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Karen's Travels
Hello all - have had a really great day at 'Miami Seaquarium' today. We had to catch a bus to Downtown Miami, then another to Key Biscayne where the seaquarium is located. Another scorching day. Saw lots of fascinating sea creatures and other animals; here's a list - crocodiles, sharks, manatees, dolphins, killer whale, giant turtles, sea horses, lobsters, parrots, pelicans, deer, lizards, sealions - and more! The main attractions were the dolphins and the killer whale. The first show we saw was the dolphin show - as you already know, they are such intelligent creatures and they did the usual performances - leaping great heights out of the water, swimming and dancing with their trainers. It was a delight to watch. Later on, we were in the underwater section and watched the dolphin propelling the girl trainer from beneath the water up to the surface - it was great! The highlight for me, however, was the giant killer whale - what an incredibly beautiful creature! I was so moved at the sight of it, I was reduced to tears! The whale is part of the dolphin family and this particular one is twenty feet long. It's really something to see when it shoots into the air with a girl balancing on its nose - at least fifteen feet above the water! Incredible! I don't know how such a huge creature manages to propel its body weight that high. I've caught lots of the whale on video so you can see it for yourselves. It was a wonderful experience to see one so close. I could have swum with dolphins today - Ashleigh would have been SO jealous - if I had planned ahead. It costs $175 which includes your entrance fee to the park ($34) for a two hour session, which I think is pretty reasonable. That includes 30 minutes in the water with the dolphins, along with information and training on a one to one basis with a trainer. You have to make a reservation and it was nearly the end of the day before I thought about it. I regret missing the opportunity now - I know it sounds like a lot of money (approx 80-90 pounds), but it would be worth every penny. Maybe they do it in Key West - we'll see! We watched shark feeding time - the staff dangled a large fish over the water on a piece of rope and we watched the sharks rip it to shreds! The giant turtles were great to see, too. It was a full, hot but enjoyable day. I headed for the beach on our return to cool off in the sea. I've had my dinner and shower and will probably have an early night as we have an early start tomorrow. A little bit about this area of Miami and our hotel/hostel. From the advertising leaflet: 'The Clay Hotel is a jewel among places to stay in the historic Art Deco District of Miami Beach. Twenty-four hours a day, you can step through woodcarved French doors into the cool, terracotta tiled lobby .... was built in the early 1920s Roney to fulfill his dream of creating a Mediterranean style bohemian village for artists and writers. The hotel's architecture is rich with Spanish sculptures, arched doors and windows, pillars, small balconies and tiled roofs ... this charming narrow street continues to make history as top name film producers, movie stars, models and artists use this location as their backdrop - Sylvester Stallone, Don Johnson, Sharon Stone, Elton John, Will Smith and John Travolta, to name a few...' And so it goes on! There are photos of the aforementioned stars in the lobby of the hotel and we have seen camera crews in at least two areas locally filming. Have not spotted any famous faces though! Well, that's it for now. More from Key West - the Southern most point of the USA!
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