At some point in these futile exercises, I also found out I couldn't get the key out of the ignition which I assumed was stuck because there was sand in there … D'oh! Okay, one crisis at a time.
Leia asked the age old question: "What are we going to do?" Our options: I could walk back to the Queen's Highway to flag down a car or truck to help us or I could use our cell phone to call Stanton Cooper. The latter choice was least appealing, of course, but in any case, I didn't want to look stupid in front of these islanders.
As we contemplated our fate (with Lee saying at one point "I don't want to move here" as though Eleuthera was responsible for our predicament), a truck piled down the access road toward us. Two guys came out, observing (quite obviously) that we were stuck.
One of the men was a black man who called himself Wesley Johnson and the other guy was an old, grizzled Caucasian fellow who only known as Junior. They both agree we were in a bit of a predicament.
Lee asked them if there was anyone around who could give us a tow, but Wesley just chuckled and shook his head, replying they knew no one around who could tow us. He said they just happened to be driving the Queen's Highway and looked down the short road to the shore and gathered we were stuck.
At this point, I'm thinking to myself that this was where we're going to be beaten, our money stolen and maybe worse.
Wesley walked over to the car and listened to Leia explain how we ended up driving down a non-existent road. Wesley jut looked at her and quipped that this is why Eleutherans don't drive on beaches!
As Wesley started to survey this situation, Leia pointed out that this was a rental car. Wesley gave her a curious look and said it won't be a rental car much longer once the high tide came in. In spite of my embarrassment, I added it would then be a rental boat, which he repeated to all of us, causing us to laugh hysterically.
Wesley then went back to the wooded area near his truck and conveniently found a couple of pieces of plywood to put under the tires. I pointed out that it was the undercarriage that was the problem we all proceeded to dig out as much sand as we could.
Then, with Leia behind the wheel, the three of us men pushed and lifted the front bumper while she gave it the gas. After a lot of grunting and sweat, we finally got the car out of the berm!
The next matter was to figure out what we were going to do to get the car back on the road. I told them my idea about driving to what appeared to be a more solid patch of sand, then driving back. However, neither Wesley nor Junior were crazy about that idea.
Instead, Wesley suggested that I back it up on the rocks by the shore, and then drive forward. He and Junior disagreed about exactly which direction to aim for, but I finally just got in to make the move.
Before I started, Wesley advised me to not go too fast and dig back in the sand (while Junior encouraged me to gun it). I could see the wisdom in both suggestions, but I deferred to Wesley's idea as he was able to get us this far.
I drove forward, but not fast enough and felt the tires start to dig a bit. I back up further and stopped for a second. Wesley asked if he could get in to give it a try and I agreed. He then proceeded to gun it forward as Junior had suggested and voila, we were out!
Leia was so grateful that she asked me if it was okay to give them $20 each (instead of the $20 for both of them, as I suggested), but I was so happy to not have to call Stanton Cooper, I agreed.
I handed Wesley and Junior the cash and thanked them profusely for their help. Wesley paused and asked if it was only about money. I replied it was the only way we could show our appreciation and if he didn't want the money, he could give it to the church.
He finally took the offering, but asked if we wanted some fresh fish they just caught in exchange for the $40. We demurred on that offer, as we wouldn't be able to keep it cold while we were out and about. After saying our good-byes, we got back in the car, an hour lost due to "stupid tourist tricks."
Snorkeling, Caribbean-style
I had a headache from the heat, plus I was both hungry and thirsty, but I was determined to snorkel on the Caribbean side. Leia checked her book for other nearby spots and found one that was further north, so we drove ten miles up the Queen's Highway. We found that access road and with some trepidation, we took it to the shoreline.
Instead of driving on an imaginary beach this time, we parked in the designated parking area. Two other cars were also there. A tire swing hung from a tall tree … quite an idyllic spot. From the shore I could see some people floating on rafts on the very tranquil Caribbean. Leia and I made our way up the beach to set up "camp," stripped down to our bathing suits, put on our gear and went in.
The water was warm as bathwater and "gin clear," as they say around these parts. We had a blast snorkeling around, looking at all the various sea creatures - little crabs scuttling along the sea floor, spiny mollusks bedecked with clam shells, schools of tiny, almost translucent, minnow-like fish darting to and fro.
I had particular fun swing with one of these schools - at first, they tried to get away from me, then just accepted me as a big, goofy cousin and let me swim above them with them darting around.
Meanwhile, Leia was in the shallows where the shells where and I joined here. This was more interesting - yellow and black angel fish were swimming behind shells and in between some small coral formations.
For about an hour, we alternated between snorkeling and just floating on our backs like we were in a huge sensory deprivation tank that God/nature made for humankind. It was quite relaxing, as you can imagine.
Next Time
Our first visit to Poponi beach … and the return of Terry Sands.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Sunday, March 4, 2007
July 8-9, 2004 - Sand Escapades
White American Suspicion
When we parked to go into the ice cream place, I led Leia behind the building instead of past a group of Bahamian teems just sitting on a car across the street from the parking lot. I could tell she preferred to walk past them, but I'm for discretion being the better part of valor. It wasn't ALL because they were black, but a bunch of young men hanging out no what where or what color are potential trouble, especially when it comes to women.
I never want anything bad to happen to my Leia, so I chose the safer route. On the way back to the car, though, she HAD to walk by them. She explained that she had to not feel afraid here and did not look up when we walked by the car where they still were. Thank God the kids weren't any trouble.
Radio Ga-Ga
After the ice cream shop, we went back to the bungalow to settle in for the night and write postcards, my journal, etc., taking note of the bounty of stars once again. Thank God for Eleuthera!
