Fort Lauderdale & Last Goodbyes

Me & The Number 1 Swede On The Way To Cape Cod
In September.

With only a couple of days left until we have to depart the luxury of Florida and home cooked meals, Jon and I took a trip down the coast to Fort Lauderdale. Not only is it a wonderful place to visit, but we had some unfinished business to take care of. Erik was staying there and unless we popped down to see him, we wouldn't get a chance to say goodbye before he went back to Sweden.  The funny thing is that Ice Hockey is big in Sweden and Erik wanted to see an NHL game whilst here, but the season has been in lockout since he arrived. It has just been announced that those in charge have come to an agreement with the teams so that it will start again this month, just as Erik's going home. 

Despite being a great guy, Erik is a pain in the backside when it comes to texting. His English is perfect, written and spoken, yet for some strange reason this all seems to go down the drain once on his phone. I'm not sure if it is because he forgets to change the auto correct from Swedish to English, or if he does it to annoy me, but it proves problematic; especially when you're trying to arrange plans. 

They Are Possible To Miss - Trust Me.

After long texts the previous night we got an address out of him and waited outside the hotel. It turns out that the address he gave us wasn't his address. The funny thing was that when we said we were outside, he said that he couldn't see us. No bloody wonder when you deliberately gave us the wrong address so we would be nearer the beach. Anyway, he told us to walk along the sea front until we came to two big plastic fish; my turn to be stupid now. We walked for a long time before deciding to get something to eat, I told him that I couldn't find the fish and that we were in such a restaurant. When he arrived he pointed out the fish right outside the window I was sat next to. 

It turns out that he has had a mixed three weeks in Florida. Having spent most of his time on the west coast of the state, the weather wasn't as good as what we have had here in West Palm. He was happy to see his girlfriend, albeit for a short time before she boarded a cruise with her parents (one he was meant to go on but his visa wouldn't allow him back in the country). He then diagnosed himself with a strain of Man-flu and prescribed himself time in bed.

Erik & I Rafting In Massachusetts 

Travelling around with Hongi, Stef, and another German in a rented car he feared for his life whenever Stef got behind the wheel. I've never traveled with her so can't personally comment, but it became a joke once she smashed into the back of a car when checking her blind spot for far too long. 

After we ate we spent some time on the beach. The beaches here are lovely yet we found ourselves in the gay part of the beach; great choice there Erik. Once the sun began to set we did a little pub crawl and found out that Fort Lauderdale would be a great place to have stayed. Lots of pubs and clubs, beautiful beaches, great atmosphere; similar to Miami but with less money. 

For Some Reason, Beaches In America Aren't Crowded Like
Any Other I've Been To.

We went to Hooters for tea but felt short changed when we were stuck behind a pillar blocking our view, and then served by a guy. Not happy. At 8.30, Jon and I said our goodbyes to Erik promising to meet up again in the future, whether it be in England, Sweden, or mainland Europe.

The problem that now faced, Jon and I was that there is no public transport to speak of to get us back to West Palm, the pubs were starting to get lively, and there were sun loungers on the beach. Trying our hardest to avoid the pubs we walked up and down the strip before being told of a deal '$10 to drink as much draft beer as you want from 9pm-4am' Now to us this sounded like a scam so we walked on, but then we came across another promoter selling the same deal. We couldn't resist the idea of this twice in a short space of time so we went and had a look finding out that it was in fact a real deal, not a scam. 

Some Memories Are Best Left Forgotten.

We walked in and it was a little dead but we didn't mind, we thought it would pick up. The problem was it didn't. There was meant to be a Beer Pong Tournament starting at 9pm but the owner wanted 20 teams, and so waited for the magic number. It never came, in fact people got annoyed waiting and left leaving me, Jon, and a couple of other lads as the only people in this massive pub/club. That was when the live entertainment came on, a rapper and a DJ who claimed that they don't care if they play in front of 2 or 200 people as this time next year they'll be famous. After hearing them, I can't say I have the same faith in them as they had in themselves. Even the toilet attendant left early, although he was asleep earlier on in the night anyway.

Looking Studious Sat On The Steps
At Harvard

After putting in a fair enough shift and carrying each other out of the pub we decided it be best to try and get a taxi home. Now, I don't know if I missed something because the taxi man was Haitian and I couldn't understand a word he said, but I said if he would do it for $80 off the clock to which he agreed; or so it seemed. When we set off I noticed the clock was on but thought nothing of it, I'm drunk and can't understand what he's saying anyway. When we finally arrived he charged us $98, now I fail to see how $80 off the clock became $98 on it? Jon said he cut a decent chunk off what it should have cost and I was too tired and lazy to argue. If the taxi drivers here are like home, you're never going to win.

For our final trip out in Florida it was good to see Erik and I wish him all the best back home in Sweden. CCSU just won't be the same without people thinking we're brothers, related, or simply getting the two of us mixed up. All the best mate.