Oh no, it's Friday!

Usually today would be TGIF but with Friday came the realisation that we've already been in the US for 3 weeks and eventually it will be time to go home. Each day so far has been packed with new adventures and we have to keep pinching each other to remind ourselves that we're really here.

Today we raced into town to grab a couple of rainbow t shirts & postcards before we left Key West. Once again I my senses were assaulted by the sheer madness of sounds and sights and smells. The noise in town is crazy, even at 10am and in hindsight I wish I'd voice recorded it on my phone. Jamaican music combined with hawkers shouting , people laughing and arguing in English and Spanish, cigar smoke and Mexican food and cats and chooks and crazy people on bicycles and scooters dodging trolleys and the stupid conch train. I'm so glad we came here and in a different way to Memphis, I was glad to leave.

I thought the trip back up the Keys might be boring because we'd aready traveled it but honestly, I don't think you could ever get sick of sea views on either side. The pelicans are particularly fascinating. They glide effortlessly alongside the highway at window height and then suddenly plummet down to grab a fish. Their landing is as ungainly as their flight is elegant.

We made land fall at Key Largo and in a totally uncharacteristic move for two vehement anti gun people, we went to a shooting range and learnt to shoot a hand gun. Turns out both of us are crack shots, hitting around the bulls eye with every round. Just holding a loaded gun made my knees tremble and every time the man next to us let of a shot I jumped. What worried me most was that by the time we'd got to the end of our box of ammo I wasn't nearly as afraid. Anyway, like many of our experiences here it was a one off. I certainly won't be looking to bear arms when I get home.

I booked a 2 star hotel on Priceline tonight because it was the only rental I could find under $150. It's called, ( ironically since we're 90 miles away) The Key West Inn and it suits our purposes beautifully. A full kitchen and a bedroom upstairs so Taine can have the TV all to himself for a night. We went for a walk around the neighborhood before dinner and it was beautiful. There's nothing at all pretentious about this side of Key Largo but it looks like a great place to kick back and enjoy the weather.

This ends our time in South Florida and we'll be sad to say goodbye. It's a unique and beautiful part of the world and I would recommend it to anyone traveling this way. Tomorrow we'll start wending our way up toward Orlando and Disneyworld.