Finally, Miami!

I'd been so scared that I was going to miss my flight to Miami that Sunday that I kept waking up every hour before I actually have to wake up at 4 AM.  Major Northeast snowstorm notwithstanding, I was going to be on that flight to tropical wonderland no matter what.

I was a bit groggy at 5 in the morning and I kept watching these monitors when I really didn't have to.  I was already checked in and was just waiting at the gate for boarding.

Snow and ice can still be seen on the runway which got me a little worried but not really.  I just have this tendency to temper my excitement and happiness with worry.

Look at that heavenly, sunshiny day!  I was so giddy with excitement that I felt like I was the only tourist on the mostly tourist AA flight.

A friend came to pick me up at the airport, took the bus straight to Miami Beach (which cost about $1.35), checked in at the Tropics Hostel, walked around and she succeeded in making me jealous with this view from her apartment.

Flying in from wintery, freezing New York, I was the happiest girl on earth when I took these photos.

I woke up at 7AM the next day to walk and lounge around the beach some more. 

Is he actually fishing from there?  Why would little fishies risk being beached by swimming so near the shore?

I fell asleep on the beach for more than an hour until my friend texted me to meet at her apartment for lunch.  Unfortunately, I can't really recommend any Miami Beach restaurants as they were ridiculously expensive and I was so ready to subsist on instant noodles and fried chicken for the next four days.

Between that time and lunch, we managed to meet up with the friends I've made in the hostel at the beach, braving cold waves that were just aiming for my swimsuit top to leave me a barenaked lady.  I've been so used to calm Philippine beaches that waves like those tire me out so quickly.

After hours under the sun and a lunch of empanadas, I was looking and feeling like a cooked lobster, ready to fall asleep.  I've made plans for the next day to go to the Florida Keys alone, my friend had to work.  $40 for a Key West day trip wasn't bad and it was 4 hours from Miami.  I don't really know what else there was to see in the Keys except for more beaches and the Hemingway House.  A friend I met at the hostel decided to go with me and keep me company. 

What started out as a mere afterthought to the my grand Miami vacay became the highlight of my trip because of this guy.  Characters everywhere!