Dialing down the AM band on the radio, we listened to the Bahamas station for a while, but it kept going from stronger to weaker and back again. It was kind of annoying, so we turned to a country music station of all things! Is this what it has come down to?
Snorkeling, Atlantic Style
We woke up late-ish and had a leisurely breakfast on the porch. The day was already warm and promised to become more so later.
Good old Quentin stopped by to check things out and I was able to get a lot of good pictues of him which will be fun to post on our website.
Leia wanted to see if she could a hold of Sandee, who was only going to be on the island one more day. At the same time, she wanted to go swimming and as for me, I wanted to go snorkeling. I really had never been snorkeling - what little I did, it was when I was a kid - but I was determined to at least try it again. What's more, I was able to convince Lee to try it with me. After all, we bought snorkeling masks for the occasion.
We got down to the Atlantic side around noon and started testing out our new equipment. What a rush! We had so much fun exploring around the coral reef beds just in front of our beach. All kinds of fish and other creatures could be seen - and without my contacts, just the snorkeling mask, which was amazing!
After about an hour of fighting the Atlantic waves and undertow, we decided to find a place on the Caribbean side to explore.
Leia consulter her Eleuthera guide and we settled on a place in Tarpum Bay. After a brief pit stop, we packed our gear and hit the road.
A Dumb Tourist Maneuver (Part 1)
We drove to down to (illegible) on the Queens Highway as instructed, then came back north about 2.8 miles to find the dirt road to take us back to the shoreline. When we got there, I could see it had been a place where people came to hang out … lots of beer bottles, an old pair of men's thongs, etc. littered the joint. I concluded this wasn't exactly what we were looking for.
In Leia's everlasting quest to please me, she found what she thought was a road along the shoreline. Now our rental car seemed quite capable and I was game (if not a little hesitant), so I drove down to what I hoped could be the next access road.
I could feel the ground was soft - all sand - as I drove out, but our front wheel drive rental seemed to take it well. However, we were fast running out of "road", so I managed to turn the car around with the intention of going back the way we came.
Unfortunately, the place where I chose to turn was probably the worst place of all. I gave the car the gas, but it was just enough to get us over the berm. The undercarriage got enough up in the sand pile that got quickly built up by our spinning tires. We were stuck trying to drive on the freakin' beach! How stupid of me to risk this, I thought to myself.
First, I tried rocking the car, but only succeed in turning up more sand and digging us further into the bank. We piled out and each took turns pushing while the other one drive, but no luck even budging the thing!
We then put the car in neutral and both tried to push, but the car wouldn't move at all. What were we going to do?
I pulled out all my Boy Scout / Webelos weather lore (which amounted to squat, really) and found a found a couple of boards to put under the tires to add a little traction. However, the front tires just turned uselessly and I only succeeded in burning more rubber.
Leia and I stock of our situation. She finally figured out that our undercarriage was successfully keeping the tires from getting the purchase they needed. The rear tires were fine if it had been a rear- or four-wheel drive car. Then we would've be out of there in a second. "If" is a useless word, unfortunately.
We used our former makeshift platform wood pieces to dig out the tires and as much of the sand blocking the undercarriage that we could. Again, we tried pushing while the other one drove, but had absolutely no luck.
Needless to say, the weather was hot and humid and we were sweating unrelentingly. We tried more digging and more pushing, but to no avail.
Next Time
More on our sand driving snafu ... and we actually do go snorkeling on the Caribbean side.
When we parked to go into the ice cream place, I led Leia behind the building instead of past a group of Bahamian teems just sitting on a car across the street from the parking lot. I could tell she preferred to walk past them, but I'm for discretion being the better part of valor. It wasn't ALL because they were black, but a bunch of young men hanging out no what where or what color are potential trouble, especially when it comes to women.
I never want anything bad to happen to my Leia, so I chose the safer route. On the way back to the car, though, she HAD to walk by them. She explained that she had to not feel afraid here and did not look up when we walked by the car where they still were. Thank God the kids weren't any trouble.
Radio Ga-Ga
After the ice cream shop, we went back to the bungalow to settle in for the night and write postcards, my journal, etc., taking note of the bounty of stars once again. Thank God for Eleuthera!
Dialing down the AM band on the radio, we listened to the Bahamas station for a while, but it kept going from stronger to weaker and back again. It was kind of annoying, so we turned to a country music station of all things! Is this what it has come down to?
Snorkeling, Atlantic Style
We woke up late-ish and had a leisurely breakfast on the porch. The day was already warm and promised to become more so later.
Good old Quentin stopped by to check things out and I was able to get a lot of good pictues of him which will be fun to post on our website.
Leia wanted to see if she could a hold of Sandee, who was only going to be on the island one more day. At the same time, she wanted to go swimming and as for me, I wanted to go snorkeling. I really had never been snorkeling - what little I did, it was when I was a kid - but I was determined to at least try it again. What's more, I was able to convince Lee to try it with me. After all, we bought snorkeling masks for the occasion.
We got down to the Atlantic side around noon and started testing out our new equipment. What a rush! We had so much fun exploring around the coral reef beds just in front of our beach. All kinds of fish and other creatures could be seen - and without my contacts, just the snorkeling mask, which was amazing!
After about an hour of fighting the Atlantic waves and undertow, we decided to find a place on the Caribbean side to explore.
Leia consulter her Eleuthera guide and we settled on a place in Tarpum Bay. After a brief pit stop, we packed our gear and hit the road.
