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Published: March 26th 2011
Airlines, routes, availability, prices of course and I think just the countless possibilities of the combinations of aforementioned factors that contribute to the decision how you're flying to your next destination make me that much interested in this part of travel that I can spend hours surfing the web, looking for the cheapest but also most original and exciting way to fly. Options I had to get to Central America, a route that doesn't see any real low prices due to a lack of competition and low budget flights at least on direct routes, included flying with
Condor (Germany) via the Dominican Republic to Panama city (€400+), an AA flight from Brussels, connecting in NY JFK with a TACA flight to El Salvador / Cancun or a number of Air Berlin and other airlines combinations. When I finally stumbled upon
Spirit airlines from the US, I realised I was actually thinking about flying via the USA, something I for a long time have considered undesirable due to its strict policies towards foreigners entering the country. But with a combined price of €320,- for the Air Berlin flight from Düsseldorf to Miami and the Spirit flight from Fort Lauderdale to San Pedro
Sula (Honduras) it defenitely was the cheapest by far!
After googling the restrictions on entering the USA plus the transport options I had to get the 27 miles from Miami International airport to Fort Lauderdale Hollywood airport, I decided to book...
My flight landed one and a half hours earlier and after exactly one hour I was through customs. Took the shuttle bus to the tri-rail station that was just about ready to go. I enjoyed the ride, sitting at the top level. After getting out at Fort Lauderdale airport station, another shuttle and a local bus I walked the 100 meters to my hostel, checked in and went straight to the beach. Stayed until about 8 p.m. when it got dark. After an egg, potato and bacon dinner I took some beers back to the hostel and shared them with a Brazilian roommate, in town to study English. Absolutely exhausted after nearly no sleep the night before, I fell straight asleep. Woke up really early again too, at 6! Made a call back home and slept a bit more.
My plan was to head to Miami for the day, well... what an idea that turned out t
be! The USA is such a car-based country! Public transportation is shit, to be honest. Even if I had taken the tri-rail again (which I didn't) it wouldn't have been much faster. When I finally got to Miami south beach, I had spent 3 hours on buses! For those first few hours I checked out the crowds on the beach, catching some rays in the meantime. Walking along ocean drive I was amazed by how few 'regular' cars I saw. Just every automobile was of the kind James Bond drives in, or of the 'bling bling' kind. Maserati's, Porches, Mustangs, Lamborghini's, Ferrari's, you catch my drift. Wow! You can even rent the buggers, showing off your tan 'with the top down'. Expensive, for sure! I tried to get farther, taking the free metro mover, passing the location for the
2011 Ultra music festival. How I would have loved to been there, if I had only known about it!
I had heard of little Havana before I headed to Miami, but when I finally had reached it by slow bus, it was a bit of a disappointment to be honest with you. Just a wide street with a few Cuban shops... or I missed
Bubba Gump shrimp
Remember the movie...?sth completely...?
It was past 10 p.m. when I finally got back to my hostel in ft. Lauderdale. My Brazilian roommate was replaced by a Mexican one who was in town to see Tony Robbins. He himself is a 'life coach' and so he hoped to learn sth from this Tony. Went asleep late again, and woke up early again too. After I got myself a few coffees, I went to do some internet. Finishing up and ready to pack my bag, I realized I had left my wallet at the poolside. Shit! Gone of course. After looking in on how to get new bankcards sent to me in Honduras, the front desk called me over they had it given to them by a fellow tenant. Unfortunately a $100 was missing, but at least I had my card back again! Bad start of the day, so spent the rest of it on Fort Lauderdale beach. Walked back all the way to 17th street crossing the bridge on foot just as a big cruise ship was leaving port.
A beer and a chat with yet another change of roommate (Chinese this time, from Shenzhen and in town to do
a course in sailing) back at the hostel, and I was ready to get to Hollywood airport. And that where I am right now, writing this blog on the excellent free wifi in the burger bar. My flight for SPS is at 10 minutes to midnight, and I'm thinking of going straight to Utila Island...
Honduras, here I come!
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