Day 113. November 27, 2013. Monsoon

It stormed all night long with lightening and thunder.  When we got up, the campground had turned into a swamp, with water standing all over.  Mosquitos chased me relentlessly.  We packed up and left.   On our way out of the Everglades National Park, we stopped at another section.  We hiked the anhinga trail where we saw lots of birds and alligators.  The anhinga are birds that dive and swim underwater to catch fish.  Then they perch on a tree, spread their feathers, and once dry, can then fly.  

Then we stopped at a fruit stand that has become a "must" stop for tourists.  They sell all kinds of unusual fruits and also sell milkshakes in flavors like mango and key lime.  The owner is a real success story..started a little stand when he was 8 with a sign called "Robert is Here".  The place (now large) still has the name.  Here is George with owner Robert. 

We shopped for Thanksgiving grocery shopping, and went to our hotel, a brand new Courtyard by Marriott.  I can use my reward points to stay free.  It is quite fancy.  I felt embarrassed schlepping my dirty laundry, cooler, and cooking utensil boxes through the lobby.  The hotel has a gas grill on the patio, so we can use it to cook our Thansgiving dinner.  The room has a microwave so I did some of the prep work for tomorrow's dinner.  

Then we went to a local Cuban restaurant for dinner.  We were the only non-Spanish speaking people there. It was a real local hole-in-the-wall place, the kind we really like.   I had a delicious Cuban sandwich and George had sopa de mariscos, a bowl of soup full of different shellfish.