Day 6 - Biscayne National Park
Jan. 21st, 2010 07:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smittenbyuDecember 30, 2009
We had a 5:30am wake up call. We had to meet the rangers and get the canoes at 9-mile pond Canoe trail by 8am. It was going to be a half day canoe ride through the mangroves and other habitats with a ranger to guide us. As I turned off the alarm and woke up hubby, I felt very hesitant to go on this ride. I could barely sit an hour straight and needed the bathroom every hour and half! One can't exactly stand up in the canoe for a stretch or a leak! So, I asked N if he would like to go with MIL. I had planted this idea in him the night before, he said we will see in the morning.
In the bed next to us, MIL also woke up in pain. I guess that brisk walk the day before was too brisk for her and her legs were aching and back was stiff and asked us both to go. So that solved the problem and we all went back to sleep. I somehow felt horrible though as this would have been the second best highlight of the trip! It's the way to see the Everglades - afterall it's a river, you can't walk it all!
We woke up at 9am and wondered what we would like to do on our last day. MIL had read in a few brochures about a glass bottom boats to see the coral reefs and other wildlife. I was a bit hesitant about taking this ride as I have only heard stories of disappointment. But then MIL can't swim and so the idea of snorkelling went out the window. And since she hardly makes requests, we obliged. We decided to go to Biscayne National Park which wasn't too far away from where we were.
Before we set out we had prepped and packed our lunch and then enjoyed the beautiful day outdoors in the park. Well, most of Biscayne National Park is under water. So, a complete contrast to the Everglades! We also figured only their concessionaires will be allowed to be out there and so will not be bugged by too many commercial boats out and about. We watched a nice video clip about the park and were mesmerized with all the wildlife under water we saw in the movie. I realised that it was a mistake to have watched that video before the boat ride, because now MIL's expectations would have risen!
Ah well...we enjoyed lunch first..
And soon enough our time to board the boat came along! A variety of birds were hanging out as we passed along.
We had to leave Florida state waters and enter the park boundaries which took a while. On the way we had to go check on a capsized boat. Another boat had rescued the two people on that boat.
The water is so shallow in that area that I could stand if I fell in by mistake. It also causes a lot of challenges for the boats that go about as they sometimes find themselves stranded on the reef as we saw another boat do. Apparently, the tow boat would come up and get the guy out. But before they can do that, the coast guard has to come out and assess the damages. For every square foot of reef damaged the captain is fined accordingly - going along $500/sq ft! oh dear me! When you realise how fragile the reef system is, even that amount doesn't seem enough!
After making sure that the capsized boat passengers were okay, we were on our way.
Once the captain found a spot off one of the Keys, we got a chance to look through the glass bottom to see the reef ecosystem.
Looking through the glass, the boat felt like it was rocking so much. I suggested MIL and N to not keep looking through the glass but to keep looking up at the horizon as well to take a breather. Well, I am not sure how much of that MIL heard..cause soon she was sea sick - a first for her! Poor MIL.
We watched the birds instead for a while..
We did see some fish, some jellyfish, lots of coral and sea cucumbers, sponges, etc. The thing is for MIL all this is new and so it was hard for her to spot the various things. I tried to point out things.
But we had a tough time because the whole boat ride that lasted a little over 2.5 hours was the noisiest 2.5 hours in the whole 2009!! I think Mumbai railway station is more peaceful! Obviously MIL was not very impressed. We really should not have watched that video.
Because the waters are so shallow, the boat has to be light and so, one can't insulate the engine motors with a lot of stuff around it as that would add weight. And I can only imagine if we were so frustrated with the noise, how the fish found it in the water!
I really would not recommend this to anyone. The captain and the guide were yelling through the whole time - and so unless you were standing next to them you really couldn't hear much! Really try out snorkeling if not scuba diving! Or go to the aquarium! Or go to an Imax and watch something on the oceans! sigh.
By the time we got off the boat the park came to closing time and we were just too disturbed that our ears were still ringing. We still had so much of the sandwiches left over and so we just finished that for dinner in the peace and quiet of our motel garden and played another round of scrabble before packing up as that was our last night there!
