I'm in Miami bitch

Ok so I'm sorry for swearing but as soon as I arrived in Miami, I had that song playing in my head. 

The flight seemed so quick! Enough time for a snooze, couple of films and a pod cast. I changed the time on my watch to Miami time as soon as I board and tried to follow the jet lag rules of acting as if you're already in the destination. 

Maybe a little early to be drinking vodka opps!

I love the feeling you get when you step outside and the heat hits you. I hopped in a taxi and headed straight to my hotel. 

The Halls South Beach was an amazing authentic Hispanic style hotel. Think white wash walls, court yard pool and lots of white cotton.  

I wanted to explore the area so as soon as I showered, I headed out for a walk. First stop was Miami South Beach. It was stunning! Such a huge Beach which I bet in the height of summer it is buzzing. 

Whilst walking around people are really 'friendly'. Ok they're not friendly, they're creeps. Guys always making comments on my appearance and the worst was a dude offering my some "excellent cocaine". This was at 5:00pm in the afternoon. 

I headed to Senior Frogs for dinner. I remember walking past it in Mexico and it looked like great fun. The portions are huge so I'm glad I only ordered a quesadilla. 

After dinner I grabbed an uber and headed to Marlins Park to watch my second ever baseball game. I vaguely knew what was going on (think of rounders on an American scale).

Sadly jet lagged was kicking in early so by 9:30pm it was time to head back to the hotel. I slept like a baby however the excitement (and probably still jet lag) was in full force and I was wide awake at 5:30am. I managed to snooze a little more but decided I had to get up and explore. 

I love going for a jog in the morning. It's the perfect way to exercise and also explore the area. I headed along the beach in search of Muscle Beach. What a disappointment! There was barely any equipement and no Vin Diesel insight. 

After my morning jog, I decided to check out the Botanical Gardens. Pedro (I'm pretty sure that wasn't his name but it sounds fitting) explained to me that the gardens had only just reopened two days prior as they had so much damage from the hurricanes. He said sadly all the koi carpe had died as there was no power for weeks and a poisonous tree fell into the pond. 

Right by the Gardens was the beautiful memorial. It felt so peaceful walking around and looking at the stunning pond lillies. 

It was time to think about heading to the port to start my cruise. Again I booked an uber as it's  easier (and cheaper) than the normal taxis. I had a great conversation with my driver about Trump, general work ethics in America and global warming. 

As soon as I arrived to the port, I got butterflies. I couldn't believe how huge Allures of the Seas is. It was time to start the next exciting travel journey.