From The National Geographic:
Florida Keys
A key is a small, low-lying coral island. The Florida Keys are probably the most famous keys in the world. A 205 kilometer (127 mile) stretch of road, the Overseas Highway, stitches together the islands of the Florida Keys
As you can imagine, it is an exciting trip and if you have time, to linger. In the name of progress, fast food restaurants, shops and souvenir stores which are so caricatured line the many of the small and big settlements along the highway. But the sea and the flora are the kings here and the sea gives an abundant gift to those who dare to go out.
When my friends offered a chance to accompany them on their drive to Marathon, a small town midlway to the end of the Keys, I jumped at the chance and the day was a very pleasant one
At a restaurant in Marathon by the water (almost everything is by the water), I had a typical american lunch of these parts: filet of fish, in this case the abundant Mahi Mahi and hushpuppies , the round balls you see on the left and home made "cole slaw".
A cuban immigrant owned this eating place and a cuban joined our table. He and I got on well immediately and he was from the fishing village/town of Caiberien in Villa Clara in the Centre of Cuba, well known for its seafood. In fact many restauranteurs from Havana would think of nothing to drive to Caiberien to bring fresh seafood for their customers.
After Lunch we drove to Deer Key and you can see why it is called so. Key Deer were roaming around freely every where in the key.
Mangroves always held a fascination for me. This part of Florida has all the varieties of mangroves and they perform a very important ecological balancing activity. Many a fish and bird call Mangrove their home
