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00:00I was a tour rep, following in the footsteps of my dear lovely mob.
00:04A hard-working, no-nonsense travel agent.
00:07Thanks to our money-saving tips,
00:09we managed to budget our way to a place that totally captured our hearts.
00:13Look at this! Look at this!
00:15Florida.
00:16I love it!
00:19I was born for Little Havana.
00:21And now the Sunshine State is a big draw for me.
00:24Sorry, I stood on your foot.
00:26And my son, Aidan.
00:28You see him, mate? Yeah.
00:32But with holiday prices rising...
00:34Oh, my goodness. I'm in heaven.
00:36Can you do Florida...
00:39...without breaking the bank?
00:41$4.99 for these.
00:43Oh, yes, Aidan!
00:45Get out with you, Mum. Otherwise, just get out.
00:48It's the best day of my life.
00:59Right, after this red car, son.
01:01After this red car, I'm all over this.
01:04I'm all over...
01:05Move your head.
01:09It's quite literally the end of the road for me and Aidan,
01:12on our budget-savvy Florida foray.
01:15The best road trip you've ever been on, isn't it?
01:17Be honest.
01:18Taking the journey.
01:19Oh, that's not the destination.
01:21We've enjoyed it, haven't we?
01:22We really have.
01:25US Route 1 has taken us as far south as it possibly can
01:29for one last adventure.
01:33We're heading to Key West, babes.
01:37One of the most popular spots in the Sunshine State.
01:40Oh, we've made it, Mum.
01:42The tip of Florida. Key West.
01:44I know. Isn't it lovely?
01:45Yeah.
01:46They say people, when they come here,
01:48they can be anything they want,
01:50and they're one of the most happiest people
01:52in the whole of Florida when they come here.
01:54Really? Yeah.
01:55That's a pretty big reputation to hold.
01:57Yeah, it's true.
01:58Apparently, when they come here, they never want to leave.
02:00They want to stay.
02:01I want to find out why.
02:02Let's find out what makes them so happy.
02:04Really?
02:06Famed for its year-round raise,
02:08lively nightlife and friendly chickens
02:11that free-range around the place.
02:13I'm told this tropical paradise can be pretty pricey.
02:19But fear not.
02:20Us Hammonds are going to unlock some thrifty ways
02:23to do Key West without blowing a hole
02:26the size of Cuba in our bank account.
02:29Which is just over there, incidentally.
02:33My first thrifty tip.
02:35Dump the hire car.
02:36They cost a fortune, don't they?
02:39And with the island being so bijou,
02:41just four miles long,
02:43you're much better finding alternative ways to get around.
02:47Oh, there it is.
02:48Yeah.
02:50Let's get trollied, bubs.
02:53Hello, everybody.
02:55We've come on board to meet a man in the know, Clinton,
02:58who's going to give us a little insider knowledge
03:01to get our Key West party started.
03:03Clinton, I'm loving this bus ride already.
03:06What is it about Key West that is so incredible?
03:08The weather, the smell of the ocean,
03:10you're seeing the ocean,
03:11there's like a really great connectivity to it.
03:13It's such a terrific community as well.
03:16Very welcoming.
03:17You kind of put all of those pieces together,
03:19and I can understand why people always want to come back.
03:23I don't ever really want to leave.
03:24So, you know, so I get it.
03:28Key West is famous for a giant native sea snail called a conch.
03:33Well, I say conch, but Key Westerners, they say conch.
03:38If you're born and bred here, you can call yourself a conch too.
03:41And if you've lived here for seven years or more,
03:44you're a freshwater conch.
03:47So this island is conchers,
03:49and Clinton is a conch OG,
03:51because he's mastered the art of putting the honk into the conch.
03:56Of course, the snail grows the shell.
03:58We eat the snail in conch fritters, conch chowder, conch salad.
04:02But what are you going to do with the shell afterwards now?
04:05We make horns out of them.
04:06Nice.
04:07And so, yeah, so this is actually a horn,
04:09and if you ever played any kind of brass instrument in any band,
04:14you can already play a conch corn.
