The Bahamas Part 1

The voyage officially began Monday at about 4:30 in the morning. Kevin, Joanne, Alex and I packed all of our things and bounced in our Honda lo rider. There were bags everywhere; the trunk was full, two ricardos (extra large duffels) in the center of the back seat, two bags on the back window sill, bags on Alex’s and my laps, and a bag at Joanne’s feet. Our flight to Florida was very easy, getting us in to Ft. Lauderdale about half an hour early. There we met up with Kevin’s old junior high buddy, Tim, and his wife Di and were later joined by their son David. For lunch, we went to the Old Inn Crab House, where Alex and I tried the crab sampler and ate off the others plates of conch fritters, fish and other new sea foods. Before heading back to the airport, David gave us a tour of his alma mater, Florida Atlantic University. It was very beautiful, right on the Atlantic Coast, and a prime manatee zone. We then boarded our flight to Nassau, Bahamas. It was a smaller prop plane with the cargo between the passengers and pilot. We arrived half an hour early on just a 45 minute flight. We then went through customs and boarded a small Toyota van toward Sandyport Resort. This was my first time out of North America, and driving on the left side of the road was a frightening situation. Upon arrival, we met Tyler (AKA Mr. Malotte) who took us to our rooms. The place is a beautiful, if a bit schizophrenic, place with a range of light colors from pink to lime green. Tyler then made us a hamburger dinner (about $60 worth of food) and we visited with him and Sara (AKA Ms. Te). Tyler told us of the daily routine of the local “wildlife” and attractions that The Bahamas had to offer (of which he was not the biggest fan). I can say honestly that this was my first mental breakdown. I felt a bit claustrophobic now realizing that it really will be 105 days before I get home and there is nothing I can do about it.
The next day began like any good day should, at 11 o’clock. By noon, the Malotte’s and Sara hopped on the #10 bus to downtown Nassau. The bus ride was free but it was $1 to leave. Nassau is an interesting combination of Tijuana, Florida, Atlantic City and The Caribbean. It is a very touristy, Americanized place, with its own unique flare. We visited the pink Parliament Building, The Straw Market (a tourist trap of shirts, picture frames and carvings for sale) and ate an authentic Bahamian lunch (conch fingers, peas and rice, plantains, and grouper fish). We hopped back on the bus, after which we said our farewells to Tyler and Sara. It was a very difficult goodbye, because we will not see him for a long time, but he and his class (Hey Mr. Malotte’s Class) will be vicarious voyagers on our trip. After we said our “auf’s” (that one is for Dennis), we relaxed, read and took a nap, while Kevin and Joanne went to the market. Food in The Bahamas is extremely expensive. For example, a gallon of milk was $6.50 and ketchup was $7. After dinner we had dinner at The Poop Deck, yes, The Poop Deck. We had dinner with The Monroes. They are close friends, who we (Kevin, Joanne, Alex, Alissa, Kelly and I) will be visiting in Beijing. Dinner was delicious, expensive and unique, as you had to choose your fish if you ordered the catch of the day.
On Wednesday, Alissa and her mother Sari arrived. After the got situated, Alex Joanne, Kevin and I headed toward the ship. We moved into our rooms; Alex’s and my room is surprisingly large with a 2.5 by 2.5 ft. port hole. It was just the faculty, staff and their family members on the ship, so Alex and I got to discover the lay out on our own, which was quite exciting. At 1600 hours, everyone went to the student union to introduce themselves. Then we went up to the faculty lounge for drinks and to mingle with everyone. We got to meet a couple of our professors, some we don’t have, and even got to meet the first mate. Giagia fear not we are in the hands of a good Greek boy, Costas. Dinner was at 1800 hours and was surprisingly delicious. I don’t think that food will be the slightest of problems on the ship. Alex and I returned to the Sandyport Resort by taxi.
I finally joined my parents’ insomniac patterns, by waking up at 2:30 in the morning due to excitement about all the things we would be doing, and the fact that the ship exceeded my high standards. After Joanne returned at about 1300, we took the bus to Orange Hill Beach. We got to go snorkeling and saw fish of all shapes and sizes, sea cucumbers, coral and even ray of some kind. We also collected a couple sand dollars and caught and released a couple live conchs, about the size of a football. Tonight we ate at the Traveler’s Rest, a fine restaurant with inexpensive, but delicious food along the beautiful Bahamian Coast. So long for now; check back in a few days for the next update.