(Drivebycuriosity) - My wife were traveling in Florida. After staying some days in Miami we went to Key West. To get there we had to drive more than five hours. But the drive was very scenic. After leaving the sheer endless sprawl of the metropolis we drove through the Everglades (a small part of) and the street was sandwiched by mostly green swamp land. Then the street, the famous U.S. Route 1 along the east coast, went through a row of tiny islands, the Florida Keys, which are connected by bridges & dams. Key West is the most southern and western place of these islands and also the most southern point of the USA (except Hawaii).
The island is just about 4 miles (6 km) long and 1 mile (2 km) wide. Key West has a tropical climate and lays just 70 miles north of the tropics of cancer and 106 miles north of Havana (keywest ). The weather is very stable, typical for tropical islands. Temperature swings around 80F (26 C). Lots of UV light and warm humid air reduce the Covid-19 infection risk outdoors significantly.
The Island is a lovely place thanks to the lush tropical vegetation, almost a paradise. It`s very green. The streets are flanked by coconut palms and lots of other exotic trees, often very big.
Many houses are surrounded by wonderful gardens with coconut palms, mango trees and blossoming bushes. The air is humid and has rich and sweet scent thanks to the lush vegetation.
Above the image of a fan palm, a plant which is very popular in Thailand. I read once an article in a Thai paper which explained that people spend a lot of money to have this plant in their garden but they were often disappointed because the sensitive plant didn`t survive very long.
I also enjoyed the myriads of blossoming trees and bushes.
and I the orchids as well.
Key West has many flamboyant little wood houses, often with patios and balconies. Some parts of the city reminded me of New Orleans.
We stayed in the historical district district where we rented an Airbnb flat in Truman Annex Vacation Rentals. The complex area had many two-story houses, old but renovated. The buildings were surrounded by palms, bushes and other plants. The complex looked like a museum, neat by tiny. Unfortunately the pool was too small for track swimming and it wasn`t permitted to turn the almost medieval air condition below 74 F.
Almost everywhere we saw free running chicken & roosters. To whom do they belong? The crane above seemed to rule the street and there were geckos everwhere - the army against mosquitoes.
Key West is not a beach town. The surrounding waters are very shallow and coral reefs prevent the building of sandy beaches. The closest beach to our flat was 20 minutes away, tiny & stony. The largest beach, Smasher Beach, was in about 20 minute driving distance and the water was partly black and smelly. But the drive along the beach had a parade of coconut palms.
The shallow waters around the island are just some feet deep, but filled
with fish. This attracts lots of dolphins, the main attraction of a
tour we took one day. We were lucky to observe some of these mammalia. They usually dive, of course, to devour on the rich diet of fish.
To be continued
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