Remember bounce houses, couch forts and tree houses? Those were the days when we had no inhibitions. When we just did whatever we wanted to to do. Now we grow up, become adults and it suddenly becomes “uncool” or “inappropriate” to do those things anymore.

I say, forgetaboutit.

I decided to return to my childhood at The Valley of the Waves, a water park at The Palace of the Lost City Hotel in South Africa. They had these giant inflatable hamster balls. Take a look in this YouTube video.

So it turns out that hamster balls are tougher than they look. And 5 minutes is plenty of time. I was exhausted after 2 and a half. But it was worth every rand to roll around and laugh incessantly. You can laugh some more at some of my Facebook Photos in the ball.

Today’s Lesson: It’s okay to do something childish. Who cares, really? So do something childish. Kids have all the fun. Adults should too. Comment with your most childish adventure.

I’ll see you out there!…Or in there

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Growing up, I used to watch The Price is Right every morning at 11 A.M. during school break. Watching the show tape with host Bob Barker was on My Adventure List – until he retired. However, I’ve always been fascinated with the Entertainment Industry and love watching how the magic happens. On Sunday I had the opportunity to watch The Ellen Show tape at Universal Orlando. This was my first television taping experience. So I’ve created some tips to help your first taping be successful.

1. Get Your Tickets

Tickets go quick. They weren’t available day-of. Planning is the key here. Since seats are often limited, you’ll need to get those tickets early. And by early, you need to sit at the computer at the second they come available. My friend Erin was project manager of snagging tickets. And while the reserved seats were all gone, she was able to get 4 Standby tickets. Standby tickets mean just that, there’s no guarantee that we’ll even get to see the show. See #’s 2 & 5.

In short; Sometimes it’s a matter of luck combined with your Internet Speed and quick typing abilities that get those tickets.

Sorry kids, there’s no secret workaround here.

2. Arrive in line early

I hate waiting in line. But sometimes you have no choice – and this is one of those occasions. Since we weren’t sure if we’d have seats, we needed to arrive at the park early. How early should you go? The earlier the better. We arrived at 10 A.M. for a 3 P.M. taping, a full 5 hours before the event. The first person in line told me he was there since 6:30 in the morning. That’s 8.5 hours of waiting. So, depending on your patience level, arrive early. See #3.

3. Go with friends; Make some friends

You’ll be waiting around in the same spot for a long time. We didn’t move from the same spot for a full 2.5 hours. These aren’t the kinds of events you’ll be okay with going alone. Friends are good because they’ll save your spot in case you need to run to the restroom, grab some food (see #4) or explore. Plus they’re good to socialize with. Thank you to the iPhone, we played Words With Friends together. A Scrabble-like game that happens on multiple phones.

When you’re through playing games, strike up a conversation with the people in front and behind you. Chances are they are just as bored as you are. You may meet some fun people and the time will pass much quicker. Misery loves company, so you can always start your conversation talking about how long the line is or something bland like that.

4. Plan breaks accordingly

You’ll never know when the line will move, so eat a big breakfast and don’t drink too much. A venti ice tea late in the game makes for a tortuous decision – go to the bathroom and possibly lose your place in line if the queue advances OR… stay in line and ensure your admittance, but have to wee real bad. Fortunately for The Ellen Show, dancing is the motion du jour. Who cares if your version of the dance is the Pee Pee Dance!

Eat and drink early so the only focus the rest of the time you’re waiting in line is getting those seats.

5. Manage your expectations

Remember, you have Standby tickets! You may not get in. Part of the adventure is the waiting around. So have some fun. Don’t be upset if you can’t get in. The Ellen Show may put you in “The Riff Raff Room” as a consolation prize…unless of course you’re lucky enough to have those standby tickets turn into SEAT TICKETS!

6. Have fun!

You’re here to have fun. Remember that. Don’t let the rain stop you. Dance your little heart out to every tune that Tony the DJ plays. Stand up, cheer, clap and dance dance dance. This is what it’s all about.

Everything was done in almost real time. We had breaks for commercials and filmed in order (except for the closing being done before the musical guest – I think because the rain was getting worse). We were prepared as Ellen gave out ponchos and water to keep us comfortable for whichever climate we’d encounter.

