Day 27

It was a very slow start to the day today. I ran 30 some minutes around Aido's neighborhood while Paulo did some laundry. Eventually, we left the house after 2:00 and headed towards International Drive. We had a quick bite in Quiznos and then went to the Mall At Millenia for a look around. We didn't buy anything but we managed to kill a few hours.

We stopped in Target on the way home to buy Aido a CD and get our supplies for the night: beer, snack foods and fireworks.

Aido was hosting a poker game this evening in Paulo's and my honour. This despite the fact that I can't play poker. A few of his mates came over and the game was underway. I opted to not play (and lose all my money) so I had a few beers and played some music on my laptop for a bit of atmosphere.

When the game finished and the lads went home, it was back to some serious Wii playing. Aido hung on for as long as he could but he had to go to sleep. Meanwhile, myself and Paulo continued our head to head bowling competition.

Kub



Paulo



Unfortunately, Paulo won most of the games even though I tried my best to take it to him. Sometime after 2:00 in the morning, I fell into bed.

The Three Lads Before A Game Of Mini-Golf

The Stereo Love

What we have been listening to on the car stereo during the trip:

Doolittle - The Pixies
This is what we played when we first arrived over here. Because we were in Boston and this is probably their best album. It was our little salute to the Bean Town.

Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles
The album was very experimental and was in fact a soundtrack to a TV film of the same name. The film was crap but thankfully the tunes weren't. From the melodic McCartney songs 'Penny Lane' and 'Your Mother Should Know' to the heady Lennon tunes 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'I Am The Walrus' it is a great album to listen to while driving and sounds as good as it did when it was released forty years ago.

Carte Blanche II - Various Artists
A nice little compilation that I found buried in a box in Rebel Rebel. It was released by Naked Music and makes its way through lounge, nu jazz, breakbeat and house. Perfect for chilling out to and watching the miles go by.

A Cut Above The Norm - Various Artists
A little beauty that I found in a shop in Boston for only six dollars! It is a collection of all the original tunes that Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) used as samples for all of his singles. I like Norm's stuff although some of it can wreck my head after a while. But this CD gives a nod to all the obscure stuff he must have dug through thousands of crates to find. Qualiteee!..

Hi Fidelity Soundtrack - Various Artists
Well, it's not exactly the soundtrack. Although it does include the soundtrack. It's a collection of songs from the film and the book that I happened to have and put on to a play list on my iPod. Musical nerd creativity at it's best.

The Doors - The Doors
A classic first album and one of the best debuts of all time. Even though they didn't have a bass player and Jim Morrison could barely look at the crowd when they performed live. I read somewhere the other day that The Doors still sell two million albums a year. When you listen to this, it's not hard to figure out why.

Dig Your Own Hole - The Chemical Brothers
The Chemicals second album that moved a little bit away from big beat / techno to introduce rock music into the equation. Kick-ass bass lines, hip-hop drum loops and sampled guitars all make for a collection of serious grooves. I dare you to try and stay within the speed limit while listening to Block Rockin' Beats.

Back In Black - AC DC
The first album after Bon Scott's death and the one that introduced the world to Brian Johnson. Paulo was driving while we played this and how we didn't crash the car is totally beyond me. I have never seen anyone do more air guitars, air basses, air drums and more air guitars in the course of 42 minutes in my life.

Rykodisc 20th Anniversary Collection - Various Artists
I picked up this compilation in Philadelphia in Repo Records on South Street. The label was formed in 1983 and claims to be the very first CD-only independent label. Twenty years can see a lot of music and this compilation does a great job at including just about everything but the kitchen sink. Eclecticism is always a great way to pass the time during long drives.

Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not - Arctic Monkeys
Of course we were going to listen to this. Paulo can't go more than a few days without listening to these guys. Another crackin' first effort by a bunch of guys who probably wouldn't have even been able to drink in a bar over here when this was released.

With Love And Squalor - We Are Scientists
Another Paulo special. Despite their dodgy facial hair and questionable fashion sense, these guys from Brooklyn know how to rock. The album is short, tight and in typical New York fashion, totally in your face.

Gets Next To You - Al Green
This one was my selection. After seeing this CD in loads of different shops over the years, I finally bought it in Bleecker Street Records in New York because the price was right. And because I finally decided that I couldn't live another day without his cover version of 'Light My Fire'. The album is full of covers and the whole thing is seriously funky. Willie Mitchell told Al Green that he would be famous within one year of moving to Memphis in 1969. It actually took two years and two albums but once this was released, everyone knew who Al Green was.

Day 26

I'm not going to lie to you. My head was a bit sore when I woke up this morning. But a good 'ol fashioned southern feed in Buttermilks made me feel a lot better. Then the tour of Orlando picked up where it left off last night.

1. International Drive - we cruised up and down for a bit just to see what the story was.

2. Festival Bay Mall - not a great mall but it does have a Steve & Barry's shop which Paulo and I were eager to check out. The three of us spent ages looking at all the T-shirts and we all bought a few. How can you not buy a few shirts when they are 2 for $11.98? It also has a Pro Bass Shop which is just about one of the biggest shops that I have ever seen in my life. It even has a huuuge aquarium in the middle where they do fishing demonstrations throughout the day.