04:17You ready?
04:18Yeah, I'm ready.
04:19Okay, all right, watch your ears.
04:20Just a little.
04:21Go on.
04:25It's like a shit.
04:26Yeah, take a breath.
04:27You're so good at that.
04:28I've been doing it a very long time.
04:29We all learn as little kids how to play the conch corn.
04:32Everything here is very conch-centric.
04:36You're telling me.
04:37And now someone else wants to get in on the conch craze.
04:42Can I have a go?
04:43I want to have a little go.
04:44Yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:45Absolutely.
04:46That one is for you.
04:47This one's for me.
04:49There you go.
04:50So good.
04:51He's got it now.
04:53First time?
04:54It was all right, wasn't it?
04:55First time, right?
04:56Absolutely.
04:57I can see Aidan's come out of his shell.
05:01The Hammonds are here!
05:03So that is my gift to y'all.
05:05You can take that home.
05:06Oh, my God.
05:07Don't give him that gift.
05:09I wouldn't have no piece of coin when it comes out.
05:12Oh, my God.
05:13Put it inside your carry-on luggage.
05:14It's the worst present ever.
05:16Clinton's suddenly going down in my estimation.
05:23But he could turn it around with some top local tips.
05:27So we're here all day.
05:28What would you recommend we do?
05:29Everyone that comes here, you want to get on the water.
05:32Go to some of the great restaurants.
05:34Try key lime pie.
05:35Oh, yes.
05:36I've got to try that.
05:37From sun up to sun down, there is something for everybody.
05:41I love it.
05:43Hold up.
05:44Did he just say pie?
05:45Oh, my.
05:47Sounds like we've got a fun day ahead of us.
05:49But first, I'm going to ride this trolley for all it's worth.
05:53I'm well on board with this, babes.
05:57It's like a little toy town, isn't it?
05:59It's so cute.
06:01Key West, here we go.
06:02It's 50 bucks for one day's unlimited travel.
06:07But that also gets you two guided walking tours and entry to a local museum.
06:13And to top it off, they give you a book of coupons for local restaurants.
06:18Oh, I love a coupon.
06:19Who doesn't?
06:20Plus, up here, we can float above the streets,
06:23safe in the knowledge that our parking isn't about to run out.
06:27Win-win.
06:29Hey, I'm here on a new wedding day. Pretty good.
06:31Yeah.
06:33And can we just hear it for our tour guide?
06:36He's so friendly.
06:38Takes me back to my days as a holiday rep,
06:40picking up passengers from the airport.
06:42I love getting on that mic.
06:44First stop, a Key West landmark.
06:45The furthest south you can possibly get in the whole of the continental U.S. of A.
06:54So the southernmost point buoy just here to your right-hand side.
06:58Oh, look at that.
06:5990 miles to Cuba.
07:00Just 90 miles?
07:01Yeah, just 90 miles across the Florida streets.
07:04And as you can see, it's a very popular location to have your picture taken.
07:08There's a queue?
07:09Yeah, there's a queue almost every day.
07:11One of the most sought-after photos on the island.
07:14That's unbelievable.
07:15Great, great, great spot.
07:18We Brits are drawn to a queue like moths to a flame.
07:25And I'm not going to miss an opportunity for a selfie.
07:28That would be madness.
07:29We can't go without getting our selfie, can we, Bab?
07:32No, we can't as well.
07:33We're here now.
07:34In truth, this isn't even the southernmost point in the U.S. of A.
07:39That's actually around the corner on an off-limits naval base.
07:43But let's not let that get in the way of a good photo opportunity.
07:47Look at her, she's really going for a pose.
07:49Shall I show everyone my music?
07:50No, please don't.
07:51I'll be saying back.
07:52Oh, no, don't.
07:53Oh!
07:54We're going to lock horns if this carries on.
07:57It's so embarrassing.
08:03Right, let's show them how it's done.
08:0890 miles from Cuba.
08:11Gracias.
08:15Got it.
08:17Surprising fact, Key West is actually closer to Havana than Miami.
