At the onset of the pandemic, we looked for a good use of my husband’s upgrade certificates and found a great deal for travel to Japan in November. Hard to believe how different the world seemed, even back in March and April. We were so confident that come November, things would be back to normal and we would be resuming travel.
We certainly didn’t expect the pandemic to be lingering on for so long, never mind see us facing a growing second wave. So, even if we would be courageous enough to brave the travel, Japan is simply not open for tourism at this point and we will have to postpone or cancel our trip.
As a little solace, we went to visit a local South Florida attraction, the Morikami Gardens. See our review here.
While we have been doing some scuba diving, which has been wonderful, going to the Morikami Gardens gave us the opportunity to dress up a little for sightseeing. We felt as close to being on an exotic vacation visiting tourist sites as we have for a long time. We even brought our good camera! It was a nice change from hanging around at home in our casual wear.
The gardens were not crowded at all, and much of the time we were really on our own next to the huge koi pond, or next to the swinging bamboo branches over the Zen garden. Blink and for a moment you can believe you really are transported to Japan without all the challenges of international travel. There is plenty of parking, social distancing measures were in place for entry and aside from receiving maps and receipts (which I guess we could have declined to take), the entry was really limited to having them scan your credit card and hand it back.
Once on the site, it’s all open air. Paths are wide enough, and masks are required, although not everyone did comply. That said, there was enough room to social distance and pass people quickly.
Of course, since the Morikami Gardens are in Florida you are sure to encounter some of the local flora and fauna like this smiling alligator. The gardens also attract many species of birds like this majestic anhinga and this magnificent great blue heron. Iguanas, turtles and lizards are also common sights.
It was therapeutic to get out and do some sightseeing. While it’s not the visit to Japan we were hoping for, it was still an enjoyable experience that we would recommend.
Next, we may look for Spain at our local Spanish monastery or Italy at a Miami mansion, Vizcaya.
How about you? Do you enjoy playing tourist in your own town?