Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Gatoring in Orlando
Orlando, Florida is the last section of my month long away trip. As I mentioned before, I was there for the Athletic Business conference and expo. I seem to be bringing the cold weather with me because everyday except for today was a bit chilly (high in mid-60's) comparing to reported 80's in the previous week. Apparently, there was an hurricane (epsilon) out on the Atlantic Ocean near Florida; just my luck. Fortunately, it wasn't raining or super windy. Anyway, the expo went really well for me because I have significantly more sales leads than my last expo in Chicago. Maybe my posters helped (I should have taken a photo of the booth...), but then again it could have been a better-fit crowd. On another note, I got to meet Julie Faust, an ex-pro female soccer champion for the USA team (Picture above).
Work aside, I visited Universal City Walk and Gatorland. The City Walk was pretty, but was a disappointment because there wasn't that many stores and live entertainment to keep everyone happy. Gatorland, on the other hand, was a lot more interesting. I got to see alligators, crocodiles, cranes, Florida vultures, turtles, snakes, and various other critters in a clean and pleasant setting that is kids friendly. I really wanted to visit the Everglades, but I realized its too far away for the amount of time I have. So Gatorland's swamp walk was a close next best thing because it's the headwaters of the Everglades. I really enjoyed myself there, but I kept wondering if such an attraction is good for the animals and the environment. I guess it couldn't be too bad because at least the swamp was preserved and not drained.All these travels have been great, but I really look forward to go back home in Tucson.
Left: a small egret that is very accustomed to human presence; I was about 4 feet away when I took this photo.Right: Kids wrestling a small alligator, for $10 each, photos not included.
