Key West Travelogue - 2

(Continued from here)

So at around noon I stepped out of my dingy little hostel, took my car and parked at the other end of Duvall street. This is what Duvall street in Key West looks like.

If you've read my earlier post, you would be knowing about the club Rick's. I took a picture of it and here it is. Just where the Bud Light truck is standing if you proceed to go inside there's another club adjoining Rick's called Dirty Harry's. Thats where the wet T-shirt contest took place.

Also, note in the picture below the sign outside Rick's. It says "The most beautiful ladies in Key West come through these doors". And trust me, its most definitely true.

Walking around Duvall street I was contemplating what to do and I saw this tour operator offering boat tours and adventure activities like para-sailing, jet-skiing etc. I decided to get a boat tour and also indulge in para-sailing.

After some amount of bargaining, I got a pretty decent deal to get a speed boat tour and para-sailing both for around 60 bucks. I was quite happy. The boat tour was supposed to start at 01:00 and the para-sailing at 05:30. That gave me little time to explore on my own.

I walked around and saw this oldish looking Harbour house designed by Key West architect Peter Pike.

Just to the back of the Harbour house is the Mallory square where everyday a number of performers showcase their acts and acrobatics during sunset. Just to the right of the Mallory square there's this restaurant which offers a wonderful view of this island. It houses the homes of a number of celebrities including Madonna, Tom Cruise and Oprah Winfrey. The houses cost upwards of 5 million USD. (WOW!!)

Walking around the hotel, I came across a small dock where a number of speed boats were docked. I really liked one of those speed boats and took a picture of it. The name of the boat is Sea Rocket. You can get more pictures of it here. Later I realized this was the same boat in which I was supposed to get a tour. [:-))]

The sea rocket is an amazing speed boat. We toured a number of islands that were inaccessible by road, including the celebrity homes' island, Fleming Key - an island owned by US Navy, Wisteria Island and a few more. The maximum speed we reached during our tour was 60 miles per hour. The tour guide who was also the pilot informed us that although the sea rocket was capable of speeds over 60 miles per hour, it was the maximum they can go because its a limitation imposed by the US coast guard.

The tour got over in about 45 minutes but it felt more like 25. Now I had around 3 hours at my disposal to do some more exploration on my own and also have food before my para-sailing started. So I walked along Duvall st and took a turn somewhere.

I've always believed that the best way to know a new place is to get lost in it and find your way out. So, thats what I did. The turn I took led me to some wonderful historic sites. The first of which is shown in the picture below.

Thats called the Pirates' well. It was the first source of fresh water found in the island of Key West in the 1780s. I thought - wow its amazing how they've preserved the location and made it as a tourist attraction.

(Continued here...)