Oh, and what exactly did we see? Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise. You’ll have to watch the show to find out.

I’ll have to say, Ellen is fantastic. Funny, smart, approachable…She’s the whole package. She has non-stop energy, a great smile and during the pauses for commercial breaks, would always wave (and dance some more until a producer would share her notes for the next segment). At the end of the filming off-camera, she thanked all of us and shared how much she appreciated our excitement during a very wet afternoon.

A true professional. Thank you Ellen for a terrific afternoon.

I’ve posted a few more photos on my Facebook fan page. You can view them here (and why not become a fan too?)

Do you have any tips on how to score tickets for your favorite television show taping? Share them here by commenting below.

I’ll see you out there…! (and you might see me on The Ellen Show, Friday, April 2nd)

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Pattaya is working hard to change it’s appeal from being an adult-oriented destination to one that appeals to families. Mini Siam narrows this gap with a fun afternoon out for the little ones you brought with you on your vacation.

Mini Siam recreates notable landmarks from around the world in painstaking detail. Set against the backdrop of manicured lawns and gardens, the kids will have fun getting up close with famous sites previously seen only in textbooks and on television. Here’s a YouTube video with our antics at this tiny attraction.

We also used this opportunity at Mini Siam to flex our photography muscles with some silly photos. Take a look.

More photos are also posted on our Flickr Site here.

|Know Before You Go|

Appeals To: Families with children, the budding photographer who wants some zany landscapes, fans of kitsch.
Suggested Stay: 1 hour
Cost: 300 Baht ($10)
Getting There: Directly off the main road, Sukhumvit. It’s near a McDonald’s so you can grab some food for the kids before/after visiting.
Don’t Miss: Taking silly photos for your scrapbook.
Visit Online: | web |
BTW: Mini Siam is open until 10:00 P.M., making it one of the few attractions open late at night.

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VOTING MESSAGE: Like Mini Siam, we have a mini amount of votes. Why not vote for us today? Just a thought.

Post-Pattaya Post 7 of 26

Essentially this sign reads, “we tried our best to make this safe. We’re not responsible if we didn’t do a good enough job”. Gold Reef City is an amusement park in South Africa. I took this photo 2 years ago on a trip and thought that it was funny. I’ll share more from Gold Reef City later. Until then, be safe – at least to the best of your ability!

There are only 17 Days left in the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Contest. With only a few weeks lefts until I travel to South Africa for business, Brian and I are doing everything we can in these final days to prepare for our hopeful trip to Thailand. In last week’s blog entry, you read about us searching for books about Thailand. This week we traveled to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival to search for Thai Food.

Each fall, the theme park Epcot hosts a festival with dozens of booths from around the world. Each booth represents a different city and country from across the globe. Festival favorites include: Cheddar Cheese Soup from Montreal, Canada, Beef Tenderloin from Cape Town, South Africa and the International Cheese Selections from the “Mouse Catch”.

This past weekend, Brian and I ventured to the park to sample our regular favorites and to try some new additions to the festival, mainly Bangkok, Thailand. Ride along with us on this YouTube video as we drive to the park and ride one of it’s most popular attractions, Test Track.

The back of the park, known as World Showcase, is where the festival booths are located. If you happen to visit the park on your own, be sure to grab a park guide map, which lists where each country is located. If you have been inspired to sample the food from Thailand, it’s located next to Germany – I know, the geography is a bit off. After walking through the park, Brian and I found the Thailand booth and purchase some food. You can view our experience here.

Brian enjoyed the Papaya Salad with Shrimp. And though I didn’t have any of the shrimp, the salad part was good. Even on a hot day like Saturday was, the Chicken and Coconut Soup was delicious. There were big chunks of chicken in a thick broth. One cup was not enough. We washed down our meal with some Thai beer. I didn’t know Thailand made beers, but the brand we had, Singha, was refreshing on a hot day. You can view the Flickr site of Ben and Brian Thailand to see some fun photos of our day in the park here.

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Don’t forget, Ben and Brian are applicants in the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Contest. Please follow us on twitter@benandbrianthaiand share our Ultimate Thailand Explorers Application Video to Puttaya, Thailand with your friends and family.

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