- 6 weeks ago
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00:00Woo-hoo!
00:02The Hammonds are here!
00:05Travel is in my blood.
00:07Let's go!
00:08This is the best!
00:09For years I worked as a tour rep,
00:11following in the footsteps of my dear lovely mob,
00:14a hard-working, no-nonsense travel agent.
00:17Thanks to our money-saving tips,
00:19we managed to budget our way to a place that totally captured our hearts.
00:23Look at this! Look at this!
00:25Florida!
00:26I love it!
00:27I was born for Little Havana.
00:30And now the Sunshine State is a big draw for me.
00:34Sorry, I stood on your foot.
00:35And my son, Aidan.
00:37Good job, y'all.
00:38You see you, mate?
00:39Yeah.
00:41But with holiday prices rising...
00:43Oh, my goodness. I'm in heaven.
00:46Can you do Florida...
00:48without breaking the bank?
00:50$4.99 for these.
00:52Oh, yes, Aidan!
00:54Oh, yes!
00:55Help you, Mum.
00:56Otherwise, just get out.
00:58It's the best day of my life.
01:07Every year, more than a million Brits come to Florida.
01:11And around 900,000 of them do what us Hammonds do
01:14and make a beeline for Orlando for fun and adventure
01:18at the world's biggest and most popular theme parks.
01:23But we want to show you a road less travelled side of Florida.
01:27A chance to explore from the other side of the tracks.
01:31And it all starts here at Orlando Airport,
01:34where today we're catching a train.
01:38Come on, keep up.
01:39It's actually a nice ride.
01:40It's fast.
01:42There's something about trains that I love.
01:45The sense of adventure, the freedom.
01:48Move over, Michael Portillo,
01:50cos the Hammonds are taking the Bright Line.
01:53A rare thing in America, a high-speed passenger service
01:57that links Orlando's airport to Miami
02:00via our next destination, Fort Lauderdale.
02:04And this is a bit of a win-win for us.
02:06Cos Aidan has always loved trains
02:09and I'm a fan of anything that saves me driving 212 miles.
02:14Come on, babes.
02:15Go.
02:16I'm excited.
02:17And that saves me money, too.
02:20Good morning, darling.
02:21Yeah, you all right?
02:26I mean, I'm very, very comfortable.
02:29Why am I ashamed, Mum?
02:31Well, I just thought it was nicer than driving.
02:34Also, it's less money.
02:36When you compare the prices to the UK,
02:38the Intercity Railfare here is pretty good value.
02:41We're not only saving ourselves a four-hour drive,
02:44we're saving about half the price of a higher car and fuel.
02:48But the main reason we're taking the train to Fort Lauderdale
02:52is to find out why this city has such a high rate of returning visitors.
02:58It doesn't have world-class theme parks like Orlando
03:01or the vibrant nightlife and glamour of its next-door neighbour, Miami.
03:05So why do so many people, from students to retirees,
03:10keep buying a return ticket to Fort Lauderdale by plane, boat and now train?
03:17What is that pool that keeps driving people to go back?
03:20I want to find out exactly what it is.
03:22We're all going to find out, aren't we?
03:23We are going to find out.
03:24But before we get there,
03:26we're going to make the most of our Florida railway journey.
03:29Opened just five years ago,
03:31this service connects Orlando with the main cities of Florida's Gold Coast,
03:36reaching its final destination, Miami, in just under three and a half hours.
03:41When you add up the cost of car hire and fuel, we're quids in.
03:45And during the summer, there's an adult's travel as kids scheme,
03:50which gives you 50% off.
03:52So for the price of a normal seat,
03:54we've got ourselves a seat with snacks, drinks and breakfast included.
03:59Would you like to get the breakfast option?
04:01Oh, yes, please.
04:02That is chocolate, frutca, granola butter and a muffin.
04:06Oh, lovely. Thank you very much.
