After days, weeks, ok...months of planning, I woke up around 3:30am to give myself plenty of time to get ready and get the rest of the gang ready and head to the airport. Travelling to another country with five guys is not as easy as it sounds...that was a joke by the way. I loved that we could fly out of BN and our only holdup was that Sam had inadvertently left his "leatherman's tool" in his bag and it was confiscated during the security search. Of course, the TSA at Central Illinois Regional Airport is pretty laid back and they let him put it in an envelope and mail it back to himself. Sheesh!
Our flight to Atlanta was uneventful as was our flight to Nassau. We arrived in Nassau, went through customs and they didn't even search our bags. I called Barbara, the housekeeper, from a pay phone and she said that she was on the opposite side of the island and to just go to the condo, the keys were in the gray box by the door. Ok, our first clue that Bahamian life is pretty laid back.
Upon exiting the airport, we were approached by several gentlemen offering taxi services. One asked if we needed a limo and I said that yes, we needed a ride and he motioned to follow him. We walked a few yards, he asked where we were going and I said "Delaporte" and he stopped, looked me in the eye, and burst out laughing. He neglected to tell me why he was laughing and then said "I'll get you a taxi." He motioned to another guy with a van and he said that he'd take us to Delaporte for $26. The first guy handed me his card and said if we needed a ride during the week to give him a call. Really? He apparently was laughing because we were going to Delaporte and he was expecting to take us to Atlantis. Our first clue that there is a class divide here in Nassau.
We climbed in and our driver Chuck pulled away from the curb. As we careened through the countryside, wind blowing through the windows and rap music blaring (it was Ricky Ross I believe) I looked over at Joe and he was all smiles, snapping pictures. He's my traveller! He smiled at me and said "Mom, it's just like a movie!"
We arrived at Delaporte and were thrilled to find that the condo is very nice with plenty of room to spread out. Barbara came by about an hour later and picked us up to go to the grocery store. Automobiles here are either American (steering wheel on the left) or Japanese (steering wheel on the right) and all are pretty beat up regardless. Bahamians drive on the opposite side of the road and they drive fast! I'm positive that if I were to drive, I would kill myself and probably a few others in the process.
Barbara took us to the SuperValue (kind of a low rent IGA) and we immediately noticed that pretty much everything is double the prices in the States. We spent $165on groceries and came home and made spaghetti, garlic bread and brownies. The brownies were a hit despite the fact I made them without a measuring cup...nice and gooey in the middle...the boys ate the whole pan.
It took awhile but we got the boys up and moving and caught a jitney outside our complex. A jitney is a local bus that runs the length of Bay Street which is main drag. It's a good deal, $1.50 for as long as you ride, but you never know quite what you'll see when you board. During our first ride, a guy was talking to the driver about how it was important to carry a gun just like in the Old West. Hmmmmm.
Now, at this point you're asking yourself "Are they having a good time? It sounds kind of weird and scary." We are having a GREAT time. The water is an amazing blue and Jeff and I sat out on the patio and watched the sun set into the ocean this evening. This afternoon I devoured a delicious lunch of cracked conch and Kalik beer and laughed with my boys and their outrageous stories. Most importantly, we're seeing a part of the world that is very different than our hometown in middle America and to me that is an invaluable experience.
Tomorrow, we'll head back into town and catch the water taxi over to Atlantis. From what I've read, it's very different from what we've seen so far. Think Disney World or Vegas in the Caribbean. I'll keep you posted.
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