were really far away from the entrance. So we took the sky ride to take us to the rides. The sky ride was over the Serengeti Plain. The Serengeti Plain had many wild animals.During the sky ride we would see most of the animals. Mithila was happy to see the animals. We landed in the section called Stanleyville. The wait time for the Stanley Falls was more than one hour! This time even Mithila could sit in the ride. It was her first time. My mom sat next to Mithila and told her to shout when we fell. The ride was like Splash Mountain ride in Magic Kingdom,Disney World. Mithila didn’t get scared at all. We bought the photograph of usfalling down.

On the way to Congo River Rapids, we enjoyed the bumper cars. In the Congo River Rapids, we got soaked a lot when we went under a small waterfall. Then we went to section called Jungala. There we met Jungala Stiltwalkers. One of them looked like a frog. Then we had fun time playing at the little water play area. We saw orangutan and white tigers too. Then we went through the section called Timbuktu to catch a train. Our plan was to catch the train to go to the safari trucks. By that time, lighting had already started. Because of the lighting all the rides and train had been shut down. I got disappointed as I was looking forward to go to the safari. Only interesting things left to do was to visit the Bird Gardens and Land of Dragons. Land of Dragons had iguanas. Bird gardens had an open space for birds to fly. I saw parakeets and cardinals. In another place we saw swans, flamingos, and peacocks. One of the peacocks was white.

After that loud lighting, the rain started pouring down. We had to abruptly end our trip. We wore raincoats and headed to the tram station. Even the tram was closed for some time. We drove back home wet. I didn’t like the way the day ended.

Our 7th trip: Animal Kingdom, Disney World

Here are the attractions we went to from my most favorites to least favorites:

1. Dino Land USA: Here we went to a ride called DINOSAUR, Cretaceous trail, Dino-Sue, TriceraTop Spin, and the Boneyard. I loved the DINOSAUR ride. The ride was indoors. You are sitting inside the machine called a Time Rover. They take you to back in time of dinosaurs. On the way you see many moving dinosaurs. Some of them looked like they are going to attack us. At the end, you see a Carnotaurus (meat eater and ferocious) opening his mouth and then you fall under it. In Dino-Sue, there is a life-size model skeleton of the T-Rex named Sue. It is the biggest and most complete dinosaur skeleton ever found. The Triceratops ride was just like the Astro Orbiter in Magic Kingdom. Sarita Kaku, Sagar kaka, my mom, and Mithila
   took this ride. The Boneyard had models of dinosaur skeletons and a little play area.
   
   
   
2. Asia: In this part of the park, we went to Maharaja Jungle Trek, Kali River rapids, and Flights of Wonder. Maharaja Jungle Trek had a Komodo dragon which I was seeing for the first time, Bengal Tigers, Fruit bats, and Tapirs. While we were in the line for Kali River rapids, we were inside a Indian temple. My grandmother knew much stuff inside and she told me all about them. The wait time was really long. The fun thing about this ride was that we all went on this ride. Flights of Wonder was a show about birds. I got excited when I saw the bald eagle. Only Sagar kaka went on a ride called Expedition Everest.
   
   
   
3. Africa: This section had Kilimanjaro safari and Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. The open-air safari vehicle made us feel like I was in Africa. We spotted giraffes, hippos, pelicans, elephants, vultures, ostriches, lions, and many more. One time we went over a bridge and the bridge leaned to one side. Then we had to balance the vehicle or we would fall (that’s what I thought).That was a scary part! In the Pangani Forest Exploration we saw gorillas and other rare African animals.
   
   
   
4. Discovery Island: The main attraction was the Tree Of Life. The tree of life was a huge tree with carvings of the animals on the trunk. The tree was magnificent. Inside the tree was a small theater showing a 3-D movie called It’s Tough to be a Bug! Mithila is always scared of bugs. I thought Mithila would not like the movie. But she only got scared when the spiders came. Otherwise she was fine. In the end, they made us feel like the bugs were crawling under our legs.
   
   
   
5. Oasis Exhibits: There were black swans, iguana, wallabies, and other birds and animals.
   
   
6. Camp Minnie Mickey: We took many pictures with Minnie, Mickey, and Donald duck. I wanted to go to DINOSAUR ride one more time. So Sagar kaka and Sarita kaku joined me. Whereas my mom, grandmother, Mithila, and dad went to a show called Festival of the Lion King. They told me that the show was really good
   
   
   

This day was the most non-tiring and fun filled day in the Florida vacation.

Our 8th trip: Sarasota Beach

This is the second beach we visited in Florida. The unusual thing about this beach was that the water was deep near the shore and if you go further in the ocean it gets shallow. Instead of walking you have to swim to go further into the ocean. Sarita kaku saw some fish near the shore. I saw lot of laughing gulls.

My grandmother was resting under umbrella and watching us play in the water.Mithila was playingtag with the waves. After playing for quite a while in the water, we started to make sand castles. My mom was making drawing on sand. Sagar kaka made a sand castle. Mithila and I helped Sagar kaka a little. Daddy was lying down on the water. As you can see we had a fun beach day!

Back to good old California

My dad and us were flying separately again just like we came to Florida. I was feeling really sad to leave Florida, kaka, and kaku. I knew I was going to miss the pelicans and lizards too. Mithila and I gave hugs and kisses to kaka, kaku and I was in tears. Then we took a cab to the airport. On the way I said many good byes to Florida. To my surprise, there were pelican statues at the airport. Our flight back to California went smoothly. I even got to watch Monsters vs. Aliens movie in the plane.

At San Francisco airport, my dad came to pick us up. Next day, our daily routine started again. I was still missing Florida. The visit to Florida was the most memorable and best vacation that I have ever been to.