A day to explore Miami Beach. Walked a couple of blocks and waited to be picked up for a half day tour of Miami. A bit of a circus really. The pickup bus was late, and took us without ceremony across to downtown Miami where we were offloaded and had to queue again to get on another double decker bus. A slow process as all names had to be checked, and there were inevitably more people than seats, so we didn't get going till about 11am.
Our first (and only) stop was Little Havana. There's a very big Cuban influence in Miami due to a history of Cubans trying to flee various regimes - firstly Spanish then Castro. Spanish is almost the first language in Miami, and you are normally greeted first in Spanish. Seems that dominos is a bit of national pastime too, and the bus delivered us to a park where lots of locals were playing. Tourists were welcome, but not visitors - you have to be a member to play there or they'll evict you says all the notices. A fun pastime I guess, but I would have thought that it wasn't a game that requires much intellectual challenge, or would hold interest for a lifetime. But I guess that could be said of basketball too.
Just up the road was a fifth generation cigar making shop. Inside was guy expertly rolling, cutting and packing cigars, which was interesting to watch if it wasn't for the fact that you were one of a 100 or so tourists crammed into a tiny shop all trying to see the same table. Regardless, I'm sure it takes skill and experience.
Which was in contrast to the guy sitting on a chair just outside the front door. I think that he was meant to be a living billboard, as he was dressed to look like the guy on their label (or maybe he was). He had a lit cigar in his mouth, but he didn't seem to be inhaling - it just burnt shorter and shorter. I'm pretty sure a distinct lack of any animation must have been in the job description. Maybe he had risen to the dizzy heights of owning the business. I can just imagine the motivation speech at home - "If you go to school and work hard, you could get to university so you can get a degree, and just maybe one day you'll get to sit outside the shop all day, every day, and do precisely nothing".
A couple of doors further down we got a thimblefull of sweet cuban coffee - I think it was nice. Then back on the bus for a wizz around Miami, past the Bay of Pigs monument, and through some of the business and residential districts. Around 12:30 we ended up at the local shopping centre 'to share lunch together'. All well and good till you got the bill. That was the last we saw of our guide. Seems he went off to cause chaos boarding the afternoon tour on the same double decker bus. Eventually approached by somebody in a clipboard who directed us to a bus to return us to our hotel via the 'short cut'. "Trust me, it's quicker" the driver said as we sat in a stationery queue whilst waiting for a boat to pass under the open drawbridge.
A quick pit stop at the hotel to change into swimming things, and off to South Beach (SoBe to the initiated) for an afternoon swim and walk. Really crowded as far as the eye could see, but nice, wide sand to sit or walk on. Lots of bands and stages along the waterfront, mostly in honour of the thousands of people visiting for the big game tomorrow, and a steady stream of light planes towing advertisements flew overhead.
A bit of packing and sorting before heading out to a nice Italian restaurant for our last dinner. The gorgeous spriuker was trying so hard to get business that at one stage she put herself on the menu, but Mandy wouldn't let me order her.
I've really enjoyed Miami, again. So much happening that you could do different things each day for weeks.
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