America #4
I landed in Florida in the dead of night amidst a wild spring storm. The plane sailed onto the runway in a cloud of spray and mist and I found myself in Tampa awaiting a taxi.
The journey in via Houston had been fun. West Texas is absolutely _absolutely_ vast. Heading East from Santa Ana over the mountains, the landscape swiftly transformed into a pale, yellow smear of featureless and barren plains, interrupted occasionally by a lonely road cutting straight through the empty space. These vast horizons persisted for hours as we hopped across Arizona and New Mexico to the Texas border.
A dusty city materialised below. I asked the friendly flight attendant whereabouts we were. El Paso. I smiled and enjoyed the view of this desert city beneath, glad to see the welcoming signs of life amidst the emptiness. The attendant and I shared a moment as a granddaughter tenderly helped her centenarian grandfather through the plane.
"Man, what a sweet kid."
"Yeah..."
I smiled and sipped my complimentary Coke. US soft drinks have the dubious pleasure of being flavoured by the controversial high-fructose corn syrup. This sticky goop is a main ingredient in many American sweets and is well known for causing and contributing to health problems such as diabetes and obesity. Combined with bucket sized portions and the health issues that plague the world's wealthiest nation are suddenly less puzzling. And the free refills policy across the nation can't help much either.
Houston airport was a stampede of multi-chinned entities, bumbling about between gates and terminals. A charismatic crew of surly people carrier drivers whisked about the corridors, yelling at anyone in their paths.
"Beep beep!" barked a portentous gentleman as he encouraged me out of the way.
Many hours later, I awoke in my hotel in Channelside, Tampa. The rough weather of the previous night had swept away and the air was a warm caress of sunlight and humidity.
I explored the surrounding area in the inquisitive fashion that befits me. The weekend's highlight was definitely the Florida Aquarium. An awesome array of fish, birds, mammals and reptiles devoured my morning, follow by an afternoon whizzing around Tampa Bay watching dolphins.
Streamlined shapes slipped and sluiced and raced, splashed and spluttered into foamy depths. With over 400 Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins in Tampa Bay alone, spotting these beautiful creatures held no difficulty.
I smiled and realised I had no idea what I'd done the previous weekend. Whatever it was, it certainly didn't involve dolphins. Refreshed, invigorated and happy, I returned to my hotel and investigated the possibility of refreshments.
The journey in via Houston had been fun. West Texas is absolutely _absolutely_ vast. Heading East from Santa Ana over the mountains, the landscape swiftly transformed into a pale, yellow smear of featureless and barren plains, interrupted occasionally by a lonely road cutting straight through the empty space. These vast horizons persisted for hours as we hopped across Arizona and New Mexico to the Texas border.
A dusty city materialised below. I asked the friendly flight attendant whereabouts we were. El Paso. I smiled and enjoyed the view of this desert city beneath, glad to see the welcoming signs of life amidst the emptiness. The attendant and I shared a moment as a granddaughter tenderly helped her centenarian grandfather through the plane.
"Man, what a sweet kid."
"Yeah..."
I smiled and sipped my complimentary Coke. US soft drinks have the dubious pleasure of being flavoured by the controversial high-fructose corn syrup. This sticky goop is a main ingredient in many American sweets and is well known for causing and contributing to health problems such as diabetes and obesity. Combined with bucket sized portions and the health issues that plague the world's wealthiest nation are suddenly less puzzling. And the free refills policy across the nation can't help much either.
Houston airport was a stampede of multi-chinned entities, bumbling about between gates and terminals. A charismatic crew of surly people carrier drivers whisked about the corridors, yelling at anyone in their paths.
"Beep beep!" barked a portentous gentleman as he encouraged me out of the way.
Many hours later, I awoke in my hotel in Channelside, Tampa. The rough weather of the previous night had swept away and the air was a warm caress of sunlight and humidity.
I explored the surrounding area in the inquisitive fashion that befits me. The weekend's highlight was definitely the Florida Aquarium. An awesome array of fish, birds, mammals and reptiles devoured my morning, follow by an afternoon whizzing around Tampa Bay watching dolphins.
Streamlined shapes slipped and sluiced and raced, splashed and spluttered into foamy depths. With over 400 Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins in Tampa Bay alone, spotting these beautiful creatures held no difficulty.
I smiled and realised I had no idea what I'd done the previous weekend. Whatever it was, it certainly didn't involve dolphins. Refreshed, invigorated and happy, I returned to my hotel and investigated the possibility of refreshments.
[ Entry posted at: Sat 30 Aug 2008 17:01:46 UTC | 0 comment(s)... | Cat: News ]