04:08I love a train, but not quite as much as Aidan,
04:11although he's not as obsessed as he used to be.
04:14He keeps horning, he keeps using the horn loads.
04:17I think because there's loads of crossroads.
04:19Oh, right.
04:20See, there's one.
04:21Yeah.
04:22Actually reminds me, when you was a kid,
04:23you know, when we used to go and look at the trains,
04:25you were so obsessed with trains.
04:26I bought you a Thomas the Tank Engine outfit
04:28and we used to stand on the platform
04:30and you used to have a little whistle and a flag
04:33and when the trains come in, you'd be like,
04:35and then waving them on and they're used to hoops that went past.
04:38So good.
04:39Literally, if you were restless,
04:40I would just take you to the train station.
04:42I'd sit and read a book while you was just, like,
04:45looking at trains, whistling at them.
04:46Tying me out.
04:47You was loving them.
04:48Can you remember all that?
04:49I can remember it vaguely, but I can't remember it.
04:51You wanted to be a train driver?
04:52Yeah, I know.
04:53Now you're a DJ?
04:54Yeah.
04:55How did that work out?
04:56I know.
04:57The other thing Aidan can't really remember is Auntie Mavis,
05:02the reason I always used to head to Fort Lauderdale
05:05when Aidan was a baby.
05:07We used to have so much fun staying in her house and stuff,
05:09going to church, going shopping, going to the beach.
05:12Now we're going back again.
05:14She absolutely adored you.
05:15Did she?
05:16Yeah.
05:17Oh, you were only tiny.
05:18Oh, she had the best Jamaican accent you've ever heard.
05:22It's kind of like an American twang,
05:24but with that Jamaican influence coming through, it was lovely.
05:29We're making quick progress on the train,
05:31which might help to explain why Fort Lauderdale's tourism numbers
05:35have been rising in recent years.
05:37It was already a well-connected city with an international airport
05:41and one of the busiest cruise ports in the world.
05:44But train passenger numbers have leapt since the line was extended
05:48to Orlando Airport in 2023,
05:51with total journeys expected to hit 5 million this year.
05:55And there's a good variety of passengers travelling south with us today.
05:59Commuters, holiday makers and even friends on a hen-do.
06:03Or as it's known in the US, a bachelorette party.
06:07Oh, look at these lot.
06:09This looks like the party I want to be at.
06:11Are you the bride?
06:12I am.
06:13Oh, lovely.
06:14Are you partying?
06:15Yes.
06:16Oh, yeah.
06:17For four days straight.
06:18Why did you get the train?
06:19Because so many people in America don't really do the train, do they?
06:23They don't.
06:24No, I mean, it's kind of new.
06:25We felt it was a better option for us,
06:26that when we could all ride together at the same time
06:28and then we would have the option to kind of just hang out
06:30and the party kind of started already.
06:32The party started, that's what I want to know.
06:34Oh, I think so.
06:36It looks like it started.
06:38Oh, oh, baby.
06:40Yes.
06:41But Lauderdale used to have a bit of a reputation
06:43as a wild party town.
06:45It was one of the original spring break hotspots,
06:48with thousands of students letting their hair
06:51and their parents down here year after year.
06:54But these bachelorettes are going to have a great time
06:59and I wish Ashley and her fiancé all the luck and love in the world
07:03at their next destination, marriage.
07:06Fort Lauderdale, here we come.
07:09Cool.
07:10The thing I've always loved about this place is the retail therapy.
07:14This city is a major shopping hub.
07:17In fact, nearly 50% of tourists who come here list shopping
07:21as one of their top Fort Lauderdale activities.
07:24So before I show you more of the city, check this out.
07:28It's home to one of the largest outlet malls in the USA,
07:32so millions of visitors come here specifically
07:35to snag a designer bargain.
07:37But as always, we're on a budget
07:39and Aidan's taken the search up a level
07:42and found not a bargain, but a bargain hunter,
07:45a thrift shopper.