A Dumb Tourist Maneuver (Part 1)
We drove to down to (illegible) on the Queens Highway as instructed, then came back north about 2.8 miles to find the dirt road to take us back to the shoreline. When we got there, I could see it had been a place where people came to hang out … lots of beer bottles, an old pair of men's thongs, etc. littered the joint. I concluded this wasn't exactly what we were looking for.
In Leia's everlasting quest to please me, she found what she thought was a road along the shoreline. Now our rental car seemed quite capable and I was game (if not a little hesitant), so I drove down to what I hoped could be the next access road.
I could feel the ground was soft - all sand - as I drove out, but our front wheel drive rental seemed to take it well. However, we were fast running out of "road", so I managed to turn the car around with the intention of going back the way we came.
Unfortunately, the place where I chose to turn was probably the worst place of all. I gave the car the gas, but it was just enough to get us over the berm. The undercarriage got enough up in the sand pile that got quickly built up by our spinning tires. We were stuck trying to drive on the freakin' beach! How stupid of me to risk this, I thought to myself.
First, I tried rocking the car, but only succeed in turning up more sand and digging us further into the bank. We piled out and each took turns pushing while the other one drive, but no luck even budging the thing!
We then put the car in neutral and both tried to push, but the car wouldn't move at all. What were we going to do?
I pulled out all my Boy Scout / Webelos weather lore (which amounted to squat, really) and found a found a couple of boards to put under the tires to add a little traction. However, the front tires just turned uselessly and I only succeeded in burning more rubber.
Leia and I stock of our situation. She finally figured out that our undercarriage was successfully keeping the tires from getting the purchase they needed. The rear tires were fine if it had been a rear- or four-wheel drive car. Then we would've be out of there in a second. "If" is a useless word, unfortunately.
We used our former makeshift platform wood pieces to dig out the tires and as much of the sand blocking the undercarriage that we could. Again, we tried pushing while the other one drove, but had absolutely no luck.
Needless to say, the weather was hot and humid and we were sweating unrelentingly. We tried more digging and more pushing, but to no avail.
Next Time
More on our sand driving snafu ... and we actually do go snorkeling on the Caribbean side.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
July 8, 2004 - Governour's Harbour
Grocery Adventures
We made it to the grocery store and picked up some provisions. That's when we found out - they don't sell beer there! Anyway, when we were checking out, the cashier told us about the community party to celebrate Independence Day and fund raiser for the newly constructed library / media center / computer training center. I was thinking it would be great to be able to settle here and teach all these people about computers, the internet, website design, etc. Ah, dreams …
[Digression: I just told Leia about this as I was waiting she was thinking something very similar. We are, as usual, totally in sync]
We went out to the car to put in the groceries before going back to the liquor store to get more Kalik. I locked the car doors - the first time I did that. Then I found I couldn't unlock either door. Damn!
Just when I thought I'd have to call Stanton Cooper, a black man with his kid came out and asked if we needed help. He tried the keys and had the same luck I did. He looked in the open trunk (I was able to get that open) and saw the seat back was removed. He proceeded to get into the trunk and used his back to push the seat forward. He then was able to unlock the door from the inside! I helped him out and offered him $5.00 American which he took without argument.
Sammy's
Back in business, we got the beer and then headed to Sammy's for breakfast / lunch / dinner - a place which we got directions for from the cashier at the grocery story. Sammy's was a small little restaurant owned by Samuel Colmer, a local business owner who is also a Freemason!
I ordered the conch salad, but they were out. Instead, I order the conch chowder and conch pieces with peas, rice, macaroni and cheese and potato salad. Leia ordered the cohc pieces with fries (I had her tomato & lettuce with French dressing).
As with the other restaurants we at in so far, the food was fantastic. The chowder was closer to that at the Unique, but I thought a lot better. Everything else was cooked to perfection and of course, the Kaliks were cold and refreshing.
Governour's Harbour
After we ate, we headed back to Palmetto Point. On the way, Leia asked if we could stop at Governour's Harbour, the capital of Eleuthera, to go to Christie's and see if we could get info on the plot we called "Sea Grove." We got directions to the realtor's house (Elisa Pyfrom) which wasn't too far away and found it on Pyfrom Drive! While I waited in the case, Leia talked to the woman in her drive about her two dogs and seven cats.
According to Elisa, Sea Groves' beaches comes and goes with passing storms. That's why it's a third class beach, I guess!
We drove around and looked at the historical sites of GH. We saw the old library and where the fish fry was for the Independence Day celebration was going to be. The chairs were already set up for the festivities!
Back to Palmetto Point
Once again, we were on our way to Palmetto Point, but Leia wanted to detour again and see the plot that Terry Sands suggested was more for us. It was off of Banks Road, so we drove there and parked the car. The beach had debris, but was very nice. I didn't think it had the same allure as Sea Grove - there was coral close to the shore no islands immediately off the beach - but according to Elisa, at least the beach didn't get swallowed up. I was leery, though, since I could see that when high tide came, there wasn't much beach left.
We headed back to get some ice from the package store, then to Tia's for Leia's lollipop (my wife has a bit of a sweet tooth). Then we finally got back to the bungalow. I opened a Kalik and ate some pretzels until I cooled down from the oppressive heat. Then we both went to lay down in the hammock.
I did one or two words in the crossword puzzle, then put the book down to take a nap. I only woke up when I realized I had to move my foot. Leia suggested we go in as it was getting dark! How long was I asleep?
We changed clothes and took a drive down to the Caribbean side - the pier where the locals hang out. Very pretty to me, but not as appealing to Leia as the Atlantic side.