08:22Before the highway was built and long before the Cuban Revolution,
08:26it was easier for locals to sail south to Havana than travel north to Miami.
08:32Lovely.
08:33Amazing.
08:34Sorted.
08:35Let's go.
08:40You are so funny.
08:42With Key West being an island, one of the best ways to enjoy is to get out onto the crystal-clear waters.
08:54Which, if you're not careful, can cost a fortune.
08:57Boat trips and water sports are pastimes you pay a premium for here, especially if you're not part of a group where you can split the cost.
09:05You could go solo and snorkel at Fort Zachary Park, but there are ways to get out on the water where you don't have to push the boat out.
09:17Well, you do, obviously, but not financially at least.
09:21Captain.
09:22Morning.
09:23I'm Captain Brian. How are you?
09:24Nice. You're a hugger.
09:25You are. Yes.
09:27This boat trip is not costing us a dime, because me and Aidan are volunteering for the Army, the Marine Army.
09:36Nice boat.
09:38We're talking trash babes, offering our services to help clean the ocean.
09:43Do you need any help?
09:46Let's go.
09:48The Conk Republic Marine Army is a team of volunteers who are taking action to clean up the Florida Keys waters.
09:56We call it making friends in trashy places.
09:59Anyone can join in, as long as you're willing to get a little bit wet.
10:05I've got it. I've got it. I've got it. You've got it. You've got it.
10:08Nice.
10:10You can take that home and hang it up in your office.
10:12There you go.
10:14I got the trash! Yeah!
10:18It might not look like there's too much floxam and jetsam on the surface here.
10:21I'll get it.
10:22I think you can.
10:23Right?
10:24Yeah, right-hand side, yeah.
10:25Alright.
10:27Get him trash!
10:28I got it.
10:29Yeah, two!
10:31But these guys are removing rubbish on an industrial level, relying solely on local goodwill to make it happen.
10:39We're going to be selling pool noodles at the end of the day for $5 to raise money.
10:43Every month the volunteers pull out four truckloads of junk.
10:48They're on track for 20 tonnes this year alone.
10:52That wraps up around a propeller.
10:55That'd be a bad day.
10:57Much of it down to the ever more frequent storms battering the Florida Keys.
11:02Oh, it's a big ball, look at that.
11:05There's still more.
11:07Brian, I'm actually quite shocked at how much rubbish is coming out of this ocean.
11:12Look at all this rope!
11:13Yeah.
11:14This is called trap line, which is rope that attaches the buoy to the lobster or crab trap.
11:19And in storms like hurricanes, they all get torn to shreds and distributed.
11:25And we have about a million of these pots in the Florida Keys in the water.
11:29And about 15% of them get cut off.
11:31And no one has ever cleaned up the Florida Keys like what we're trying to do.
11:34It's unbelievable.
11:35How did this all start off with you, Brian?
11:38It was Hurricane Irma in 2017, came through in September.
11:41And it destroyed our home, and you needed a way to vent.
11:46And an easy way to vent was to find a couple of sofas that were in the water.
11:50And I said, I'm just going to go get one of those out.
11:52So I made a Facebook post, and 25 people showed up to help me go get that sofa.
11:56So I made another post saying, let's do it again.
11:59And four weeks later, I had 125 people show up just looking for something different to do than live in misery.
12:04And then since then, we've pulled out 250 tons of trash,
12:0894 refrigerators, which is crazy.
12:10Numerous Cuban chugs, one kilo of cocaine, and a couple of messages in a bottle.
12:17So we've done 54 miles of the shoreline, very clean.
12:20There's 900 more to go, so we're not even at 10%.
12:23Wow.
12:24So this is a mega problem.
12:25Everyone agrees that cleaning up our environment here in the Keys is the number one priority.
12:29Our water quality is what we live on.
12:31No one visits here for the cheap rent and the fresh fruits and vegetables, as I say.
12:35It's for the weather and for the water.
12:37And if we don't have that, you know, why come?
12:39Has this changed your life, Brian?
