EE & S Adventures

It may be coincidental that I was born during the Apollo 11 mission (mum watched Armstrong and Aldrin step on the moon from her hospital bed), but I have always had a deep fascination for space exploration and growing up I was reading whatever I could get my hands on about the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs.  So visiting Kennedy Space Centre was always going to be a highlight of the trip for me. There is a lot to see and do and one (long) day was barely enough. First stop for most is the rocket garden just inside the main entrance where a number of boosters used (or not used) in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, have been mounted together with some dummy capsules. After watching a few 3D films learning more about the Universe and exploring the science behind the first manned mission to Mars we next boarded a bus to go on a tour of the complex.  The tour took in some famous sights including the giant Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), the Crawler transpor...

Busch Gardens in Tampa is part of the SeaWorld suite of entertainment parks.  It's fair to say that (for Aussies), it would run distantly behind Disney and Universal in terms of name recognition.  However it shouldn't - it provides kids and adults with one of the best days of entertainment that you can imagine for a cheaper price than you pay at the Orlando parks. A Florida animal park wouldn't be complete without gators Firstly the park has one of the best zoos imaginable.  Most of the 'big' animals are represented (gorillas, lions, tigers, elephants, hippos, exotic birds, lemurs, snakes etc).  There's even Aussie favourites (kangaroos, emus, echidnas).  The enclosures are interesting and stimulating for the animals and provide great layouts for spectators to view the animals up close.  They also have a large open plains area where you can take a train past free roaming zebras, antelopes, rhinos and giraffes Nice topiary too! But the par...

Universal parks are of course more than just the world of Harry Potter (see last post).  Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure each have a wide range of themed neighbourhoods.  Fans of Dr Seuss, The Simpsons, Jurassic Park, Men in Black, ET, Marvel Comics et al can enjoy themed rides, visit themed attractions and food outlets and purchase expensive themed merchandise as a reminder of their visit. If you're a fan of old style rollercoasters, Universal isn't really the brand for you.  They do have two traditional big coasters Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket and the Incredible Hulk Coaster which Sam and Eric rode (Elise isn't really in to roller coasters). However what Universal has mastered is the world of VR rides.  Don your 3D glasses and climb onboard your vehicle, coaster car, train or theatre seat and you can become just about anyone.  A Muggle flying over Hogwarts, chasing Jimmy Fallon around the streets and skies of New York, shooting alie...

There's a lot to see and do at Universal Studios two signature Orlando parks (Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure).  However there's no doubt that the association with the world of Harry Potter is one of the key selling points that attracts both wizards and muggles from all over the globe, many dressed in their finest wizarding robes for the occasion.  The level of detail that has gone into creating Diagon Alley (Universal), Hogsmeade and Hogwarts (Islands) and the Hogwarts Express that allows you to travel between parks, is astounding. For aspiring wizards, first stop is Ollivanders where you can purchase a wand that allows for the casting of various spells in both parks. Samuel casting the Constantlyhungrius charm while summoning his Hawk patronus Successfully Next comes the exploration of Diagon Alley featuring the Escape from Gringotts ride which is one of the parks most popular rides.  We were lucky to get in early before waiting times got into...

Discovery Cove is one of the SeaWorld group of theme parks.  It's a bit different to most parks though, your entry fee is inclusive of all food, wetsuits, snorkelling gear, and most significantly includes a dolphin interaction where you get to pat, kiss (yes!) and swim with a dolphin.  This means daily attendance to the park is completely regulated - you have to book in advance and numbers are guaranteed to be manageable. We weren't 100% sure about the ethics of swimming with dolphins.  There's a lot of information on the web - mainly negative.  Having done the experience I'm still none the wiser how the dolphins really feel, however our experience with Catalina (the dolphin), two trainers and a small group of 9 of us was quite special.  In particular being towed through the lagoon holding on to a dolphin is unforgettable.  Certainly the trainers are very careful during the encounter to manage the interaction to take care of the dolphins and minimis...

Unlike our first island hop, Isabela to Santa Cruz was done by boat (see the addendum below for my thoughts about inter island boat travel).  At least the early morning trip was a smooth one.  Luckily we had managed to book an apartment in Puerto Ayora which meant we could do some of our own catering for a change.  By the time we arrived we were slowing down some, we felt we'd seen much of the wildlife the islands offered and frankly, we were exhausted. So we didn't venture too far from Puerto Ayora. One nice place near town we did visit (Eric went twice) was Tortuga bay which was exactly what you would expect a tropical beach to look like.  In fact it had two beaches, one a surf beach and one a quiet cove where you could snorkel with barely a ripple.  There wasn't much wildlife here except a few Iguanas (and one turtle) but the warm water was great for a swim nevertheless. As with San Cristobal we took a taxi trip to the highlands, crawling in Lava tub...

Stop two in the Galapagos: Isla Isabela. Here I am exploring my new passion - flying....  Well you'd think it was a passion given all the flights we have taken so far.  Today’s light plane ride from San Cristobal to Isabela was one of the most beautiful. The view was incredible! It was a clear day apart from the few clouds the islands attract so we could see the other islands as we passed.  But flying over Isabela was eye opening. The island was created by volcanic activity (well it is several volcanos joined together) and it is clear that it is relatively new in the scheme of things. We flew over plains of volcanic rock which looked rather like a colossal overcooked chocolate brownie. There are parts where erosion has occurred and water has obviously collected and trees and bushes are growing however this is only near the airport, leaving a large expanse of dark hued rock to fly over. Our time on Isabela, however was a further exploration of the Galapag...