Forget what I just said as I can't seem to copy and paste from my word program into it. So new readers I heartily apologise . Until I find a way to copy and paste old blogs you will have to just take it as read that I have travelled across the Pacific by the "Australis"through the Panama to Port Everglades.
When we disembarked it was all about trying to get to Miami which I think was some distance away (90 miles or so)and after several futile attempts to find transport and by that I mean cheap transport we abandoned ourselves to the delights of Fort Lauderdale and its lovely beaches. The town was clean with palm-fringed streets and we quite easily lowered the age average of people in town by 20 years. By far the most overwhelming first experience for me was the cheapness of the clothes in the shops ( I had no money) and the most excellent service offered by the food outlets. Unused to the courtesies of tipping we found ourselves at a loss but then came to the realisation of why the service was so effusive. We later found out that the wait -staff were paid approximately 50 cent
We spent the afternoon on the" Jungle Queen" cruising around the upper class part of the everglades for an hour or so seeing how people lived. We were astounded that people here could afford such effects as a waterfall inside their house, a roof that opened up so that a fairly powerful telescope could have unlimited access to the night sky and that an indoor /outdoor swimming poll was de rigeur for these Floridians - the Fort Lauderdale set. !!
More Fort Lauderdale tomorrow.
