Pit Stop: Orlando

I didn’t get much, if any, sleep the night before heading down to Orlando. I always experience a bit of anxiety when packing for a trip. I’ll end up making 2-3 check lists and then have Karl review everything with me until I get to a point where I feel my preparations are good enough. OCD much?

Mario and Sharon arrived at my place to pick me up around 8:30 AM and then we headed to Hardees in Oxford to pick up Betty. I hadn’t met Sharon or Betty before so I was a bit apprehensive. I would be rooming with them during the entire trip so I was thankful that we all seemed compatible after meeting. I popped into Hardees and bought some grits but they were awful. I couldn’t bring myself to eat more than my initial bite before passing out in the back of the van. I woke up a lot because it was crazy bumpy. Every time I woke up I heard Betty and Sharon chatting away up front. It’s kind of fun to listen to people getting carried away with conversation but I was tired so I did my own thing in the back and did my best to sleep as much as possible.

We stopped at a Cracker Barrel in Tifton GA around 1:30pm for lunch. I must of still been really tired because I forgot to photograph my food. lol. I think I ordered chicken and dumplings with turnip greens but I’m not really sure. It was good comfort food that helped me pass back out in the van.

We stopped at a few rest areas and Welcome Centers, including a really neat Florida Citrus Center that had a lot of cool craft items such as carved coconuts and shell mobiles. I wanted to stop back by on the way home and buy something but I had spent most of my money and was out of it on the way home.

Arrived in Orlando

We arrived at the Fountains around 7 pm and checked in. The Fountains is a BlueGreen timeshare resort. Karl and I stayed at it about a year ago with our family and it was really nice. It’s a huge resort complex with several elaborate pools and several other neat things to do on the premises. A great place to kill a day or two before heading to Miami and Cuba. I lucked out and got the master suite for myself which included a seriously awesome walk in shower and jetted tub. Score!

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We all headed out to dinner around 8 pm. Mario and I managed to convince Sharon and Betty to give an Asian restaurant called Shabu Shabu World Noodle + Pho a try. The interior design was gorgeous, the atmosphere was fun, but the food was underwhelming. I ordered Summer Rolls and Ramen Tonkotsu Chashu Pork. They were both okay but not something I’d order again. A bit bland and the texture was mediocre. The only thing I would recommend is the dessert I ordered to-go: Thai Grandma Ice Cream, coconut ice cream served with sticky rice and topped with peanuts. It was very yummy.

We stopped at a Walgreen’s so I could pick up some Vaseline for my poor cracked heels, and then we stopped by a supermarket where we picked up some food for breakfast and snacks. I also found a few neat beverages I’d never seen before. I love trying new things!