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 |  The Banana Blog |
Hello cruisers! Here's your prompt for the day! Have fun exploring Key West! Day 2: Key West, FL. Quirky Key West is a destination that’s meant to be savored. Spend a leisurely afternoon strolling down Duval Street in Key West, a hub for shopping, dining, and drinking. Stop for a slice of authentic key lime pie and soak up history at the Hemingway House. Explore the surrounding waters on a stand-up paddleboarding adventure or kayak through mangroves. Key West weather today: 84 is the expected high, with afternoon clouds and wind Be sure to return to the ship by 4pm! Have fun in Key West! Tomorrow we head to Cozumel! Finally, our first destination. Key West. I shed the winter clothes yesterday like a snake sheds its skin. With the temperature at 84°, shorts, tank top and sandals are de rigueur as they say. But now I realize I left my hat at home. Andre kept me up half the night. I’d almost get to sleep when suddenly monkey boy would jump on my bunk, stick a cigar in my mouth and spill his drink on me. Now once I can handle, but once an hour? Finally I had to tie him to his bunk. “You’re a bad monkey. Bad. Let’s just settle down and get some sleep.” I finished tying the knot in the bedsheet. Andre’s brown eyes locked on mine. The staring contest went on for at least five minutes. In that time, he used his feet to untie the knot and tie my feet together. I had to fall back on my bunk to undo the knot. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. “Everything alright in there?” asked one of the stewards. Andre waddled over to the door, opened it, and scampered out to the deck. “I’m fine,” I said as the steward poked his head in. “Andre and I are just getting acquainted.” The steward gave me a knowing smile. “And good luck with that. He’s a little scamp.” He walked away, leaving the door wide open. Great, I thought, now that rascally simian can get back in. So I hobbled to the door, slammed it, hopped back to bed to finish untying the bedsheet around my ankles. Exhausted. Soon I drifted off to blessed sleep. When I woke, it was to the breakfast bell. We docked at the pier in Key West about 11 AM. I joined a tour group to wander the streets of the city. I know this was a favorite haunt of Ernest Hemingway. His home is on the tour itinerary. I also know of key lime pie. Perhaps we can have some at lunch. I do remember that Key West is the southernmost city in the United States. So we start walking. Since Key West is so small, but packed with tourists and vehicles, walking seems like a great way to get around. The guide first took us to Duval Street. Souvenir stands everywhere. I found a great hat to shade me from the brutal Florida sun. Andre appeared behind me and grabbed a pink bucket hat with flamingoes on it. When I tried to take it off his head, he ran out into the street. “Hey! Get back here! Thief! Stop that monkey!” yelled the shop owner. I went to checkout. “I’ll pay for this and the monkey’s hat. He’s with me.” “You should keep that animal on a leash.” “Well, he’s not really mine, you see he’s…” “That’ll be $95.00 for the two hats.” “$95.00? That’s robbery.” “And letting your monkey steal things isn’t?” I paid with my credit card. Now to find that wicked Andre. Our group continued on to the Hemingway House. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Hemingway_House It is fun to see where a noted writer spent time working on his craft. Plus I learned it was perched on the highest spot of the Key. 16 feet above sea level. I had to chuckle. I live at 4,000 feet and often hike to 8,000 feet. Then the walls are 18 inches thick, a good protection from hurricanes. Andre was spotted, finally. He decided chasing the Hemingway cats was a fun sport. Streaks of fur rushed past us with a monkey in pursuit. No use in trying to catch him. Andre is one tricky little devil. Lunch is at a local landmark, Margaritaville. https://www.margaritavillekeywest.com/menu. Our group was seated in the outdoor area. We, of course, had to have drinks for lunch. I chose the “It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere”. Then a “Cheeseburger in Paradise” for my meal. And of course key lime pie for dessert. Then listen to Jimmy Buffet music, which happens to be the theme of the menu. Soon our group was singing along to all the old songs. Suddenly up on stage with the DJ appears Andre! Proudly sporting that pink flamingo hat, smoking a cigarette in a long white holder and drinking “Lime in da Coconut” as the DJ let him change the tunes. Then Andre climbed on the DJ’s shoulder, gave the DJ the smoke, his drink, that hat I bought, then climbed down to the beach below. Squeals and hollers met our ears as Andre made his way to the Lifeguard stand. We left Andre and continued our tour. Time was slipping away. A few more stops and back to the pier. A goodbye to the flower-laden island. I looked around, but no Andre. “Should we look for that monkey?” I was concerned for Andre’s welfare. “He’ll find us. He’s like a bad penny, always shows up,” was the answer given by the Captain. We set sail for the next stop, Cozumel. The sun fell into the ocean as we ate a light supper. I hoped for a better night’s sleep. Perhaps Andre decided Key West was a better place to live. I unpacked my purse, looked for the day’s receipts. Where was my credit card? Queen NormaJean II GreenEyes    |
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