I wonder if any of us regretted not going on the boat ride. I know I didn't even though I very much wanted to! sigh... I can still hear the noise from the boat and it's fogging up my whole mind! bleah
We had a 5:30am wake up call. We had to meet the rangers and get the canoes at 9-mile pond Canoe trail by 8am. It was going to be a half day canoe ride through the mangroves and other habitats with a ranger to guide us. As I turned off the alarm and woke up hubby, I felt very hesitant to go on this ride. I could barely sit an hour straight and needed the bathroom every hour and half! One can't exactly stand up in the canoe for a stretch or a leak! So, I asked N if he would like to go with MIL. I had planted this idea in him the night before, he said we will see in the morning.
In the bed next to us, MIL also woke up in pain. I guess that brisk walk the day before was too brisk for her and her legs were aching and back was stiff and asked us both to go. So that solved the problem and we all went back to sleep. I somehow felt horrible though as this would have been the second best highlight of the trip! It's the way to see the Everglades - afterall it's a river, you can't walk it all!
We woke up at 9am and wondered what we would like to do on our last day. MIL had read in a few brochures about a glass bottom boats to see the coral reefs and other wildlife. I was a bit hesitant about taking this ride as I have only heard stories of disappointment. But then MIL can't swim and so the idea of snorkelling went out the window. And since she hardly makes requests, we obliged. We decided to go to Biscayne National Park which wasn't too far away from where we were.
Before we set out we had prepped and packed our lunch and then enjoyed the beautiful day outdoors in the park. Well, most of Biscayne National Park is under water. So, a complete contrast to the Everglades! We also figured only their concessionaires will be allowed to be out there and so will not be bugged by too many commercial boats out and about. We watched a nice video clip about the park and were mesmerized with all the wildlife under water we saw in the movie. I realised that it was a mistake to have watched that video before the boat ride, because now MIL's expectations would have risen!
Ah well...we enjoyed lunch first..
And soon enough our time to board the boat came along! A variety of birds were hanging out as we passed along.
We had to leave Florida state waters and enter the park boundaries which took a while. On the way we had to go check on a capsized boat. Another boat had rescued the two people on that boat.
The water is so shallow in that area that I could stand if I fell in by mistake. It also causes a lot of challenges for the boats that go about as they sometimes find themselves stranded on the reef as we saw another boat do. Apparently, the tow boat would come up and get the guy out. But before they can do that, the coast guard has to come out and assess the damages. For every square foot of reef damaged the captain is fined accordingly - going along $500/sq ft! oh dear me! When you realise how fragile the reef system is, even that amount doesn't seem enough!
After making sure that the capsized boat passengers were okay, we were on our way.
Once the captain found a spot off one of the Keys, we got a chance to look through the glass bottom to see the reef ecosystem.
Looking through the glass, the boat felt like it was rocking so much. I suggested MIL and N to not keep looking through the glass but to keep looking up at the horizon as well to take a breather. Well, I am not sure how much of that MIL heard..cause soon she was sea sick - a first for her! Poor MIL.
We watched the birds instead for a while..
We did see some fish, some jellyfish, lots of coral and sea cucumbers, sponges, etc. The thing is for MIL all this is new and so it was hard for her to spot the various things. I tried to point out things.
But we had a tough time because the whole boat ride that lasted a little over 2.5 hours was the noisiest 2.5 hours in the whole 2009!! I think Mumbai railway station is more peaceful! Obviously MIL was not very impressed. We really should not have watched that video.
Because the waters are so shallow, the boat has to be light and so, one can't insulate the engine motors with a lot of stuff around it as that would add weight. And I can only imagine if we were so frustrated with the noise, how the fish found it in the water!
I really would not recommend this to anyone. The captain and the guide were yelling through the whole time - and so unless you were standing next to them you really couldn't hear much! Really try out snorkeling if not scuba diving! Or go to the aquarium! Or go to an Imax and watch something on the oceans! sigh.
By the time we got off the boat the park came to closing time and we were just too disturbed that our ears were still ringing. We still had so much of the sandwiches left over and so we just finished that for dinner in the peace and quiet of our motel garden and played another round of scrabble before packing up as that was our last night there!
I wonder if any of us regretted not going on the boat ride. I know I didn't even though I very much wanted to! sigh... I can still hear the noise from the boat and it's fogging up my whole mind! bleah
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no subject
Date: 2010-01-25 05:02 am (UTC)I am sorry your MIL fell sick..hope she got over it soon.
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Date: 2010-01-25 04:41 pm (UTC)I really enjoyed the submarine ride (in Honolulu)! That was just awesome!!! If you can't swim or scuba, this would really be the next best thing!!