Miami Moves

 

There were quite a few happenings on our Saturday in Miami before the picture in the postcard was taken.  Thinking that we might as well start exploring as soon as possible we had booked a tour to The Everglades the morning after our arrival in Miami.  Karl had been there before but I never had.  

Serendipity would have it that we were on the same tour with some new friends which made it more fun.  First thing we did was get on a noisy airboat, those things are loud!  How loud you may ask? Loud enough I was glad it wasn't a three hour tour.

Unfortunately the guide's microphone wasn't working so when we'd slow down for him to talk it was still difficult to hear and info would have to be relayed through one of the other guests unless we stopped completely, which we did a few times.  The gators weren't out that day, apparently it was too cool and windy, they like it hot and sultry.  Our wildlife viewing consisted of an iguana up a tree, Black Vultures, a Florida Bluegill that our guide caught with his hands, and some more colorful birds that were on the wrong side of the boat for me to get a picture of.

Lots and lots os Spatterdock through this part of the Everglades, not to be confused with Waterlilies.  You can tell the water isn't very deep if there's Spatterdock growing because it doesn't get taller than six feet.    

And yes, I was having a good time despite not seeing a ton of animals.

Plants that grow on plants always fascinate me, the word for them is epiphytes, although I don't know exactly what these guys are growing on this particular tree.

After the airboat ride it was time for the alligator show, which was pretty good, definitely some big, ol' gators in there, and yes, the guy did have them trained to do some tricks, who knew you could do that.  

Following the ride back to Miami we walked over to a nearby CVS to get a few things we hadn't wanted bring and take up space in the luggage... the combination shampoo/body wash on the ship just wasn't going to work for me for nine months, or even nine days.  What surprised us was that they had stuff like body wash, deodorant, and toothpaste behind locked doors so that you had to get someone to take it to the checkout for you.  Apparently shoplifting is a serious problem in downtown Miami according to the store clerk.

Then it was time to get ourselves all cleaned up for the big Ultimate World Cruise Gala that evening at the hotel.  It was a fun event where they had stations for places around the world where you could take photos, Polynesia, Paris, Penguins, you get the idea.  Only one we took was the one at the Eiffel Tower, as close as we'll get to it this trip as we are declining to go to Paris the day before the 2024 Summer Olympics open there.  Dinner was delicious and there were Royal Caribbean executives at every table to chat with, along with other world cruisers.  Honestly though, I was just ready to get the show on the road, or the ship on the sea as the case may be.  More on that the next post!