07:47I know you like shopping.
07:50Yes, I do, bab.
07:51So I've brought you to the shop and I've got some money for you to meet.
07:54Really?
07:55Yeah, so let's go meet them.
07:56Is this going to break the bank?
07:57Hopefully not.
07:58OK.
07:59Depends on how much you want to buy.
08:01We're about to pick up some top thrifting tips from Dion Dean.
08:06She's made a bit of a name for herself online,
08:08championing her frugal but not cheap approach
08:11to living fabulously.
08:13And I'm well up for that.
08:15I'm excited.
08:18Thanks, sir.
08:19You're welcome.
08:22With the cost of living going up,
08:24Fort Lauderdale has gone a bit thrift-tastic lately.
08:29There are more than 40 thrift and consignment stores in the city now,
08:33so shoppers on a budget have plenty of choice
08:36when they want to do that old-fashioned thing of,
08:38you know, actually trying stuff on.
08:41I haven't even said a low to Dion yet
08:43and I've already found a pair of heels I need in my life.
08:46They're, like, made for me.
08:50I love them.
08:52Oh, they're sexy, they are.
08:54OK.
08:55I'm shopping here.
08:56$4.99.
08:57$4.99 for these.
08:59Oh, my gosh.
09:00I'm having these.
09:01I'm sorry.
09:02I've got my name written all over it.
09:05I'm the Imelda Marcus of the Midlands,
09:07always looking to add to my collection,
09:09and I've never seen stars so cheap.
09:11Oh, God.
09:13Come and get them off.
09:15OK, time to meet Dion before I get sidetracked again.
09:19How are you?
09:20Nice to meet you.
09:21Oh, my God, I'm going to love you already.
09:23Oh, my God.
09:24This massive store is one of Dion's favourite places
09:27for finding frugal fabulousness.
09:30That's kind of cute.
09:31The selection is huge, the prices are low,
09:33and you even get 50% off every Wednesday.
09:37What is it that you love about thrift shops?
09:39Um, I love the creativity, right?
09:41So I'm a plus-size girly, but I love luxury.
09:43Yeah.
09:44And so I can go ahead and, you know,
09:45look at all the runway shows
09:46and read all the Vogue magazine and Elle,
09:49but I can come here and recreate it on a budget.
09:51On a budget.
09:52That's such a good idea.
09:53So you look just the same.
09:54Exactly.
09:55They're not making it for me,
09:56so I'm going to make it for myself.
09:57I don't necessarily look for a designer,
09:59but I look for, like, a designer dupe, right?
10:01So if I know that plissé is on the runway,
10:03then I'm looking for plissé.
10:04Right.
10:05If I'm looking for, like, animal print
10:07or, like, an army green or camo,
10:09then I'm going to pick up camo.
10:10So it's not that I'm looking for a designer,
10:12but with a designer you can look at the tags.
10:14Like this one here, right?
10:15This is Ryan White.
10:17It's a size 3X, 699.
10:19But what does it look like?
10:20DVF.
10:21It looks really good.
10:22It looks like a DVF, like, wrap dress, right?
10:24Yeah.
10:25So you can look for a designer
10:26or you can just look for something that looks like designer,
10:28because nobody's going to be checking your tags, right?
10:29Of course.
10:30You can very well be like,
10:31you know, this is DVF.
10:32Yeah.
10:33They're not going to know.
10:34But then the thing with thrift, right,
10:35where's it going to end up?
10:36In the landfill.
10:37It's kind of recycling.
10:38It's a good thing that you're doing.
10:39Yeah.
10:41Can I call my husband right now?
10:42You can.
10:43Alison said I'm doing a good work.
10:45You are.
10:46I'll tell you what,
10:47I'm going to leave you two to it,
10:48because I need you two to go,
10:49and I'm going to go have a look at the men.
10:50So I'll see you later.
10:51Enjoy.
