Asian Lunar Festival at Pembroke Pines

Today, we went to an Asian festival celebrating the Chinese new year at the River of Grass Arts Park in the Pembroke Pines Academic Village. It was the first time the group had organized this event. We were just in the regional library a few weeks ago when we saw this flyer so we decided to check it out. It was very low key and nothing much was happening until they started the show which is actually the only highlight of the event. There was a judo competition (not connected to the festival) in a nearby building so we watched that first until we decided to go back to the festival just before the show started. There were some vendors selling some knick-knacks and some food stuff but that's about it. Hopefully, by next year it will be more organized and truthfully more exciting.

The show is a mixture of different presentations from a few different Asian cultures, from sing and dance to martial arts. We left after the intermission since we were so hungry. The hot food vendor only got to the park some time after the show started but after leaving we just decided to go to Sweet Tomatoes for a late lunch/early dinner meal.

Some photos from the show.

Lion dance being done by young kids.

A group of 'lolas' doing a Filipino folk dance.

The Mayor of Pembroke Pines Mr. Frank Ortis with a 'Little Miss Something'

A Thai dance.

Japanese Taiko drummers.

Taekwando demo. A lot of kicking and breaking boards.

Looks like a Filipina girl to me and she was very good

This boy was incredible!

The grandmaster at 65 y.o. doing two nanchucks at the same time.

Georgia and Tennessee Land Video

We visited and ultimately decided to invest in some properties inside 'The Preserve' in Rising Fawn, Georgia last November. I am excited to go back and see the place again. Last week, I checked the local weather forecast and it was snowing. We love the place so much that when we get the chance to tell people about it, we do.

To see two previous posts about it and to see more pictures, click HERE and HERE.

I got this video about the land and the company that manages and sells it. They have a number of different properties in the tri-state area of Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama but IMHO "the Preserve' is the best so here's a video of what I'm talking about. Not only is it 5 minutes away from an interstate but it is so close to Chattanooga in Tennessee.


The quality of the video doesn't really give justice to the beauty of the place but it gives an overview of what to see there. For those who are interested, let me know. There are still lots left as far as I know and this is one really good investment if you don't want to keep it long term as if you don't want to build a house on it.


For more about the company and see an additional video, check their website by clicking HERE.

Orlando Again But I'm Not Complaining

After staying in Cape Cape Canaveral for 3 nights, we headed to Orlando/Kissimmee area on Jan. 2. We stayed at Galleria Palms Hotel in Kissimmee which is so near Animal Kingdom. It's like less than a mile west of I-4 on Hwy 192 and when went to AK, I followed our GPS and gave us a back road direction that's probably like 2 miles from the gate. Anyway, the hotel was a good deal. It was clean and had the looks of a boutique hotel. The toiletries were Bath and Bodyworks, TV is flat screen and they serve Seattle's Best coffee but I still like my Folgers Gourmet Supreme much better. The included breakfast was just so-so compared to Country Inns and Suites or Hotels by Marriotts like Springhill Suites but still it wasn't a deal breaker.



We haven't visited Animal Kingdom for a long time and I don't remember bringing Missy there not even once. It was always Magic Kingdom and Epcot since these parks are our favorites.This time we chose to visit just one park, go to Downtown Disney and the 'Outlets' the following day, just hang out and leave after 3 nights.


We got caught in a super cold time to be there. It was 30 deg. F in the morning we were in Animal Kingdom, about 24 deg. with wind chill. It was literally freezing and the news was all about the cold weather and frost warning for the citrus growers. Three layers of clothes, gloves and a bonnet/hoodie. Who thinks it doesn't get this cold in Florida? I probably experienced this at least 3 times by now.


