{"id":61977,"date":"2017-05-17T21:35:54","date_gmt":"2017-05-17T19:35:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/?p=61977"},"modified":"2025-05-22T07:33:41","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T05:33:41","slug":"the-everglades-bloodsuckers-weirdos-and-the-question-will-we-survive-the-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/?p=61977&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"The Everglades \u2013 Bloodsuckers, Weirdos, and the Question: Will We Survive the Night!?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This story is true…<\/strong><\/p>\n

The so-called \u201cGreen Hell\u201d \u2013 just kidding \u2013 the Everglades National Park, we had saved for the grand finale of our trip. The plan was to cross from the Gulf of Mexico in Naples to the other side: Miami. Most people drive through the swamps in a single day, just to get from one coast to the other without spending the night. The average tourist usually makes a quick stop for an airboat tour, then moves on.<\/p>\n

But there are actually some travelers bold enough to spend the night in the Everglades. They fall prey to a mix of curiosity and recklessness, desperate to experience more of the wilderness \u2013 and in doing so, they venture deeper into the swamps.<\/p>\n

What many don\u2019t realize is the very real danger they\u2019re putting themselves in. Because the Everglades can be deadly. This is the only place on Earth where alligators and crocodiles coexist in the same region. It\u2019s estimated that over 1.2 million alligators live in Florida \u2013 most of them right here in the Everglades.<\/p>\n

And if the wildlife isn\u2019t warning enough, a visit to \u201cEverglades City\u201d should sound the alarm. The eerie vibe hits you instantly \u2013 like you\u2019ve just walked into a real-life set of The Walking Dead<\/em>. And when darkness falls and the ground mist begins to rise from the swamps, it starts to feel more like The Fog<\/em>. Oh, and did you notice? There\u2019s only one bridge in and out of town. So unless you’re planning to flee through the water, your escape route is… limited.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve dared to spend the night in the Everglades twice. And both times, I made it out of Everglades City alive. But the last time… well, it was pure luck that I survived and made it back to Germany to tell the tale.<\/p>\n

But how did the nightmare begin?
Like any good horror movie: peaceful, clueless, and na\u00efve.<\/p>\n

On Friday, June 9th, 2017, we left Naples in the morning and headed south on the Tamiami Trail. At that point, we were still in civilization \u2013 surrounded by people. But that was about to change the deeper we drove into the swamp along the Tamiami Trail.<\/p>\n

So now, let the story begin…<\/p>\n

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There we were, Karina and I, sitting in a white Chrysler Malibu. White is the color of innocence, isn\u2019t it? And if horror movies have taught us anything, it\u2019s that the innocent ones always go first… or was it the other way around? Above us, the sky was a radiant blue, while outside, the muggy Florida heat was already pressing against the cool glass of our car windows. Thank God the AC was running on full blast. Inside our chilled little bubble, we felt safe\u2014after all, if the heat couldn\u2019t get in, what else could?<\/p>\n

We had just two nights left in Florida after a fear-free journey through the Sunshine State. Our return flight to Germany was just around the corner. But today, we had one last item on our list: a tour in a propeller boat\u2014or as they call it here, an airboat! These classic flat-bottom boats with airplane-style propellers on the back are built to glide over wet grass and swampy waters. A practical solution really\u2014how else would you get the bodies into the swamp without too much trouble? \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

After an hour on the Tamiami Trail, a crossroads suddenly appeared\u2014spoiler alert: it would be the last for quite a while as we continued east toward Miami. At this very intersection was also the last gas station heading east. Turn left and you\u2019re on the interstate, a sensible route to cross the national park. But if you foolishly turn right, well… your fate is no longer in your own hands. Because that way leads straight to Everglades City<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Everglades City \u2013 Where horror always begins peacefully<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The sun was shining and everything still<\/em> seemed calm and idyllic, so we turned right and drove a few miles until the sign for „Everglades City“ welcomed us. We crossed the<\/em> one and only bridge into town and headed straight for the first airboat provider we could find, looking for some adventure and adrenaline. The more discerning reader might already suspect that more adventure awaited us than we could possibly imagine. But the protagonists never heed the signs\u2014they walk willingly into their doom.<\/p>\n

We pulled into the parking lot and stepped out. The heat had us in its grip now, and it quickly reminded us that we were no longer in control of our bodies. We were sweating. It took effort just to walk the 20 meters to a shaded area where we could ask the lady behind the counter about an airboat ride. She smiled at us\u2014probably knowing full well we were fresh prey. She was very friendly, but perhaps just trying to lull us into a false sense of security. We were handed a blue ticket with a handwritten \u201c2\u201d on it and the name \u201cShane.\u201d Was it just a ticket… or a coded message for the driver?<\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t give it much thought.<\/p>\n

After waiting a little while, a sun-weathered man of average height and wiry build rounded the corner. The moment he saw Karina\u2014with her long blond hair\u2014he seemed to lock eyes with his next target. Without hesitation, he reached into a nearby cage covered with wire mesh and pulled out a baby alligator. He held it up directly in front of Karina. Was he just trying to impress her? I don\u2019t think so. More likely, he wanted to see how the gator would react to her\u2014and whether she might qualify as a tasty treat.<\/p>\n

Shane was charming and tried to build a personal connection between Karina and the alligator. You know, the more familiar you feel, the less suspicious you become…<\/p>\n

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Now it was time to board the airboat. Four more tourists joined us \u2014 they were from Switzerland and had wisely decided to continue their journey toward the coast, out of the Everglades, right after the swamp tour, and before nightfall. Shane seemed to like our naive attitude and the fact that we didn\u2019t want to feel threatened by the Everglades. He asked if we were planning to spend the night in Everglades City. Karina immediately said yes, and I thought I saw a glimmer in his eyes. The trap had been sprung. He knew we were staying overnight.<\/p>\n

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Even while the propeller roared around us, he tried to pitch us an offer \u2014 to head out with him alone into the swamps that very evening, where he promised to show us giant alligators and other exotic wildlife. I just nodded, since I hadn\u2019t understood a word he said anyway. He smiled again, convinced that his trap had worked. So we continued our ride with him through the swamps \u2014 feeling no fear, just pure excitement. As you\u2019ll see in the following video, the airboat ride was a blast.<\/p>\n