Look, Simba. Everything the light touches is our kingdom. - Mufasa, from "The Lion King"

Hi everybody, it's Tan here with this entry.

One of the most frequently asked questions (also known as a 'FAQ' for those cool peeps) is, "Tan, how do you stay so ridiculously good looking?"  The answer to that is that I don't know.  I was just born like this.

Another FAQ is, "So is there anything else to do in Orlando other than go to Disney theme parks, getting eaten by alligators or throwing oranges at old people?"

Stuff to do in Orlando...

Well you're in luck!  Jennie and I have been to Orlando TWICE now and have discovered that there's plenty to do other than Disney, Alligators and tossing oranges.  We're not sure why you'd want to do anything else, but we're going to humour you...

I googled, "old guy getting hit in face with orange", and this came up...

The next few posts are based on our experiences in Orlando and surrounding areas.  If you want to know the full array of stuff to do in Orlando, you can google, "Stuff to do in Orlando" or go here.

This week we're covering sporting events because I like sports.

When Jennie and I were last in Orlando in 2011, I dragged, forced, convinced, bribed Jennie to go to two sporting events with me.  The first was a hockey match in Tampa between the Tampa Bay Lightning (Jennie's team because they sold pink hoodies) and the Phoenix Coyotes.

St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa Bay.

I've always enjoyed hockey.  Maybe because it is a combination of balance, speed and skill.  Maybe because it requires a certain type of toughness (which I obviously do not possess) to play.  Or maybe it is because they're allowed to beat the SNOT out of each other and not be penalised?  Jennie says, "all of the above", and I think I agree with her.

Hockey fights - a victimless crime...

The NHL season starts in mid-September, so you should be able to catch a game after our wedding (not before!!)  Florida has two hockey teams, the Tampa Bay Lightning, based out of Tampa Bay (duh!) and the Florida Panthers, based out of Miami.

We chose to see the Lightning because the drive from Orlando to Tampa is a lot shorter than the drive to Miami.  Also, the Lightning don't suck as much as the Panthers.

Woohoo - pink hoodies!!

The drive from Orlando is about 90 minutes to Tampa compared to the 3.5 hour trek from Orlando to Miami.  This made it a no-brainer for us to decide.  3.5 hours each way plus the 3 hours for the hockey match means that your entire day is dedicated to one event.

We drove to Tampa about three hours before game time, arriving one hour before puck down, to ensure we could find the arena and get parking.  I didn't realise how beautiful Tampa is.  Had I known, I probably would have left a little earlier so we could explore the city.  The arena is a short walk from the beach - it is an amazingly beautiful beach!!

The beach at Tampa Bay - OMG awesome!!

The entertainment around the arena before the game was so much fun.  People had BBQ's, bars, dancing, music and games set up for the kids (and adults, but don't tell anyone) to enjoy.  It really was a festive atmosphere.

We got our tickets, some merchandise (just in case we were going to get shot because we were wearing the wrong gang colours) and some food (which was awesome for a sporting arena).  The thing that amazed us was that we could get mojitos for $5 each!  They weren't the best we had ever had, but for five bucks, they were amazing!  I could only have one because I was driving, but Jennie got her money's worth!!

The game itself was a non-event as the Lightning demolished the Coyotes 8 goals to 3, but it was a lot of fun.  If you get a chance, make sure you get down and catch the hockey!!

Apparently this dude is their victory cigar.  Please don't ask me to smoke him.

A few days later we went to the basketball.  The NBA season doesn't start until late October, so I doubt you'll be able to catch a basketball game, unless you plan on spending a few weeks in Orlando.  In light of this, I'm not going to write anything about it.  Here are some pictures of us enjoying ourselves at the game...

Us at the Amway Arena - the newest NBA arena and quite possibly the best.

Player introductions.  Dwight Howard was playing for them back then.  Dwight = LOL.

Tip-off.

Other sporting events include:
 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Football).  This also reminds me of a joke.  Q: What is a buccaneer?  A: The things that are on the sides of your buccan-head...  Geddit??? :D
 - Tampa Bay Rays (Baseball)
 - A few other teams in Miami (Dolphins - NFL, Marlins - MLB, Heat - NBA)
 - Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL)

Thanks to everyone for reading.  Next week: other activities for you to do while you're in Orlando!