Miami - an Airboat and a Pool

Last night's room service is a contender for worst meal of the trip (the Flume Gorge fiasco still wins, though). I ordered a toasted cheese sandwich. Not too hard. It had been rolled in Parmesan and then fried again. It was not good.

This morning, down to breakfast before heading off to the Everglades. I was due in the lobby at 9:30 for a 9:40 pickup so I'm down there at 8:32 to wait. And wait. I wait till 9:50, then ask the concierge to call (as he advised me to do). They'll be here in a couple of minutes. Glad to hear that - had a thought that maybe that group gathered in the lobby when I came through to go breakfast might have been the group and I was given the wrong time. So waiting... At least the foyer is pretty to sit in.

(Photo wall of all the famous guests from Babs Striesand to Van Halen.)

This is where I didn't buy the $5 water.

10:05 they arrive, with not a word of apology or reason. We then drive around for another 50 minutes or so, picking people up here, dropping people off there. I'm sitting up the front with the driver who is on the phone or texting most of the time. He also drives a bit crazy - like taking a corner and then crossing three lanes for the exit he wants and getting mad cos people are honking him. Weirdly, felt quite safe.

We stop near the bay to drop off three woman for a boat cruise tour and Driver goes with them and takes a while. As Driver is returning, Mr Suave Latino gets off the van, I presume to go to the loo. He passes Driver and goes up to greet some friends - handshakes and hugs all round, then settle in for a chat. Really? We've got nothing better to do than wait for you? We're already late!

Driver hustles Mr SL up and into the van. We're about to take off when another man approaches the van. He missed saying hello to Mr SL so has come for a hug too. And another chat. Shut up already.

Finally we're really off. Out of Miami Beach, past Miami and to the Everglades. We arrive at the park and load onto the airboat. I pulled my camera out of my bag and the anti-anxiety flying pills went flying. so now I look like a prescription pill addict - why would i be carrying them?? of all things to fall out!

It started off and was cruising along and I was thinking it wasn't so great - we'd been so very late getting here, we're not in the little boats - it's one big one, not so good. Then he let fly and it was so cool! Zooming along, it was fantastic. The Everglades is known as the River of Grass. It looks like you're going right across the land in some places - the grass grows all over and the boat just goes through it all. So fun.

It's one of the slowest moving rivers in the world, apparently - only a couple of inches a day. It's also only 15 to 20 feet deep and is home to alligators, crocodiles, a few other mammals, snakes, fish and birds.

We stop to see an alligator swimming along...

..then stop for a bit of information about the Everglades...

..and then zoom back to the start. And off to the alligator show. This was great too. I didn't realise that alligators don't naturally attack humans but they don't.

This guy was great. He showed the three main alligators, who all answer to their names. He showed the bite reflex - put his hand on the mouth and pulled it out just before the alligator snapped his jaws shut. Apparently it's a natural reflex they have so if something crawls in their mouth while they're asleep, the mouth will snap shut and wake the alligator so he can then eat it.

Went to see Snappy...

..which was also very cool. He felt warmly and leathery. There was two other solo females on the van besides me. The German girl and I arrived here at the same time so we took each other's photos.

And then walk through all the alligator and crocodile enclosures before having a quick bite, then giftshop then back on the van. Great tour.

Back to the hotel, stopped for an $8 coffee!! at the hotel. That will be the last one here. Then out the back to the beach and around to Walgreen to get some more batteries and some water.

And here's the hotel. Love this Art Deco side.

Then back to the hotel and to have a swim in the most amazing pool ever! And pretty much the reason  I wanted to stay here. The pool was made famous by Esther Williams in Million Dollar Baby, apparently. How cool is this pool??

I'm not a fan of swimming in public but I just didn't care. I'll never see these people again. And it wasn't packed with toned and terrifics.

Up to a vegetarian place to get an egg and eggplant pita stuffed with broccoli and coleslaw. Back to watch Law and Order SVU.