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I write this on the train on the way back up releaved to be coming back up. Some cool bits, but also, some, and some more than others, disasterous bits.
So we got into the station at about 6:30, 25 mins ahead of schedule only to find that our bags we checked in, were on the other train, which goes a slightly different way down the coast, and had incidentally collided with truck on a crossing, set on fire, and left everyone stranded at Tampa. This meant that along with the stranded people, were our stranded luggage. luggage that was needed as we had worn the same clothes for the last 4 days! undergarments 'an all. Annoyed is probably a little tame, but there was nothing we could do. So we went downtown to S.Beach to find a Hostel for the night, grab a shower, to have to come back up the next day and get our luggage. we stayed in a hostel called Clay Hotel, which was ok, a little dirty round the edges, but was comfy. We set our alarm for the morning so we could go get up, grab a hire car for 24 hours, and then grab our luggage.
we went from our hostel, to the city centre, asked some guy where 7ave and 79 st were. got on another bus to take us up there. Reason for this was we were going to rent a car to go to the everglades for the day, and this was where the company was...Rent-a-Wreck is its name. The guy we asked for directions must have got confused as we ended up on 7th Street 79 Ave.....the complete opposite to where we wanted to be! so we ended up walking to the rest in the sweltering heat of miami with the same clother we had been wearing for the last few days. You can imagine how horrible it was. We eventually arrived at the car hire place to find out that they had put their prices up from $12.99 a day to $75.00. so obviously we didnt use them, so had to walk from there to the metro station to get to the airport as that was the only place we knew to have cars available. Turns out they didn't. So we went to Amtrak station with no car, having walked around getting about 7 buses, 3 trains and a metro to get nowhere at all. We had literally walked around in 2 big loops!
Another night was in need at the hostel. Next day we decided having booked online to get a car from the airport, drive down to the everglades and spend the night there in the car to drop it off the next morning and get the train upto Orlando. Alarm didnt go off, so we woke about and hour and a half later than we wanted, so that was a bit annoying, but anyway, cutting a long story short, we made it to the Car hire, got the car and drove down south to the Everglades!
The Everglades are only a short ride away from Miami, so we got there about Midday, entered the park and drove to the first visitor centre. The Everglades are Definately a place i would come back. We saw all kinds of wildlife, these crazy fish that kept jumping out the water, a Kingfisher or 6, loads of other birds and fish, but best of all, GATORS! At first they are pretty intimidating, but they are awesome creatures, and to think they have been around for thousands of years...truely amazing! i dared Ford to touch one on the tale that was sunbathing, but sensibly he declined it, and still retains his arm!
The park is massive, and is full of loads of view points, "hammocks" as they call them, but the place is so flat! it looks like somewhere in Africa. Oh and by way, i got a sun tan, yeah i know, a sun tan in November! beat that England!! Anyway, the place is amazing, so look at the photos!
That night we drove down Ocean Avenue on South Beach and then back to the Amtrak Station, which was to be the place we slept. It was like sleeping in an oven! it was so hot, so after about 3 hours sleep we had to be up to drive to the airport, drop the car off, get a metro and a bus back to get our train at 7:15.....5AM we had to be up, now that is a silly time to be up!
We got off at Orlando as we were going to get a Hostel that night, freshen up, then go to the Space Centre at Kennedy the next day. Only problem was that there were no Hostels with room, or any cheap Rooms at hotels. Nor were there any cars, one company wasnt even open. So we arrived into Orlando at Midday, only to get the next train ouit at 4pm, which is where im writing this rather long journal entry. I took one photos of Orlando, just so i could proove i was there, i would have taken more, but my battery ran out.
So as you can gather, it has been a pretty bad couple days, and an unlucky visit to Florida, although the Everglades were amazing, the rest was crap, If im honest.
We are now heading back upto DC, to then go over to Chicago, which in turn will take us to our second Rail pass in the West, which i am really REALLY looking forward to. Places to go will be:
Denver, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Yosemite Park, Yellowstone Park, Vegas, San Fran, Texas Mountains, Hollywood, Beaches...etc Loads to do, so i will keep you informed!
Hopefully the bad luck will turn into good luck now....especially when we visit vegas lol
Speak soon!
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