Up early at 5am to check out of the hotel and walk 5/6 blocks to the bus stop on Lincoln Street. Even early in the morning the heat was promising to be extreme, though at that time the humidity wasn't too bad.
The first sign of an unusual journey was when a lad with a pet snake in a perspex box boarded the bus. He was rapidly followed by a hyperaactive drugged up young lady and a rather large woman who had that unique alcohol/urine smell lingering about both herself and what appeared to be all her worldly possessions. The bus journey on the L route bus was about as far as one can get from the express bus between Miami airport and South Beach. Such a wide variety of people I have never seen, and the speed of the journey was somewhat restricted by having to stop at pretty much every single stop.
When you see trailer parks on TV you don't expect them to be right there amongst residential houses, but that was certainly the case. Though with the state of some of the run down areas the bus passed through, the trailers looked quasi palatial in comparison to the traditional buildings. Not the pawn brokers and strip joints are meant to look particularly snazzy but people could try to look after their homes???
On arriving at the Miami Amtrak station, the staff were friendly, welcoming and helpful. Yes, train station staff that actually semed to care about customer service, and no the heat wasn't getting to me at that stage. The train is comfortable with large seats and plenty of leg room, very good air-conditioning which is making me wish I had not worn shorts and most importantly interesting and extravagant views. Rolling countryside, lush green vegetation, small town communities and general dilapidation which gives a real rustic charm to things. A real taste of Americana is presented by the Florida vista, though the railway bridges still being ing constructed mostly of wood was a surprising revelation. Maybe this is a factor into the lack of a high speed train service, and the reason for Miami to Jacksonville being an 8 1/2 hour ride on the rusty brown rails cutting straight the verdant landscape.
The first sign of an unusual journey was when a lad with a pet snake in a perspex box boarded the bus. He was rapidly followed by a hyperaactive drugged up young lady and a rather large woman who had that unique alcohol/urine smell lingering about both herself and what appeared to be all her worldly possessions. The bus journey on the L route bus was about as far as one can get from the express bus between Miami airport and South Beach. Such a wide variety of people I have never seen, and the speed of the journey was somewhat restricted by having to stop at pretty much every single stop.
When you see trailer parks on TV you don't expect them to be right there amongst residential houses, but that was certainly the case. Though with the state of some of the run down areas the bus passed through, the trailers looked quasi palatial in comparison to the traditional buildings. Not the pawn brokers and strip joints are meant to look particularly snazzy but people could try to look after their homes???
On arriving at the Miami Amtrak station, the staff were friendly, welcoming and helpful. Yes, train station staff that actually semed to care about customer service, and no the heat wasn't getting to me at that stage. The train is comfortable with large seats and plenty of leg room, very good air-conditioning which is making me wish I had not worn shorts and most importantly interesting and extravagant views. Rolling countryside, lush green vegetation, small town communities and general dilapidation which gives a real rustic charm to things. A real taste of Americana is presented by the Florida vista, though the railway bridges still being ing constructed mostly of wood was a surprising revelation. Maybe this is a factor into the lack of a high speed train service, and the reason for Miami to Jacksonville being an 8 1/2 hour ride on the rusty brown rails cutting straight the verdant landscape.
