Snowbirding

I gotta start this by saying that it is completely impossible to go hungry in the United States with every town having so many eating places lined up in a row waiting for you to walk through the door - MacDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Waffle House, Pancake Place, Wendy's, Dunkin Donuts, Crabby Mike's - on and on the list goes. Obesity is a BIG problem here, and I am slowly joining the crowds. But on with the blog.

Like thousands of citizens of the colder climes of the USA, we headed south to the sun. We hit Fort Lauderdale in Florida and basked like lizards in temperatures of 85 degrees F. Wow, this was living. Another luxury resort thanks to Swavek - right on the pristine white sands of Holllywood Beach. We tootled across the boardwalk, swam in the warm Atlantic ocean, wandered back and leapt into the even warmer water of the resort pool, finishing off with a plunge in the hot spa and a snooze on a poolside lounger.

In the evening we drifted along the boardwalk admiring all the beautiful young people, some of whom would sashay past us on rollerblades, others on Segways, bikes, or their own two gorgeous legs. The older folks like us who visit too many bakeries would pass envious sideways glances and think longingly of their lost youth and figures, and maybe like me wondered why their new pair of jeans had shrunk.

We ate dinner on the deck of a cafe right beside the Intra-coastal waterway, watching luxury boats glide by an arm's length away.

Another chapter in 101 ways to kill your wife - we were walking along looking for a bus-stop in the hot heat of mid-morning when a stranger stopped and offered us a ride - quick as a flash Rob accepted, while thoughts of kidnap, rape and murder flew through my mind. However, our saviour was a good man and dropped us at the exact place, and the only payment he exacted was to hand us a religious tract. To repay his kindness we both read it.

We cruised on a water-taxi along the waterways and canals of Fort Lauderdale, simply goggling in stunned amazement at the massive mansions of the rich and famous, their luxury boats moored at their own personal docks. Star alert - we saw the mast of Johnny Depp's yacht!


Huge colouful iguanas sunned themselves on the banks, and all manner of boats sped past, the bridges opening up to let the tall ones through. It all seemed so removed from the real life of mere mortals like us, we felt more comfortable back in the Latin areas of Hollywood where every race under the sun seems to be represented.