BACK TO MIAMI

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CONGRATULATIONS to my gorgeous niece, and our "wedding singer" SHAM & KIA on your Engagement!!! You are the most beautiful couple..and so suited..and the news has brought tears to my eyes...ohhh...big hugs to you both from us both!
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MIAMI BEACH, SOUTH FLORIDA, USA

Night 247

Here we are again!

Back in Miami Beach!

And what a rip roaring place to be!

As we approached Miami we could see the massive cruise ships pulling out of Miami Harbour as they were cruising to the Bahama's...the road environment changed..more congested with fast sports cars (pose cars!) and modified motor bikes (choppers!)...

And the beach was JUST THERE. Beautiful....The gorgeous little boutique hotels are built on the shore and have access to the boardwalk...

Which we walked along..in the sunset..hand in hand...(haha...but we did!)

Sunday night literally glowing here....we decided not to stay at the dingy place we stayed at when we first got here..and have gone upmarket and are staying ON THE BEACH IN MIAMI for our last night in America!




Having a ball in Miami!












The six weeks here has gone so fast! There has been so much to see and do here..and so much excitement..and so much more to see...

It's so different to Europe..where there is the long culture...here it's more like Australia in it's personality..but everything is bigger..and more 'slick' (as mum would put it!) here...more polished...more finished and shiny and glowing....

Well, not all of it...but after being here in Florida that's how it feels...

Every state is different here..and when you have FIFTY that's really something! But really, every state has it's own identity...Washington, New York, Illiois, (FIPS! hehe) Michigan, Tennessee...Florida...California...Texas...Nevada!!!

They're all so different!

One thing that's really funny is where the capital cities are. Here in Florida the capital is Tallahasse! I mean WHERE IS THAT?

Also, Miami has county tax, city tax, state tax and gratuity included!

Just when i was thinking the US was cheap! But i guess that's only because the US Dollar is so weak at the moment...91 Aus cents to the US dollar! Good exchange rate for us!

We'll be coming back to the US..we have our green card lottery application forms ready..but are thinking we may apply another year...it'd be just us to get it for next year..and next year we want to stay STILL!!!!

So..onwards and outwards we go...

To SOUTH AMERICA!

See you there...

NB Malaria tablets are making me feel so queasy...arrrgh...

EVERGLADES

Day 247

The Everglades National Parkland, Florida, USA

First! What are the Everglades..?

They are a low, flat plain...and in the summer wet season it is a wide, grassy river...

And that was one of the first things the guy who skippered the airboat was that the Everglades is not a swamp, it's a river! Which moves one mile a day...

In the winter season the edge of the slough is a dry grassland!

We made it to the Everglades after leaving Key West at about 10am..and arrived in the Everglades, Coopertown at about 1pm, in time to go on a Airboat down the river...

It was amazing...it looked and felt like a grassy swamp..and the further we went out the more we felt in the swampy wilderness...we saw alligators..turtles, including the soft shelled turtle and the yellow belly slider turtles..american eagrets that lived on small islands..

The tree orchids were growing in the trees..and that is where the mosquitoes breed in the still water trapped in the leaves, which balances the environment..

As we were driving we saw these while flowers scattered in the grassy swamp land (ok! River!) called "swamp lillies"..They were so beautiful, and reminded me of the little orchids at Euin Station..even though they were lillies...

I wished Judy was there to help out with all the names of the species!!!!!

It was incredible seeing the ecosystem all working in harmony..

And the guy commentating was really great the way he explained what was happening in the river system...

Here is the airboat!













The alligator (9 foot long!) cruised right up to the boat and knocked on the side..so did the soft bellied turtle...that looked really weird! It had a head that looked a bit like a hand with a sock in it moving up and down as a mouth...funny as heck!

And at one point the alligator sidled up to the soft shelled turtle as if to say hello!!! The turtle ducked...i wondered if this was for real..and it was!

Here is the soft shelled turtle..which came up to us at our boat!














And here is the alligator!!!















So peaceful, so natural..and such a unique experience...

And so worth it..

At Coopertown they keep alligators that they care for..and there was a couple there called "Big Man and Moma!" Big Man was about 15 foot! haha....so huge! And also one there called, "Big Ben!"

Here he is...massive hey!















And Greg kissing a babe! Awww...













I sort of wondered what the chooks they were keeping there were for..and didn't dare ask...

Do alligators eat chooks?

FLORIDA KEYS!

Day 246/247

Florida Keys, South Florida

We took off early this morning in our attempt to get to Florida Keys...and listened to our Nashville music in the CD in our car! It's great having a car!!!!

About Florida Keys..

They are the islands of the Florida Keys that run south west from Miami, Florida. The first island is Key Largo. Then comes Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine Key and Key West.

They span about 110 miles and are connected by bridges and causeways.

And we were determined to see them seeing we'd heard so much about them..

And while in Florida...do what the Romans do!

Nine hours later, and about $20 worth of Toll Fees, cruising along highway 71 then the Turnpike, we landed in Key Largo...which is the gateway to the Keys...

There we stopped for dinner at a place called "Rib Daddy's" and wondered whether we should go all the way to Key West or to stay put..and we thought we'd just head on as far as we could and see what happened...

And what happened was we ended up stopping for fuel and then saw a place called Flamingo Inn and stayed the night! Exhausted!

It was strange looking at all the cars with no number plates on the front of their vehicles..and also...to try and fit in with their lack of road rules! Honestly, they don't indicate when they change lanes at all! They just stick the nose of their car in and expect you to know they're doing it!

And there's no such thing as keeping left..or keeping at a safe 2 second following distance...and as well...no one seems to wear crash helmets. It's just strange driving! And so easy to get lost...the highways are just an expanse of roads and signs and one lack of concentration on a highway number has you practically at the beginning...all a bit of a nightmare really...

But we managed!

The next morning we managed to get going early again...(do we ever sleep??) and finish the Key drive.....

AND GUESS WHAT?



Seven Mile Bridge!









While we were on the 7 mile bridge between Marathon and Big Pine Key...we got a FLAT TYRE! It was pretty scary really...because we had to pull over into the emergency lane..and poor Greg then endeavoured to change the tyre...hopping off the road everytime a car came past. We were lucky it was only 8am at that time....and the traffic was low. If it were later, on a Sunday, it could have been dangerous.

Silly car!














But we got going again.....and even though we felt reserved about more tyres blowing we thought we'd keep going to the end of the Florida Keys..and attempt the Everglades on the way back to Miami!!!! Are we tempting fate?

And..oh...about KEY WEST! It is BEAUTIFUL! It's home to Ernest Hemingway (The Old Man and the Sea & A Farewell To Arms) and to Tennessee Williams (The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire) and other noted people..and the atomoshere reflected this art and culturalism...we loved it.

And want to go back!!!!

There seemed to be a lot of retirees in Key West which is in the Lower Florida Keys..and i can see why..it's full of boating...fishing...and leisure! A slow pace..and really beachy. So alluring!