10:52Enjoy.
10:53Oh, my gosh.
10:54This is fantastic.
10:55I know.
10:56So where do we start, babes?
10:57Mm.
10:58First of all, I love that you call me babes.
10:59I've been waiting for that all day.
11:00All right.
11:01So let's go.
11:02Let's go.
11:03And so Dion's thrift shop masterclass begins,
11:08and we're off on a mission to up love our wardrobes.
11:12That is sick.
11:13How good is that?
11:15It's got a tag on it.
11:16It's brand new.
11:17I told you.
11:18So what's the tag say?
11:19It's $49.99.
11:20And what do they have it for?
11:21$5.99.
11:22And that is brand new.
11:23Brand new.
11:24Cover me up.
11:25Very Diana Ross.
11:26Yes.
11:27Oh, look at this.
11:28Look.
11:29Look.
11:30Look.
11:31Look at me.
11:32Taking in all the shopping intel Dion has to offer.
11:35Look at tags.
11:36So that's not been touched.
11:37Not been touched.
11:38$5.99.
11:39Yep.
11:40But I can't help feeling the connection might be more than just a love of being thrifty.
11:49So Dion, are you originally from around here?
11:52No.
11:53So I'm from Hackney, East London.
11:55Stop it.
11:56Upper Clapton.
11:57Yeah.
11:58You're from the UK?
11:59I'm from the UK.
12:00Came over when I was small.
12:01I was about nine years old.
12:02Oh.
12:03So when I land, I'm back.
12:04That accent comes straight back.
12:05Comes right back.
12:06Oh, my God.
12:07I knew there was a connection between me and you.
12:08Yes, sir.
12:09And what about the communities here in Fort Lauderdale?
12:12Do you get a lot of the Caribbean communities?
12:14Oh, yeah.
12:15So we have a lot of expats that went from Jamaica to England.
12:18Sure.
12:19Back here because it's the closest thing to home.
12:21So I actually go from here now and go back to Jamaica.
12:23It's about an hour away, isn't it?
12:24It's literally an hour.
12:25Yeah, it's like an hour.
12:26Yeah, I have a girlfriend that goes home every week.
12:27Really?
12:28Yeah.
12:29Whenever there's a party, she's like, ha, gone.
12:30See you later.
12:31Bye.
12:32Coming here, it really hit home how much Fort Lauderdale acts like a magnet for so many
12:39people.
12:40A lot of it is down to where it is on the map, which makes it a kind of meeting place, a
12:45mounting pot for lots of different communities from the north, south, east and west.
12:51South Florida is a major shopping hub for Central and South America and the Caribbean,
12:55right?
12:56Right.
12:57And so this is where people come to shop, whether it be the mainline stores, the mall or thrift,
13:01it's also the place wealthy Americans come in the winter months to spend time in their
13:06second homes in the sun.
13:08Snowbirds is what we call them, right?
13:10So they come and they're like, oh, you know what?
13:12We want to redo the house.
13:13We want to redo the wardrobe.
13:14And so they'll actually take that stuff and they'll donate it here.
13:17So not only is it, you know, the shopping centre as being Fort Lauderdale, it's also
13:21just the place to get the best of South Florida shopping.
13:24I've got to say, this has been a bit of an education.
13:28I thought I knew loads about sniffing out a good deal, but Dianne has upped my thrift
13:33skills so much.
13:34I can even afford to pay for Aidan's stuff as well.
13:38Your total is five dollars.
13:40Five dollars.
13:41Hang on.
13:42Can you add these on for me, please?
13:43That's nice.
13:44Yeah.
13:45Good lad.
13:46I've got a nice little hat there.
13:48That's so nice.
13:49So you're happy I brought you here?
13:50Oh, my God.
13:51Yeah.
13:52I've loved it.
13:53I've got a little skirt.
13:54Nice.
13:55I've got some shoes.
13:56They look good.
