When we went to pick up our hire car they tried to give us a Camaro Convertible saying it was better than a Mustang, but Paul put his foot down and demanded a Mustang. If you’re going to go topless in the USA it has to be a Mustang plus Bruce Springsteen stole the gal off “some dude in a Camaro out of LA then blew that Camaro off his back and drove that little girl away”. If it’s good enough for the Boss it’s good enough for us. So Paul with his baseball cap on (well a Panama would look stupid) and Lynn with her Thelma and Louise headscarf, hit the tarmac in a black Mustang with Lynn singing Mustang Sally from the Commitments!
We had a couple of days at Islamorada in the middle of the Keys and then headed off to Key West before driving back to Miami for the flight back to the UK.
First stop on the way down was the Florida Keys Wild Bird Centre where they care for injured birds. Who needs to go on a bird watching tour when you can go there for free and quite literally get mobbed by birds – a donation is greatly appreciated. Pelicans were muscling us out of the way they were that friendly and flamingos, egrets and loads of others were there in numbers. We found our hotel, checked we had a nice ocean view, then Paul got sorted for a dive on the Eagle wreck and it was off for some seafood, which was some of the best we’ve ever eaten. Paul dived on the Eagle wreck which was in 110 feet and accessed by a line from the surface. As the current was strong he had to hold onto the rope on the way down and up to avoid getting swept away. He ended up getting some kind of rash on his hands which was quite unsightly and just as his sand fly bites were clearing up! This caused him major problems peeling his prawns! On the way south we called in at the History of Diving Museum – not as boring as the name sounds.
We then headed to Key West for a bit history and nightlife. In the evening there seems to be music from every bar and even a bar where clothes are optional – Lynn had an interesting episode there…. The seafood down in the Keys was great – oysters 50 cents each – Paul had 12 then asked for another round, that was before he started on the king prawns! On the way back up the Keys we called in at the Turtle Hospital – its fascinating what they can do to save injured animals – they have a full operating theatre! Then just a couple of hours up to Miami, drop off the Mustang and jet lag here we come.
All in all a great trip with lots of variety.