This morning, went to "Big Bend Electric Company" to see manatees. They have a viewing center there and I was praying we could see manatees as they are endangered species...So better see it before too late. When we went there, I was pleasantly surprised. There were about 10 over manatees in the shallow waters. They all gather near the plant(factory) because it comes out warm waters.
There were also big fishes in the water and we spotted Eagle Ray (sting rays) about 4 of them swimming together...probably a family. So cool.
Here is the manatee close up..
I had a great lunch nearby. It was one of Florida's food-to-eat. I had a grouper sandwich. I took a picture of it so that I can remember eating it and make it next time when I go back Singapore...
We then drove about 45 mins to 1 hour to Anna Maria Island. CT's boss recommended that beach to him as he used to stay in Tampa for 10 over years. He said it is a place with not many tourists and has a very nice beach. When we reached, we walked along the pier in the waters and saw many people fishing.
From the picture, you can see a big pelican. They even approached the people without fear..
There was this lady who approached me and asked me to help her to take a picture with her dad and after taking the shot, they talked to us and asked us where we are from. When we mentioned Singapore, the lady then said that the newspaper today have a writeup on it. So, she flipped the newspapers and showed us a one-page writeup about Singapore. It was quite strange reading about our country in another's country's newspaper. Felt proud to be a Singaporean as the writeup were compliments about Singapore.
We then walked in the white sandy beach...
This beach is quite similar to what we have in Mobile along the Gulf Coast. It is just that this place has no tourists and no condominiums or hotels nearby..so it is much more peaceful. Surrounding areas along this beach are just residential houses.
After touring the island, We drove past Ybor City in downtown Tampa. We wanted to see what this city is like because it is an historic city which is named "cigar city of the world".So, they have a lot of cigar factories and shops. Quite a nice town as we drove by the shops.
We then made our way to Clearwater Beach which was voted the best beaches in the Gulf. It is a very happening beach. Probably the most happening beach I have seen so far. They have so many night activities on the beach like volleyball, huge float playgrounds for kids, pasar malam along the pier, street performances etc...
We stayed for an hour watching street performances and then suddenly, it rained. We then made our way back towards our hotel which was about 30 mins drive away. We stopped by "Cracker Barrel" for dinner. It is a good place for Southern food and for a good price too.
We reached hotel back at about 8 plus pm and we went to swim in the motel pool. It is a heated pool but not that warm cos it was still outdoor. But we had a great time swimming as usual cos CT always so playful in the pool and doing his somersaults and we would compete in the water as well. So, it was all fun.
After our swim, we ate yoghurt and fruits which I bought the first day. Leaving tomorrow morning back to Mobile. So fast...
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