Miami

"Let's get some tickets for tonight's game" we said.

"They aren't playing tonight" the lady said.

Hmmmm. So we wouldn't be seeing Miami Heat in action.

So we went into the clubshop and that's when the heavens opened.

We hadn't seen rain like it and neither had Miami.

Heaviest rainfall ON RECORD.

First there was a skyscaper. then there wasn't a skyscaper.

How can you go from 

to

in a day?!!

We later found out a record 2.7 inches of rain had beaten the previous record by 1.2 inches.

So we made a run for it, we got absolutely soaked, to the nearest indoor place of interest that would accept two bedraggled tourists.

It as a very good Art Gallery.

Look at all these photos of sunsets.

"28 million Suns from Sunsets from Flickr" taken from 2,242 images on Flickr.

Jade handcuffs by Ai Wei Wei

These foam flowers threw great shadows on the wall.

Did you spot the flipflops inside the hoops?

And still it rained.

We did our best to dry out our clothes before flying home next day, the thought of travelling home in wet trainers didn't appeal.

We had about 2 hours next morning before being picked upfor the airport (or NOT) (they forgot us AGAIN) so we went for a little walk and accidentally ended up joining a charity walk for Parkinson's Disease.

I'm sure Miami is very nice but it didn't like us. Its silly weather and humid smoggy tumbledrier air  gave us no encouragement to return, 

Art Deco buildings, Miami Heat, South Beach etc, we missed the lot :(

I did, however do a 7mile high plank in the aeroplane galley at 610 mph.

Coco Cay, an ACTUAL Bahama

How much is an island?

I want to buy a Bahama.

  The Royal Caribbean Cruise Line owns a Bahama, one of the first cruise lines to lease an island for their own exclusive use. Coco Cay is not even a mile wide and is only 200 yards long and is exactly how you would imagine a tropical island to be.

Talcum powdery, icing sugar sand, clear blue sea, numerous fish, manatee, stingrays and a heron, jetskis and snorkelling stuff..... there was even a nature trail.

But first I had to do a handstand. Tricky.

 I had to have an assist because I kept sinking in the sand.

Then I had to do a plank. No one has sent me a plank from the Bahamas yet.

Yes, there was a bit of seaweed but WE WERE BY THE SEA! What do these cruise critics expect??

The heron didn't seem bothered we had disturbed his peace.

But people were just chillng anyway, it was so peaceful.

Although we did cause a bit of a stir with our Santa Malarkey.

 We tried to be quick about it.

Plank with.

Plank without.

Lunch was superb. Not just hotdogs and burgers but BBQd fish and fruit and salad.

How DO they get all the food across to the island...the crew must hate Coco Cay day but it was so well organised.

There were loads of activities.

Snorkelling was popular. I just used my swimming goggles and I saw loads of fish.

You could just about hear the hum of the jet skis in the distance.

And then.

And then.

And then.....

we walked barefoot round to the other side where the sea was about a foot deep for about half a mile out...

and fish swam around our feet in 2 inches of sea.

There was no need to pay extra for a cabana

because I was too busy wallowing ...

It really was like a tropical paradise....

.... laid back and delightful and so relaxing and our blood pressure probably dropped dramatically because it was just so peaceful and quiet.

But we needed to stretch out legs and have a stroll along the nature trail so we reluctantly left our spot

and caught up with another huge iguana...

before being completely unhassled when trying to buy a teeshirt. 

Blimey, did they not WANT to make a sale? They were as chilled as us.

But all good things must come to an end  and we had to get back on the ship.

And to bring us back down to earth after such a wonderful day we then heard the news of the atrocities in Paris. Words cannot describe how we both felt.