Key West

Key West Harbour

Side note: I wrote this blog on Key West at the end of May but wanted to keep my destinations in order so have only just posted it online.

I am writing this post sitting on the floor of the Atlanta Greyhound bus station. This is definitely one of the less enjoyable sides of backpacking with hundreds of people squeezed into a small dirty room, queuing for sometimes hours for a long bus journey through the US without wifi despite their advertisement that there is (to the annoyance of all their customers with numerous complaints every bus ride). So far I have taken 3 buses from Key West to Miami, then to Orlando and Atlanta, and finally I will arrive in Nashville 28 hours after first boarding the Greyhound. But anyway, this isn't what this post is about. Instead I want to talk about Key West and my 3 nights spent there at the most southerly point of North America.

I took the bus from Miami (just 4 hours) on the 23rd May and befriended a nice Aussie girl called Jackie who I ended up booking a snorkelling trip with for the following day. I checked into my hostel in the evening which was closer to a hotel than a hostel with very clean and spacious rooms and five, yes five pools! As it was late I had a quiet night in the room and met my two room mates, one Texan guy in around his 70's whose first sentence to me was he needed the bathroom and it wouldn't be pretty so I might want to stay away for awhile (fantastic introduction and I cannot be held responsible for the giggling that followed for the next 5 minutes, poor guy), and a stripper! So quite interesting roommates. They both ended up being really great and we had some interesting conversations that I shall not repeat. I went to bed early ready for my 'double dip' snorkelling session the following day (weird name I know).

Me and a random Chameleon we found!

Thursday was a great day. I met Jackie (the Aussie) and we went with Fury a company who do tours of all sorts in the Keys. We went out on the catamaran for about 30 minutes before stopping for our first snorkelling session. Unfortunately due to storm Alberto the visibility was poor and I barely saw anything, but was lucky enough to eventually have 3 huge stingrays pointed out to me by one of the crew which were directly below me. They were bigger than me by quite a way, and after a brief panic that a similar Steve Erwin situation could happen to me, I was able to enjoy the experience of seeing such amazing sea creatures, even if they looked like large grey blobs. The second session we had at a spot just 10 minutes away was a whole different story. It was a lot shallower and the coral was incredible. Lots of vibrant colours with hundreds of tropical fish to be followed and chased. It was a fantastic experience and reminded me of my time on the Great Barrier Reef, but perhaps not quite as spectacular.

Afterwards Jackie and I were taken to a seafood restaurant on the harbour by a lovely American couple who insisted that if we were going to try conch (a local delicacy) then it should be done here rather than at the cheap shack we had opted for. It was certainly worth it (thanks for the recommendation Liv)! I went out that night with Jackie and an American from Indiana that Jackie had met at her hostel for drinks and some delicious shrimp tacos (YUM)! I proceeded to find out that his grandparents were actually Mormon and that in his area approximately half of the population were Mormon too. Pretty fascinating as I didn't know much about it before speaking to him. Did you know they don't own cars but have a horse and carriage instead, and that they don't use electricity either?

Turtle Hospital on Marathon Island

On Friday the rain turned from light to a huge rain storm and my kayaking trip through the mangroves was cancelled. Instead I went with Marie (my Norwegian friend I met in New York, Miami and then Key West) drove us to the most amazing Turtle Hospital on Marathon Island, about an hour East from Key West! This has been one of my highlights from the trip so far with almost a hundred sea turtles being rescued by the team each year with most having their lives saved. There were turtles that weighed hundreds of pounds, and turtles that were about the size of my hand. Some were suffering from tumours all over their body caused by pollution in the sea, some had been hit by boats, others had been attacked by sharks and needed flippers amputated, and others who had swallowed garbage from the sea and were starving to death. Did you know that if a sea turtle is sick in anyway it will float, no matter what the problem is? This is how the hospital can find them as fisherman will call their 24/7 line if they ever see a floating turtle that can't dive back down. Pretty amazing! It was fantastic to see the turtles being rehabilitated and hearing the stories of how they had been rescued and when their expected release date would be. Occasionally a turtle cannot be released back into the sea due to the type of injury or repercussions of their illness (for example if they get air in their shell and will always float), in those cases the hospital rehouse them to a safe place such as an aquarium so they can live out the rest of their lives. It truly is an amazing place that I highly recommend you visit if you ever find yourself in the Florida Keys.

