Ft. Myers - Day 5 - in Immokalee

So today I did get up a little earlier than usual and did get out the door earlier than the previous days. I wanted to make sure I made it to the Corkscrew Sanctuary and then had enough time to head back to Sanibel Island for a tram tour with Tarpon Bay Explorers. Since there is about an hour and a half or so ride between the sanctuary and Sanibel Island, I wanted to leave plenty of time for the 2.25 mile walk in the sanctuary and drive back.

The sanctuary was so peaceful and gorgeous and perfect in the morning light. Not too hot even though it was a swamp, but in the shade it was perfect. Though, I must admit, there were mosquitoes. Not as many as I expected but enough. It was so nice. So quiet. There were only a handful of people there and plenty of naturalists on hand to answer questions. I've seen things I've never seen before such as: pink lychen, blue herons, egrets, and other birds I can't identify. The sanctuary also has lots of benches along the 2.25 mile boardwalk allowing the visitor to sit and steep in the glorious scenery. You can sit and enjoy the variety of flora and fauna.

As I struck up a conversation with one of the naturalists (not to be confused with nudists - naturalist are ones who walk around and help identify the birds and such and nudists... well, I think you can guess that one), she suggested that I go to Lake Trafford for an airboat ride instead of the Everglades. Admittedly, I was a bit hesitant. Was she getting a kickback? All possible, but the price made it appealing anyways. And I didn't look forward to the several-hour drive to Everglades City for an airboat ride especially when I knew it would be crowded with hundreds of other tourists.

So, I drove for a half hour (way better than 2 or more) to Lake Trafford and got an airboat ride for about $35 (instead of $140 in Everglades City). Granted, the Everglades City stuff was for a full day, including lunch and a land tour, but I didn't want either of those. I can get my own lunch and I've seen mangroves before and I knew I'd have other little trips.
Here, the ride was an hour long and there were only 5 people in the boat and I had the front seat. I got to see some more amazing birds, some alligators as in the picture, and pretty cool scenery (the second picture is of Lake Trafford).

Up to now it's been a very action-packed morning. Actually, by the time I was done with the airboat tour of Lake Trafford, it was after 1 in the afternoon. I was getting pretty hungry and having an hour's drive looming ahead of me, didn't feel that I had the luxury of taking a chance on a restaurant. So, I went back to the Parrot Key restaurant. Hey, it was good, so why not try something else on the menu? And I did. This time, I tried a Basa sandwich. For those of you out there like who have never heard of Basa, it's a fish. It was perfectly blackened (lightly) and I had it as a sandwich. Their mango bbq sauce that accompanies this sandwich is just outstanding.

Ft. Myers - Day 4 - Somewhat wasted

The day, not me. I got a really late start on the day, but I don't really mind because the reason was a good book. And besides, this is a vacation; no schedules, no timelines, no due dates...

But by the time I got out of the hotel, it was time for lunch. So being a little adventurous I decided to check out The Parrot Key restaurant. I was really hesitant for all the kitch and "tourist trap" written all over it. I mean, how good could the food be at a place that specializes in Pirate dinner cruises and deep sea fishing? But my fears were allayed when I saw several tables full of coast guard members. Coast guard = locals. If locals eat there, I can give it a try.
I was very pleased. So much so that I went back the next day. But on this day, I decided to order a fish sandwich. I am a new convert to fish and I've been experimenting with it, but I figured that while I'm in Florida, I'll have ample supply of fresh fish at restaurants. I've also not had mahi mahi in many years and thought I'd give it a try in the grilled variety in a sandwich. I really liked it. LikeI said above, I was so happy with this restaurant that I came back the next day.

After lunch I thought it would be a good time to explore the region's natural wonders and drove out to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The drive didn't seem to be that long but it took about an hour. By the time I got there it was just after 4:00 PM and after talking with the man at the front desk he suggested I come in the morning and spend as much time as I'd like. Since the sanctuary closes at 5:30 promptly it would not have left me enough time to walk through and see all it has to offer. So, I got back into my car and drove back.

