Back in Fort Lauderdale for a transit stop. It feels like the Arctic North with blustery winds and temperatures so low, that venturing out into the grassy and watery expanse of the Everglades rates as an 'extreme' sport.
What would Florida be without it's thousands of Alligators?
I whizzed around in an air boat (wrapped in my own warm clothes and some borrowed blankets) and made friends with a few smiling reptiles - the ones which were conveniently displayed in man made enclosures. Any self respecting wild Alligator or American Crocodily had happily burrowed into warm mud underneath four feet of chilly grassy sea. Sawgrass and Cat-tails bent to the wind, and ducks and geese hid amongst the reeds. Only a few turkey vultures and a couple of giant egrets braved the elements.
In the channels surrounding the ship Manatees, trying to find some warm corners away from the ocean, grazed amongst the Mangroves.
Heading off to Belize and tropical climes again....