12:40Amazingly.
12:41There's nothing better, honestly.
12:42This is a much better way of spending the day than the normal touristy things, in my opinion.
12:46Yeah, I agree.
12:47And I get the benefit because I meet all kinds of people like you.
12:50And here we are, you and I are making friends for life.
12:52Yes, definitely.
12:53I'm family now, Bob.
12:54I'm in this marine army forever.
12:56Yeah, sure.
12:57And I'm not alone.
13:00Numbers have now swelled to a massive 5,000 volunteers, all willing to get into deep water
13:07to do their bit for the local environment.
13:10You did a good job.
13:12The great thing about this, as well as having no impact on my wallet, is that the whole family
13:20can get involved.
13:21There we go.
13:22A piece of stuff.
13:23One of our little creatures here saying thank you for picking up this habitat.
13:28That's so cool.
13:29That's one of our local residents here.
13:32He wanted to say thank you for picking up all this trash and trash running out of the
13:36water.
13:37You can't play that one, Aide.
13:39That is a fun.
13:40Put him safely back in his environment.
13:42Put him back in his home.
13:43Thank you very much.
13:44All cleaned up.
13:46As well as the feel good factor, and the fact that it's free, one of the other perks
13:51is you get lunch thrown in too, as a reward for your efforts.
13:56We're going to go right in here to this little cove.
13:59And if you look over there, there's a big white, looks like a sail.
14:02I can see it.
14:03And it looks pretty big.
14:04And it doesn't belong there, so let's go get it out.
14:06Let's go do it.
14:08Time to get stuck in.
14:10You're going to sink down just a little bit when you get there, but it's not
14:13terrible.
14:14It's not happening.
14:15Let's help, Mama.
14:16Yeah.
14:17The queen.
14:18I think I'm going to get wet.
14:19It is what it does.
14:20It is.
14:21Yep, just go slow.
14:22Just go really slow.
14:23Am I in it?
14:24Yeah.
14:25Quite literally.
14:26Oh, I've gone really low.
14:28Yeah, same.
14:29My foot is still.
14:30That's right, come on.
14:31Pull it.
14:32Just move it up.
14:33Gently.
14:34I was the same.
14:35I've got some trash.
14:36Oh, there's loads of bugs on it.
14:37Yeah.
14:38The thing is, once you start, you can't stop.
14:39Got a bottle, Brian.
14:40Nice.
14:41Got any other trash?
14:42There's a lot of rug left in here.
14:43Any more plastic in there?
14:44Lovely.
14:45Alison, how you doing?
14:46Good for this one?
14:47Oh, yeah.
14:48I'm not going to lie.
14:49It's not exactly glamorous, but getting down and dirty is kind of liberating.
14:52Do you know what?
14:53Do you know what?
14:54I'm actually really enjoying this.
14:55It also gives you more appreciation about when people throw rubbish away.
14:59You know what?
15:00It could end up in this beautiful, beautiful spot and we don't want that.
15:02No, no, no.
15:03Because these guys are working so hard.
15:04All these volunteers are working so hard.
15:05They're not the only ones.
15:18Hey, Alison, look at Aidan.
15:20He's addicted now to getting trash.
15:23It's a problem.
15:24It's important to see you guys in your home.
15:27Yeah.
15:28It's not the only ones.
15:30Hey, Alison, look at Aidan.
