This was my first time visiting the US. I didn't do a lot of research nor did I plan my trip well. I wanted to experience things as they were. Here's me just sharing what I learnt from my trip.
I travelled to Florida in the last week of January to the first week of February, which was a good 2 weeks. This was actually peak winter period in US. However, the weather in Florida is very similar to that of any city in the tropics. It was quite warm and it doesn't snow in Florida like it does in other states (maybe once in a blue moon). Bringing a couple of thick jackets should be more than enough. But when it rains, the temperature drops quickly and it get quite chilly. Then it feels like the winters in Delhi. No snow, but it just feels bone cold.
Things to keep in mind before travelling to the US is to study the immigration norms and regulations especially if your are an international citizen. Depending on your nationality, there might be certain things that you would need produce on arrival, or forms that you should fill before leaving for the US. It's always better to do this part thoroughly for a smooth travel and peaceful immigration process.
When doing my research about different activities I could do, I learnt that Florida is not that well connected when it comes to public transportation. Unlike New York, where the subway can take you literally anywhere, in Florida, you got to drive everywhere. If you don't have a car, then it becomes quite inconvenient. Dad and I decided to rent a car, and it was one of the best decisions we made.
Having travelled to a fair share of countries, I have seen different kind of immigration procedures, but the US was by far one of the most uncomfortable immigration experiences I've dealt with. Not just me, but the majority of the European passengers I travelled with will agree with me. It took a whopping 3.5 hours for us to leave the airport after landing. We missed dinner. Next time, I would recommend bringing a good book or downloading a documentary so that you're doing something worthwhile when waiting to clear the immigration.
Florida and Best Places I Visited there
Southern Hill Farm Florida
Had I not known someone in Florida, I would have completely missed out on this experience. We visited Southern Hill Farm to go strawberry picking! Having never done this before, and it was so fun! We picked an entire crate just filled with strawberries. They also had a sunflower field that I visited. The farm had a blueberry and peach orchard. However, both were yet to blossom as it wasn't the season for them. Check out this YouTube video of my Strawberry picking experience.
Here are some bonus pictures!
Clearwater Beach
We decided to drive down to clearwater beach. The drive was almost a good 2-3 hours away depending on traffic. Sometimes if there is an accident on the highway, that could easily be 45-50 minutes of delay. So just check the maps to see if there's traffic along the way.
First, we visited the clearwater aquarium. As someone who loves the ocean, I had to drag my dad to come see the aquarium with me. The aquarium helped to rehabilitate dolphins and other marine aniamls that could not longer survive in the wild due to different reason. This dolphin below was blind in one eye and would have died if not for the efforts of the aquarium.
I'm someone who strongly believes that wild animal should not be in captivity. If they are for whatsoever reasons, their environment should at least mimic their natural environment as accurately as possible. It was really difficult to see this dolphin in a huge tank, but I guess that's the world we live in.
After this, we headed down to the beach to grab lunch. I was told that the seafood tacos are a must try in Florida and it truly exceeded my expectations. It was absolutely delicious! Please try if you visit any beach in Florida. The locals will always tell you what's best, so just trust them. After, a good break we headed to the beach to do some fun activities down there.
My dad is quite fond of seagulls. I remember feeding them prawn crackers as a kid when we were travelled to Japan years ago. But in the US, seagulls are seen as nothing but pests stealing food and shitting everywhere. Dad decided to feed some seagulls and it was literally the cutest thing ever. A lot of kids joined us and people started filming my dad haha...
My dad really wanted to try riding their semi-electric cycles. They are a bit expensive by the way. But if you're in the US and you know you'll never be coming back again, just try it once. We rented it for 30 minutes I think. We managed to ride all around the beach and also headed downtown. Pedestrians are not a fan of cyclist, so just be careful when cycling.
Check out this YouTube video on our trip to clearwater!
Disney World
If Florida is known for anything, it is the whole Disney Franchise - Disney Magic Kingdom, Disney Animal Kingdom, Disney Hollywood and Disney EPCOT. They are 4 totally different theme parks. I decided to visit all of them in a day. Literally, such a bad idea, as it will take you an entire day to see just one theme park. I managed to see Disney Magic Kingdom and bits of Disney Hollywood. But after that figured that I'm done with the theme parks. In Magic Kingdom, most of the rides here were for kids. Only very few are for adults. Disney Hollywood was quite nice as it was a mix of experiences. But I figured I'm more Universal Studios than Disney when it comes to the theme parks. But yes, you should definitely go at least once in your life and experience the Disney magic!
Check out this YouTube video on everything I did in Disney World Magic Kingdom!
Kayaking at Rock Springs
So this was actually my first time kayaking and boy was it difficult. I decided to try out this activity as the water in the spring was crystal clear. Locals suggested that spring was the best time to kayak as the weather is very beautiful and a lot of wildlife can be spotted. Sadly, manatees had headed a different direction cause of spring so I couldn't spot any. We kayaked 2km upstream and then came the same way downstream. I kept getting stuck along the curves and caught in multiple bushes as it was a bit difficult to get the hang of it. But once I did, it was really fun!
Check out this YouTube video on my kayaking experience at Rock Springs!
Regular shopping at them malls
A trip isn't complete until you have visited at least one shopping mall. Things in general were really expensive in the US so I tried to thrift most of the clothing I wanted to buy. Also I didn't know that prom dresses were a big thing in the US. I visited so many stores that had huge sections of prom dresses in so many different colours. Tried some out cause but as usual didn't buy any.
And that's basically it! It was a short and sweet trip. I not really sure if I'll ever come back to the US again. But let's see, you never know where life takes you..
Oh how did I miss it.. This is everything I ate in the US. Check this video out and let me know what ya think.
Bye!
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