Key West, Florida
I'm writing this on September 13th, so... wait, it's already the 14th, didn't get to it on the 13th... So, I'll write down what I remember... even though it's bad that I'm not recording it right away, but what else can I do? Life here demands my attention every minute!
Anyway. I naturally overslept for 9 AM—I was swimming and lounging in the sun. I left at noon; the road is stunning, not many people, my four seats and the cleanest window =). For the first time, I saw what it's like—blue water (and green in some places), and the islands themselves are like little swamps: sand, half a meter of water with bushes on top, and roots sticking out of the water like little sticks underneath. There must be tons of wildlife there, but how do you even get there? Had a snack on Islamorada island, at Burger King, my favorite. I bought a lot—I'm not saving money anymore =). I saw a herd of green lizards, monsters the size of my arm! Damn! I thought I'd see them again in Key West—turns out, no way, didn't run into them again...
Arrived in Key West. 5:30 PM. The station is at the airport, 4 miles to the city, taxis can go to hell, and I'm walking. Although the road turned out not to be as interesting as I thought. The whole beach is covered in seaweed and smells terrible. So I walked through a palm grove. There are signs everywhere, including "no overnight camping"—I hate that rule =) (It doesn't exist on Miami Beach).
I reached the southernmost point of the states in an hour and a half, with all the photos; and on the way, I stopped by a so-called "wildlife corner," which was actually a dump in a swamp (I was surprised that it's so dirty in the famous Key West: puddles, smelly seaweed, and trash everywhere). So, in that wildlife dump, it was wet and full of little holes in the ground—turns out crabs live there, from the size of a coin to the size of a huge grapefruit. They see you from several meters away and start scurrying off =) Eyes on stalks =). Also saw birds and a couple of lizards—nothing interesting...
Then a local guy explained to me that the reason it's dirty right now is because of Key West after Hurricane Ike; two days ago, the very edge of it passed through here (the center went through Cuba and Haiti, hundreds of people died). Anyway, the edge was enough for Key West—the population was evacuated, and this guy just got back home and is walking around, horrified by how the hurricane messed up his city... All the hotels near the southernmost point monument are flooded, palm trees torn down. Well, I took some photos. At least the northern coast wasn't touched by the hurricane. On the way there, I stopped by the Hemingway House, but it's closed—too late. I first thought the small house was his, but it turned out to be the caretaker's house, and Hemingway's house is that big one. Cats roam around his garden =).
I also went to the pier, it's in the south of the city. To get there, you have to sneak through a fancy neighborhood past a security booth. What's good about the pier, besides a docked warship and a US Navy barracks? The fact that there's no one there except for a couple of peaceful homeless guys! The pier itself is huge like a runway, paved with concrete. One homeless guy is fiddling with the settings of some device—I just asked, "What are you doing?" and in response, I listened for a good 10 minutes to a stunning monologue about how the Republicans (the ones with McCain) are jamming his favorite radio station—the Voice of Democracy =)). Another homeless guy, skinny and bearded like Leo Tolstoy, is practicing karate... while sitting...
You can't imagine how pleasant, how sweet, how homey it was to watch this pier, bathed in moonlight, in silence, when all you can hear is the waves splashing and the "Voice of Democracy" mumbling something unintelligible =).
It's been dark for a long time, but I want to find a wild beach on the northern (untouched by the hurricane, no seaweed) side to spend the night. According to the map, it's somewhere past the yacht clubs, a few miles away.
I went out to the main street, Duval Street—and there are tons of people, souvenir shops, tour bureaus, bars (entry closed for under 21s), and restaurants. Again, that pretentious Peter Lik photographer's shop, where the price for one of the Grand Canyon prints (a really cool one) is 60 THOUSAND $ (with an autograph =)). I go out to the pier, a bunch of yachts in the bay, and between them are sturdy wooden walkways—awesome =).
I took pictures of a couple of catamarans. It's interesting that many cool yachts have stands with price lists for various trips, like watching the sunset (which is legendary here, but I didn't see it because of the clouds), snorkeling on the coral reef, weddings, dinners on the water, etc. And these yachts belong to private individuals, married couples...
Anyway, I walked to the yacht clubs, my feet are buzzing, civilization everywhere. I ask a cop, where are the clean wild beaches around here? He replies: "There are no clean beaches right now, no wild ones at all, and by the way, it's already 12 midnight, it's illegal to be there now, and if you lie down to sleep there, you'll go to jail!" I was shocked! I should have told him that all of civilized America is a prison built on beautiful territories! That their souls have withered and no romance is left... Although, in general, thanks to such a system, I can walk wherever I want in the middle of the night without fear (except maybe for parts of LA and New Orleans =).
Anyway, I trudged back to the pier... patrol cars drive by every few minutes, there are so many cops here... I turn away every time their headlights appear in an alley—I don't need questions about what I'm doing on the street at 2 AM with a backpack and a sleeping pad (Americans unerringly determine that if you have a pad, you're homeless) and which motel to drop me off at... I told that first angry cop that my friends were waiting for me on a yacht—I passed off my wish as reality =).
It's wonderful on the pier, only the homeless karate guy remained, I settled a hundred meters away from him, right on the edge over the water. Then that homeless guy left too, and I spent the night alone on a huge, deserted pier. I climbed down five meters to swim, it's terrifying, it feels like a shark will eat you in the dark, but it's pleasant to overcome yourself and know once again that God is with me.
September 12
At dawn, the cruise monsters sailed in. Since the sunsets are cool, maybe the sunrises aren't bad? =) That's how it turned out. In the morning, the sky is completely clear—I ran to the southern coast. 7 AM, at 8:45 one of the two buses home to Miami leaves =). Running, I barely made it. I'm incredibly satisfied =). The bus is chill, saw those huge lizards on the beach again, iguanas, I suppose. We never got to meet...