After the pier, we went to the ice cream shop on Church Street (the Country Kitchen, I think). I had the coconut / pineapple ice cream. Leia had a slushy and some popcorn. We sat there for a while, watching "Big Brother" (the American version) with some local youth, the picture as clear as day!
Next Time
A political commentary to spice things up.
We made it to the grocery store and picked up some provisions. That's when we found out - they don't sell beer there! Anyway, when we were checking out, the cashier told us about the community party to celebrate Independence Day and fund raiser for the newly constructed library / media center / computer training center. I was thinking it would be great to be able to settle here and teach all these people about computers, the internet, website design, etc. Ah, dreams …
[Digression: I just told Leia about this as I was waiting she was thinking something very similar. We are, as usual, totally in sync]
We went out to the car to put in the groceries before going back to the liquor store to get more Kalik. I locked the car doors - the first time I did that. Then I found I couldn't unlock either door. Damn!
Just when I thought I'd have to call Stanton Cooper, a black man with his kid came out and asked if we needed help. He tried the keys and had the same luck I did. He looked in the open trunk (I was able to get that open) and saw the seat back was removed. He proceeded to get into the trunk and used his back to push the seat forward. He then was able to unlock the door from the inside! I helped him out and offered him $5.00 American which he took without argument.
Sammy's
Back in business, we got the beer and then headed to Sammy's for breakfast / lunch / dinner - a place which we got directions for from the cashier at the grocery story. Sammy's was a small little restaurant owned by Samuel Colmer, a local business owner who is also a Freemason!
I ordered the conch salad, but they were out. Instead, I order the conch chowder and conch pieces with peas, rice, macaroni and cheese and potato salad. Leia ordered the cohc pieces with fries (I had her tomato & lettuce with French dressing).
As with the other restaurants we at in so far, the food was fantastic. The chowder was closer to that at the Unique, but I thought a lot better. Everything else was cooked to perfection and of course, the Kaliks were cold and refreshing.
Governour's Harbour
After we ate, we headed back to Palmetto Point. On the way, Leia asked if we could stop at Governour's Harbour, the capital of Eleuthera, to go to Christie's and see if we could get info on the plot we called "Sea Grove." We got directions to the realtor's house (Elisa Pyfrom) which wasn't too far away and found it on Pyfrom Drive! While I waited in the case, Leia talked to the woman in her drive about her two dogs and seven cats.
According to Elisa, Sea Groves' beaches comes and goes with passing storms. That's why it's a third class beach, I guess!
We drove around and looked at the historical sites of GH. We saw the old library and where the fish fry was for the Independence Day celebration was going to be. The chairs were already set up for the festivities!
Back to Palmetto Point
Once again, we were on our way to Palmetto Point, but Leia wanted to detour again and see the plot that Terry Sands suggested was more for us. It was off of Banks Road, so we drove there and parked the car. The beach had debris, but was very nice. I didn't think it had the same allure as Sea Grove - there was coral close to the shore no islands immediately off the beach - but according to Elisa, at least the beach didn't get swallowed up. I was leery, though, since I could see that when high tide came, there wasn't much beach left.
We headed back to get some ice from the package store, then to Tia's for Leia's lollipop (my wife has a bit of a sweet tooth). Then we finally got back to the bungalow. I opened a Kalik and ate some pretzels until I cooled down from the oppressive heat. Then we both went to lay down in the hammock.
I did one or two words in the crossword puzzle, then put the book down to take a nap. I only woke up when I realized I had to move my foot. Leia suggested we go in as it was getting dark! How long was I asleep?
We changed clothes and took a drive down to the Caribbean side - the pier where the locals hang out. Very pretty to me, but not as appealing to Leia as the Atlantic side.
After the pier, we went to the ice cream shop on Church Street (the Country Kitchen, I think). I had the coconut / pineapple ice cream. Leia had a slushy and some popcorn. We sat there for a while, watching "Big Brother" (the American version) with some local youth, the picture as clear as day!
Next Time
A political commentary to spice things up.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
July 8, 2004 - Sea Grove
Weekend Plans
Yesterday, I asked Kendra (the waitress from The Rainbow Inn) what the big plans were for the were for the Bahamas Independence Day celebration. She told us al the happenings were going to be at Savannah Point, where the composer of the Bahamian National Anthem was from.
The festivities started with church and went until day until Sunday. Lots of dancing, music, pageants for kids, eating celebrating. She encouraged us to check it out.
Also on Sunday, I’d love to go to see the local church to check out the services. There's a Methodist church near where we're staying and a Baptist one, too. I'm hoping to hear a good gospel choir as I had in Tennessee one time when I was there on business many years before.
Property Exploring
While Lee slept, I went outside to take the first phones of the trip. I was hoping that Quentin would show up for his shot and eventually heard me on porch, when made him come a-callin'. I got a few good pictures of him.
Lee woke up and we got read to walk to the Coconut Groves (residential area) she came upon yesterday. It was a bit of a trek south on Banks Road. The weather was, of course, hot and humid, but worth it when we came upon "Sea Grove," as Lee has dubbed it.
There, big as life, was the HG Christie's sign. We walked past there and Lee pointed out the large house and the neighboring guest house labeled Darby's. Leia advised me not to take pictures, but being an American in my heart, I did it anyway (out of respect for the owners, I will not post them online).
We walked further down the road to the while chalk piles which began an unfinished road which we followed to the ocean opening. The Atlantic view was breathtaking and the cool ocean breeze was a relief on my sweaty face. I snapped a few photos, then followed Leia down to the sand. I stripped down to my bathing suit to join her as she was already frolicking in the water.
Undertow!
