meinen Reisen MY TRAVELS mijn reizen mes voyages meus cursos mis viajes minhas viagens mo taisteal mine rejser mina resor i miei viaggi

We left the house around 4:15 a.m. It was a good thing we did as we ran into traffic. We couldn’t take the back way in or many of the other routes in. I even cut through Hollywood to arrive at traffic. I think I should have looked at the road closures better before leaving. Anyways, we made it, but we didn’t have much extra time. In the past, we sometimes hang around for 1 or 2 hours. We probably had 30 minutes or so which actually wasn’t too bad. The bad thing was that we had to walk around 2 miles just to get to the starting line.

As witnessed the day before, we were in a bad corral. We didn’t have a good time, so we were in Corral G. I think if we didn’t turn in a past time and we would have just put in “expected,” we would have been better off. I was passing a lot of higher corrals….well, some. There were so many walkers that the side of my knee hurt moving laterally around them.

Andrea and I were in G. Deb was Corral H, but she was better than us. She actually rode Expedition Everest during the race which was pretty cool. I just kept on running by.

I need to get the pictures, but Dad, Tom, and Cindy were at mile 14 which was really nice. I had only done 14 miles as my long run, so I needed the encouragement. After that, it was all down hill. The last 8 miles were tough, but we finished. My goal was less than 6 hours and it was accomplished, so accomplishment-wise I felt good.

We should have read the race-guide better. Dad, Tom, and Cindy didn’t make it to the Finish Line before we did due to the road closures and traffic. Even the Epcot parking lot was closed! Dad was about 3 minutes too late to see me cross the finish line. Oops. But he met us and gave us roses Disney sold. Disney is sellsy like that — but nothing compared to buying a car — more on that later.

After the race, we went back to the rental house — which was great to have — and took a shower. Then, we went to Tutto Italia in Italy for dinner to celebrate. I saw a paid wheelchair left in the parking lot and Deb was nice enough to push me to Italy. I was in some pain, but using The Stick, some bengay, and putting my legs in the air, I recovered the next day.

Italy was pretty good…maybe not as good as the first time, but still ok. Dad loves their olives. Afterwards, we took some pictures with Mickey.

Looking back, it was tough, but fun. Overall, running has been good for me. Once I recover from these two months, I hope to burn about 500 calories a day by running and tone in other ways. I think I have lost 20 to 25 pounds since I started running and being more cognizant of food….. (in 2011….slow process).

My 2018 will start in February. I have high expectations for that month. Oooh, the Olympics start in February too.

Well, on Monday, a week ago, we met Bev at Hawkers and I drove Dad, Andrea, and Deb to the airport. I kinda wanted to send them in Uber, but what kinda of person would I be if I did that…..As I was returning from Sanford, the car overheated AGAIN….less than two hours after getting it back from the mechanic. I pulled into a Boston Market. Fortunately, I was about 1 mile from the mechanic, so I took it back there.

The verdict is…. I need a new car.

I have done a lot of research on cars in the last week. I am between a Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, and a a Hyundai Tuscon. I went to a Mazda dealership looking for a 2016. I thought a 2017 was out of my price range, so I didn’t look at that. I walked next door and looked at some Hondas and some used vehicles. There are tons of dealers here which I am going to use to my advantage.

Yesterday, Bev picked me up around 3:30 p.m. and we went to a Hyundai dealership. The frustration started off the bat as the “internet price” is if you qualify for all the rebates. Well, I am not military, an Uber driver, a recent college grad, etc. etc. etc. I did test drive a Tuscon and a Santa Fe, but the dealership had a 2016 used CX-5. I really liked it. It did have 45,000 miles on it, so kinda a lot, but you could tell from the Carfax the car was used by a snowbird, so they were highway miles….but still….. The Carfax said it didn’t have an accident, but Cargurus said it did have 1. While I was driving it, I thought I saw the dashboard flash and I thought I heard the car crunch as I turned back into the dealership. (Some of this might be me being overly paranoid). The car also did not come with a warranty. Not even a 30 day warranty. The sales guy was really nice, but the sales manager was overly pushy. I think it is a big enough decision to say, “Wait a minute… Why are you being so pushy?!?!” I said that I wouldn’t sign the buyer’s orders until my own mechanic checked it out. They were a little gruff about that even, but I convinced them.

Afterwards, Bev and I went to Colibri last night. We shared the Mexican platter which included a lot of meat and some Mexican street corn. We were both so hungry, but my stomach really began to hurt. I began to get nervous about the car. I didn’t sleep well.

This morning, I went to my mechanic to show them the Carfax and to talk to them about it. They were concerned about the lack of warranty and even the price. They said to go new for that price. It was like $19,600 in total for a 2016 Grand Touring which I didn’t think was that bad, but for that price, I could get new and no mileage and a better history. I asked if I could speak to the original owner. They laughed.

I have now been in touch with another Mazda dealership (there are 4 around me) and they said they feel the Hyundai dealership lied about the accident. Since then, the Hyundai dealership has come back and said there is a 15,000 mile warranty available through Mazda. Argh. I think I will go to the Mazda dealership later this week to see if I can work out a deal with incentives and low interest. They claim they are the best ranked Mazda dealership in the nation. While I feel I researched a quality vehicle, I think I needed to research “negotiating with car salespeople.” I think I have learned a lot of their tricks and feel better prepared next time. While I have had a rough two months (not that bad… a lot of fun has been had), at least, we can be thankful that we are not cars salespeople…… that would be the worst.

I have a lot to be thankful for…. breaking down at nice spots, a quick road rangers, great friends and family…. and Uber.