Updates

Ok, so my vacation is coming to an end fairly soon and I haven't really kept up with the blog. But I'm just too tired after all the sightseeing and eating and driving. I'll have to update when I get a chance, maybe even this evening, but at some point in the near future.

I've also been quite disappointed with my pictures. Half of them are either blurry or overexpose and the other half didn't capture what I intended. :(

I'll keep trying though.

Ft. Myers - Day 3 - The beach on Sanibel Island

I seem to be getting rather late starts to the day on this vacation. It could be that I'm dreadfully tired all the time and need to catch up on my sleep. Today was no different. A late start again. Oh well.
The weather was gorgeous and I decided to go to the beach. The thing is, I hate tanning. I know, I shouldn't go to the beach then. But I love to be near water and hear the waves and be warm. Maybe I was a fish in a previous life. Unfortunately, the water was too cold for me to swim. But I slathered SPF 60 sunscreen on and sprawled on the beach towel and warmed my bones. It was also a great time to read the book I started on the plane. My friend has impeccable taste in books and since we seem to like the same things, we recommend each other great stuff. This new book (a first in a series) is so good I can't put it down. Maybe that's why I have such late starts and leisurely lunches.

But while at the beach I also went shelling. The beach is made of shells, not really sand. The shells that are ground to a powder are the "sand". Since the beach, Bowman's Beach, is in a nature preserve, you could see all sorts of birds I don't normally see. Today I saw some egrets. Had to look it up. After the tanning and a few unsuccessful attempts at pictures, I decided it was time for lunch.

I decided to go to a restaurant called the Blue Giraffe. I saw lots of adds for it and claims of awards. I must have ordered something that was never entered into any contests since the burger I had was very dry (I ordered it medium) and the key lime pie was just gross. It was very chewy, not a word I'd want to describe a pie. And it just didn't taste right. The location though was rather pleasant. The mall reminded me of the shops in Door County with the charm of an old European city center only less dirty/lazy and well maintained. The fountains were soothing and the old trees that would take 5 people to link hands around the trunk must have give in it the old-world charm.

After a bit more of driving around and stopping at some random nature trail to see the descending sun, I decided to drive to Captiva Island to see the sun set. Absolutely, jaw-droppingly, stunningly spectacular. People (me included) would pull off to the side of the road and watch the sunset. Others were better prepaired and were there on the beach with friends; beer and camera in hand, ready to witness the birth of night. Shockingly beautiful.

As tired as I was after driving so much in an unfamiliar place, I still decided to go out to Naples for dinner. You see, I've seen a few adds for a Persian restaurant and I love middle-eastern food so I decided to check it out. The restaurant had a really nice write-up in one of the magazines and it was recent (this year) so my appetite was getting a workout just looking at the pictures. This was the worst meal I've had in Florida. For an appetizer I ordered a Shirazi Salad on the recommendation of my strangely-accented server. It was OK. Then for the main course, I at first ordered the mixed grill, thinking that I could eat the leftovers for lunch the next day (I had a fridge and microwave in my room). But it was so bad that I sent it back after just a few bites. The chicken was really dry, the beef was absolutely tasteless, and the lamb was barely edible. So I gave another dish a try. This time, it was a braised lamb with plums. I don't know how it's possible to have dry lamb in a stew, but this lamb was dry. The plums were tasty though. Quite disappointing.

What should I do? Ft. Myers - Day 2 - Naples

It rained overnight and is overcast now. Bummer. I seem to bring precipitation where ever I go on my vacations (it rained in the desert in Israel, it's raining here). So I'll have to find something I can do that doesn't require lots of sunshine.

So after a lazy morning I decided to drive to Naples. I took a scenic drive, through Fort Myers Beach. Little touristy shops, restaurants, hotels, and motels dotted the way.

In Naples, I stumbled upon a seafood shop which also happened to make something out of their fresh catch (Captain Kirk's Stone Crabs Fresh Seafood Market). The very friendly lady at the counter was very helpful in explaining the choices and letting me know that they catch their own seafood every morning. I saw no tourist anywhere in sight and was encouraged by the constant stream of locals some who purchased the fresh catch and some who had lunch. I ordered seafood bisque and seafood salad. It was the silkiest, tastiest bisque and the seafood was so fresh it was sweet. I lingered over the soup and salad for about an hour. It was a very leisurely lunch as I sat there eating my food and reading my book.

