Cruising through Nassau

My first view of Nassau was one of quiet streets and twinkling lights.

 

  

I woke up early to see the sun rise over the Caribbean but it was windy and overcast so there wasn't much of a sunrise to see. 

The "Sunrise"over the Atlantis Resort



By the time we got off our boat...

 

we were hardly the only ship in town.

 

We decided to hire Big Rod and his taxi van to show us around town. 

This was our first true view of the beautiful blue waters of the Caribbean rolling in on the sandy white beaches.  Drink that in!

Big Rod took us to a part of the island that is being developed by the Ch*nese.  I found it fascinating that many of the same things that are or have happened in Niger in terms of investment and development are also happening in the Bahamas.  It was interesting to hear him express that Bahamians are frustrated with the fact that all this building is going on with little employment opportunity for local people.  If you are interested you can read articles here and here that tell more about this resort being built.

Then it was on to Fort Charlotte where the soldiers were so bored that they sat around making cool graffiti.

They didn't see much military action which meant plenty of time for carving their names into the wall and watching the Bahamian lizards.  Incidentally, Bahamian lizards are different from the ones in Niger because they like to curl their tails up.

 

Moving on to snack time.  Big Rod hooked us up with some conch fritters which is apparently the local specialty.  I'm not a big fan of seafood but I tried one and then watched as the rest of the group devoured them.  My assessment...in the tasty department they were definitely several notches above the alligator fritters we tried on the ship. 

After snack time it was back to the tour which ended at the beach.  The water was beautiful but incredibly rough because of the wind.  The kids played near the water but no one really ventured in.

It wasn't long before the wind convinced us to retreat back to the ship.  We were all a little bit disappointed that our beach experience wasn't very enjoyable.  Back at the ship, the kids and some of the adults headed on board for naps and lunch.  I struck off on my own into town and discovered the Straw Market which is basically the place to find souvenirs.  As I strolled through the stalls, the friendly vendors would invite me to come and buy.  I would reply that I was just looking and they all had a little response like, "Looking is buying!" or "Looking is free and buying is cheap!" 

 

Just before getting back on board the ship I discovered some neat cobblestone alleyways.

 

 

 

 

I give the ambiance in this alleyway two thumbs up!  The beach might not have been quite what we expected but overall, I learned a lot and I enjoyed exploring the city of Nassau.

 

See you in Freeport.