What a difference this time - no coral! The beach seemed to be empty (as usual), save for a couple people we saw way south of us who were walking their dog. Just off the shore were two small islands. I estimated it would be a thirty minute swim to the larges of the two, but decided I would make the trek another time (when I was in better shape!). Besides, I sure didn't want to encounter sharks in water that far away.
I swam a bit to the darker area where I figured was a coral formation and felt a pretty strong rip current. I tested its strength doing a backstroke against the pull and was just about staying in place. Finally, I was tired, so I swam parallel, than diagonal, to the shore to break free of the undertow. Being stubborn, I tested it again and of course, it had the same effect!
Meanwhile, Leia was totally in love with this particular site and for good reason! We just relished our time in the water, letting the sand wash up into our suits as we sat at the shore break. Eventually, we had to get into deeper waters to empty out the extra sand :-).
When we saw the couple with the dog heading our way, we decided to walk north on the beach back to our bungalow.
It was quite a workout walking in the wet sand - the calf muscles will feel lit tonight! Maybe I worked off some of that conch and Kalik! When we got back to the bungalow, I was hot and sweaty again, as was my wife. We took our showers and got read to go to Rock Sound - again - to go to the grocery store.
Terry Sands
On the way there Leia wanted see if she could find where Sandee (the realtor) had been to perhaps meet up with her later. We stopped off at the same general store we went to when we arrived to get directions. I waited in the car while Leia ran in. About five minutes later, she came out to get her purse. A little girl in there wanted a can of coke, but she didn't have the money. My sweet wife decided she would buy the soda for her.
A couple of minutes later, Leia came back out and I started the car thinking she was read to go. Instead, she wanted me to go back in with her to meet Terry Sands, proprietor of the store and also a realtor.
Terry is an older Caucasian Bahamian who had the longest fingernails I've seen on a man in a long time! Leia had him repeat what he said about "Sea Grove" - apparently, it's a third rate beach. He said he had land which is a much better piece in Palmetto Point not far from our Bungalow. He gave us directions if we wanted to find it ourselves. Terry offered to take us there if we wanted him to.
We thanked him for his offer and I brought out money to pay for two bottles of water. He waved it away and told us it was on the house. We thanked him again profusely and left. What a nice man!
Next time: Rock Sound, part 2
Yesterday, I asked Kendra (the waitress from The Rainbow Inn) what the big plans were for the were for the Bahamas Independence Day celebration. She told us al the happenings were going to be at Savannah Point, where the composer of the Bahamian National Anthem was from.
The festivities started with church and went until day until Sunday. Lots of dancing, music, pageants for kids, eating celebrating. She encouraged us to check it out.
Also on Sunday, I’d love to go to see the local church to check out the services. There's a Methodist church near where we're staying and a Baptist one, too. I'm hoping to hear a good gospel choir as I had in Tennessee one time when I was there on business many years before.
Property Exploring
While Lee slept, I went outside to take the first phones of the trip. I was hoping that Quentin would show up for his shot and eventually heard me on porch, when made him come a-callin'. I got a few good pictures of him.
Lee woke up and we got read to walk to the Coconut Groves (residential area) she came upon yesterday. It was a bit of a trek south on Banks Road. The weather was, of course, hot and humid, but worth it when we came upon "Sea Grove," as Lee has dubbed it.
There, big as life, was the HG Christie's sign. We walked past there and Lee pointed out the large house and the neighboring guest house labeled Darby's. Leia advised me not to take pictures, but being an American in my heart, I did it anyway (out of respect for the owners, I will not post them online).
We walked further down the road to the while chalk piles which began an unfinished road which we followed to the ocean opening. The Atlantic view was breathtaking and the cool ocean breeze was a relief on my sweaty face. I snapped a few photos, then followed Leia down to the sand. I stripped down to my bathing suit to join her as she was already frolicking in the water.
Undertow!
What a difference this time - no coral! The beach seemed to be empty (as usual), save for a couple people we saw way south of us who were walking their dog. Just off the shore were two small islands. I estimated it would be a thirty minute swim to the larges of the two, but decided I would make the trek another time (when I was in better shape!). Besides, I sure didn't want to encounter sharks in water that far away.
I swam a bit to the darker area where I figured was a coral formation and felt a pretty strong rip current. I tested its strength doing a backstroke against the pull and was just about staying in place. Finally, I was tired, so I swam parallel, than diagonal, to the shore to break free of the undertow. Being stubborn, I tested it again and of course, it had the same effect!
Meanwhile, Leia was totally in love with this particular site and for good reason! We just relished our time in the water, letting the sand wash up into our suits as we sat at the shore break. Eventually, we had to get into deeper waters to empty out the extra sand :-).
When we saw the couple with the dog heading our way, we decided to walk north on the beach back to our bungalow.
It was quite a workout walking in the wet sand - the calf muscles will feel lit tonight! Maybe I worked off some of that conch and Kalik! When we got back to the bungalow, I was hot and sweaty again, as was my wife. We took our showers and got read to go to Rock Sound - again - to go to the grocery store.
Terry Sands
On the way there Leia wanted see if she could find where Sandee (the realtor) had been to perhaps meet up with her later. We stopped off at the same general store we went to when we arrived to get directions. I waited in the car while Leia ran in. About five minutes later, she came out to get her purse. A little girl in there wanted a can of coke, but she didn't have the money. My sweet wife decided she would buy the soda for her.
A couple of minutes later, Leia came back out and I started the car thinking she was read to go. Instead, she wanted me to go back in with her to meet Terry Sands, proprietor of the store and also a realtor.