(The following pictures are what I did during the week besides dealing with the car. I took so many Ubers last week. I went to the Asian American Chamber of Commerce Installation lunch at City Walk’s Rising Star. It was on Tuesday. I ate so much due to being so hungry from the marathon…at least, that is what I told myself. Universal was empty. I also went to the Convention Center twice to help the U.S. Commercial Service’s International Business Center at the Builder’s Show. 85,000 people were in town for that convention. I had lunch with the Canadian Trade Commissioner. The Consulate had to re-schedule their Epcot night due to Irma. It now is mid-February. I am looking forward to it as it includes a dessert party I believe!! I can’t wait to have a new head of hair, a new car, and a healthy body.)

So, two weeks left………I feel I am on a better path already. My cough is going away, my hair is recovering, and I know what I want in a car. (I am happy I can choose a different color as the bright red isn’t really me anyways.)

Keep you posted….. but probably not until next week or weekend depending….

We were planning to go on a glass-bottom boat ride at John Pennekamp State Park, but it was too cold and the water was too choppy to out. Instead, we went up to Homestead and the Knauss Bakery. We bought their famous cinnamon rolls and some bread. We also went to the Homestead-Mimai Speedway and saw some cars practicing. Afterwards, we went out to Biscayne National Park. I think that national park would probably be best explored by scuba. We did watch a movie about the different aspects of the park.

Later, we ate lunch at Alabama Jack’s near North Key Largo. We also went shopping at some outlets and stopped at a fruit stand. We stopped by Publix, so Andrea could make could dinner for us at house. She made pork chops and we played games including a new one to us, Farkle. It was a fun, relaxing day.

We left Key Largo early on Friday morning and drove to ESPN’s Wide World of Sports. We found Andrea’s friend from Iowa, Deb, at the running expo. We got our packets for both the marathon and volunteering. We went shopping through the expo. I bought a hat which was really a Christmas present as I used a gift card! It was pretty fun.

Afterwards, we tried to check-in to our airbnb, but it was still getting cleaned, so we decided to go to Magic Kingdom. We went on Big Thunder, Splash, and Buzz. We ate at Pecos. We didn’t stay too long as Andrea and I had to volunteer the following morning.

Andrea and I woke up pretty early. I think around 3 a.m. We got to volunteering right on time which was 3:45 a.m. Our airbnb was a house in Kissimmee. It was about 4 or 5 miles from WDW property.

Our shift was the best ever — except it was cold. All we had to do was set-up tables and pour sports beans into containers. It took the 25 volunteers about 15 minutes to complete the task. Then, we were able to sit on the bus for about an hour. I think they have us get there so early, so we can get arranged before the roads shut down. It was cold though and it seemed like there were tons of runners. They wouldn’t stop coming. We saw our equivalent corral walk by, so we knew we would be in trouble for the marathon the next day.

(I will update about the marathon tomorrow. Spoiler: so much has happened with my car (and I got a cold at work), that I only have good memories of the marathon really. I think I will start 2018 in February…with a healthy body, a new car, and new hair. I will post about my current status tomorrow.)

After volunteering, we went to Hollywood and went on Toy Story. Then, we went to Disney Springs. Andrea had a lot of deals at Blaze pizza, so we bought a lot of pizzas and took some home. It was good. I look forward to going back. I might research what others find the best combinations to be for next time though. Blaze is in Iowa City too, so it might be worth going there if you get a chance.

Afterwards, we went back to the house to prepare for the next morning: the 25th WDW Marathon!!!!

We made it to Florida City after visiting Miami on Monday.

On Tuesday, we went to the Everglades and Key Largo. We went to the “Robert is Here” fruit stand for a key lime pie shake.

The Everglades has multiple entrances. I don’t think this side (the side we went to) is the most active. We did see a few alligators, a manatee, and maybe a crocodile.

Afterwards, we drove to Key Largo and found our Airbnb. It is beautifully decorated and quite nice. We have cooked multiple meals.

Down here does have the best sunsets.

It is around 60 degrees which is cold, but nothing like the rest of the country.

Yesterday we went to Key West.

Debris from Hurricane Irma was evident from mile marker 60 to outside of Key West. Key West wasn’t bad. Big Pine Key had a lot of debris (the majority of the area is not what it looks like below).

We didn’t see any Key Deer, though we looked for a long time. It was raining, so they were probably hiding. There are only 800 Key Deer living in 84,000 acres.

In Key West, we saw Hemingway’s home from a distance, visited Truman’s Little White House, walked on Duval Street, and saw the Southernmost point in the United States (only 90 miles from Cuba). We also went into the Eco-Discovery Center. We ate Conch Fritters.

We had plans to go to Magic Kingdom yesterday morning, but that was a mistake as the line to Magic Kingdom was backed up to the entrance of Epcot.

We decided to go to Epcot instead. Andrea and I walked around the Boardwalk area while Dad watched some films in the pavilions. We found a new snack spot in Swan. Afterwards, we finished Andrea’s scavenger hunt. Then, we went to Sweet Tomatoes and checked-in to the hotel where I spent Hurricane Irma.

We returned to Epcot around  6 p.m. It was packed more than last year, so we went over to the Boardwalk again and ate dinner for a while.

At Midnight, we watched the fireworks. I don’t know how any other place could be better than the fireworks at Epcot on New Year’s.

Happy 2018!!

We woke up pretty early and headed down to Miami. We arrived around Noon and boarded a double-decker sightseeing bus for Miami Beach. We saw the Port and other sites. We walked around the Art Deco area and the beach.

We rode the bus around the rest of Miami Beach and then, we boarded the City Bus line and drove through Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, and Little Havana. We got off at Little Havana. It was really fun and interesting to walk through. We ordered a cubano and a media noche sandwich from a neat little restaurant.

We are now in Florida City headed to the Everglades and Key Largo tomorrow.

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