Memories of Miami

Miami is a beach paradise with upmarket shopping, daiquiri stands on every corner and glamorous, beautiful people doing nothing but tanning and partying. But Miami is also a conservative, Hispanic community with cigar shops, Cuban street art and Haitian food outlets. Throw in a thriving gay community, washed-out hippies and some rednecks, and you are starting to get the feel of the place.

I quite took to Miami. It is quirky, at least if you dare to venture further than South Beach, and I loved the randomness of it all. The city also has a half decent public-transportation system, so it is possible to get just about anywhere. Miami is like most American cities though - spread out - so you need to put in both effort and time to track down the interesting places.

 

This hammerhead shark was the largest they had caught this season. They often just let them go as they are not suitable for food, but the person who caught this one wanted it brought to shore to take a picture. I do not approve of that decision, but it clearly did not stop me from posing with it once it was there.

 

Half the point of going to Miami was because it is a generally warm place that has beaches. It was not really warm enough to swim, at least not by my standards, but the beach was a brilliant place for people watching. I do not know who wrote this or what it means, but it sure looked cute.

Red Bull had an art exhibition where local artists could participate. I quite liked the concept.

I went on a daytrip to the Everglades, a swamp-like area that actually is a very slow running river. All kinds of charming creatures live here, including alligators.