“The United States has a country-spanning, well-developed rail system. Yet, riding it is surprisingly disappointing.” – Old Sean
A Raleigh Return
After helping my brother unpack in his new home, I prepared to take a bus back to my aunt’s house in Raleigh, North Carolina. I flopped onto an unmade mattress in the still-boxed-up new apartment, waiting for four AM to roll around for a bus to Raleigh.
The bus back to Raleigh was simple enough. I ended up sitting with a young man who only spoke Spanish from Columbia. In Raleigh, I got to see my extended family again, making a special trip out to Colfax to see my grandmother and give her a copy of my most recent book.
After a night of getting pampered, eating an incredible amount of healthy food and exploring gyms, walking routes and art hallways, I was forced to awaken again, for yet another trip.
House Call
My friend Merm in Arizona had grown frightfully ill after a powerful bout with strep throat. She had returned to Charlotte, North Carolina so her mother could take care of her. I judged that I was close enough to Charlotte to make the trip, so drove through the early morning to visit Merm, who was frightfully frail and in startling good humor.
We chatted for an hour or so while I dropped off a book for her, but I didn’t want to strain her energy. I passed her some medicinal tea I had gotten from South America and drove off, heading back to Raleigh one last time.
But even Raleigh wasn’t a bastion of rest. I had booked an overnight Amtrak train to Orlando, Florida.
Way Back Machine
Long ago when I was an English teacher in Chongqing, I became close with an American ex-marine named Jake. We ended up hanging out in Chongqing, Guangzhou and eventually Bali for his wedding in 2020. He’s been stuck in China since COVID began and only recently returned to the states.
Meeting a friend in three countries is always something of a treat. China did a number on Jake, so his time in the US was full recovery time for him. We ended up spending the weekend checking out various unique activities around the Florida area with Jake’s wife Kristin.
Activities in Orlando
The first thing we opted to do was try an escape room, specifically the Narco Puzzle found at Escapology. They did a fantastic job setting up the backstory. Then we were locked in the room and forced to cobble together clues to find our way out.
If anyone hasn’t done an escape room yet, it’s a puzzle-mystery experience which involves putting together enough clues to find a key which solves the backstory and escapes the room. Escape rooms are notoriously tricky, and the first half hour is usually spent in a state of minor struggle. In the latter half-hour, brains are usually charged and the clues comes more readily.
Jake, Kristin and I managed to solve the entire puzzle (with an embarrassing amount of help) with a mere minute and twenty seconds to spare. As a treat, we went across the plaza to Twenty Pho Hour, an Asian-food restaurant with a theme. The entire building, including décor, walls, chairs and tables are painted in such a way to cause a minor optical-illusion, making them seem flat. The entire restaurant looks like it’s sketched in black-and-white on a flat piece of paper. The food is surprisingly fantastic as well.
To wrap up the afternoon, we drove into the downtown Orlando area (which is surprisingly nice especially around the Ivanhoe Village Area. We ended up doing a lap around Lake Eola Park, where we watched Christians proclaim stuff on soapboxes, various species of swans paddle around for food and proud snapper turtles hurtling along grassy fields.
Once the day was practically done, Jake and I grabbed a few novelty craft brews from a sampler pack and sipped the rest of the night happily away.
Orlando Hikes
The following day, Kristin, Jake and I wandered to the outskirts of Orlando to visit the incredible Tiber-Butler Preserve. This nature reserve dodges between hiking trails and boggy boardwalks. The final loop is a somewhat shade-less loop of scrubland and tarflowers. The entire horizon is constantly broken by ramrod-straight pine trees which rocket straight up before spreading in a cloud of needles far above.
We spotted lakes of lilies, fields of yellow flowers, extremely unafraid turtles hiking along the trail, Great Blue Herons, a pure-white Egret, odd yellow horseflies, gem-bright dragonflies, acrobatic lizards and bright red lichen. By the time we were finished with our hike, everyone was utterly winded. We went to an upscale Sushi restaurant called Sakeba Sushi and Grill where we effectively destroyed numerous species of fish and a bowl of edamame.
Finally, the weekend is over, and so too it my time in the United States. I was only ever in country as a stopgap before a truly compelling adventure.
A Gift Abroad
My younger brother and sister have both successfully graduated from University. They’re ready to take on the world in ways I’m excited to see. But before they go off, I’ve asked all three of us to meet in Dublin, Ireland, for one last extended tour. We plan on visiting Ireland, Scotland, the UK, France and Spain over the next two months.
In the coming months, I’m back to my nomadic ways. Though the post above is long, it’s a mere two months of life, mostly focused on the rapid transits along the East Coast. The coming stories will be odder and saturated in legends of countries I admire in Europe.
So until then,
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written June 12th 2022
Read more about visiting Orlando and seeing the world by visiting Leftfade Trails Blog.
Affiliate Disclosure: Leftfade Trails contains affiliate links, so using services or products through these links supports the website, at no extra cost to the user. All links are to tested services and products designed to aid travelers on their journeys. Some links specifically connect to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate this website earns from qualifying purchases.
Ten years ago, I abandoned my military surplus store backpack for a Farpoint 40 Osprey Travel Pack. I’ve never replaced my bag since. Two years ago, I bought two more Osprey Backpacks for my younger siblings on their first tour outside the country. I have nothing but praise for Osprey Products.
