Picked up our rental car at the airport and made it ok to the hotel at Miami Beach just across the road from the beach and a little way north of South Beach, which is the hotspot.. Had a swim in the Atlantic – very smooth and calm and quite warm – Yasuko liked it. Everyone in Miami speaks Spanish – some of them speak English too – and a whole lot of Cubans – so we went to a Cuban seafood restaurant in South Beach – spicy and good. At night it’s like Rio at carnival time (if you can find a parking spot).
The airboat trip on the everglades was a highlight – something (I’ve) always wanted to do. The everglades (which is not a swamp but a very wide, shallow, slow-flowing river) is all fresh water and runs from a lake to the sea in the Gulf of Mexico. It was interesting and exhilarating with plenty of wildlife – birds and alligators which swam up close to the boat. They are also in the grip of a drought which could become critical – global warming???
Took a drive down the beautiful Florida Keys towards Key West way out in the Gulf of Mexico. The most startling thing we noticed on the way and all around Miami was the number of motor bikes (read Hogs) – nearly as many as cars – amazing. Starting at Key Largo (which, by the way, is a bit of a sleazy dump), the keys became more beautiful the further we went, but we cut it short and went back for a swim and happy hour (free drinks) before more delicious seafood in South Beach. As usual, the weather was perfect. Next day off to New Orleans.
