Nanda & Nathan The Travellers: December 2015

December 20, 2015

A Day in Miami, Florida

December 19, 2015 ---- Our Florida trip came to an end in Miami. We were enjoying the warm weather, great Cuban food, and all the beautiful places we went to during this trip. Miami was our last stop before heading to SC to celebrate Christmas with family. Although we stayed there just for one night, we actually got to see many major tourist sites. Florida is a wonderful state and has a lot to offer, but I think Miami is just okay. Nothing like NYC or SF.

Vizcaya Museum & Gardens

Nathan and I left Florida City early enough to get to Vizcaya Museum & Gardens before 10 a.m. The traffic wasn't so bad on Saturday morning either. There was a lot of free parking spots when got there, but it was quite full when we left around noon. The line to the ticket booth and the entrance to the villa was quite long and slow, but we eventually got in after 10 - 15 minutes of waiting.

Nathan and I rented an audio tour of the estate at the ticket booth. I don't remember how long the tour was, but it was quite enjoyable. We started at the gardens first because the villa was already crowded that morning. The audio tour came with a walking map.

The gardens were beautiful and the weather was just perfect when we were there. The estate really reminded me of Europe, and I learned later that the owner was inspired by his trip to Europe and wanted to build a home the way the wealthy Europeans did then.

After we finished touring in the gardens, we went inside the villa. There were many rooms to see and learn about. Most of the antiques were bought and shipped from Europe. The audio tour explained each room with great information. There are also some displays or signs you can read if you don't have an audio tour.

Nathan and I spent about two hours to finish the tour of the estate. It was well worth the visit, and I highly recommend anyone to go there if you are in Miami.

Little Havana

At around lunch time we drove to Little Havana to have some authentic Cuban food. I found an interesting place called "El Nuevo Siglo Supermarket" on Yelp.com which got great reviews, so we decided to eat there. The restaurant was nothing fancy. It's located in a supermarket and has very few tables. A lot of people just sat at the bar or got take-out. Luckily Nathan and I got a table almost immediately, so we could enjoy the food more.

The server didn't speak English at all, but somehow we understood each other. The menu wasn't that complicated, and I ordered "Boliche Beef." I didn't really know what it was, but everything was DELICIOUS! Cuban food has become my favorite now, especially the fried plantain.

After lunch we strolled along the main street in Little Havana. There were some interesting shops selling souvenirs. We didn't hang out too long because we ran out of coins to pay for the parking.

Lunch at El Nuevo Siglo Supermarket

Boliche Beef

The BEST black bean soup ever!

Grilled shredded beef

Downtown Miami

Nathan and I checked in early at our hotel in Downtown Miami. We stayed at River Park Hotel & Suites because it was cheap and in a convenient location. We didn't expect to get into the room right away, but we wanted to leave our rental car at the hotel and explore Downtown on foot. The valet parking was $25/day.

After settling in our room, we walked straight to History Miami to learn about the city. I really liked this museum and am glad we made it there. Miami wasn't bustling as I expected, but I guess it was the weekend and most shops were closed, so people weren't hanging around. Anyway, I liked Miami fair enough, and its history was interesting, especially about the aboriginal people.

The view from our room

Metro Mover

History Miami

Miami South Beach

No one comes to Miami without visiting its famous South Beach. Although it was extremely windy when we were there and so difficult to walk on the sand, we somehow managed to walk at least half a mile along the clear, light-blue water. It was stunning! The beach was so big and the water was quite clean. I could imagine on a beautiful sunny day, this beach must be super-crowded.

After visiting the beach, we just drove around to see some neighborhoods and the bustling streets. There was a ton of great sit-in restaurants and several night clubs and bars for people who love night life. Nathan and I didn't want anything fancy, so we just went for a simple Mexican place called "Alma Mexicana." The reviews on Yelp.com were great, but I was a little disappointed with my chile relleno. It was just too cheesy.