Terry is an older Caucasian Bahamian who had the longest fingernails I've seen on a man in a long time! Leia had him repeat what he said about "Sea Grove" - apparently, it's a third rate beach. He said he had land which is a much better piece in Palmetto Point not far from our Bungalow. He gave us directions if we wanted to find it ourselves. Terry offered to take us there if we wanted him to.
We thanked him for his offer and I brought out money to pay for two bottles of water. He waved it away and told us it was on the house. We thanked him again profusely and left. What a nice man!
Next time: Rock Sound, part 2
Sunday, February 11, 2007
July 7, 2004 - The Night Has A Thousand Stars
Back to the store
We drove back to the market at Rock Point only to discover it had just closed! The sign posted on the wall said it was closed on Wednesdays at 2:00 - must be for church - and it was just then 2:10!
There was a liquor store open next to the market, so we picked up a six-pack of Kalik (pronounced like "k-lick, emphasis on the second syllable) and coke for Leia. We then headed back to the bungalow (the Kaliks were only $2.00 each!).
I was hungry, so we kept an eye out for restaurants. Leia had heart about the Sunset Inn at Palmetto point, so we made for that place. We stopped to ask a local the directions (a very nice older man) and found it right on the Queen's Highway.
The Sunset Inn
The restaurant is right on the Caribbean side and has a moderate view of a couple of nearby islands. The water was SO blue it was gorgeous, sunlight glistening on the small wavelets looking like so many diamonds. Breathtaking!
We got an inside table - it was too hot and humid outside. Natasha sat us at a table at the far end. She turned on the oscillating fan for our comfort, took our drink orders and left.
Kendra, our waitress, brought our drinks and took our lunch orders. While our food was being prepared, Leia wandered outside on the deck to look around. Meanwhile, I read the succinct history of the restaurant on the back of the menu. It was built in the 1940's as a [illegible], but became a restaurant after that. The original building burned down in 1997, but was rebuilt in 1999.
While I waited for the food, I could hear the pounding of the mallets in the kitchen which was, I'm sure, the conch being prepared for our meal!
The food looked and smelled delicious. I had order the conch chowder and conch salad. Leia order the fried conch pieces.
The was chowder was more like I would've expected - like a Manhattan clam chowder - excellent, savory and a bit spicy (the way I like it - perfect!). The conch salad was unexpected, though. No lettuce - tomatoes, onions, green peppers mixed with generous (yet small) pieces of conch in an excellent vinegar dressing. That and a couple of Kaliks and I was a happy camper!
Leia's conch pieces were lightly battered and fried and very tasty as well. All in all, a GREAT meal, but not too heavy.
By the way, "conch" is not pronounced as it's written - the local pronounce it "conk" - and in Italian, it's scungilli!
Pure heaven
We headed back to the bungalow for a little rest and relaxation. Before we did that, though, we activated our rental cell phone and made our calls to our family as well as our realtor. No offer yet, unfortunately. Also, we checked our messages at home. A woman on the island named Sandee called about some property for sale, so Leia called her - but she lost the connection, so we couldn't tell her where we were staying. I even tried to call back - could hear her, but not vice versa (quite maddening, actually).
Leia and I climbed in the hammock for two. She read while I did crosswords. Both of us napped and occasionally waking up to wave at passing cars. Eventually we got up and went into the bungalow.
That night, we decided not to go out, but stayed in to read and talk. At one point, Leia went outside and came in to tell me about the stars. I FORGOT! We went back outside and saw how utterly beautiful the sky is without light pollution! We used the binocular left for guests by Katy and Mike (the owners) and saw some very cool star clusters. Finally, we went back inside.
We ended up playing our music on our MP3 players again because nothing came through on FM and AM was kind of boring. Had we remembered, we would've brought with the crank radio we have which has shortwave on it. Next time!
We drove back to the market at Rock Point only to discover it had just closed! The sign posted on the wall said it was closed on Wednesdays at 2:00 - must be for church - and it was just then 2:10!
There was a liquor store open next to the market, so we picked up a six-pack of Kalik (pronounced like "k-lick, emphasis on the second syllable) and coke for Leia. We then headed back to the bungalow (the Kaliks were only $2.00 each!).
I was hungry, so we kept an eye out for restaurants. Leia had heart about the Sunset Inn at Palmetto point, so we made for that place. We stopped to ask a local the directions (a very nice older man) and found it right on the Queen's Highway.
The Sunset Inn
The restaurant is right on the Caribbean side and has a moderate view of a couple of nearby islands. The water was SO blue it was gorgeous, sunlight glistening on the small wavelets looking like so many diamonds. Breathtaking!
We got an inside table - it was too hot and humid outside. Natasha sat us at a table at the far end. She turned on the oscillating fan for our comfort, took our drink orders and left.
Kendra, our waitress, brought our drinks and took our lunch orders. While our food was being prepared, Leia wandered outside on the deck to look around. Meanwhile, I read the succinct history of the restaurant on the back of the menu. It was built in the 1940's as a [illegible], but became a restaurant after that. The original building burned down in 1997, but was rebuilt in 1999.
While I waited for the food, I could hear the pounding of the mallets in the kitchen which was, I'm sure, the conch being prepared for our meal!
The food looked and smelled delicious. I had order the conch chowder and conch salad. Leia order the fried conch pieces.
The was chowder was more like I would've expected - like a Manhattan clam chowder - excellent, savory and a bit spicy (the way I like it - perfect!). The conch salad was unexpected, though. No lettuce - tomatoes, onions, green peppers mixed with generous (yet small) pieces of conch in an excellent vinegar dressing. That and a couple of Kaliks and I was a happy camper!
Leia's conch pieces were lightly battered and fried and very tasty as well. All in all, a GREAT meal, but not too heavy.
