Travelog for: Orange

We do a quick tour about Key West before we head home.  Key West is known as the southernmost city in the Continental United States.  A little interesting fact: In 1860 wrecking (salvaging valuables from shipwrecks) made Key West the largest and richest city in Florida and the wealthiest town per capita in the U.S.



We pass by the Southernmost Hotel.



And the Southernmost House.



I am here at the southernmost point of Continental U.S.!



Here in Key West is the beginning of US Route 1.  It is a major north–south U.S. Highway that runs the length of the East Coast of the United States and runs 2,377 miles (3,825 km) from Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border all the way south to Key West, Florida.  If I drive along this road I will be able to go home, though it will take a long, long time.



We cross the street, and what do we have?  The end of US 1, ha ha.



We also come by the house of Earnest Hemingway.  As a BookCrossing fish, I can tell you that he is a very famous author who wrote Old Man and the Sea.  He wrote several of his novels here, including For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Snows of Kilimanjaro. 

It's not easy to say goodbye, but Snuff really need to go home now, even if he doesn't want to.  He has stayed here for a year and a half, and has gone to a lot of places.  His mommy is missing him awfully, he has been gone for so long...  Today we go out for a little farewell party.

We come to this Irish restaurant.



It's very beautiful inside. 



There are some old books to add a rustic look to it.  I like places with lots of books!



We order some fish and chips.  Hmm... I will just munch on the chips.  I think I am a herbivore.



This is an Irish dish called Bangers and Mash.  It has a funny name, I've never tried it before.  It's sausages with mashed potatoes.



For dessert we have some bread pudding.



Cheers to friendship!!  We are too small to drink Irish beer, although I'd love to try that.  Travel home safely, our dear friend, we will miss you!  We hope to see you again!

After a full dinner we feel a bit sleepy, so we decide to stop by Starbucks for a coffee. 



This is a special Starbucks!  It has a Official BookCrossing Zone there.  Just a few books but we are glad to have a Zone.  I am glad to help my host to release two books here.

Today we receive a package!!  Look at the pretty stamps!  I wonder what's inside?  I'd bet it's books for our host who loves to read!



Sure enough, there's a book.  But there's something else too?  A rat?



Turns out Genoveva is a BookCrossing toyvoyager too!    Mocha and I are very excited.  We give her a warm welcome.



Very nice of her mommy to send us some wafers!  But I couldn't believe that rat ate half of it!!

Yay today is a BookCrossing day!!  We get to release a book.

Today we help our host release a book for the BookCrossing Monopoly game.  Her (and Genoveva's mom's) team landed on "Square", so they have to release a book by a square.  Our host said that she knows of a very beautiful square for the book. 

This is the book we will release. The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank.



First, of course, we have to visit the website to register the book.



Since weather has been somewhat rainy we put the book in a protective bag.



Off we go!  I thought we are going to a town square, but to my surprise we visit the Holocaust Memorial.

At the entrance there is a statue of a mother with two children.



Behind the statue is a quote from Anne Frank on the wall.



There is a pond and a statue of a big hand.



First we pass by a wall etched with pictures during the war.  It's horrible to look at the pictures and imagine the suffering.



The hand is reflected in the water where there are some lotuses.  It's very beautiful.



Oh here is the square our host talks about!!  There are slits in the wall so sunlight creates squares of light on the wall. 



We leave the book in the tunnel.



We hope someone will find and enjoy this book.  And of course, to journal it!



The light also shines through an opening to throw a yellow star on the ground.



We walk through the tunnel. At the end, there is an opening where the big hand statue is.  Up close, we can see that it is formed by many human figures.  They all have very sad and tortured faces.  We feel very emotional looking at them.  (yeah that was a bad pic but our host excused that it was hard to see the viewer under bright sun.)





At the end of the memorial is a sculpture similar to the one we saw at the entrance.  Only in this one, the mother and children have died.

Today we go to South Beach, which is a very popular tourist destination. 



We are now on Ocean Drive, which is right next to the beach.  The street is lined with restaurants and hotels, many of which are built in the Art Deco style.  Many movies and magazine photos are shot here.  People like to dine al fresco, and it's a place to see and be seen. 







Look, this hotel has a swimming pool on its first floor!  You can lie on the beach chair there and watch the beach.  Weird.

 

This was the residence of Versace, a world renowned Italian designer who was killed right on the door steps years ago.  Hmm is that a blood stain I see?



This is a station where people can rent a bicycle to go around.



So, this is Miami Beach.



This is the Atlanic Ocean!  I want to swim in it! 




Being a tourist in Florida, of course we need to get some sun tan.  Pass me the lotion please...