I then decided it was time to go exploring and went to the botanical gardens. The gardens are very lovely and quite serene. There is a butterfly pavilion and an area for kids to play and explore. The rest of the gardens offer a variety of designs and the sculptures are very cute.


For dinner I decided to drive to Fort Myers Beach since it has more dining options that the area around my hotel. The restaurant for this evening was Yucatan Beach Stand Bar Grill. It has a vibrant island atmosphere (though I'm not sure which island it's supposed to be), and the food was pretty good. I came back to this restaurant another day for the same dish and was not disappointed. I've gotten into the habit of asking the locals, wait staff specifically, what they'd recommend and why. If it sounds good, then I'll order it; if not, I'll keep looking. More often that not, this strategy pays off really well. This case was no exception.
The waitress recommended the Pompano and it was grilled to perfection. I wonder how to recreate it at home. My fish always sticks to the grill, of any variety, but this was perfection on a plate; with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. So good! And I didn't feel too guilty since it was fish and veggies. Oh, and the restaurant had live music every time I was there. Not great music (there are only so many times I can listen to a Jimmy Buffet song), but it was live entertainment.

In Ft. Myers FL - Day 1

After a long night of packing, checking the airline cancellation board, and about 3 hours of sleep, I finally made it to my vacation destination. I've never been to Florida and thought it's about time I remedied that. So after some searching and deciding on what I want to see, I picked Fort Myers.

I was very happy that my flight was not canceled or delayed much (the delay was only 45 minutes while the plane was being deiced). The flight itself was pretty easy and I managed to fall asleep. Though, after so little sleep at home, that wasn't such a feat.

Having my long sleeved t-shirt, sweater, and winter jacket on proved to be much more of a challenge since the weather here in Ft. Myers was in the mid-80s this afternoon.

After picking a car at the rental counter I headed to my hotel. I am so glad I made a list of the things I needed to pack. This way, I remembered to bring my GPS and didn't need to rent one at about $10 per day.

When I got to my hotel, the nice lady at the front desk upgraded me to a suite when I asked about a fridge and microwave in my room. The original room didn't have them and I wanted them in case I have leftovers. This also allowed me to go get some yogurt and keep it from spoiling.

Now this may sound odd to those who don't know me and completely normal to those who do. I love tea and decided to take my electric teapot with me. I also have a few baggies of loose leaf tea as well as a canister of Orange Blossom Organic Green Tea from Rishi Tea. But of course I forgot something. No, it wasn't the strainer; it was the cup. Oh well, I'll need a souvenir though I was hoping it wouldn't be a mug for me since I have way too many cups at home already.

I also took a pillow with my own pillowcase with me. It's a little pillow that's filled with buckwheat and is really great for traveling 'cause it's so small and is really good for my neck and back.

One of these days I'll take a picture of the suitcase I use; it's a carry-on and I've used it on long trips (1.5 weeks in Portugal and 2 weeks in Israel) and I'm using it on shorter trips (like this one) too. The reason I mention this is because the teapot took up about half the suitcase this time around. Can anyone recommend a compact version that's good for traveling?

After a leisurely lunch outside at the Lighthouse Restaurant (ok, how cool is it that I can have lunch outside and be in 80-degree weather in the afternoon while anticipating the biggest snow storm of the year so far in the morning?) I picked up the previously mentioned yogurt, water, mosquito repellant and some crackers at a local grocery store.

Since then I took the opportunity to nap (hey, I'm going on about 3 hours of sleep last night) and review a mountain of brochures. I haven't picked the specific things I want to do but a very vague plan is starting to form.

But for now, g'night.

Still packing....

As you might have guessed based on my previous posts, I generally pack the night before my trip. This is what I'm actually doing right now. Given the weather we're experiencing in SE WI (our first major winter snow storm), I don't know if my flight will be canceled or delayed.