Road Trip Diary: 5

Next day, we left the hotel at 10 and went to Haulover Beach. Just wanted to enjoy some more views of the beautiful beaches of Miami before leaving. Spent quite a while there, and from there we went to Bayside Marketplace. It was as lively as ever, a local band was playing and some people were dancing too. And what to say about food, it was the perfect place and we had a scrumptious meal.

       Haulover Beach, Miami

Around 3, it was time to leave for home. The journey began right there and we set out towards our destination. At 7, we stopped at MIMS on the way, for refreshments. And by 9:45, we were in Georgia.

We decided to drive all the way in one go. And around 3:11 am, we entered North Carolina and by 7:30 in the morning, we were in Virginia. At 11, we crossed Washington D.C. and took a small breakfast stop for half an hour.

By 1:30, we were home, home sweet home. It was a long haul and we did it in 22 hours at a stretch. So, we covered almost 11 states - New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida; went all the way to the southern most tip of United States  and around 3500 miles (5632 kms), when it comes to numbers.

It was a memorable trip and we had the most amazing time. And Road Trips are always great, especially this one as it was just according to the way we wanted it to be. Seeing it on a map makes it even more awesome, the route we took, the places we visited, the distance we covered - its an unbelievable feeling to finish a mega road trip in time.

Road Trip Diary: 4

The following day was a long one too, as we planned to be in Seaquarium early and exactly at 9:30, we were there. Bought the tickets and went first to Sea Lion Feeding, where we actually got to feed raw fish to the sea lions. It was quite amazing to throw the fishes at them and see the way they were gulping those down at such a quick pace.

Later we went for the 10:30 Dolphin show, which was great. The dolphins were so well trained and the trainers also did a fabulous job. After that, it was time for the Sea Lion show, which is always so good. Next, we left to see the famous Flipper Dolphin and it was fantastic, the whole troupe was so synchronised. Thereafter, at 12:30, the Killer Whale performance was just about to start, when we got our seats. It got over in 20 mins and we were so happy to have seen all these incredible shows back to back.

Miami Seaquarium visit was superb and we got to check out the Reef Aquarium, stingrays, manatees and sharks. Thereon, at 3 we drove to South Beach Miami for a relaxing evening. We loved the atmosphere, clear blue waters of Atlantic, good food and the bright sunshine, which was a big relief from the chilling winters of New York.

Spent 3 to 4 hours on the beach and went back at 6. And decided to go to Lincoln Rd Mall at 7. The place is known for sidewalk cafes and restaurants. We had a great time there, the crowds were amazing and the food was delicious. Went back to hotel at 10.

Road Trip Diary: 3

En route to Savannah, at 6 in the evening we stopped in Macon for refreshments. And arrived at the destination around 9. Checked into a hotel and ended the day sooner than before. Next day, we woke up early and left at 10 in the morning to see the historic waterfront.

Though it was raining heavily, we had a good time on the waterfront with french colonial architecture, cobbled streets and the dark alleys, it reminded me of the old movies. It was so real and we were so happy to have visited this place. We had a fabulous time, enjoyed cup of hot coffee and brownies along with the good weather and clicked some amazing pictures. Before leaving from there, we also had a hearty lunch.

Around 3, we left Savannah and were on I-95 Southbound, to Miami. At 4:30, we entered State of Florida and stopped at Jacksonville for almost an hour. At 5:30, we started again and took a small detour in Palm Springs for gas station. And arrived in Miami at 1:30, after a long-long drive and checked into a hotel.

At Miami - our final destination, the following day was all about relaxing. Around 11, we left from hotel to have breakfast and moved on to North Miami, to visit Haulover Beach. At 1:30, we were there to enjoy the sunshine, white sands and the water. The view was breathtaking, with large stretch of white sand along the clear blue water of the ocean.

                                                                     Driving to Haulover Park

We spent quite some time on the beach and went back to hotel at 4:00. In the evening, we decided to go to Bayside Marketplace, and we were there around 5:30. Enjoyed a live show by a local band, had amazing seafood and overall, had a fantastic time. Wrapped up the day and came back to hotel at 10:00.

Next day, we planned to go to Everglades National Park, which is spread across 1.5 acres and is the perfect place to explore the wilderness. At 11:30, we arrived at the Alligator Park to enjoy the famous airboat ride. Got the 12:25 tickets for the ride and went directly to see the 12:00 Alligator feedind session. The guy told many interesting facts about their diet and resting time, and then fed the hungry alligators with dead rats.

And then it was time for the airboat ride, we got in the line and luckily we got the front seats on the boat. We sat happily and the driver told us that the people sitting in the front row will be the first ones getting soaked in the dirty water, when the boat takes sudden turns. And then the driver asked my name, told everyone that I'll be the one who'll be saving others by throwing out alligators and snakes who land up on the boat and everyone started yelling out - 'thankyou', 'you are a rockstar'; it was super funny.

The ride got over in 20 mins and we had an awesome time and yes, we really got soaked when the boat took crazy turns. Had an amazing half an hour of high speed boat ride amid alligators along with the front row excitement. Then we got so hungry, that we went off to have lunch from there. Later, we clicked some pictures and went towards the National Park entry. We entered the park at 3 and moved on to see Royal Palms, where we took the Gumbo - Limbo Trail, which was like walking through a dense forest, it was a thrilling experience.

From there, we drove all the way to Flamingo, the southern most tip of florida. The drive was through well-preserved wildlife terrain, which was just amazing. Arrived there at 4:30 and enjoyed great views of the key west islands. Clicked pictures and had some refreshments. And left from there and came back to hotel at 7:15. After that, we came out to have dinner at 9 and the amazing day came to an end.