Day 12 - Fort Launderdale

Day 12 – Tuesday 21^st January 2014 – At Sea

Awake 06.30 and up on deck for 07.00 for our arrival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

It is a bright morning, overcast but most importantly it is warm.  The view from Deck 9 of the full port area surrounded by palm trees and the greenery of the everglades makes a pleasant change to the bumpy sea of green, we had seen for the past couple of days.  Twenty miles to the south and we can see the tall buildings of Miami.

Breakfast at 07.30 in the Britannia restaurant of Eggs Benedict sets you up nicely for the day.  After the port formalities we were ashore by 09.45.  Into a taxi and little did we know the fun starts shortly afterwards.  Driving down the road in the morning traffic, a police siren starts wailing behind us and the police motor cyclist wants us to stop and the taxi pulls up in the centre of the road.  The cop dismounts and ambles up to our coloured driver accusing him of a traffic violation of shooting a red and wanting to see his license and papers.  All I can see and attracted to through the window is this big handgun strapped to the cop’s hip.  We did not see the cab going through the red light and while we were being investigated the driver turned off the meter.  The driver was given a ticket and we were on our way again. We had only been ashore fifteen minutes.

Beach

The taxi dropped us off at the ‘Jungle Queen’ a river trip boat to take us round the canals.  The ticket office informed the next sailing was not until 13.30 so we had three hours to kill and were directed to the nearest bar behind the office as it had started to rain.

In the Bahia Cabana we tried to link into the internet but failed again while we had tea/coffee and French toast, feeling full now.  We strolled along the beach boulevard which is very pleasant with its clean beach lined by palm trees.  We even went shopping and bought a pair of shorts each.  We gave the bars along the front the once over looking for a likely spot for later in the day.

Jungle Queen

We strolled back to the ‘Jungle Queen’ who was now back on her berth and took up a place on the top deck, at the stern for the taking of pictures and movie.

The three hour trip was amazing passing along the river and canals to see the houses where the rich people live and the yachts which they owned.  This is how the other half live and it is overwhelming the amount of wealth.

Wealth

               

Wealth

Alex and Wally

Half way through the tour you are allowed shore at an island for a beer and an alligator show.

 In a pond, this guy with a twelve foot alligator about 70 years old and a younger one about eight feet long which he starts dragging around.  This ends with the guy putting his head into the alligators open mouth, scary stuff.  He let me have my picture taken holding the little three and half foot long alligator called Wally, which is which.

Speilberg's Yacht

Back on board and sail back going the same way past the wealth of the rich and famous. 

We pass this two hundred foot yacht owned by Steven Spielberg.  Informed he has a similar one tied up on the west coast of America.

Long Island Ice Tea

By the time we leave the boat it is raining but it is warm and wandered off back along the beach to a bar we had spotted earlier.  It was happy hour with 2-4-1 drinks. 

Colin introduced me to a drink called Long Island Iced Tea served in gold fish bowls for $30.  At last we have internet connection and got to work on sending some of these blogs.  The drink was exceptional so we ordered another one, half way through this, it became difficult to understand how my computer was working as I began missing and pressing the wrong keys.  I was tiddilee, so ordered a taxi and back on board for 19.30.

I was in no fit state to go to dinner but Colin made it, he even went to the theatre.

I went on deck 9 to watch the ship sail and I was the only one up there.  We had a great day in Fort Lauderdale but no more of those Long Island Iced Teas for me.  I was in bed for 22.00.