I watched my final Sky Sports news for a while and then Edwin (from the hostel) gave me a lift to the Greyhound stop in Homestead. I really like it here. The hostel was really nice, the people were really nice and the Everglades were beautiful. It's really the first place that I could have stayed longer. I felt there was more that I could of seen and done, but on the flip side there are other places in the world and I can always come back.
So I caught the 13.30 bus to Key West. It feels strange to be travelling alone again. I feel a little uneasy and insecure. I'm not sure whether that's because I'm alone or whether it's because I haven't arranged any accomodation in Key West and I've been hearing stories that the hostel in Key West wasn't very good and your gear wasn't safe.
I've always fancied a trip to the Keys. The Keys are a series of islands right at the bottom of Florida and the USA. They are joined by a series of manmade sandbars and bridges (including one that's 7 miles long). Key West is the last of these islands and is the southern most point of the USA. It's only 90 miles away from Cuba. It's famous for it's festivals and general liberal attitudes.
It was nice to be on a relatively empty bus, although it's a shame it's only a 4 hour trip. It still had it's fair share of weirdo's on board. I had a strange conversation with a woman. It went along the lines of:-
Weird woman - "Why are you still alive?"
Bloo - "Pardon me"
Weird woman - "Why are you still alive?"
Bloo - "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
Weird woman - "Where are you from?"
Bloo - "England" thinking 'lying cow'
Weird woman - "Oh really so am I" in a distinctly american accent
Bloo - "Where abouts?"
Weird Woman - "London or was it France?"
Bloo - (thinking) 'go away strange woman'
She stared at me for a while. I pretended to be more interested in my french fries (which I was) and eventually she sauntered off. Other than that the trip was uneventful. Saw lots of palm trees, ocean, fishermen, boats, bridges and I finished my 3rd book of the tour, before arriving in Key West @ 17.15.
I toyed with the idea of getting a hotel room as I need a bath and have my doubts about the hostel, but figured that I may as well take advantage of the cheap accomodation while I can. For $19.50 you get a bed in a 10 bed dorm @ the HI - Key West, 718 South Street. The dorms are more like cells. There are no pictures of buddha or hippy messages on the wall like there are in most hostels. It's bright yellow, but drab if you know what I mean. The hostel has a bad vibe to it, but I'm not sure if that's because of what I've been told. It feels very clicky and not very homely (unlike the Everglades hostel).
The first bloke I meet in the dorm says he has come down from New York because he keeps getting arrested for no reason (yeah right). He's probably on the run. He doesn't help alter my first impressions, but at least he feels at home in the cell/dorm. His parting words to me were "I'm working nights on the door in a bar in town so if you wake me in the day, I'll put you through that fucking wall." I can tell this will be a long 2 nights.
The hostel doesn't offer alot, no TV , no internet, no laundry and a sparse kitchen, but it is close to downtown so I go to explore. Duval Street is a strange concoction. It classy, tacky and sleazy all in one go. It's totally set up for tourists, but all tourists, young and old, rich and poor. It offers nice restaurants, next to bars called 'Willie T's', 'Sloppy Joe's' and 'Crabby Dick's'. It offers high class jewellers and cuban cigar shops next to crummy print on T shirt shops and strip bars. You can cruise the Keys on a luxury ship or have a booze up on a party boat. In honour of all these contrasting features I bought a fat $30 cuban cigar and a T shirt that said "This isn't a beer gut, it's a fuel tank for a sex machine!" and very cool I look with my pasty legs hanging out of my shorts.