The highlight of AK was the Expedition Everest ride which is a super-duper roller coaster ride and is the number one attraction now in Disney World. I did take photos during the ride and unfortunately I lost my lens hood in the process. I didn't expect it to be too fast and wild that it was virtually impossible to shoot during some segments. Between the four of us, I was the only one who saw the 'Yeti' during the last segment since they all had their eyes closed including Ophine. Missy was already begging for the ride to stop. I was just not able to take the Yeti's photo at the end since I had to hold David and give him some assurance when he got scared. Besides it was my first time and was just not ready when to expect it after the wild moments. Compared to Test Track in Epcot, even though it was also a fast ride, it was still possible to shoot even during those very fast moments. Overall, the Expedition Everest ride was really awesome. I kept kidding the two kids that we'll go back to the line again but Missy said only after 5 more years.


Of course the Kilimanjaro Safaris, the 3-D 'It's Tough to be a Bug' attraction, Kali River Ride and the musical 'Finding Nemo' which is actually new are not to be missed. The musical is a very elaborate show and indeed was worth the price of admission for the park, just throw in the Everest ride. We did the Kali River Ride a number of times since there was practically no line. It was so cold that nobody really wanted to get soaked but we came prepared, bringing even some waterproof pants. The Dinosaur ride was so jerky and bumpy on all angles that it was a pain to ride it. We were also able to watch the parade but missed some attractions as well. Nobody can really finish all the attractions in one park for just one day unless you have a super VIP privilege for people like Samantha Brown doing it for the Travel Channel.


Friday, we just went to Downtown Disney and went straight to the Lego shop. We were still not able to get the Star Wars Jabba's Sail Barge which is on the short list of David but so hard to get even online unless you want to pay almost double for it. We just hang out for a few hours then we went to Orlando Premium Outlets before calling it a day. The next day it was home at last.





A slideshow of some of our photos.

Our Holiday Vacation, First Cape Canaveral...

We've been back to our home for a week now so this is quite a late posting. There were just too many stuff to attend to and it took me a few days to process the photos I made.

To kind of beat the crowd if it was at least possible, we opted to have our vacation quite late in December so we left for Cape Canaveral on Dec. 30 for 3 nights and the another 3 nights in Orlando. The kids had been really looking forward to this vacation and they really do like staying in hotels. I think it's from watching too much of 'The Suite Life of Zack and Cody' but I do feel I'm getting better in choosing which hotel to book. Thanks to 'Trip Advisor'! We stayed in Country Inns and Suites on Astonaut Blvd/AIA which is actually an extension of Hwy-538. The hotel got very good reviews and we were not disappointed. I picked the kids' suite which has a separate enclosed area with bunk beds. The kids haven't experienced sleeping in those so to them it was a treat. Like every hotel I book, I pick one with wi-fi and breakfast included (hot breakfast the better and I don't think it's free), a fitness center if possible and of course clean and safe accommodation. The nice swimming pool and jacuzzi was a plus.

It was our first time to stay there since it was our first time to visit the Kennedy Space Center. Our itinerary was to go to the KSC, the KSC Astronauts Hall of Fame the following day plus the local vicinity like Cocoa Beach and then Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Titusville just before heading to Orlando on our 3rd day.

I'm not writing much about the KSC since I think I needed to be a rocket scientist to really put meaning into what the KSC is all about if I'm going to really write about it but we did enjoy going there. They just added a new 'ride' if you will and it's called the Space Shuttle Launch Experience'. It's just a simulation ride and a must if you visit the place but not really over the top like the Expedition Everest ride in Animal Kingdom (next post). The best way to really see the KSC is to hop in one of the buses that will give you a 2.5 to 3 hour tour of the place with 3 stops. Of course there are more engaging tours but it was extra. Overall, it was a very good experience especially for first timers and you really gain more knowledge about the nation's space program.

The KSC Astronaut Hall of Fame is also a nice, swell place to visit. Aside from seeing the real historical space hardware that were on display, plus the memorabilias and the like, they have this hands-on interactive stuff that the kids will enjoys using plus some simulation rides as well. We just didn't try the spinning device to let you experience how many Gs your body can handle. It was long and we didn't want to experience any guaranteed dizziness just by looking at it. If you're not too aware of the history of the space program, this is a nice place to learn a lot.

For some of our photos...

The Kennedy Space Center

...You can win this if the price is right .

At the Astronaut Hall of Fame