In the
process of an eternal quest towards finding myself, I decided to go on a solo
travel to the sunshine state “Florida” in the winter of early 2015.I knew there
was no way all of Florida could be done in 5 days; I had to set my priorities
for which a bit of homework were required. I read few articles to get a clear
idea of Florida’s geography before booking my flight tickets. As I had just 5
days of vacation and wanted to visit 3 major cities (Miami, Orlando, and Tampa)
along with NASA, I made up my mind to skip Key West (Southernmost tip of US)
for this trip. Once I had a rough idea of what I should visit during my trip, I
booked my flight tickets, rental car and stay accordingly. I prefer to book my
stay in advance using Airbnb/Couch surfing or any traveller hostels, because
for solo travellers it works out pretty inexpensive. You also get to meet a lot
of interesting people which is critical when travelling alone. For me travel is
not just to visit scenic places, but to meet new people, open to new
experiences, learn new things, and educate myself.
I
continued my homework whenever time permitted till the travel date arrived. I
read a lot of blogs, googled articles for possible tips for solo travel, and
gained sufficient information about places to visit near each place where I
would stay. I prepared with my camera bag and one carry-on bag with my cloths,
tripod and few containers and food for an emergency. Since my flight was early
in the morning from Kansas City, which is around a 3 hr drive from the place
where I stay, I started around 12 am. This
ensured I would reach the airport early and make sure to get a nap before check-in.
The flight was pretty long including layover before a connecting flight. It
would be a long day of travel to reach Miami.
I
could see breath-taking colourful view of the city filled with lights on the
seashore when airhostess announced that flight is about to land in few minutes.
Weather was pretty comfortable; temperature was around 65 degree F which was
most comfortable weather in winter for a person staying in Northern part of US.
My host Kathy was keeping in touch with me as soon as I landed. I completed all
the formalities for the rental car which I booked in advance and started
driving to her place Kathy’s place was a cozy stay near Miami South Beach with bunk
beds. It reminded me my hostel days in Bangalore when I was studying my
masters. As soon as I entered the house, two puppies including the hosts, Nat
and Kathy, gave me a warm welcome. There were a few guests sitting on the sofa smoking
hookah and watching TV. Nat and Kathy spoke to me for a while and left for the
day. I started socializing with the other people who were staying there. They
were all staying for a long time. They worked in restaurants and pubs in Miami Beach.
A few of them were bar dancers. Their nationalities included Brazilians,
Mexicans and Chinese. It was a completely different world which I had never
experienced before. Before
this experience, I looked at bar dancers as really different people, maybe even
a little strange. However, after visiting with them, I have come to know them
as just normal everyday people. They are as normal as you and I. During my 2 day stay there; I
socialized with them as much as possible. We would roam around the beach
together at night, and they would share their experiences, lifestyle etc... They
were really nice people.
Day 1: Everglades National Park
“Everglades National Park” is predominantly
known for its eco system, wilderness, geography and site of ethnographic
resources. Which is around one hour
drive from Miami towards south of Florida Bay. On the way to Everglades
National park, I saw lot of farming lands with different varieties of
vegetables. Later on I read few articles regarding rich farming traditions in
Florida. When most parts of the US shut down their agricultural activities for
winter, Florida still contributes its best to grow seasonal vegetables. For the
one who considers Florida as Disney World, beaches and party, I would suggest
to visit country side of Florida too.
Bird is Anhinga Trail
I stopped
at the park visitor canter to get a National Park map and get an idea of what to
visit for that day. I followed the map and drove towards the Anhinga Trail.
This trail is a very beautiful trail along the water body; especially a
photographer could find lot of good landscapes, birds and Alligators to capture.
I photographed Anhinga’s and a few other birds in their natural habitat. Photography
was bit challenging since the light was getting too harsh. Especially when
capturing birds or animals focussing on the eyes of an object makes lot of
difference in creating lively expression to the photograph. I did get a chance
to avoid sun and captured few landscapes along with variety of the patterns in
cloudy sky with the reflection in water. This trail is good to visit at sunrise
or before sunset. After spending good amount of time on this trail, I hiked on the
west lake trail in Everglades National Park which is known to be largest
mangrove ecosystem in the western hemisphere takes you through a beautiful
mangrove forest with different species of mangrove trees. There is a nice wooden path made on top of
the huge roots of the mangroves which takes you to the edge of West Lake. At
the end of the trail there is nice view of West Lake.
Bird is Anhinga Trail
Trail under the hot Sun
In its natural habitate
After
hiking west lake trail, I started driving towards Flamingo. On the way I
stopped at a couple of overlook trails which had beautiful landscapes. Along
with the mangrove forests, Everglades National Park is enriched with Gumbo
Limbo trees, pine trees, mahogany trees, a river of grass land which is habitat
for different species of birds and mammals.” Pa hay okee” Overlook trail offers
such a marvellous view of “rivers of grass” which even offers good landscapes
to photograph. I drove all the way to “Flamingo Visitor centre” which is on the
shore of Florida Bay. I visited a small museum at the visitor centre, walked
along the trail on the sea shore. On the way I met a few bikers and hikers
coming back to the visitor centre. Other than that, the trial was so quite with
the exception of birds and breeze. There was an hour left before sunset which I
spent on the seashore.
