Teresa the Traveler
Follow Teresa the traveler...
  • Home
    • Blog
    • Tips for Travelling on a Budget
    • Fan Mail
  • Central America
    • Nicaragua >
      • Corn Islands in Nicaragua
      • Volcano Boarding in Nicaragua
    • Costa Rica >
      • Volcanic Mud Bath in Costa Rica
      • Costa Rica Eco-Adventure
  • North America
    • Canada >
      • North Pacific Cannery
      • Terrace Lava Beds
      • Center of the Universe at Vidette Lake
      • Gold Panning at Barkerville
      • Salmon Glacier
      • Niagra Falls
      • CN Tower
      • Calgary Stampede
    • United States >
      • Florida Everglades
      • Florida Keys
      • Disney World
      • Orlando Sea World
      • Kennedy Space Center
      • Grand Canyon
      • Hoover Dam
      • Las Vegas >
        • Vegas Pool Party
      • Hawaiian Island of Oahu >
        • Polynesian Cultural Center
        • Hanauma Bay
        • Pearl Harbour
        • Shark Cage Diving
        • Submarine Ride
        • Dole Plantation
      • Hawaiian Island of Maui >
        • Haleakalā Crater
        • Piiholo Ranch Ziplining
        • Turtle Town
      • Johnson Space Center
      • Disneyland
    • Mexico >
      • Cabo San Lucus
  • South America
    • Argentina >
      • Repel down a Waterfall
      • Boat Ride to Iguazu Falls
      • Evita Museum
      • Learn to Tango
      • Salinas Grandes Salt Flats
    • Bolivia >
      • Eduardo Avaroa National Park
      • Salar de Uyuni
      • La Paz Witch Market
    • Colombia >
      • Plaza de Toros Santamaria
      • Zipaquira Salt Cathedral
      • Guinea Pig Gambling
      • Mount Monserrate
    • Peru >
      • Climb Machu Picchu
      • Fly Over the Nasca Lines
      • Sand Dune Boarding in Huacachina
      • Mountain Biking down Chachani Volcano
      • Visit the Catacombs in Lima
      • Moray
      • Inca Salt Pans
  • Europe
    • England >
      • Big Ben and the Parliament
      • Buckingham Palace
      • Hyde Park
      • St. Margaret’s Cathedral
      • London Eye
      • London Dungeon
      • Tower of London
      • Tower Bridge
      • London Museums
      • Trafalgar Square
      • Stonehenge
      • Bath
    • France >
      • Eiffel Tower
      • Louvre Museum
      • Notre Dame Cathedral
      • Arc De Triomphe
      • Moulin Rouge
      • Sacre-Coeur Cathedral
      • Palace of the Popes
      • Les Pont St-Benezet
      • Les Grottes de Thouzon
      • Roman Aqueducts
      • Fontaine De Vaucluse
      • Antique Theatre in Orange
      • Monaco
      • Cannes Film Festival
      • Fort Royal State Prison
    • Germany >
      • The Reichstag
      • Brandenburg Gate
      • Jewish Memorial
      • Checkpoint Charlie/Berlin Wall
      • Museum Island
    • Greece >
      • Acropolis
      • Santorini
    • Hungary >
      • Vajdahunyad Castle
      • Buda Castle
      • Hero’s Square
      • Fisherman Bastion
    • Italy >
      • Venice
      • Sienna
      • Florence
      • Pisa
      • Pompeii
      • Trevi Fountain
      • Roman Forum
      • Pantheon
      • Vatican City
      • Roman Colosium
    • Poland >
      • Wieliczka Salt Mine (The Old Salt Mine)
      • Cracow's Main Market Square
      • Kazimierz: Cracow's Jewish Quarter
      • Wawel Hill
      • Schindler's Cracow Factory
      • Auschwitz and Birkenau
    • Romania >
      • Bran's Castle
      • Rasnov Fortress
      • Poenari - The Real Dracula's Castle
      • House of the People
      • Peleş Castle
    • Spain >
      • Party all Night in Ibiza
      • Sagrada Familia
      • Island of Formentera
      • Giants Parade
      • Watch the Castellers
  • Middle East
    • Egypt >
      • Giza Pyramids
      • Khan el-Khalili
      • Saqqara
      • Felucca Boat
      • Philae Temple
      • Magic Spring
      • Western Desert
      • Unfinished Obelisk
      • Abu Simbel
      • Cairo
      • Alexandria
      • Valley of the Kings
      • Hapshepsut Temple
      • Karnak Temple
    • Israel >
      • Oskar Schindler's Grave
      • Jaffa
      • 14 Stations of the Cross
      • The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
      • Western Wall
      • Manger Square
      • Dead Sea Scrolls
    • Jordan >
      • Dead Sea
      • Monestary in Petra
      • Wadi Rum
      • Bethany Beyond the Jordan
      • Ma'in Hot Spa
      • Mount Nebo
    • Lebanon >
      • Star Square
      • Pigeon Rock
    • Syria >
      • Citadel of Aleppo
      • Ummaayad Mosque of Aleppo
      • Grand Mosque of Damascus
      • Damascus Old City
      • Latakia
    • Turkey >
      • Shop at the Grand Baazar
      • Spice Market
      • Harem at Topkapi Palace
      • Blue Mosque
      • Ephesus
      • House of the Virgin Mary
      • Pamukkale
      • Love Valley
      • Derinkuyu Underground City
      • Selime Monastery
      • Ihlara Valley
      • Goreme Open Air Museum
      • Cappadocia Balloon Ride
      • Take a Turkish Bath
    • UAE >
      • Burj Dubai
      • Wild Wadi Water Park
      • Indoor Ski Hill
      • Al Arab Seven Star Hotel
      • Palm Islands
  • Caribbean
    • Dominican Republic >
      • Hoya Azul
      • Dune Buggy Tour
  • AFRICA
    • Tanzania >
      • Go on an African Safari
      • Explore Zanzibar
    • Kenya >
      • Visit an Elephant Orphanage
      • Kiss a Giraffe
      • Visit Nairobi National Park
    • Zimbabwe >
      • Walk with Lions
      • Explore Victoria Falls
  • Contact