By the way, "conch" is not pronounced as it's written - the local pronounce it "conk" - and in Italian, it's scungilli!
Pure heaven
We headed back to the bungalow for a little rest and relaxation. Before we did that, though, we activated our rental cell phone and made our calls to our family as well as our realtor. No offer yet, unfortunately. Also, we checked our messages at home. A woman on the island named Sandee called about some property for sale, so Leia called her - but she lost the connection, so we couldn't tell her where we were staying. I even tried to call back - could hear her, but not vice versa (quite maddening, actually).
Leia and I climbed in the hammock for two. She read while I did crosswords. Both of us napped and occasionally waking up to wave at passing cars. Eventually we got up and went into the bungalow.
That night, we decided not to go out, but stayed in to read and talk. At one point, Leia went outside and came in to tell me about the stars. I FORGOT! We went back outside and saw how utterly beautiful the sky is without light pollution! We used the binocular left for guests by Katy and Mike (the owners) and saw some very cool star clusters. Finally, we went back inside.
We ended up playing our music on our MP3 players again because nothing came through on FM and AM was kind of boring. Had we remembered, we would've brought with the crank radio we have which has shortwave on it. Next time!
Sunday, February 4, 2007
July 7, 2004 - It's So Quiet!
Got To Have That Sweet Music
Without CDs or FM radio, we were tuneless, but then we figured out we could hook our MP3 players into the auxiliary port of the bungalow's stereo system. Listening to Jimmy Buffet on a Caribbean island … for me, it can't get any better than that.]
Back to the Beach
While Leia went down to the beach by herself, I browsed the bungalow guests' community journal. Typical American comments, not perfect, yada yada. Ungrateful for what it ISN'T instead of being happy about what it IS!
I went down to the beach to meet up with Leia, but by the time I got down there, she wasn't anywhere in sight. Not worried about her, I waded into the water. The tide was higher this time, so I didn't have to negotiate the spiny coral beds as much. It was still pretty rough on the feet / ankles - one needs to look for channels and not get your feet caught as you traverse deeper. Eventually, I figured out I should just float out instead of walk.
The water was SO perfect in temperature you can't believe it. There was a stiff undertow and an increasingly strongly wave that came in hard. Too bad about the coral, though. I was hoping I could body surf some (though the waves are kind of mild).
While in the water, I kept scanning both ends of the beach looking for Leia - for anybody - but quite a while, it was just me and the ocean (and the sea creatures).
At some point, I saw her walking toward me from the south (or I assumed it was her since the figure heading in my direction was over 1000 yards away or more). It turned out that it was her, though. She had been exploring, looking at various houses and properties. She happened to come across an ideal plot that turned out to be for sale! We decided to check it out together tomorrow. She said she walked down Banks Road and had a wonderful time enjoying Mother Nature and the QUIET.
Give Peace (and Quiet) A Chance
For both of us, the quiet is what's so wonderful around here. We live by the Pacific Coast Highway, also know as US-1 or the PCH, which traverses the entire west coast from Washington state to San Diego, California. In various spots, the PCH goes directly through towns, occasionally changing names. For example, by LAX, PCH is renamed "Sepulveda Boulevard."
The constant traffic of PCH gets into your brain and is like an occasionally annoying hum, especially when a Harley is blasting down it through Hermosa Beach [Ed. Where we used to live … the following text reflects that as a present day situation].
We live on one of the few through streets in Hermosa and even though it's a suburban locale, cars whiz by our house at all hours, usually at speeds upwards of 45-50 MPH. It's like people are angry they have to hunt for a through street and take it out on the asphalt and surrounding neighborhood by speeding through it all!.
Out Among The People
Leia and I went up to the bungalow, got dressed and drove to Tia's place to look into the cell phone. The lady there greeted us and I asked if she was Tia. She laughed and said Tia was Stanton Cooper's daughter (here I was thinking she was his wife), but said she was Stanton's sister-in-law.
I got the cell phone from her and the cell minutes card. Leia picked up some drinks for the road as she was quite thirsty from her long walk.
We took off to heard to Rock Point to go to the big market there. It was a very nice drive down the Queen's Highway. We got to see the Caribbean side of Eleu as we drove through - it was a beautiful as I always imagined.
[Leia and I had been "debating" which side of the island we'd want to live on. For me, the Caribbean side is more appealing. It's more tranquil and more exotic. Having grown up on the East coast, the Atlantic is more mundane to me and certainly rougher waters. Hurricanes come from the Atlantic side, so the Caribbean side may be less dangerous during the storm season.]
Rock Sound and Ocean Hole
We found the market at Rock Point, but continued past it to explore a little. Leia saw a sign for "Ocean Hole" where Jacques Cousteau had once explored. Intrigued we drove down to the park there. We learned from the sign that the hole is "bottomless" and occasionally, ocean fish get caught in there and apparently can't find their way back. The placard said that the park was dedicated in 1970.
There were a number of (white) teenage tourists along with some young (black) locals. The teens were bobbing up and down in the hold. We saw a couple of white vans parked there and assumed that they were what brought them.
There was a black woman selling homemade crafts by the hole. She wasn't getting many customers, though (including us).
We watched the kids for a while, then headed back to the car. There was a beagle-like dog which we tried to call over (having a beagle-like dog ourselves), but instead of coming, he quickly walked away in fear from us toward a wooded area adjacent to some houses.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
July 6-7, 2004 - Wherein I Meet Quentin
[Digression …
The Island Breeze Bungalow has a stereo, but NO FM reception. We were able to tune in WFTL-AM (from Fort Lauderdale), an all-talk station, before we left for dinner. However, even that didn't come in when we got back. I was disappointed somewhat with the lack of any reception. I wanted to hear some island music, being a connoisseur of world music and all.]