On the way home, along the causeway, we can see the Port of Miami.  This is where we can get on a cruise ship to the Caribbeans.  Hmmm I hope one day I get to travel in one!

Today we are helping our host do a BookCrossing release!

Our host is playing the BookCrossing Monopoly game.  This round they have to do a restaurant release, as her team landed on a square saying "restaurant". 

First, we have to find a book.  Hmmm... I think we find the perfect book! 



We wrap the book up with a little description of what BookCrossing is.



Now Bally is all ready it's time to make a Bally roll!  We use a white towel and some paper.



Tada!  Bally is ready to roll!



We visit this place called Ozzi Sushi.



This is a kaitenzushi, which means that they have sushi going around the table and you select what you like, instead of ordering with the waitress or chef.



The sushi plates pass by us on little wooden boats.



Yum yum... I am not sure if I am supposed to eat just algae or other fishes, but this sushi roll is tasty.



The plates are in different colors, indicating how much each costs.  The waitress does not take away the plates; when you are done, they come by and calculate how many plates you eat and how much you pay.

This is a very pretty pink roll with strawberry inside!



Bally and us enjoyed a farewell dinner together.



Bon voyage!!  Travel well, Bally, hope you find some new friends!

Our host apologizes that she hasn't been keeping our journal more up to date.  But finally here's some!

We travel with her to Tampa, which is on the west coast of Central Florida, to watch an international dragon boat race.

Look here are some athletes ready to get on the boats.



And some getting off after a race.



Looks like the Germans win the race, they look so excited!



We visit a friend's VIP guest suite so we can get a full view of the race.





Looks like this is the mascot of the race.



We go inside the athlete area.  There is a kiosk selling smoothies.



There are some stores too.  This one is selling exercise machine.  I suppose the athletes have to work out a lot on them.  We want to try it but decide that we will look too bad compare to all the national teams here...



This one sells paddles.  Our host explains that while a regular wooden paddle sells for about $40, serious paddlers usually use a carbon fiber one that costs over $200.



This booth is selling souvenir t-shirts. 



There is also an exhibit about the history of dragon boats.



This is an ancient drawing from China, showing a very fancy boat.



There is even a dragon boat magazine.  Wow, Prince Henry and Kate are on the cover.  Kate is into dragon boating too, but she was asked to discontinue it, as it makes security real difficult.  Or so we were told.



We enter the athlete village, where the paddlers rest between races.  Each country has her own room.





Looks like the Brits are stretching out to get ready!



And the Germans too!



I wonder which country will go home with all the cups?



We visit the Hong Kong team.  They have won a plaque.



We watch the awards ceremony.



Trinidad and Tobago has won a few medals for her youth division.



The Canadians sweep the most medals.



We also take a picture with the Macau team.

Today we go to celebrate Oktoberfest with Genoveva who is getting a bit homesick.  The event is organized by the German American Club.



Hey we do feel very much like we are in Germany now!!



There is a band playing... and two German guys dancing...?



Feeling a bit hungry we decide to check out the menu.  Genoveva is very nice in translating for us.



They have samples to show us what the food are like.  Though Genoveva tells us that the food she and her mom make look a lot nicer than this.



And of course we want some beer!



Oh dessert!! There is the German chocolate cake, which turns out is not originated in Germany (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_chocolate_cake), and the Black Forest cake, which is. 



Looks like these are candies from Germany.



Okay now to find a spot to sit down.



Guten Appetit!  Boy, I am thirsty!

Today my host teaches me to make a Chinese noodle dish.  It's called Dan Dan noodle, with a spicy sesame sauce and very easy to make.

First we minced up the garlic, and preserved mustard stem.  If you don't have that, you can use carrot or turnip.  It lends some crunchiness and flavor.  Normally minced pork is used but we use the vegetarian substitute here.



Next we stir fry the ingredients in the pan.



Now we put the noodle to boil.



While waiting for the noodle, we prepare the sauce.  We use chili sauce, soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, sesame paste and sesame oil.



We mix everything into a smooth paste.



The noodle is ready.  We put the stir-fried mix, along with some crushed peanuts and scallion, on top.



We add a little hot water to the paste to make a broth, and add it to the bowl.



Doesn't it look delicious?  This one is made mild, as you can hardly see any red chili oil floating on top.

Both my mom and my host likes to read and are members of  BookCrossing.  Right now, my host is playing a BookCrossing monopoly game, and today we are going to do another release!

We plan to do a Yellow Release.  We are visiting some food trucks. 



This truck is called 90 Miles.  The name comes from a monument in Key West, the southern most city in continental U.S., that says 90 Miles to Cuba.  This truck sells Cuban food.



While I am curious to try Cuban food, Bally the Bookcrossing mascot drags us to another truck called  Yellow Submarine.

