orlando, fl

r and i traveled to orlando this weekend for one of his friend's wedding. the only other time that i've been there was when i was little with disneyland as the destination. we didn't see much of anything other than what was on mickey's campus. this time, even though our time was consumed with the wedding and hanging out with r's friends, i saw a bit of the city.

orlando feels so clean. maybe that characteristic stands out especially because of having been in nola for the past few months, and the griminess is one of my biggest complaints here. i don't remember encountering any potholes in orlando whereas we'd come across 3 of them on average a day in nola. the amount of development, mostly strip malls with large plots of asphalt for parking lots, was a little sad and very scary. the amount of vegetation that has cleared since r's childhood was astounding to him. unfortunately, it's the way all new cities are headed with commerce as the target and any environmental concerns falling to the wayside.

before the wedding, we made a trip out to the edges of orlando to visit r's mom and grandparents. they are the nicest folks. he spent part of his youth on the ranch with lots of dogs and horses, unlike me having grown up in urban/suburban areas. his mom keeps 4 border collies, 3 horses, 2 birds, and a greenhouse. horses are such large creatures in person. i didn't know they grow a winter fur and then shed it when the season changes. it was so refreshing to be in the country, knowing the air i was breathing was clean, and to see so many shades of green instead of grey.

the wedding was nice, and we had fun, especially r. it was also a reunion for him and his high school buddies. i learned a few things about his past that i cherish and find adorable. his friends are great people. being boys, the groom requested a mosh pit at the end of the night to recapture their youth. it was weird seeing r in the pile of guys shoving each other around. and then, it was kind of pathetic that they couldn't last for one entire song. it was cute while it lasted.

on our way to the airport the next day, r drove by his house situated in a part of town called colonial town. it's actually populated by a sizable vietnamese community with storefronts bearing vietnamese writing on their signs. we stopped by viet garden restaurant to grab lunch to go. the food deserved all the rave that r had given it. the peanut sauce was powerful. i licked the little cup that held it clean.

it was a great trip, and i wish we were able to stay longer, especially for r to have more time to hang out with his buddies and family. it'll have to wait until next time. nyc is next on our travel agenda, heading back to home. we're counting down the days.