Five Hours in Paradise

While I was in Miami I had an obsession about going to Key West, so even when I realised I could only do it as a daytrip, I still had to go. The trip included five hours in Key West and a total of seven hours driving to and from the mainland. It was worth it though. The island is like a Disney project with a twist of madness to it.

Key West is the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys, a string of Caribbean-like islands in southeast United States. The Keys are connected to mainland by bridges, the longest being 10 kilometres long. Key West is known for rum drinking, key lime pie, and is said to be the place those who are too weird for Miami go.

Even I, who is quite used to bridges, found it fascinating to take the ocean road to Key West.

Key West is paradise, at least if you are to believe the many signs scattered around the island. However, a little bird told me that the reason the island in such a pristine condition is because of the Mexican and Cuban immigrants who are up at 5am washing away puke and other horrors. Most of these people cannot afford to live in Key West and some of them even commute daily from the mainland. I guess there is no such thing as paradise.

Pelicans are a common sight in both Miami and Key West.

Key West is actually closer to Cuba than it is to Miami. It is only 170 km from Havana and many Cubans have managed to make their way to Florida over the years.

Ernest Hemingway, or "the due with the wives" as an elderly American gentleman called him, had a house at Key West. It is now a museum, and since they had a spring-break special for students I ventured inside. It turned out to be one of the highlights of my Key West experience. The guide was incredibly funny and the house was filled with six-toed cats. More than 30 cats live on the property and are free to do as they like. All of them are descendants from Hemingway's own six-toed cat.