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nelson mandela bay's family lifestyle
author:
manie & carin steyn
a different kind of nett worth
photography:
manie & carin steyn
issue:
8, summer 2008
For different people “nett worth” has a different meaning. Shortly before our most recent trip, we had a discussion about this, with a group of friends, at a restaurant. One friend is convinced that “nett worth” only refers to the value of your bank balance. Another is certain that it is directly related to your position in life. For Carin it is definitely the many fond memories experienced during the holiday trips we enjoyed together over the past eight years of our marriage. For both of us, this “nett worth” increased in leaps and bounds during our September trip – our destination was Florida in the United States and we had the privilege of very special companions. We've had several previous trips to Disneyworld, but this was the first one we would enjoy in the company of our grandchildren. We talked about the trip for months and as usual Carin did all the research and planned every detail with extreme precision. Carla (our daughter), Tara and Krissie (our grandchildren) were very excited and Jackie made peace with the fact that the children will have to return with Oupa, Nanna and Carla while they stay on a week longer to visit Miami, Florida Keys and New York. It was Carla's third trip to Disneyworld and Ettiene (our son) jokingly referred to her as the “international traveler” whenever she tried, in her own particular fashion, to explain what they could expect from this trip. Carin and I left early. We traveled from Port Elizabeth via Johannesburg via New York heading to Miami, Florida where we spent seven days touring and experiencing the atmosphere and sunny weather of Florida. After sightseeing in and around Miami for four days, we were on route via road to the most southern point in the USA, Key West. On our return route, we traveled via the Florida Turnpike, from Key West via Palm Beach to Orlando where we met Ettiene, Jackie, Carla and our grandchildren, ready for the fun-filled visits to the amusement and water parks around Orlando. Spending time with our children and grandchildren is a tremendous highlight in our lives. We anticipated that this holiday would be no exception. After all, you can go to many places and experience many things, but it is in the sharing of it, that the value is to be found. No matter how much you plan, time for departure always arrives sooner than you anticipated, with lots of unfinished business that will have to wait until you get back. Carin and I arrived at the Johannesburg airport, only to be told that we needed to produce, as identification, the credit card we used as payment for our e-tickets. Immediately there was tension in the air, when we discovered we left that particular credit card in the safe, at home. After frantic telephone calls, we made the flight by the narrowest of margins. This trip is not for the faint-hearted, but the improved entertainment system on the airbus makes it bearable. We landed in New York, cleared immigration and took an internal flight to Miami. The cab took us to our hotel on South Beach and we were pleasantly surprised by the expansiveness of the developed beachfront area of Miami. We stayed at the Palms Hotel on Collins Street, the road that runs parallel with the beach front. The length of this particular street is lined with accommodation that suits the pocket of all income groups. Everybody told us to visit the famous Lincoln Road. This area was revamped with sidewalk cafes, restaurants, clothing and memorabilia shops. It is a hive of activity in the evenings, with all the restaurants serving international cuisine. We enjoyed a stunning meal at a restaurant serving a mixture of Japanese and Thai Food. Site seeing in Miami consists of visits to the famous Art Deco districts, walks along Ocean Road, a city tour with visits to little Havana (the Cuban district of Miami), Bayside Marina with lots of shops and restaurants, a bay cruise and visits to the houses of the rich and famous, alongside the canals. We collected our rental car on the Monday, for our southbound journey along the Highway M1 (also known as Overseas Highway) to the keys with our final destination being Key West. Our journey stretched over 240 miles and as we were leaving the greater Miami area the traffic on the highway was getting less congested. The travel along the overseas highway is a pleasant experience with plenty of boating shops and leisure activities. The various Keys (islands) are coupled together with the main highway and at one point the distance between two Keys are seven miles, hence the name “the seven mile highway”. The Keys are directly in the path of frequent hurricanes and some roads are clearly marked as evacuation paths – not very soothing to see if your only reference to hurricanes is the Hollywood versions you've experienced in movie houses. We finally arrived in Key West, which is the largest and most southern island of all the Keys. We stayed in a quaint hotel in the old part of town and were one minute away from Duvall Street. This is where all the activities are happening during the day and especially the evenings, with various restaurants and bars to choose from. Our mode of transportation for our site seeing expeditions were rented bicycles. The mood in Key West is relaxed and very similar to that which you will find in the Caribbean during summer. We visited all the activities on the island, ate Conch and other local cuisine in the different restaurants. We did shopping along Duvall Street. Key West is known as the Conch Republic and it took Carin and me quite a while to discover that a conch