13:57This is the best.
13:58Beautiful.
13:59Thank you so much.
14:01And is it all under $20?
14:02It's all under $15.
14:03Wow.
14:04$197.
14:05Would you like to round up to help the guys?
14:07Round it up, babes.
14:08Do you know what?
14:09I'm going to push the boat out.
14:10Have the 20.
14:11Have the 20.
14:13You're welcome.
14:14Come back and see us.
14:16See you later.
14:17See you later.
14:18Now, that's what I call a result.
14:21That was really good, Aidan.
14:22I enjoyed that.
14:23That was good.
14:24I did.
14:25It feels like we've already got ourselves a pretty good handle on why people keep coming
14:37back to Fort Lauderdale.
14:38It's location, location, location.
14:42It's all about where it is in Florida and what lies on its doorstep.
14:46On the eastern side, beaches and the Atlantic Ocean.
14:50Running through the city are 300 miles of canals.
14:53So it rivals Birmingham, the UK's version of the famous floating city.
14:58And has the nickname, the Venice of America.
15:02Then on the west, what my auntie Mavis always called, the jewel in the crown.
15:08The Everglades.
15:10And today, after years of coming to Florida and Fort Lauderdale, Aidan and I are leaving
15:15the city behind.
15:17And finally heading towards that famous river of grass.
15:21Big swamp, isn't it?
15:23Oh yes, it's like a big swamp.
15:25But river of grass sounds better.
15:27And it's not just a vast wetland.
15:30It's the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States.
15:34A UNESCO World Heritage Site that's home to hundreds of species, from alligators, to manatees,
15:41to the elusive Florida panther.
15:43I'm really excited.
15:44We're excited to go on one of them boats.
15:46It's really cool.
15:47Alligator Alley.
15:49Yeah.
15:50You know we're going towards some serious alligators.
15:53That's where we're going.
15:54It's a 30 minute drive from Fort Lauderdale to the edge of the Everglades.
15:59So it's back behind the wheel for me.
16:01And a chance to trip down memory lane again and reminisce about Aidan's lovely school teachers.
16:07They gave you a project to do, didn't you?
16:09Yeah, I remember them making like that little project about Florida.
16:12The project that I did?
16:13Yeah, I remember you doing it for me.
16:16Oh my gosh.
16:17That was a good project though.
16:19That was a good project.
16:20I actually smashed that project.
16:21You did.
16:22I think I've still got that somewhere at home.
16:24A plus.
16:25I always knew that that Florida project would come in handy one day.
16:28Because now, even though I've never been there, I'm basically an expert on the Everglades.
16:35It's 1.5 million acres of wetland.
16:38They've got boats.
16:40And if we're going to find an alligator, it's definitely in the Everglades.
16:44I don't really want to find an alligator.
16:46I think we might today.
16:48Look at that, Mum.
16:49Look at the Everglades.
16:50That's starting to come to the Everglades.
16:51Look how swampy it is.
16:52It is really swampy, isn't it?
16:53Yeah.
16:54Oh my God, we're nearly there, Mum.
16:57We are nearly there.
16:59We're so close now, I can almost hear the alligators licking their chops.
17:04Hopefully, if we get close to one, it'll be attracted to Aidan's shiny thrift shop sun visor.
17:09And leave me well alone.
17:11I love that hat.
17:12Go on, put it on.
17:14I like it.
17:15This is it.
17:16This is it.
17:17Everglades tours.
17:18Look at this.
17:19Look at this.
17:20Look at the boats.
17:21Oh, yeah?
17:22Oh, this is going to be so good.
17:23This is going to be good.
17:24It's hard to believe we're just a few miles from downtown Fort Lauderdale.
17:31But here we are in sawgrass country, about to enter the Amazon of North America.
17:37A unique ecosystem that's home to 350 species of birds, 750 species of plants and lots and
17:46lots of hungry gators.
17:48Oh, hey, y'all.
