Saturday 13 April
It’s much warmer and sunnier today and as
we’re right on the beach I’ve got no excuse not to go for a run. Afterwards, we relax and cool down with a lie
on the beach and a swim before check-out time.
We set off down the coast along meandering
causeways and towering bridges with poetic names like the Sunshine Skyway.
It’s a lovely day and we reach Sarasota at
about lunchtime. There’s a small
aquarium here and its claim to fame is its two resident manatees, Hugh and
Buffet. I’m not overly keen on aquariums
but we can’t pass up the opportunity to see manatees up close. In the end it’s good fun: there’s a little
touch pool where I get to gently stroke some rays, some entertaining sea lions
and then (saved for last) the manatees.
It’s fantastic to get a good look at these
massive, charming creatures. Hugh and
Buffet share their tank with a deaf and blind turtle called Harry and they all
seem to live contentedly, munching constantly on lettuce.
We’ve still got a few hours of driving
ahead of us, so we set off again. We’ve
got the next couple of nights in Naples.
We’d planned to explore a bit this afternoon, but it’s fairly late by
the time we get in and we’ve got to take care of a few practicalities (like
doing boring laundry). We decide instead
to have a quiet night in so pick up a few essentials (beer and cashew nuts)
from the supermarket and settle in for the night.
Janet adds: I didn’t realize that manatees
were different to dugongs.
Sunday 14 April
We’re up fairly early this morning and get
packed up for a day at the beach. We’ve
decided on Barefoot Beach – a fairly quiet beach backed by a state preserve.
It’s a lovely spot for a swim and a relax,
although they’re doing some dredging to shore up the beach so the water isn’t
as clear as it could be. Once we’re
about sunned-out we take a stroll along the nature trail, keeping an eye out
for the resident tortoises. I’m a little
alarmed by the big sign reminding Americans that tortoises don’t swim. I wonder what prompted that?
We find a shady, breezy spot for our lunch
and then decide we’ve had enough for today.
On the way back into town we take a drive past the town beach – it’s
long, white and lapped by turquoise waters…sigh.
Back at the motel we take a bit of time to
relax and have a cool-off in the pool.
Once we’re feeling rejuvenated we walk into town to take in some of the
sights. It doesn’t take long before
we’re lured into Tin City for an ice-cream.
Naples is an attractive and clearly well-to-do (just bordering on up it self) town with
broad, tree-lined streets.
It’s lovely for an early evening stroll and
we soon find ourselves in a small bar on the marina enjoying some happy hour
beers and watching the end of The Masters.
It’s a beautiful evening and we’re in the perfect spot to watch boats
coming in and going back out again.
A short stroll across the road takes us to
an excellent pizza place and then it’s time for bed.
Janet adds: check out the boat dogs.
Monday 15 April
I roll out of bed this morning and straight
into the pool. It’s not a bad way to
wake up. We’ve got a fairly long drive
ahead of us, so we get ourselves packed up and ready to go.
We’re taking the Tamiami Trail through the
Everglades, heading for the Keys. It’s a
rather beautiful drive through the lush, greenness of the Everglades. There are plenty of attractions to stop off
at along the way, but we limit ourselves to a quick stroll along a roadside
boardwalk where we can get a good look at some lazy alligators.
It’s about lunchtime when we hit the top of
the Keys. We’d been hoping to stop for
some snorkeling or kayaking on the way down, but we’ve still got a good 3 hours
or so of driving ahead of us. Instead we
find a quiet corner in a park in Key Largo to eat our sandwiches and then keep
driving.
It is, of course, a fantastically scenic
drive but the day is heating up rapidly.
When there’s only an hour or so to go, we pull into Sombrero beach for a
cooling swim and a short rest. I’m
rewarded with a little extra present from a passing seagull. Oh well, it’s meant to be good luck.
Back on the road it doesn’t take us long to
get to Key West and get checked into our hotel.
Once we’ve got ourselves settled, we take a walk up Duval street to watch
the sun setting over the sea.
A short walk back down takes us to a lovely
little Mexican restaurant where we get a seat in the garden under the trees.
With bulging bellies we stagger back to the
hotel for one last cooling swim before bed.
This is the life.
Janet adds: I’ve got my house all picked
out. C’mon the Green Card lottery.
Tuesday 16 April
It’s a lazy day for us today (getting a
little too used to those). We start with
breakfast by the pool and then take a slow walk to Fort Zachary State
Park. There’s a good beach here with
calm waters. There’s not much to see
underwater, but we don our snorkel masks and spend some time getting used to
our underwater camera.
After a couple of hours on the beach we eat
sandwiches under a tree and then head back for a stroll through town. Key West is a breezy, laidback town of wooden
houses, lush gardens and wandering chickens.
It’s hot today, and back at the hotel we’re
in sore need of a cool down in the pool.
A couple of ours in the shade does us the world of good (and we’re even
visited by a beautiful green iguana, but I’m not quick enough to get a piccie).
In the evening we find the perfect bar
called The Porch.
It’s in a huge, wooden house with, as the
name suggests, a lovely porch out front.
There’s a tropical garden, a beautiful but aloof dog and entertainment
provided by Gabby, the cheeky chicken.
That’s where the evening peaks – after that
we get some pretty average food alongside some pretty atrocious service. But hey – it can’t all be perfect J
Janet adds: I don’t get the tipping system
here – apparently you should only tip as low as 10% if the service is really
terrible. Surely if the service is
terrible you shouldn’t be paying a service charge? How’s about the employers start paying
decent wages and stop expecting patrons to subsidise staff wages. Rant over.
Wednesday 17 April
It almost goes without saying that it’s
another beautiful day in Key West. We
have breakfast by the pool again and then get packed up. We’re heading back to Miami today.
We’ve got time for some fun along the way
so we stop at the Bahia Honda State Park on Big Pine Key. There’s a great beach here and some good
views of the road bridges – both old and new.
We hire a kayak for an hour and paddle out
to a small island. After poking about in
all the rock pools we paddle back in.
I’m a little worried: we’ve booked to do a 17 mile kayak trip in
Hawaii. We’ve probably only paddled a
half mile today and my puny arms are knackered.
Need to work those guns.
We cool off with a swim and a snorkel
(although again there’s not much to see), then eat our sandwiches under a
tree and get back on the road. We find
our hotel without too much bother and get checked in. We luck out with a 10th floor room and nice view over
Miami.
We’ve got tickets to see Miami Heat take on
Orlando Magic tonight, so we’re staying downtown just a short stroll from the
arena.
Once we’re sorted we wander over to soak up
the atmosphere. Americans are good at
sporting events: there’s a live band playing outside, a beer garden, pretty
cheerleaders signing autographs and a marching band inside.
I’m even more impressed that some of the
food stalls have veggie (and even vegan) options and I get myself a Sloppy
Jane. It turns out to be veggie chili in
a bun and it ranks as one of the better meals I’ve had so far.
We’ve never been to basketball before and
both love it. It’s fast-paced and fun
(and of course I get to indulge my
unhealthy obsession with tall people).
At the end of the game Heat have smashed it
105 to 93. Woo hoo.
Janet adds: we’re off to Belize tomorrow!
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