As we were leaving, we spotted a checker board so me and Aido had a go. It was a long, hard fight but in the end I beat Aido. Control of the board changed hands numerous times and when Aido was winning I suggested he sacrifice one of his kings to take one of mine. He made a mistake and I was able to take two of his in one move. The old sacrifice pressure move - it works every time!



3. Bahama Breeze - a bit of a cheesy bar that draws all of the tourists but it was close and we were thirsty. I opted for the Red Ale and really enjoyed it. A storm blew in so instead of leaving we moved from the outside to the inside, had another drink and a little snack to keep us going.

4. Pirates Cove - an excellent mini-golf course. The competition continued between myself and Paulo but Aido played better than both of us and won the round - for five dollars. Everything Aido does is for money (usually a dollar). I can't even begin to tell you how much money changed hands this weekend and how many dollars I lost. I even had to pay Paulo a dollar as he beat me in the round by two strokes. But that wasn't enough to take the lead and we are back at even in the summer long competition. And I ended up in the gallows.



5. Funspot - more go-carting. This course was longer and a little bit more interesting. Some kid passed me and Aido and we couldn't catch him. After a slight 'altercation', I continued on while Aido stalled. He had a few choice words for me afterwards but all is fair in go-carting. Once again Paulo was miles behind us. We also played skee-ball and air hockey all for dollars. Paulo was the big winner in skee-ball and generously used his tickets to get each of us a glider.

6. Kandai - an Asian place that does both sushi and full meals. Before going into the restaurant we had a glide-off in the carpark which I won (and made one of my dollars back). We asked a girl going into the restaurant to judge and she very fairly chose my flight as the best. Inside we ordered and had all of the food cooked right in front of us. The chef even did the onion trick where he makes it look like a volcano.

7. Aido's gaff for an endless night of Wii playing. I was pretty bad at most of the games but found my niche in bowling. The competitions continued long into the night.

Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates

One For Tiger

This is one of the 24 historical squares in downtown Savannah that are either named after an important person or event in the history of the city.

Warren Square was named after General Joseph Warren who was a president in Continental Congress and a hero in the Revolutionary War. The square was built in 1791.

Day 25

Ooooooooooh-weeeee It's Hot

9:00 - up and for a run. Today, I was out for about 37 minutes and it was hot. But my knees felt good and there was finally a very tiny resemblance to some decent form. Paulo opted to sleep it out...

We showered and then drove back towards the Historic Center for some breakie / lunch and to have another sniff around. It was tough finding parking but we eventually squeezed into a space and walked down the street to B. Matthews for a bite to eat. The food was good and relatively cheap but I was disappointed with the espresso and you couldn't see the riverfront like the guide book stated that you could.

After we ate we took a walk along the river front and took in all of the sights and sounds.

We left Savannah at about 3:00 partly to get out of the stifling heat and partly because we had a date with Aido in Orlando.

We arrived at Aido's gaff around 6:30, grabbed a beer and went out on to his back deck to relax.

We had the chatsies, drank a few beers and watched the sunset over the lake behind his house.

Then we went out on the town. Going out with Aido is an experience because you don't stay in the same spot for more than about 10 minutes. So, here is a list of the places we went to:

1. Lil 500 Track - because it would be rude to not do a few laps in the go-cart when you pass one. I managed to collide head on with two different people and after Aido passed me I couldn't catch him. Paulo was miles behind both of us.

2. Chipotle - Aido's idea of healthy eating. I opted for the soft chicken tacos and a Corona to wash them down. Quality fast food.

3. Orlando Brewing Company - a really unusual place. It's an old warehouse that has been converted into a bar and they serve micro brews. We all had a stout, which I enjoyed. It wasn't as nice as a Guinness but it had a bit of a coffee flavour to it that hit the spot. Outside, a band were setting up. Paulo considered buying a T-shirt until he saw the name of the band: My Complex Island. No sale. They were giving away burnt CDs though and they begged us to take one. Back in the car on the way to the next bar we played about 35 seconds of it before switching it off. No sale.

4. Mako's - downtown Orlando. I would have preferred that we build up to this bar through the course of the night but Aido decided to go right for the jugular. Since my mother reads this site, I won't tell you exactly what was going on in the bar but I will say that I started feeling a bit edgy when some dude blew a whistle and all the girls stood up on the bar and started dancing in, shall we say, suggestive ways. We each drank our Kirin Lights and decided to move on.

5. The Lodge - Orlando's shout out to 80s Hair Metal. We all had one beer and enjoyed classics by Quiet Riot, Loverboy and Bon Jovi.

6. Lizzy McCormacks - an Irish pub. We couldn't really decide where else to go and it was the closest bar to us. The pints of Yuengling weren't bad and we met two Irish girls and an English guy who claimed to have been born in Cork. We had a laugh and then moved on.

7. I don't remember the name of the place but no night would be complete without a gyro on the way home. Paulo and Aido ordered while I just had a glass of water.

It was a long day and a hectic night so I couldn't hang with the lads when we got back to Aido's and he broke out the Wii. They played golf, tennis and baseball while I went off for a schnooze.