I’d been looking forward to coming to Miami and just chilling out in the sunshine ever since we left camp (actually, who am I kidding, I’ve been waiting for this part of the trip for about a month, ever since I booked my flights), and in some ways it’s really lived up to expectations. However in other ways, I’ll be glad to leave this party place tomorrow and head up to Washington DC, for some more sightseeing and culture-soaking – much more my kind of travelling than the lazy, crazy days of beaching all day and partying all night (although unfortunately I got ill soon after landing in Miami, so there wasn’t much partying done by me!)
I for one think that, although a break by the sea was definitely called for after our long, hard-working summer, the best kind of travelling is one where you get to experience new things, meet new people, and learn something new everyday – and while Miami does offer some of these aspects, the whole party side to it just isn’t really me and it’s not the way I would usually choose to spend my time…maybe I’m getting old?
But anyway, enough about that…what you’re all dying to know is what I’ve been up to these last few days, right? Luckily for you, my illness this week has meant I haven’t partied too hard and all my memories are fully intact:
Day 1:
Me, Mark and Tasha has a very early wake up call in order to get to the airport for our 9am flight from Toronto to Miami. When we arrived, we got the bus to the hostel (Miami Beach International Travelers Hostel…review to come) and discovered that it is absolutely party central, something I was quite apprehensive about at first, as I was more looking for a chilled out holiday than a 24 hour party place. But once I’d settled into my room and spent a few hours on the beach with everyone, things were looking up. That night, running on only 4 hours sleep, I headed to bed early, while the others (unsuccessfully) tried to get into one of South Beach’s many clubs.
Day 2:
After a nice long sleep I met Tash down in the hostel lobby for a delicious (yet expensive) breakfast. Then it was to the beach for an all day tanning session with everyone, before heading back to the hostel for our free dinner and to get ready for the night out…this time it was to a club called Felt, where they’re pretty lax on checking IDs (most of the group I’m travelling with are under the legal drinking age of 21). The club was fine…nothing special and so, feeling the onset of a sore throat, I head back to the hostel fairly early.
Day 3:
I woke up early to get the hostel’s free breakfast (they offer breakfast, lunch and dinner…all for free!) and then just chilled out in the lobby catching up on my internet time, waiting for for the others to wake from their drunken slumber. Then it was off to the beach again and later on, a wander around the shops, of which there aren’t really that many, and to be honest they’re all pretty much the same! Then it was a few more hours on the beach, topping up our tans (i.e. turning into red lobsters) before going back to the hostel to get ready for the night out…the hostel was taking everyone to an exclusive Beach party at Nikki Beach, supposedly the best night out of the summer. However, with my throat now so sore I could barely swallow, I opted for another early night (something I now have no qualms about as it turned out that the others couldn’t even get in to Nikki Beach due to not being over 21!).
Day 4:
I didnt wake up until after 11, missing breakfast and apparently the only sunshine of the day. It was stormy and rainy all day… so we just sat inside the hostel lobby ALL afternoon, avoiding the torrential rain, which was kinda boring…this is when I prefer to be in a place where there are actually other things to do and see. With only 1 day left here in South Beach, I’m hoping the sun will come out today for one last day of lying on the beach and swimming in the sea. And even if it doesn’t…onwards to DC!
Roo Around The World 