15:32addicted now to getting trash it's bizarre the things we found nice job
15:38buddy that's getting it done well done darling thank you you just don't say
15:47well those those love those so much trash which is yeah he gets caught up
15:53here we found what I found a lemon squeezer did ya so random yeah I guess
16:01guy yeah really random stuff but it was good fun I enjoyed it and you're giving
16:05something back he's not so yeah well done babes I'm really proud of ya it's a
16:10lovely feeling actually cleaning up how do you feel in here really good in my
16:14heart actually yeah it's a lovely thing to do you visited the keys and you gave
16:17back come back and see us again thanks for coming thank you
16:22sure you can splash the cash and experience more luxury on the water but
16:27this is so much more satisfying and between us me and I'd collected over 14
16:33pounds of trash so many bottles pool noodles and that lemon squeezer and this
16:40sense of island community spirit is really starting to come across
16:46there's a saying the locals use on this island that pretty much sums them up we're
16:55all here because we're not all there Key West has always been a place where larger
17:00than life characters can feel right at home over the years the islands all
17:05embracing lifestyle has inspired some colorful eccentrics to put down roots from
17:11Tennessee Williams to Jimmy Buffett who wrote Margaritaville but perhaps its most
17:17famous resident was America's literary legend the noble prize-winning heavy
17:24drinking deep-sea fishing bar brawling genius Ernest Hemingway or just papa to his
17:32fans for just eighteen dollars you can visit the house he called home now a
17:37museum with guided tours included legend has it Hemingway love to frequent the
17:45bars along Duval Street especially this one so how does Key West celebrate his
17:51connection to such greatness well in typical Key West style by gathering every
17:57Hemingway look-alike on the planet Sloppy Joe's has been in this location for 87
18:05years and for 43 of those years we've hosted the Hemingway look-alike
18:10contest where guys show up from around the world to say I want to be the next
18:15top that's a hell of a lot of facial hair local resident Tim Stockwell is one of Key
18:21West keenest competitors I was sitting at this very bar and somebody came up and
18:26said are you here for the contest I didn't know anything about the contest I
18:30said what contest so they brought down the application for me great then I
18:34filled it out and made it to the finals my first year so I've been to the finals
18:40all five years I've been to the contest and I made it in the top five twice so
18:45you never know next year could be a good year the competition is stiff mind you with
18:50look-alikes identified all over from New Zealand to Norway what you have is a lot of
18:56eccentric guys showing up for this right and they want to show their flair so we
19:00come with guys that have bullhorns through their shirts with blood all over
19:04we have people come in all kinds of Safari outfits one year we had a guy show up in
19:09a tight you never know what you're gonna see show up on that stage for
19:13Hemingway days and as well as entertaining the locals this zany contest
19:18raises over $100,000 each year towards scholarships for students in the Florida
19:24Keys I think that Papa would have loved the fact that we're giving away a lot of
19:29money to keep people here in his beloved Key West in the Florida Keys but what
19:34would the great man have made of this island today I think what he would
19:39particularly like about Key West now is it has kept its eccentricity the
19:44tolerance for being eccentric and outrageous or being who you want to be is
19:49it's it's drive-thru almost as famous as Hemingway is another Key West classic
19:57something else we've been told not to miss while we're here as if I'm so excited
20:05and I'm so glad that Clinton said that we've got to try key lime pie that's why I
20:10brought you here what Pepe's award-winning key lime pie you are but if it's award
20:14winning it's good for me come on you can't come to Key West and not try key lime pie it
20:23would be like going to Brom and not having a Balti or Cornwall without devouring a
20:28pasty the chicken behind it even the local chickens want to get in on the action if
20:37you wanted to save a few dollars you could get them as takeout and eat them
20:41on the beach or in the park but these guys have been making key lime pie for
20:46almost a hundred years and the key lime king is Danny hello good people how are
20:53y'all doing hi we're good oh yeah hello Danny it's wonderful to see you do you like a new
21:01pair of pants ready to rip okay I heard there's no calories in your key
21:06line absolutely no key lime pipe no I'm not gonna say that we make we make we
21:14make it fresh so it's up so we get two of them that's why I brought my mom here I
21:18wanted us to try the key lime pie well guess what friend I think we can make
21:22this happen okay you're gonna join us I actually will join you yeah do we just
21:29need one and then three spoons if you'd like to I would love to share a key lime pie
