Miami

I had not planned to stop in Miami, but when the people of American Airlines offered $800 (in flying vouchers) food, transportation, and accommodation in a five star hotel, and a seat in the next flight leaving for Maracaibo (Where my mom lives) I was very tempted to stay and have a little fun. I had never been to Miami before, and I couldn’t see myself planning a vacation around this city, so I decided to take a chance… and the 800 dollars.

When I got to the hotel, which is conveniently positioned next to a mall, I did what any normal girl without luggage would do: I made a mad dash for clothes and underwear. It was 10 min to 6pm, and the mall was closing as I walked in. It was almost a miracle that I found such a cute black and white dress (with a moderate price tag) and a cheap pair of sandals to go with it.

I was happy and hungry, which lead me to my next adventure: seeking food. The hotel recommended a little restaurant in South Beach. This restaurant would send a limo to pick me up from the hotel, and take me back to the hotel whenever I felt like it. Needless to say, I chose the limo. While I was riding in the gigantic car all by myself, thinking about how lucky I was, I figured the food would be expensive and good. I only got one adjective right: It was expensive and BAD, really bad. I couldn’t finish my main plate. Even my cappuccino was watery. I didn’t mind so much because I figured I was paying for the limousine.

After dinner I walked all around South Beach. I was mesmerized. Almost all the stores were open… most of them stayed open regularly until midnight or more. This was a Tuesday night, and I thought there wasn’t going to be much going on. I was pleasantly wrong. Everything was going on. There were people shooting themselves up by the beach, there were bars and discothèques and rows after rows of nicer restaurants than mine (none with a limo though). People were out and about. I went into almost every store I saw, just to look. I didn’t have any money.

When I got tiered of walking, and I realized that my cheap sandal had broken, I decided it was time to go home. By the time I got into the limo I was feeling kind of lonely, so I made some chitchat. The driver ended up giving me a tour of Miami! I will never forget what he said about the city: “If you do not speak English with an accent, you are an outsider”.

The next day I went to the downtown area, to see what it was like. It seemed like most of the city was under construction. It was even hotter and more humid than the night before. I took busses, to see the real face of Florida. Not surprisingly, they were all Latinamerican. I wondered how many of them were legal, and why they had come.

My plane left at 4 pm to Maracaibo.