Mangroove Forest
After
sunset, I drove back to Miami. It was around 10 pm; I had my dinner and reached
the same cozy hostel. Nat was waiting for me. He was interested to learn about
India, since he was planning to visit the Himalayas soon. He even shared a lot
of his crazy travel experiences with me. We had a pretty good conversation for
some time. After he left, I went to roam along the streets of Miami South Beach
which is famous for night life. I was explored until 2 am, and one of my fellow
guests accompanied me for a while.
Florida bay
Day 2: Key Biscayne Island
I started my
journey around 5:30 am towards Key Biscayne Island which is barely a 20 min
drive from the hostel where I was staying. This island is a small village which
connects to Miami through a 7 mile bridge. It was still dark when I reached the
Island Village. All gates to enter the beaches were closed. I drove along the
small Island to figure out a good place to watch the sunrise. Except a biker
who was wandering like me in the dark, the roads were empty until sunrise. We
both found a place and waited until the gates opened. They opened the entrance
gates right before sunrise. This is one of the most beautiful mornings in my
memory. The sky was turning color slowly indicating Sun would soon show its
face. I was walking slowly along accompanied by a cool breeze and waves. The
beach was completely calm except a few people walking here and there. I could
capture few breathtaking sunrise shots with surrounding shining with the golden
rays. I chose this place in particular, because
usually on long weekends, Miami South beach is completely crowded. I wanted to
spend my time with eternal silence except me and nature listening to each other.
Since this place does not offer luxurious beaches, there were very few people
walking here and there. It was a perfect place to get lost.
Beautifyl Sun Raise in Key Biscyne Island
I spent time
peacefully on the sea Shore of Key Biscayne Island till late afternoon and then
started towards Melbourne, FL to the north. On the way I managed to visit Fort
Lauderdale beach immediately after sunset before it gets completely dark. I spent
some time walking along the streets where night life was about to start.
My host JD in
Melbourne gave me some useful suggestions to visit Disney World and NASA. I
wandered around Melbourne downtown before heading towards NASA. Melbourne seems
to be quite town indeed it is pretty near to famous Disney City Orlando.
Kennedy Space Center is around 40 min drive from Melbourne which is often
traffic free except if there is launch in Kennedy Space Center. Kennedy Space
Center offers a lot of exhibits, displays, and educational programs for the
visitors. They also offers an educational bus tour across the KSC which takes
visitors to different places inside the space center with an instructor
explaining the history and future of space shuttles and launches., They also
explain the failures and success of each launch as it took place in the history
of NASA. One day is not sufficient to see NASA in detail for the one who is
interested in space and artifacts related to space. You can even meet an astronaut
if one is available the day you visit. I spent the whole day at Kennedy Space
Center until it closes in that evening.
Day 4: Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World
is a dream place for most of the people in US and visitors to US. Obviously one
cannot visit all the theme parks in Disney World in a single day. If you want
to enjoy all the theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal
Kingdom), it is better to set 4 days aside for Disney world in your trip to
Florida. After reading a lot of reviews on Disney Theme parks, I decided to
visit Epcot. Epcot offers a lot of educational rides. I sat and did a bit of
homework reading detailed reviews about all the rides which Epcot offers and
shortlisted a few rides. I wanted to be sure and experience these in case it got
too crowded. Since I reached the Epcot entrance early in the morning before it
becomes too crowded, I completed most of the rides before evening. After that, I
met my friends Pranavi and Travis who were also on vacation at Disney World. I
enjoyed most of the themes related to different countries and dealing with
space craft. “Living with the land” is a very nice show which showcases the future
of agriculture and interesting horticulture techniques. I spent time in Epcot until
around 9.30 pm, and then drove towards Tampa where I stayed with a beautiful
couple Anne and Mike. I did not have much time to spend in Tampa, but I wanted
to get a feel of all 3 cities in Florida during my visit. It adds one more hour
drive to Miami for the route which I planned. Hence I planned to stay in Tampa
for the night.
Sanibel Island
I had a good
conversation and breakfast along with Mike and Anne before leaving. I had a
plan to visit Sanibel Island on the way back. Indeed Sanibel Island deserves
more time, as part of my trip I visited this island to get a feel of shelling
and the wildlife refuge beach. It was too sunny and crowded afternoon when I
reached Sanibel Island. I could find a clear difference between Key Biscayne
and Sanibel Island beaches. Indeed both are beautiful, quiet and bit separate
from the main land, but Sanibel seems to have more variety of wildlife inside
it. I could find variety of shells and fishes within a mile I walked along the
white sand beach and also variety of wild plants along the beach. Whereas charm
Key Biscayne is full of Coconut Plans with minimal shells and color of the sand
is as normal as any other beach.
Few tips for road trip in Florida
1)
Learn
the geography before planning for the trip since Florida has lot of unique beaches and places to visit.
2)
Choose
the places based on your priority, different regions of Florida offers distinct
activities.
3)
Since
Florida has lot of tolls make sure to purchase Ezpass while driving in Florida,
especially when visiting different cities Ezpass is critical.
4)
Be
prepared to face traffic within the city and in the highways to enter the
cities Miami and Orlando (especially on long week end in winter) in peak hours
expect early in the morning.
5)
You
may not find gas stations in places like Everglades National Park and few other
urban areas. There are limited gas stations in some areas where gas prices
higher than usual.
This article and photos published in http://www.readoo.in/.
