Rumble in the Jungle!

Here we are again... the show must go on!

After Everglades City with its incredible silence drove us to bed early last night, an early wake-up was announced for today. The tour guide inspected the terrain already at 6:30am and made plans for our wildlife day. The rest of the group joined, more or less in a good mood, an hour later for breakfast. The plan was to explore the Everglades by land and water. At 8am sharp, we loaded up our Fordinand (that's what we call our vehicle since today) and gave it the spurs with the goal of Loop Road in mind. This unpaved road led us twenty miles through the wilds of the Everglades with the clear goal of seeing some of its residents live and in color. After a short drive, our efforts were rewarded... he lay before us in a water hole - the first wild alligator. With the necessary respect, we kept our distance and the animal thanked us with a smile for the photo. A few miles later, our Gator account had increased to a respectable level. We also spotted various birds, extra large grasshoppers, and turtles. The next highlight of this section was the (unconfirmed) sighting of a Florida panther. We don't really know what it was - but to maintain the drama of the blog, we can say with 100% certainty that it was. You can see the proof in the photo below ;-).

After our Everglades jungle ride, we went to the airboat dock. The prospect of seeing a 35-year-old, approximately 4-meter-long alligator up close increased the anticipation for the ride through the mangrove tunnels. Before we could board the boat, Nadi asked one more time to be treated with mosquito spray. Thanks to the year's supply my dear wife (probably bought on sale and true to the motto: you always have to see what you saved, not what you paid) acquired, each of these little bloodsuckers made a wide loop around us. After the steam had cleared and we could finally think clearly again, it was also clear why. With this stench, almost every creature makes a wide loop around us. The hour-long ride was a lot of fun for all involved. Both the experience of being so close to such a large animal and speeding through the mangrove forests put everyone in a great mood.

After the exciting airboat tour, our journey finally led us to Naples. In the early afternoon, we checked into our beautiful room at the Best Western Naples Inn & Suites. We will now spend the next 5 days relaxing in various places along the Gulf of Mexico.

Here's to a lime margarita! Good night!