It's hot..... Damn HOT!

Hmmmm
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Orlando Florida.... the home of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and the afternoon thunderstorm.

Orlando reminded me of the Gold Coast minus a long stretch of beach. It is hot, muggy and full of tourists. Being the big kid that I am I couldn't leave the US without a visit to see Mickey and the closest place was Walt Disney World Resort and when they say world they mean it. The piece of land that the resort once occupied equated to just on 2 times the size of Manhattan island and this is clear as you enter the park. They have there own freeway, mass transit system and more rides an attractions than any other place in the world. These guys do everything right.... after all it is the most magical place on earth... or so they say. If you do visit, one of the best rides I went on was the Mission Space. With 2 options, the extreme ride or the more milder version, we opted for the original and more extreme version of the ride. It simulates a shuttle launch and actually spins you in a centrifuge and you can feel the G-force as you blast off. Apparently they had to create a milder version of the ride and place warnings everywhere after 2 people had actually died after riding (not sure how true that is but that is the rumor)

the home of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and the afternoon thunderstorm

Is that beer or Lucozade?
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Apart from the Disney Resort we also went to Universal Studios where we were introduced on the way home to the harsh Florida weather. We had just finished up a day at the park and started to walk back to our hotel some 2 kms away when the weather rolled in. We could see the clouds before we left but didn't anticipate just how bad it was actually going to be. The wind and rain were that strong that we were almost blown away and this is no exaggeration... we attempted to run but were forced back by the wind. At about the halfway mark of our journey home we had to take shelter in a restaurant on the side of the ride. We looked like we had just jumped into the sea with all our clothes on. Our shoes were full of water and took days to dry, as did my backpack which was not as water proof as I first thought. Once again fun times had by all.

It's a Magical place where dreams come true!
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Orlando is a great place to take the kids, even the big ones, but it is expensive and probably somewhere that I would not go back to in a hurry.