In My Way...Charm: Planes...Trains...Ships and Vans...oh and Busses too...part 2

Hello and welcome to part 2

We spent 2 nights in Miami...

my thoughts on Miami are that it reminded me a little of being in Durban...

I also felt a deep sense of pride in South Africa...this feeling caught me totally by surprise...
i found myself thinking 'we really can hold our own in the world arena...
we have everything the world has... we r not less than...'

also a profound sadness...made my heart ache...literally...a pain in my chest...
a sadness for how South Africa is always seemingly at risk of tumbling over the edge and into the abyss...
we have everything to lose ... Heaven help us ...

We spent our time shopping at and strolling around the Bay Side Market Place...

which overlooks the Marina ...

and we took a VERY entertaining bus tour of Miami's striking Art Deco District and surrounding areas including the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables,

Little Havana where only adults could enjoy a free shot of very strong Cuban coffee which i absolutely couldn't drink... , we also drove through Coconut Grove where our guide informed us there had been NO crime in the past 30 years...fact or fiction...i am not sure but it sounds great hey :)

and included in the bus tour was a water tour of Biscayne Bay....where we got a good look at the mansions of the rich and famous on Star Island which is an artificial or man made island ...all this cost $60 for the 5 of us...

It was all so brand new... exciting and interesting all at once...

but it has to be said...i most definitely didn't have a chance to totally absorb all that was happening around me because i was mothering my kids and busy being distracted by Bradley...not that i would have it any other way...in fact i wouldn't have done it at all if they couldn't have accompanied us !

Things that struck me as funny or strange or both were...

*At the restaurants at the Bay Side Market Place food could be seen all plated up but not for sale...

like a visual advert of what was on offer in place of a menu...

*The portion sizes were HUGE...and the prices were fair...as far as the dollar goes...

*The day we got on the bus for the tour...my Mom goes and sits near the bus driver... right in front of the large windscreen and i thought "oh my God!!!???!!!???" [sorry] but it really was a decision on her part that i just COULDN'T understand for the life of me...my Mom is an EXTREMELY nervous passenger...and i thought 'oh crap'...here we go...Mom's gonna freak out here on this bus in Miami today...lol...

but she was ok...go figure!?!

*On our last morning in the Holiday Inn the staff in the dining room tried to oooh and ahhh over Bradley and sent him running [as fast as an 18 month old can run anyway] back into my arms lol it was FUNNY they were loud and were waving their arms around wildly and he was just hysterical about it...lol

*I also threw my very own hormonal temper tantrum when we were not allowed to sit near the water and have our drinks because we were not eating a meal...in other words we only ordered drinks and were then asked to move...stinks! and we spent our dollars somewhere else...later my Mom commented a little shocked that i was being 'very aggressive' lol in my defence... i was under a little bit of strain if u don't mind :)

*On this same day the 2 older Dads got lost/separated from us and almost caused us to miss our bus tour which we had paid for already ...that was fun exciting stuff i must say... and as i was still feeling 'aggressive' had had a few words to say about that too...lol

*When i think back i am flabbergasted that we drove down the famous Ocean Drive running parallel to the just as famous Miami South Beach...which we never did see or visit :( we really want to remedy that ... but at the time there just wasn't enough time ...

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