'Gators

Reasonably quiet here, except that when someone wants ice from the machine which is just next door it makes a thunderous racket.  Perhaps it is mostly Stella getting this as the water from the tap is not very cold! After breakfast (the croissant bought last night had suffered somewhat) we picked up the car - only a short distance from the hotel - and then headed for a supermarket for supplies for lunch and other breakfasts.  Also had the cheapest coffee to date - 89c!  We had to pay for parking though as it is city centre.  Armed with Garmin, we set off for the Everglades.  Our airboat trip wasn't until the afternoon but by the time we had actually reached the right road (which went on for about 60 miles, almost dead straight), we thought we would just head for a visitor centre and find somewhere (shady) for lunch.

We duly did this and enjoyed our lunch watching butterflies and large insects which turned out to be dragonflies but quite different from ours.  Whilst Les finished his lunch, Stella wandered around the boardwalk and found a couple of alligators plus herons and other fish-loving birds as there seemed to be a plentiful supply.  We also refilled our water bottle as it was very hot (about 36 degrees C).

A few miles down the road we took a short walk on another boardwalk through a swampy forest. It was very beautiful but eerie. Tall cypresses rose from the water, supported on buttress roots, around which catfish lazed. Some strange creature, possibly a bird high in the treetop, made a long screeching call which sounded like a tiny chainsaw. It was all very atmospheric.

We still arrived early for our airboat trip but were able to sit outside in the shade whilst we waited, and they also put our food in their fridge instead of our having to leave it fermenting in the car.  When we boarded we were provided with headsets which relayed the captain's narration, while dampening the noise of the unsilenced V8 just behind our heads. The ride itself was just fabulous - mostly gently buzzing along and then opening up the throttle to fly through the mangrove channels.  It reminded us of a ride some took on the 3D simulators at Futurascope, but not so stomach churning!  We also saw a crocodile and an alligator before a friendly raccoon put on a great show interacting with the driver/guide who was getting too confident so she bit him!  Nothing serious but just to warn everyone they are not tame!

It was a long, straight and busy drive back so Stella was dropped off at the hotel whilst Les found an overnight car park a bit cheaper than that offered by the hotel (every little helps!).  We quickly showered and did yesterday's blog down in the lobby before scooting downstairs for dinner with our 20% off voucher!

Update after dinner:
What a disappointment. The soup was `clam chowder', which consisted of bits of potato in a tasteless white goo. No hint of seafood. The main course was `chicken marsala'. Stella's chicken was tepid and went back for a blast in the microwave. Vegetables were overdone and not very hot, sauce was a nondescript gravy with no hint of any kind of booze let alone marsala. It might as well have been `Chicken Bisto'. We complained bitterly and were not charged for the meal, just the drinks. There followed a comprehensive moan to the reception clerk about the unreliable wi-fi, poor housekeeping service, and the mediocre food. He promised to phone us after speaking to his manager, about 20 minutes. That was 1.5 hours ago and nothing has been heard. Oh dear, we have another night in this hotel on our way back from Key West, before we fly home.