17:49Hey.
17:50How's it going?
17:51How are you doing?
17:52Luckily, we're in good company with Tim Swartzman.
17:57I like the top as well.
17:58It's like a gator.
17:59Yeah.
18:00Blend in.
18:01You do blend in.
18:02Who's been running airboat tours here for nearly 20 years.
18:05And who seems to know even more about the Everglades than I do.
18:09So the Everglades is basically like the kidneys of Florida.
18:12So it takes all the rainwater that we get from central Florida all the way south.
18:15And as the water slowly moves through this, what we call river of grass, out to sea,
18:21it's basically cleaning it up.
18:22It also provides a huge water source for the human population.
18:26This is all of our drinking water starts off as this Everglades water here on the surface.
18:30And it percolates down into our aquifer.
18:32And then, of course, the plethora of wildlife that we have here.
18:35All the birds, the panthers, the alligators, all the different snakes and fish species that call the Everglades their home as well.
18:41So it's basically protecting the ecosystem here?
18:43Yes.
18:44So the whole Everglades itself currently is about 5,000 to 6,000 square miles.
18:48That's bigger than the state of Connecticut.
18:49That is half of what it once was.
18:51Wow.
18:52Due to overdevelopment of, of course, along our east coast here, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach,
18:56but also a lot of agriculture around Lake Okeechobee and central Florida areas occupied huge chunks of what was formerly Everglades.
19:03But what's left of it is still pretty amazing.
19:06What I would know is, why airboats? Why not a normal boat?
19:09So the Everglades is a very unique waterway.
19:11It's not like a traditional lake or river where you have plenty of clearance underneath where a normal propeller is going to have no problem.
19:17Here we have very shallow bodies of areas of water where it can be a few inches to maybe a few feet at the most.
19:23But even in those areas that are deeper is still there's a lot of vegetation and things like that that we get tangled up in the propeller.
19:29So everything here is above the water.
19:31Right.
19:32Completely flat bottom.
19:33We can actually slide right over even dry land at times if necessary.
19:35Really?
19:36Like a hovercraft.
19:37Kind of, yeah, just without the hover part.
19:38Okay, right.
19:39But yeah, we have the same propulsion system.
19:41Steering and everything is like an airplane basically strapped to a boat.
19:44I can't help but notice this boat is very open.
19:47Yes.
19:48Are we going to be okay?
19:49And is it any alligators going to eat me?
19:51So we haven't had any alligators jump on the boats this week.
19:53Oh!
19:54Oh no!
19:56Now generally speaking luckily alligators are actually pretty shy.
19:59So if you've ever been like in the woods in North America where there are possibly wolves, coyotes, black bears, not grizzlies.
20:06Generally these animals when you see them it's their backside as they're running away.
20:10Alligators are pretty much the same where generally they see us and they leave or they hide.
20:15Worst case scenario we might get one that's just a little more tolerant and lets us get close to them but that's about it.
20:20No, we don't have really much to worry about as far as animals.
20:23Now what you should be worried about are those hats.
20:26No!
20:27We've got to take them off.
20:28It is called an air boat.
20:29There's a lot of air involved and so there's a good chance those hats will go flying so definitely we could stow those away while we're out.
20:35Okay, cool.
20:36And then of course obviously unless you're hungry just while we're moving try not to open your mouth too much.
20:41Why's that?
20:42You might get some free snacks.
20:44Oh my god.
20:45Mosquitoes, dragonflies.
20:46Oh my god.
20:47Right, I'm keeping my mouth firmly shut.
20:50It's going to be the quietest you've ever heard.
20:52Okay, let's see how quiet I can be shall we.
20:55Yeah!
20:56Yeah!
20:57Let's go!
20:58Yeah!
20:59It's actually quite nice.
21:00I like it!
21:01I like it!
21:02I love it!
21:03There you go.
21:04Insects for dinner it is then.