Visit the Conch Republic in the Florida Keys

Excerpt from Single White Female Backpacker part of the Teresa the Traveler series of books. By day two in Miami I knew I wouldn’t be staying long. Unable to escape the annoying thump of the dance music emitting from the lounge of my hotel and my neighbour’s room I knew I had to get out of dodge.  I tried to find another affordable hotel but to no avail so I booked an all day tour of the Florida Keys followed by an early morning bus to Orlando – the land of budget hotel rooms and families where I hoped I could finally get some peace and quiet.
The Florida Keys are an archipelago of 1700 islands beginning at the tip of the Florida peninsula 15 miles south of Miami.  Before 1910, they were only accessible by water but this all changed with the construction of Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railway which extended from the mainland across to Key West.  In 1935, new bridges were being constructed to run a highway through the keys and that same year the Labor Day Hurricane destroyed the railway tracks killing over 400 people.  The railway tracks were never rebuilt and the new highway replaced the railway as the main transportation route from Miami to Key West.  The largest of the highway’s bridges called the Seven Mile Bridge spans…yes you guessed it…7 miles.
Picture
Picture
Picture
    A four-hour bus ride brought me to Key West, the southernmost island of the Florida Keys and the southernmost point in the United States.  The 4 mile long and 2 mile wide island is only 90 miles from Cuba which explains the large Cuban population. Many had moved to the island to work in the 200 cigar factories which produced over 100 million cigars annually. 
     After the Cuban revolution of 1959, the island was flooded with Cuban refugees, many of whom came over on small overcrowded boats to escape the communist regime. The ferry and air service which once connected the two islands was cancelled and remains closed to this day but hopefully not for much longer.
     As we approached the small city, our tour guide pointed out a number of flags representing the Conch Republic and told us how Key West got its nickname. Many of residents of Key West were immigrants from the Bahamas known as Conchs and in the 20th century, many of Key West’s residents began to refer to themselves as Conchs.  On April 23rd 1982, in response to a United States Border Patrol inspection point (looking for illegal drugs and immigrants) set up on the highway leading to Key West, the city mockingly declared itself independent of the United States in an effort to lift the roadblock which they claimed was hurting tourism in the area.  They called themselves the Conch Republic and immediately declared war against the United States by breaking a loaf of stale bread over the head of a man dressed in a US naval uniform then quickly surrendered and applied for one billion dollars in foreign aid.
    The event generated great publicity for their plight and as a result the roadblocks were lifted.  As a result, tourism boomed spurring the city to celebrate their “independence every April 23rd.
    The bus dropped us off in the middle of town where we were given 7 hours to explore on our own before returning to Miami.  After getting my picture taken at the Southernmost Point Monument, I visited the nearby butterfly sanctuary before making my way to the public beach to enjoy some much needed down time. 
    I had visited Miami hoping to spend some time on the beach but found it too busy for my liking.  The beaches of Key West however, where just right reminding me that the Universe always gives me what my heart desires just not in the way I expect it.
Picture

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.