21:33with you the creamy biscuity delight is said to have started here in Key West
21:49back in the late 1800s made with a tiny yellowish key lime's grown here it was a
21:56no-bait treat that early settlers whipped up with whatever they had on hand
22:02fishermen even took the pies out to sea for a sweet pick me up yep sometimes the
22:08oldies really are the goodies inform your cardiologist thank you welcome to key lime
22:14pie I think I'm gonna want this recipe we make it from the ground up so literally we
22:19do the graham cracker crust key west key limes and condensed milk and all those
22:26things that are really heart healthy okay cheers everyone is it's right oh wow oh my
22:33goodness I feel like I've just pied and went to heaven I have had this for
22:38breakfast before by the way yeah okay let me really think about it oh my lord this is great oh really
22:47good wow these recipes go back to 1931 okay this goes back that far before air-conditioning
22:55really yes I'm actually regretting sharing this with you is the recipe a secret no I'll tell you but
23:05honestly that is delicious thank you very much so I can't speak right now I'll be honest with you
23:14it's not often I'm rendered speechless but I need to find my voice again because before we go I've just
23:20been given a tip-off about another quirky perk in this restaurant just found out that this telephone
23:27box it gives free international calls I thought you know what I'm gonna call my sister but I've only
23:32got three minutes to do it in this was introduced for the locals when it was the only phone working
23:44on the whole island during a hurricane it was the only way to keep in touch with family hello Sandra it's
23:52Allison hello darling how are you I'm all right I'm actually calling you from Key West oh wow Hemingway
24:03country yes I'm absolutely loving it have we taken lots of pictures babes I've done one better than
24:10that I've made a show I've made a show all you've got to do is watch Florida unpacked you're gonna love
24:14it Florida unpacked yeah oh babes don't you worry I'll send you all the deets oh my gosh okay give
24:21me the heads up give me the heads up you're gonna love it oh miss you sis I'll miss you I'll see you when
24:27you get back I love you bye bye bye bye bye bye bye how cool is that oh I feel like I've got a little piece of home here in Key West
24:38Oh Sandra she's a bit like Key West my sister eccentric and welcoming
24:48as the light starts to fade there's one more site we need to see and it doesn't cost a dime
24:57Mallory Square is where the locals and tourists meet up to celebrate what people say is one of
25:05the best sunsets in America and if you're expecting serene and spiritual think again this is something
25:14counts there's a carnival atmosphere every day we just need to get the low down on the sundown from local
25:24musician Mike what is happening there's so many people it's like a big massive pie every night
25:32seven days a week if that sun's going down people are here there's vendors there's performers playing
25:37music then the sunset's just a cherry on top of the ice cream all day we've been asking people why do
25:42they love Key West so much why do you love it the people the people make it what it is people bring that
25:48energy that spirit to the town if you need help they got you the weather's great the food's amazing but
25:53the people what make you rescue us you know what I think Mike's nailed it we came to Key West wanted
26:05to know why this tiny island at the very bottom of Florida draws so many to its shores and why they
26:11never seem to want to leave I'd I feel like we already know why people keep coming back to this place
26:18I mean look at that what a sunset I feel like that's one of the main reasons why they come
26:23back have you noticed how happy everybody is as well everyone's loving it everyone's happy taking photos and
26:29they're so proud to show off Key West I want to talk about it I love their city I totally get it now you can see why people here have a blast
26:37they don't take themselves too seriously and they definitely eat well
26:50are you still thinking about a key lime pie I am it was so nice this cult crazy island has captured my
26:58heart Key West has shown that sometimes the best things in life really are free
27:04and as the Sun sets across the Florida Straits it's also setting on our Florida Adventure look at this look at this oh yes I did and what an adventure it's been go Dolphins
27:25we've kayaked this is actually so lovely Aidan just having some quiet time with me and you we've danced
27:34we've parasailed this is one of those wonderful things I've ever done in my life unbelievable we've done so
27:43much and I feel closer than ever to Aidan I can't tell you how lovely you look and my dear mom I've got a
27:55little bit emotional yeah she would have loved it hey oh Aidan I can't believe we're at the end of our
28:02incredible adventure do you reckon this is the last adventure now that you're 19 we're ever gonna have
28:07it can't be I've enjoyed it I don't really enjoy it oh it's been lovely let's do it again sometime yeah
28:15look at us but not this year
28:45you
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