Shrimp burger on the water with Marie

We then went to a restaurant on the harbour nearby for the most delicious shrimp burger and the biggest portion of fries you have ever seen! If I don't come back to England 3 stone heavier after this trip it will be a miracle. That evening we went for key lime pie (native to the keys and totally delicious) and had some drinks before wandering back to the hostel and preparing for my 28 hour journey to Nashville the following day.

Two different types of Key Lime Pie

All in all I enjoyed my time in Key West. There are plenty of fun tours to do in the water from snorkelling, scuba diving, kayaking, fishing etc. but I have to say the rain made it more difficult. I missed the famous sunsets due to the constant clouds, and I didn't explore as much as I would have liked. I think it would be the perfect spot if the weather was just a little sunnier, but I still had a fantastic 3 days there.

Lucy B x

Turtle Hospital on Marathon Island

Miami

South Beach, Miami

What can I say about Miami...? It was exactly how I think you would picture it. Extremely glam, very 'showey-offey' (I know that isn't a word but it really is the best way to describe it). Most people walk along Ocean Drive in bikinis looking like they are ready to go to the club, it was pretty surreal. The prices for food and drink were astronomical, if you fancied a cocktail near the beach it would cost you $25!!!! Don't get me wrong, I did still like it, but more as an experience rather than because I was particularly taken with the city. I must add here that my opinion is based purely on South Beach and my particular experience as I only ventured into the main part of the city once to Wynwood Walls, and it was also not great weather with plenty of clouds and showers (thanks again storm Alberto).

I arrived in the evening of Sunday 20th May with a Canadian girl called Lauren who I met on the bus. We ended up being put in the same hostel room which was great as we were able to hang out for the rest of my time in Miami. My friend Marie (who I met in New York) had already arrived and invited us to a night out with the girls from her room. We popped out for some Cuban cuisine across the road (lots of rice, beans and chicken, delicious), then headed back to meet the girls for some beers. We went to a club called Nikki Beach where we were met by a promoter who gave us a booth and free drinks for the night but it ended up being on some sort of stage like set up, with only girls allowed. The 'stage booths' were surrounded by the dance floor but sectioned off so we were practically on parade for the rest of the club. Personally for me it was a pretty uncomfortable and bizarre experience which I don't wish to repeat, I prefer to be dancing and relaxed and not 'on show'. I still had some fun as I was with some lovely girls from the hostel, but left early. 

Marie and Lauren at Wynwood Walls

The following day I went with Lauren and Marie to Wynwood Walls to see the graffiti which was on all the buildings and even had a special exhibit. That was pretty cool and certainly not something I had seen before as street after street was lined with the artwork. We eventually headed back to the hostel and I ventured to the beach with the purpose of swimming, but with no lifeguards and a rough sea I chickened out (mum would have been ashamed) and enjoyed a delicious pizza on the Lincoln Mall (lots of restaurants shops and bars all on one road). I then headed back and met Marie and the other girls for some drinks at the hostel bar and pool.

On Tuesday 22nd May I went with Lauren on the Everglades day trip to see the alligators in the swamps. This was great fun and we had quite a few up close encounters, perhaps a little too close for many of us. It was fascinating to see them in their natural habitat and a lot of fun to hold a baby alligator at the end who was in their sanctuary. The alligators are seen as nuisances in Florida and often shot when found in peoples gardens or pools (which happens frequently), but at this particular sanctuary they capture them and keep them or give them to Zoos or Aquariums. At first this upset me as I could not understand why they would not be put back into the wild, but this had previously been tried and unfortunately the alligators were able to find their way back to wherever they had been captured from, even when it was many miles away, so by doing this they risked the alligators being shot by "pest control".

Alligator in the Everglades

Alligator in the sanctuary

Miami was definitely an experience, but I am not too interested in going back. I had some delicious food and the beach was nice but again it was on and off rain with constant cloud so I'm sure it would be a lot nicer when the weather is good. It would also be nice to visit when I wasn't on such a tight budget and could afford $25 for a drink by the beach... Actually on second thoughts, I don't think I would ever pay that!

Thanks for reading!

Lucy B x