Fort Lauderdale/Miami

Well, last day and we had one more excursion to do before we headed to the airport and our flight home. After breakfast we boarded our coach for our guided tour of downtown Fort Lauderdale. Obviously nothing very old but it was interesting to see the trading post/bank which had been one of the first proper buildings in the town and hear a bit of the history of the town.  As we drove along the road parallel with the beach, our guide pointed out the beautiful ornate faux Victorian street lamps and then asked us if we knew why they were covered with black bags. Turned out that the beach is a turtle nesting site so in order not to confuse the newly hatched turtles (who use the moon to navigate their way to the sea), the lamps are covered up during the season.  Drivers are also asked to use dipped headlights.

As we drove along, we kept getting glimpses of the many waterways which make up a lot of the town - and the beautiful houses and boats which line these canals. The next part of our trip was on a sightseeing boat which would take us along some of these canals for a closer look at how the other half live.  And what houses!! Every building style imaginable and a lot with the boat to go with the house.  We sailed out as far as the docks and then turned and came back in along the main waterway with an on-going commentary about who owned which house and which boat. Not being American, a lot of the names meant nothing to us, but it was fun to hear all the comments.

Back at the boat dock we re-boarded our bus and headed for Miami and the airport. After nearly a month of travelling we were headed home.  We'd travelled across the Atlantic, gaped at the excess that is Las Vegas, gone down the entire west coast of the US from Alaska to California, swam in the Pacific, transited the Panama Canal, sailed across the Caribbean and ended up in Florida.  We'd driven 4 x 4s in Alaska, canoed in Alaska and Mexico, been on board the aircraft carrier from where the order to start the first Gulf War had been given, driven dune buggies in the Mexican heat and seen how coffee is produced in Costa Rica. We'd gone from the glitz and bustle of Vegas to the vast, quiet emptiness of Alaska. From frosty mornings to the heat and humidity of Central America. Seen turtles, flying fish, porpoises, pelicans and even a small whale. Drunk coffee in Seattle and Corona beer in Mexico. Walked in the rain in British Columbia and luxuriated in the after dark heat of the tropics. And now it was over and time to go back to Scotland.