Land of the free, home of the patriotic and optimistic

Well our travel experiences have done a complete 360 degree turn now that we are in sunny, Palm-tree lined Florida. We are firmly back in the first world, in the country of friendly smiles, customer service, gigantic food portions and hundreds of varieties of every kind of product.

We arrived at Miami airport close to midnight as our flight out of Bogota was delayed by 4 hours. As we queued to go through immigration and customs a "welcome to the United States" video played at least four times. Full of smiling faces of every skin colour, it showed iconic American images - baseball players, cowboys, families etc. The video also promised to treat all arrivals with respect and said people were free to ask immigration officials any questions they want. This was not quite the experience we encountered when Larna was led down a corridor, without explanation, to have her passport checked and I was told to wait at the baggage carousel. I always assumed it would be my South African passport that would draw the questions. Anyhow, I was quite anxious but it turned out to be a fairly routine check relating to Larna's visa waiver. By the time we got through, met up with my dad and got to our apartment at Pompana beach it was close to 2am.

Anyway, all is good, or should I say "super". We are staying in a beautiful apartment (hot showers, soft beds, balcony, coffee maker and microwave) overlooking the intercoastal - the sea water canal that runs up and down the Florida coast. All the family is together and we have been enjoying plenty of laughs. Our only outings so far have been to the supermarket, called Publix and out for dinner. The sheer range of products in Publix was astounding. After having to point at items behind a counter in Venezuela, we could choose from 40 varieties of bread, 30 different brands of washing powder and so many different kinds of Philadelphia cream cheeses, it was mind-boggling. That's the USA for you! It is very exciting to back. Last night we went for dinner at a restaurant on the beach. This is definitely a part of the world where looking good is important, no matter what your age. Some of the older women and men seem to have spent just a little too much time under sunbeds and cosmetic surgery is clearly a thriving industry over here.

The best part though about being here has been spending time with the family. Getting our scattered family together in one country, let alone all staying at the same resort is quite an achievement. There are constant knocks on the door as various family members pop in. We all eat breakfast together in the mornings.

I love the typical American motels with swimming pools at the front, the zany and over the top Xmas and Channukah decorations. On Tuesday we are doing a trip on the Everglades. Looking forward to seeing some alligators! And there is the wedding to look forward, the festivities kicking off on Friday.