Small is Big

One thing that most people concurred was the acute increase of spending and resulted in exhausted bank accounts... 

But what else to expect when the Big Top was right next to the Mall of America during a time when everyone was getting their tax return money and the spring/summer sale was on?? Another bonus was 0% sales tax on the purchase of clothes and shoes. But don't forget we only got 4 weeks until we have to pack again!
It was dangerous.

As you can tell from the name, Mall of America was HUGE! It took my little legs 5-6 hours to walk around the whole mall, only entering stores selectively. It seemed like once you entered the mall, the minimum time you'd spend in there was 2hrs.... the stores kept luring you to go in, one after another and you couldn't help but keep going forward. Don't even think of going to different stores to compare products and prices, because that would be another mile to walk. Oh by the way, there was also an aquarium, a massive cinema (including 3-D and motion chairs...is that 4D?) and a decent sized theme park with pretty good rides in the mall. Below are few of my favourite rides

Free-motion cart on orange-rail ride. It goes a lot faster than it looks on the photo

Sponge Bob ride. You see that orange cart coming down?? It's actually perpendicular to the ground as it plunges down!

Skateboard ride. The 2 columns on the platform where people sat spins as the platform goes from one end to the other on the track

Premier Party at a bowling lane with 80's music video in the background

Marie-Claude and I doing the Macarena with the music video

Michel organized a sporting event for a good 20 of us and many who don't even regularly play this sport came: Glow Golf!!

Glow in the Dark Golf, brilliant! 

Glow Golf Friends!!!

Warming up at the driving range

Basically, it's a tournament between teams, playing 6 holes and whichever team had the least par in the end wins. Each team consisted of 4 players, and the team stays together for the duration of the tournament. Each member tees off as usual. However, the team takes the position of whoever's ball that was the furthest of that par and each then takes the next par from that spot.

Gary taking a shot (of course photo taken with a flash)

Glow Golf was a lot of fun!!

In my team, there was Gary, Hiro, Rebecca and me. Hiro's ball is usually the furthest and straightest, but the challenge is to be able to locate our balls and bring it to Hiro's!!

This is all you see on the golf course! Try locating the ball after you hit it yards and yards away!

Minneapolis, nicknamed "City of Lakes", we took advantage of the geographic elements and went for a few boat trips :)

Zeca putting bait on the hook because no one else would do it

Gary's first fish

Laura working on her ginger skin

Zeca gone in for a dip

Mmm mmm Hmm!! BBQ on the boat!

Sneak peek of Gary using the toilet on the boat!

Boat trip was great until the turn of the weather....

Angus was unimpressed 

And that summed up our short 4 weeks in the Twin Cities and "Land of 10,000 Lakes"!