I've arrived safely in Florida from Cambodia after short layovers in Singapore, San Fransisco and Chicago on the way to Sarasota.
A Rough & Primitive Arrival ⛺
After 36 hours of flying there is nothing quite like going straight to campsite with no running water at the back of a farm. This is what I chose to do in order to see an American friend I know from my time in Cambodia. He moved back to the USA about 5 years ago, and I was really curious to see how well he was doing and how he re-established himself in 'Merica, and from the looks of things it looks like the USA has not been that friendly to him.
My friend picked me up at the airport, something I was very thankful for because rental cars and/or Uber would've cost $50 just to leave the airport. I knew my friend was living rough at the back of a farm, and I am no stranger to camping and living in very simple surroundings. However, the campsite was very dirty and unhygienic, and my friend hadn't prepared any clean bedding for the mini tent that was full of dog hair and dirt. I didn't get to shower, and had to sleep the first night in some pretty undesirable circumstances.
I woke up quite early in the morning eager to shower and use the farm irrigation system if necessary in order to so. Luckily we solved the shower situation on my 2nd day, and I was able to finally feel clean and a bit refreshed after a long travel. My friend is working on an organic farm outside Sarasota, Florida, and some of the workers were picking veggies at 4:30am around the time I woke up. I waited until sunrise to catch some pics of them working with headlamps in the field.
🐢 Turtle Or Tortoise?
As the morning cool was beginning to disappear, being replaced by a very hot sun, I noticed a turtle/tortoise slowly moving into the field to snag a free all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. My friend said this little creature comes at the same time every day, and the owner of the farm doesn't chase it away because it doesn't represent much financial loss to support the little guy's dining habits.
I realize I could google it, but since we have a turtle/tortoise expert in ASEAN Hive, @luueetang, perhaps he could tell me the difference between a turtle and a tortoise. Most of the time turtles tuck into their shells when strangers get close, but this one was nearly domesticated, not even afraid of me taking pics because he's been encountering humans on this farm since he/she was born.
Jessica's Organic Farm 👩🌾
The farm my friend works at grows a lot of leafy greens, tomatoes, pumpkin, and squash. There are also bananas, moringa trees, and a few other tropical things that would typically be found in Cambodia. Florida is much further north than Cambodia, and occasionally freezing temps can be seen in the winter, so there are some tropical things that won't grow here due to the potential for a freeze once or twice a year.
My friend went to turn on the sprinklers during the day and I captured a picture of him in the field walking. I can't believe we didn't think to take a photo together, but that is just how things go sometimes. During the afternoon I called my mom that lives only 45 minutes away, and asked her to come pick me up in the evening before the farmer's market closed so she could buy some tomatoes for my stepdad.
Florida Man & Horses 🐎
I put "Florida Man" in the title of this post, and I realize that most of my readers are Southeast Asians and probably aren't familiar with the slang usage of this term. Well, here is what Wikipedia says -
Florida Man is an Internet meme first popularized in 2013, referring to an alleged prevalence of men performing irrational, maniacal, illogical, delusional, insane, and absurd actions in the U.S. state of Florida.
Needless to say that Florida is seen as a rather crazy and delusional state according to many Americans, so much so that "Florida Man" has been memed. The above video I have shared is a perfect example of Florida's absurdity, a man arrested for drugs because of donut glaze found on the floormat of his car.
For the last pic of this post I leave you with an image of the horses and barn on the adjacent property. The barn and horses are not owned by Jessica's Farm, but they were a pleasant site. I used to ride horses when I was young, and I always enjoy seeing these beautiful majestic animals. Okay, that's all for now folks. My mom arrived to get me and I have now been staying at her house for a few days.
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Return from 🏖️ I Am Florida Man 🏝️ Hivin' From 'Merica 🩴 to Justin Parke's Web3 Blog