is a shellfish, found in the waters around the island. Fishing and boating are popular island activities and rental options are available all over the place. The fisherman catch large tarpons and bonefish in the flats and game fish are in abundance in the deeper waters at the drop off. Key West is situated between the Gulf of Mexico, on the one side, and the Atlantic Ocean on the other side. There is magnificent fish and sea life in these waters. It is also the home of San Jose, the host of the “Spanish Fly”, which is a regular fishing program on ESPN. The favorite pastime in Key West is fishing and boating, where the tourist can enjoy a laid back atmosphere. You can mingle dressed in a basic surfer's uniform (swimsuit, t-shirt and sandals) and enjoy divine seafood and international cuisine. Our time in Key West came to an end, sooner than we wanted and should the opportunity come our way, we will definitely return - this place fits my style. After the week on our own, there was a sense of anticipation to meet Ettiene, Jackie, Carla and the grandchildren in Orlando. We spent a night in Palm Beach, on our return journey. Palm Beach has a warmer climate, and is the place where the rich and famous escape to, during the colder winter months. We stayed in the Chesterfield Hotel which is owned by a South African that has extended property interests in London, as well as being the owner of the Twelve Apostles in Cape Town. We enjoyed a delightful supper in their restaurant that provides entertainment and an atmosphere that reminds of the nineteen forties. Our six hundred mile journey between Key West and Orlando went down without a hitch. We met the family at Orlando International Airport and there was an excitement in the air that has become synonymous with all our family holidays. It is difficult to explain – perhaps the best way will be to say that it is a feeling of completeness with the hope that this must never end. We checked in at the Orange Resort and Country Club, which was our base for the following fourteen days. The magnitude and size of developments in the USA never seizes to amaze me! The Orange Resort and Country Club is four resorts in one and comprises of two thousand three hundred units, three golf courses, a water park, 6 swimming pools and several restaurants. It is also conveniently situated in close proximity to restaurants, shopping malls and most importantly the entrance to Disneyworld. Visits to theme parks such as SeaWorld, Universal Studios and Busch Gardens needs careful planning. Apart from the hustle and bustle of the theme parks, water parks and enjoyment of resort activities, you can also plan day trips to Cape Canaveral, the Everglades, shopping malls and the Florida Keys. Our focus was however set on the theme and water parks of Disneyworld. You should not see Disneyworld as a single place. Rather it is a collection of marvelous and wondrous entertainment. The Magic Kingdom, Epcot Centre, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom – these are but a few. There is also Universal studios and Island of Adventure, part of the Universal Studio-group. All theme parks have attractions that cater for different age groups. You will be amazed by the attention to detail and the vastness of these entertainment parks. Every theme park has their own highlights and to experience the totality of a single park per day you have to ensure that you are there at opening time in the morning and be prepared for lots of walking! Our itinerary included visits to the water parks every alternate day. These provide a very relaxing atmosphere, especially after a previous day's tiresome visit to a theme park. Blizzard Beach is the top rated water park of Disneyworld, with the older Typhoon Lagoon being popular for its giant waves, in its artificial sea. However the newest and most modern water park in the area is Aquatica which is part of the SeaWorld group. The slides provided the children, and equally the adults, with many thrills and everybody was in a true holiday spirit. The roller coasters provided the ultimate thrill. Carla is definitely the roller coaster maniac of our family! Jackie was hesitant initially, but joined Carla with great enthusiasm, later on. The surprise of this trip was that Carin overcame her fear of many years and joined Carla in every ride. Ettiene also overcame his fears, but Sheikra at Busch Gardens was one too many for him! Our rating for the most awesome roller coaster rides in the various parks is as follows; Sheikra at Busch Gardens, Kraken at SeaWorld, Hulk at Adventure Island at Universal Studios, Dueling Dragons also at Adventure Island at Universal Studios, Monto at Busch Gardens, Rock and Roll roller coaster at Hollywood Studios, Kumba at Busch Gardens and Space mountain at Magic Kingdom. All the other coasters are very much of the same spice. On a trip such as this there are numerous highlights and it would be impossible to describe on a few pages. In fact, we cannot do more than tease you, so that perhaps you will take your own family on a trip such as this one. Two weeks fly by in this environment, with never a dull moment and too many activities to mention. A few that should not be missed, should you be restricted by time, is a visit to SeaWorld that features the Shamu killer whale show, Magic Kingdom for the children, Aquatica Water Park and the roller coasters of Busch Gardens. A holiday experience is a combination of the destination you visit, the activities you experience and the people you enjoy it with. On this trip our combination was unsurpassable and I discovered a new meaning for my life in being a grandfather, father and husband. Bon Voyage till next time!
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