April 9

Right after breakfast we set off towards the Everglades along the Tamiami Trail until we reach Gator Park. Here we take a thrilling airboat ride tour through the Everglades. We spot alligators, turtles, and numerous birds: eagles, herons, and many more. After the tour it's time for the show featuring alligator wrestling. It's impressive just how powerfully these animals can bite. Important to know: an alligator cannot see what is directly in front of it — it looks sideways. So if you approach from the front while its mouth is open and avoid touching its teeth, you can confidently stick your hand into its jaws... or maybe not.

A little further along we come across the smallest post office in the USA — the Ochopee Post Office — and we can't resist sending a postcard home. The little building is barely large enough to fit one person inside.

The post office was rebuilt after a fire in 1956 that also destroyed the general store of the Ochopee Indians. Today it still serves as a post office and bus ticket counter for the Native Americans living in the nearby reservation.

Twenty miles (about 32 km) further and we arrive in Naples. Naples is the wealthiest city in the state of Florida, and it shows immediately. Everything looks impeccable, well-kept, and spotless. Villas line up one after another, and our outdated motel costs a little more than our Hilton room in downtown Miami. But it's only a few meters from the beach and the famous Naples Pier.

We linger a while on the pier, watching people fish. Small sharks are caught again and again — only to be released each time — and dolphins come within a few meters of the pier while pelicans dive for their evening meal.