Wandering Tourist here ,and glad to be back. Wondering what I have been doing lately? For one thing, I  have not been writing, as you can see. No new posts since August. The only excuse is, well, you know. Just not enough time. Yes, I know that is not exactly true. I am retired from full-time work, so there should be plenty of time to write a few lines.

So, let’s get to it. My latest trip was to Key West. My wife and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary at the end of March in the nation’s southern most city. While it did not equal the experience in our favorite destination spot — Aruba — it may have been the next best thing. Key West has a lot of things that other historic destinations in Florida and the Deep South have — and a lot  more.

First, there are lots of places to take your money — expensive restaurants, chic gift shops and too many excursions for a mere week’s time.

The main thing you want to do when you visit Key West is the watch the sunset from Mallory Square. The rumor that everyone in Key West drops what they are doing and heads to Mallory Square at sunset is just not true. The two nights we were there, I would estimate the crowds at maybe 1,500 to 2,000. Most of them were tourists, I am sure — except for the vendors and street performers, who amaze with their sword-swallowing and gravity-defying antics.

I hav e to say that the sunsets in Key West are every bit as good as advertised, even when there is a slight haze, which we encountered both nights we watched them — once from the dock at Mallory Square and the other from a sailboat a mile or so into the Gulf of Mexico. Fortunately, we visited during a cooler part of the season, so heat wasn’t a major concern. I would not want to be there later in the summer when temperatures often hover around 90 degrees even as late as 8 or 9 p.m.

We strolled down world famous Duval Street, which resembles some of the historic streets in Fernandina Beach, St. Auguustine, Savannah and Charleston with gift shops, restaurants and night spots galore. Narrow streets were the hallmark of city planners in the 18th and 19th centuries and Key West is no different.

One thing that helps separate Key West from other historic sites is the number of motor scooter rentals available. Everywhere you went, motor scooters were sure to follow. I even fell to the temptation of renting one, much to my wife’s surprise. I kept remembering the fun I had as a teenager tooling around Clark AFB in the Philippines on the motorbike my father bought me on a TDY trip to Hong Kong.

We made two mistakes renting the scooter. One, we got it for four hours ($65, I think) and two, we both tried to ride around town on it. If you haven’t ridden a scooter in more than 50 years, you don’t need to try to get reacquainted with a passenger on the back. Especially one who has a fear of scooters and motorcycles. After an hour and a half into our rental, my wife suggested I take her home and ride the scooter by myself for a while. But after I took her back to the condo, I only used it for another hour, leaving another hour and a half on the rental. Oh, well, lessen learned.

One thing everyone needs to know about Key West is that there are virtually no good beaches there — except one, at Bahia Honda State Park 35 miles north of town. We found out about the park through a brochure and planned to rent kayaks and explore some of the lagoons around the park. Unfortunately, the wind was too strong the day we went and kayak rentals were unavailable.

Apparently two couples had brought their own kayaks with them. They tried but failed to reach a small island about a quarter mile into the Atlantic Ocean from the beach at Bahai Honda.

Bahia Honda may be the best kept secret in all of the keys, from an excellent beach, to amenities, to visual splendor. Highly recommended for a day’s visit.

The Florida Keys were definitely worth the nearly 600-mile drive from Jacksonville, but we won’t be going back anytime soon. Our next tropical visit will be a return to Aruba. You know what the Beach Boys say, “Aruba, Jamacia, oooh I wanna take you, to Kokomo.”

If you’ve ever been Key West, let us know about your experience.