21:05And look at us still wearing our hats.
21:07This is quite a ride.
21:08It's unbelievably loud.
21:09And it feels really fast.
21:10But look at that for a view.
21:12This has got to be one of the big reasons people come to this part of Florida time and time
21:19again.
21:20Every year Tim welcomes 180,000 visitors here from more than 100 countries.
21:27How many insects they end up eating and how many hats get lost every year?
21:28Well that's anyone's guess.
21:29Well that's anyone's guess.
21:30Oh my god that was awesome!
21:31That was amazing!
21:32Oh my god that was awesome!
21:33That was amazing!
21:34I enjoyed that!
21:35So good!
21:36Me too!
21:37You guys are enjoying yourselves so far?
21:52Yeah!
21:52I'm really excited to be here today.
21:55I've got two seconds in.
22:00I've got three vacations in.
22:03Yeah, he nearly lost his hat.
22:05Yeah, I saw it. I got it.
22:06I can't believe you got it. That was so good.
22:09Yeah, it gets a little breezy out there.
22:11Yeah, it's sunset now. It's absolutely beautiful.
22:14Yes, you can't beat that.
22:14No, you can't. And is this the time there where the alligators come out?
22:18This is when everything kind of starts waking up.
22:20If you hear the crickets are kind of starting to chirp
22:22and a little while, when it gets dark, the frogs start waking up.
22:25Gators are nocturnal, so they generally are more active at night.
22:30Active is kind of a funny word
22:31because gators aren't really all that active at all.
22:33They just kind of sit around.
22:35Do that.
22:35Even when they're hunting, like, they sit
22:37and they wait for stuff to get too close
22:38and they just snatch it up real quick.
22:40Snap it. Yeah.
22:40How many are there, roughly?
22:41So, overall in Florida, right now,
22:43we estimate somewhere between about 1.7 and 2 million alligators.
22:47Wow.
22:47The Everglades, therefore, being a pretty good-sized area,
22:50is probably going to have a few hundred thousand easily.
22:52Oh, my gosh. So, you've seen them quite often?
22:54Oh, yeah. I see alligators constantly.
22:56I wouldn't say every day,
22:57but 99% of the time we see gators somewhere in Florida.
23:00How big do they get? Do they get pretty big around here?
23:02Your average gators that you're mostly going to find
23:04in day-to-day life,
23:05whether it's out here on an airboat tour
23:07or, like, in the pond behind my house,
23:09they're, like, six to eight foot,
23:10which, you know, is 150, 200-pound animal at that size.
23:14But you do get some of the bigger, older males
23:16as they do continue growing throughout their lifetime.
23:19The better they eat, the better their conditions.
23:21Could reach upwards of, like, three, four meters,
23:24like, 10, 12 feet.
23:25The record is currently 15 feet, two inches.
23:28Wow.
23:28And you're talking probably, like,
23:30between 500 and 1,200 pounds.
23:31Wow.
23:34It's amazing to think of such big creatures
23:36and such a wide-open wilderness
23:39being so close to civilization.
23:41So if you look really carefully,
23:47way off in the distance there,
23:48you'll see some of those buildings.
23:49That's not quite Fort Lauderdale downtown,
23:51but that is where the people are.
23:53Really?
23:54Yeah, from downtown, we're about 22 miles.
23:56From the beach, we're about 25 miles inland.
23:59So it's all right there.
24:00And a lot of people don't realize
24:01they live with this right behind where their homes are.
24:04I was just going to say how beautiful that sunset is.
24:06That is one lovely sunset.
24:08Especially this time of year,
24:09our rainy season in the summertime,
24:10because of all the thunderstorms and clouds,
24:12we get some really crazy colors out here.
24:14Oranges, blues, purples, greens.
24:16It's a little bit of everything.
24:19It's funny, isn't it?
24:20How we often don't appreciate
24:22what's right in front of us.