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Bally shows us the menu... the yellow sub looks good.



We place our order.



The hotdog has chopped pineapple on top, so it looks yellowish.  it's delicious indeed!



Afterwards, we help Bally release a yellow book by the truck.  Mission accomplished!!

Today we go to the Miami Library Book Sale.  As we all love books we are very excited.



There are books everywhere!!







Look we have some great finds!  Our host usually get a few boxes to last her for releasing the whole year.

 

Afterwards, we go inside the library. 



We go up to the second floor where the audio books are.



Here we are!



The library also has computers to use.



Time to check out!  This is the self service counter where you check out the books by running them through the scanner.

As Chinese New Year is coming up, we help our host prepare her favorite New Year dish, turnip cake (Lo Bak Go).  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnip_cake)  My host makes it every year for the new year.  She brags that she cooks a really good version of it, when she gave it to her boss to share with his Chinese parents, they said it's the best they ever had.  : )  You can find the cake in Chinese restaurant dim sum too, but they are not as good. ; )

First we have to prepare the ingredient.  We used dried shrimp, dried scallop and mushroom, and we have to soak it in water first.



Next we chop up some sausage.



Now we stir fried it with some cooking wine, soy sauce and sugar.



Next is the preparation of the turnip, or daikon.  We use 5 lbs for one round of cake.  We clean and peel them.



While my host's grandma had to shred them by hand, now it is a breeze with a food processor.



We cook the radish, then add the mixings in.



We prepare the flour mix.  It's half rice flour and half corn starch in a small bowl of water. 



We put the radish mixture into a deep pan and stir in the flour mix.

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We have to steam the mixture for 45 minutes.  While we are waiting, we prepare some cilantro.



Let's see if it's ready!  We stick a chopstick into the cake.  If it comes out clean it's good.



A little garnish with cilantro and sesame on top, and it's done!! 

Today we go with our host to the Chinese Buddhist Temple to celebrate Chinese New Year.



They have some cute monk statues around the building.



Look, they hang up a lot of red lanterns so it looks very festive.



Near the entrance is a big incense burner.



I say a little prayer, make a wish and insert the incense into the burner.



It looks very festive inside too!



The lanterns are made to look like lotus flowers.  Aren't they beautiful?



This is the main hall where the Buddha statue is.



We see more of the cute statues.



This is a beautiful bronze bell.



What are all these little lanterns hanging on the tree?



We donate some money, so we get a little lantern.  We write our wish for the new year on the attached plate and hang it on the tree.  I hope our wish comes true!!   



It's lunch time!!  We line up in the dining hall to get our food.  At the temple, all food is vegetarian and cooked by volunteers.



Yummm... very healthy, and very delicious!



There is a gift shop area. 

They have a big section of books and CDs.



Lucky charms, bracelets and more.



They have some paper lantern.



This is a weird looking puppet.



There are many type of food and snacks.  Some of them are home made by volunteers, some are vegetables and fruits donated by farmers and wholesalers, and some of them are imported from Taiwan.  Our host always get something when she visited the temple. 



We see a lot of paper strips hanging from the ceiling.  Our host tells us that at Lantern Festival (the last day of New Year, on the 15th day) a popular activity is to play riddles.  Each piece has a riddle on it .  If you know the answer you can take the riddle down and claim a prize.



Can you guess the answer to this riddle?



What are these?  My host says it's lion head but I am not sure if they look like the lions I know.  Maybe Chinese lion looks different?



Anyway, let's take a picture in the lion's mouth!



There is some kung fu performance.



The drummer's beats quicken.  I wonder what is coming up?



Wow look at the dragon!!  It's very lively!



Uh oh~!  Looks like it tangles itself up while chasing the ball!



Here comes the lions!!



The lions stand up real tall, by having one performer standing on the shoulder of other.



Now on to some quieter performances. A lady plays the flute.



And another does a sword dance.



What a fun experience this is!

Today the weather is very nice, so we go visit the U Pick farm.



We found some delicious strawberries!



These are the little flowers from the strawberry plants.



They are very juicy and delicious.  We pick and eat to our hearts' content.



Next we look for some tomatoes.



We find some Roma tomatoes.



The cherry tomato is very sweet so we decide to get a tray of them.



We also pick a few green peppers.



Here we are, enjoying ourselves among the parsley.



The basil doesn't look too great but we decide to get a little just to cook with pasta.



They have a field of flowers too, like sunflower, for people who want to take a bunch home.



For those who don't have time to pick the fruits and vegetables themselves, they can get it at the stall.



When we get home, our host scramble an egg with some of the tomato and chives we just got, with a bit of goat cheese too.



Mmm it sure is tasty!