Overall, our day in Miami was great fun. My favorite was History Miami, and Nathan's was the Vizcaya. I don't know when we will have a chance to go there again, but I know that I will miss Cuban food more than anything.

Dinner at Alma Mexicana

December 18, 2015

Biscayne and Everglades National Parks

December 18, 2015 ---- After our fun trip down to the Florida Keys and Key West, we drove back to up to Florida City and stayed at a Super 8 motel for two nights. I picked to stay in Florida City because it is the gate to Everglades National Park, and we didn't have to deal with the traffic in Miami.

I always wanted to go the the Everglades because I saw it on TV once and thought it would be fun to take a boat trip or kayak through the mangroves. Then I did more research on "national parks in FL" and found that Biscayne National Park is also located within half an hour drive from Florida City. As a result, we visited two national parks in a day!

Biscayne National Park

Nathan and I planned to spend time at Biscayne National Park in the morning and at Everglades in the afternoon. Biscayne NP is covered mostly by water and there are some islands, so exploring them in a boat is more ideal than by land. We didn't have a boat, but we still had fun by going to Dante Fascell Visitor Center to see a mini exhibit about the wildlife and a short film presentation on the park. We also walked on the boardwalk trail by the water all the way to the tip end and found it relaxing and peaceful. There were people fishing, picnicking, and strolling along the water. If you are lucky, you might see some manatee there as well.

As I mentioned before, there is not a lot to do if you don't have a boat. Our visit lasted about an hour or so, but it was still enjoyable. We left the park around 11 a.m. to have lunch in Florida City before heading to the Everglades, which is located on the other side of the city. If you want to know more about Biscayne NP, you can check its official website:
http://www.nps.gov/bisc/index.htm

A short walk along the water

Sea Grape or Coccoloba uvifera

Dante Fascell Visitor Center

Everglades National Park

After lunch and a little shopping in Florida City, Nathan and I drove straight to Everglades National Park. It looked like it would rain at any moment then. We stopped at Ernest Cove Visitor Center first to talk to the park ranger about the park's program for the day. Apparently there was a ranger talk about the Everglades' crocodiles and alligators at Royal Palm Visitor Center in the afternoon that day, so we just drove straight there.

At Royal Palm Visitor Center, there are also two famous trails you can walk on, Gumbo Limbo Trail and Anhinga Trail. Before the ranger talk, Nathan and I still had some time, so we went walking on Gumbo Limbo Trail. It was a nice, wide trail with a boardwalk leading into to the grassy glades. There we saw an alligator lying motionlessly in a small pond not too far from the visitor center. By then I was able to identify alligators from crocodiles just because I have seen them a lot in South Carolina.

The ranger talk was fun. It was short, but we learned some interesting facts about Everglades crocodiles and alligators like how fast they run, etc. After that we went on walking on Anhinga Trail. It was a short loop trail through a wooden park of the park. Luckily we bought a bottle of mosquito repellent from the Royal Palm Visitor Center; otherwise, we would have lots of mosquito bites by the time we finished our walk.

Pa-hay-okee Trail is also a nice one to stroll on. The boardwalk led us up to the overlook so that we could see the glades further away. It was beautiful and interesting to learn that the glades are actually a "river," not a swamp like I always thought.

Our last stop was at the Flamingo Visitor Center. The exhibit there was quite small, so we didn't spend a lot of time there. I was interested in the ranger's canoe tour, but the park's website didn't update its activity calendar, so I didn't know that there was one available the next day when I had already planned to leave early for Miami. :-(

Well, on the next visit I will call the park instead of checking its website online for on-going activities.

The rain started when we were at Flamingo Visitor Center, so Nathan and I just skipped other part of the park and drove straight back to our hotel. At dinner we went to Salvadoran Cuisine in Homestead. Everything was really DELICIOUS and cheap. It was our first time having Salvadorian food, and I would say that this place is definitely a gem. Check out its good reviews here!
http://www.yelp.ca/biz/salvadoran-cuisine-homestead