24:24When we have a little moment in our lives,
24:26the temptation these days
24:28is to just grab your phone and take a picture.
24:31Oh, my God, look at that.
24:33But I wonder if we're actually missing the moment
24:35when we do things like that.
24:38Sometimes you've just got to put your phone down.
24:41Do you know what I mean?
24:44This is actually a really lovely thing to do, isn't it?
24:47It's lovely.
24:48It's so weird.
24:48When we're at home,
24:49you're either DJing or you're gaming
24:51or you're doing something with technology.
24:53It's nice to be without technology
24:55and just taking in the surroundings, isn't it?
24:58Yeah, in the middle of nowhere.
24:59I like it.
24:59I like it too.
25:01It's actually nice to spend some time with you
25:02where you're not even looking at your phone.
25:04And you're just enjoying the surroundings.
25:08Are you enjoying it?
25:08Yeah, I am.
25:09It's lovely.
25:10We haven't seen an alligator, though.
25:12They're all sleeping.
25:13Yeah.
25:13They're waking up now, though.
25:15I reckon if we start here, we'll see one.
25:17Do you reckon?
25:18Maybe.
25:18We might not have seen an alligator yet
25:22and I've got a funny feeling we might still bump into one.
25:26But we have seen another side of Fort Lauderdale
25:29and I think we've discovered several things
25:31that pull at the heartstrings of why people come back.
25:36What's crazy is Fort Lauderdale is so, so close to this
25:40and now that I've been here, I want to come back again.
25:43And because I was so young when I first came here,
25:45I didn't really remember it.
25:46So this is like my first ever time coming
25:48and that's a good memory to start off with, isn't it?
25:50Yeah, yeah.
25:50Would you come back?
25:51Yeah, I would.
25:52Just for this.
25:53Just for this.
25:53I'd come back time and time again.
25:55I totally get it why people come back.
25:58In fact, let's not come back.
25:59Let's just stay here.
26:02Let's stay here forever.
26:03We're staying.
26:04We're not going.
26:06It doesn't sound like Tim's too keen on the idea.
26:09But as the light begins to fade,
26:12there is one piece of unfinished business we have left.
26:15One final Fort Lauderdale experience to round it all off.
26:19You know what I'd really love?
26:21What?
26:21I'd really love to see an alligator.
26:22Really?
26:23Yeah.
26:23Do you reckon we will?
26:25I mean, there's always a possibility, right?
26:27Come on, let's go look for some.
26:28Let's give it a shot.
26:28Yeah!
26:32Come on, alligators!
26:33Come on for the hummonds!
26:34The whole way back to base, we're keeping our eyes peeled,
26:46looking for any movement in the water.
26:48And then, just as we're giving up all hope,
26:56all of a sudden, Tim's torch picks out something.
26:59That is so cool.
27:03He's just chilling, swimming around.
27:04And there he is, hiding in plain sight.
27:10Look at it!
27:10Look, there it is!
27:12Oh, my gosh!
27:15He's having a little swim.
27:16Can you see what he made?
27:17Yeah.
27:19So what is he doing?
27:20Just looking for food?
27:21He can be out looking for fish, frogs, turtles,
27:24a little bird, whatever they can get a hold of.
27:26This one here looks to be about a seven, eight foot.
27:29That is so cool.
27:32That is so cool.
27:34You can really see how that light reflects off their eyeballs.
27:37Yeah, totally.
27:39Now, realistically, that's what they look like at night.
27:43You never see them.
27:44No.
27:45So you can imagine you're a little bird or a little fish.
27:47You're not going to see him coming, sneaking up on you.
27:51Thankfully, he's sneaking away from us,
27:53leaving us with happy memories and all our limbs.
27:57That was awesome.
27:59This is just top to the day off.
28:01It's just the best thing that could have happened.
28:03Yeah, that was good.
28:03We saw an alligator!
28:05Yeah.
28:06Thank you so much, Tim.
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