Key West

Key West is a small place in the South of Florida that seems to attract beach bums and retirees. In the last few cruises to Key West I did two Nature Kayak excursions. On these excursions we kayaked all around and learned about the environment of the Keys.

We kayaked in mangroves which are fascinating trees that live in salt water. The water here is absolutely clear because of the natural process of the mangrove filtration and the sea grass. Mangroves are fresh water trees able to live in Salt Water due to their use of a sacrificial leaf. The mangrove takes in the water and filters the salt out and puts it all into one leaf which will then turn yellow die and fall off for the sake of the whole tree. The mangroves will grow in a way that they seem to form their own little islands. They create protective areas from hurricanes and such. In high winds going into the mangroves can protect you.

On our excursion, we were able to see all sorts of birds I’ve never seen in the wild such. Especially Pelicans! So cute these birds are. Then as we kayaked more, our guide would find, capture and show us all kinds of sea creatures and pass it around so we could touch and feel. There were: spiny sea star, sea cucumbers, sea hare, conchs, tree oysters, anemone, and all kinds of sponges. She would explain the habitat their defense mechanisms and about how we need to preserve these creatures for the greater good. The conch is a protected species in the area as the numbers which were once in the tens of thousands are now in the thousands.

Another time in Key West I did a pub crawl. There are a ton of pubs in Key West. From seedy to shiny they have it all. Many have these “slushy” style drinks that are like any slushy you find in your local 7-11, but these are made with alcohol. Some with pure grain alcohol even. Restaurants abound boasting every type of fare, but the specialty being local seafood such as grouper and conch fritters. However, the thing to get here that you cannot get any other place that is truly a specialty of Key West is the Key Lime pie. YUMMY! I went to THE place for Key Lime. It was featured on the food network as having one of the ten best desserts in the nation. After my nibbles I would agree that this pie is delicious. They even have chocolate covered Key Lime Pie. In addition to perfectly prepared Key Lime Pie that is not too tart and not too sweet with a perfect texture and a divine graham cracker crust the place has a delicious ambiance. It is peaceful with a koi pond in the middle and trees to protect you from the throngs of tourists all around. All in all Key West is a nice little destination with some fascinating things to offer.

Coco Cay

We sailed to Royal Caribbean’s private island, Coco Cay, in the Bahamas. This island was a trippy experience. It was as if we dropped anchor and the ship services were teleported to the island and a few more added. Much of the staff from the ship had to work the places on the island and most of the musicians played on the main stage at the island. The food was pretty much prepared on our ship and delivered early morn to the island. They had grills and everything to cook burgers and such.

The Bahamas are all low lying islands with very little landscape due to all the hurricanes. If you ask me, they all look fairly desolate, but will have these magnificent white sandy beaches. Our ship was anchored out and there were boats that transported people back and forth to the island. When you get to the small island there are all sorts of brightly colored buildings each with its own purpose. There were shops and bars and such. These shops were all run by our ships own shop keepers. Other huts provided services and gear for rent such as: snorkeling equipment, jet skis, paddle boats, kayaks, hobbie sail boats, and wet suits. There was a huge water slide and this “aqua park” with inflatable activities.

I went snorkeling. With my injured ankle I could not do much, but I still saw a great deal by simply floating around. Fish would just come around me with this incredible curiosity. It was amazing. There were so many colors of fish-yellow, blue, orange, green, red, purple, black, and every color in between. I saw a Barracuda and this gorgeous eel. There was a sunken ship to explore and further out there was a sunken plane, but with my ankle I just kept to the reef and ship wreck. It was a truly beautiful day.

In addition to snorkeling I walked around the island as it is not really that big. At one part of the island you can walk more then 100 feet out into the water whilst it remains shallow and below the knees. There were people out in the far distance that seemed as though they were walking on water. All around the island are thousands of lounge chairs and hammocks. It is a truly peaceful place especially when you get away from the central area where most people congregate. It was had a good, but trippy time.