Back to the main story …
Instead of going to sleep right away that night, I started reading one of the books left behind at the bungalow - A Brief History of Everything. However, I didn't get to far into it before I was out like a light.
Around midnight, Leia was still up - apparently not as tired as I was - and looking for chocolate. Some minutes later, she let out a yelp, cowering under the sheets, telling me (half-groggy, of course) about a huge insect that was skittering across the floor. From her description, it sounded like a scorpion, since I thought they only could be found in dry, warm places. Eleu is hardly dry - except when compared to being completely under water!
I asked her was the creature big enough to ride (at which she laughed heartily). I got up to look for it, but it seemed our nocturnal visitor had scurried out of sight. I got back into bed finally, the light Leia had on to read was keeping me awake. I shielded my eyes with my arm, which she noticed and asked if the light was bothering me. Yep, I replied, getting up to find my eyeshade. I joked that they were the perfect "anti-terrorism device" - because if she had been wearing them in the airport, she wouldn't have suspected a cabal of Middle Eastern terrorists at the airport. Anyway, I put them on and was immediately back to sleep.
July 7th
I woke up the first time at about 7:30 am, but Leia was totally out. Turns out, she ended up taking an Ambien. I fell back to sleep and didn't wake up again until 9:30. That's when she woke up, quite surprised I had slept so long.
[Digression ….
There is one thing to remember here at the bungalow. PLEASE CONSERVE THE WATER. This bungalow uses rain water for its water supply (for drinking, bathing, etc.) and two signs are posted reminding guests of that. The one in the bathroom is my favorite: "In the land of sand and sun, we don't flush for number one."
Since we're from Cali, we are already quite conservative in our water use anyway. Though I like to drink a lot of water, I have NO problems whatsoever substituting beer (Kalik) for drinking water.]
Back to the main story …
We had a brief morning "toilet," then I headed out to the porch to catch up on this journal.
While I wrote, people would occasionally drive by the by and wave. I'd wave back as that seems to be the custom around here. Eventually, a truck went by with a seemingly large black man driving it and stopped at the main house (next door to our little bungalow).
Soon, he drove back the other way and briefly stopped, calling out to ask our trip was going so far. I told him "great" and asked how he was. He replied "Thank God I'm alive" or words to that affect. I asked him his name and he told me to guess, though I didn't hear him say that at first. I repeated the question and he replied the same way. I asked if he was Stanton Cooper and he admitted he was. I laughed and asked him again - by name this time - how he was and he gave me the same answer as before! I asked Stanton about renting cell phones ($100!?). He told me to go to Tia's place to pick it up. He would leave it there for me. He then took off.
Leia eventually came out, carrying the journal left by the owner with additions made by guests that stayed there. She read to me some of the passages, then brought out her leftovers from the Unique. I popped open a beer and joined her. She wrote in the journal while I wrote in mine and the two of us talked about re-rethinking whether to have a house there some day.
[Digression …
A gecko / lizard was quite fascinated with us and vice versa. He was a cute little fellow, to be sure. While Leia was inside, I remained quiet and watched him slowly sneak up to me. I didn't move to see what he would do. I knew there are only one or two poisonous lizards on the planet (one of them is the gila monster) and none of them were on Eleu. So I didn't move while he went to my discarded flip-flop first because he came right up to my foot and licked it a couple of times. The second one felt closer to a bite than a lick - his scaly jaw, no doubt - but I twitched my toe which sent him scurrying.
He later walked by my feet while I wasn't watching, but being wary of scorpions, I moved my feet and he went running. I guess it was his little claws I felt. Anyway, I named him "Quentin" after Quentin Tarantino.]
Back to the main story …
Soon after I met Quentin, Leia went down to the ocean and I finished up my entry so I could join her.
The Island Breeze Bungalow has a stereo, but NO FM reception. We were able to tune in WFTL-AM (from Fort Lauderdale), an all-talk station, before we left for dinner. However, even that didn't come in when we got back. I was disappointed somewhat with the lack of any reception. I wanted to hear some island music, being a connoisseur of world music and all.]
Back to the main story …
Instead of going to sleep right away that night, I started reading one of the books left behind at the bungalow - A Brief History of Everything. However, I didn't get to far into it before I was out like a light.
Around midnight, Leia was still up - apparently not as tired as I was - and looking for chocolate. Some minutes later, she let out a yelp, cowering under the sheets, telling me (half-groggy, of course) about a huge insect that was skittering across the floor. From her description, it sounded like a scorpion, since I thought they only could be found in dry, warm places. Eleu is hardly dry - except when compared to being completely under water!
I asked her was the creature big enough to ride (at which she laughed heartily). I got up to look for it, but it seemed our nocturnal visitor had scurried out of sight. I got back into bed finally, the light Leia had on to read was keeping me awake. I shielded my eyes with my arm, which she noticed and asked if the light was bothering me. Yep, I replied, getting up to find my eyeshade. I joked that they were the perfect "anti-terrorism device" - because if she had been wearing them in the airport, she wouldn't have suspected a cabal of Middle Eastern terrorists at the airport. Anyway, I put them on and was immediately back to sleep.
July 7th
I woke up the first time at about 7:30 am, but Leia was totally out. Turns out, she ended up taking an Ambien. I fell back to sleep and didn't wake up again until 9:30. That's when she woke up, quite surprised I had slept so long.
[Digression ….
There is one thing to remember here at the bungalow. PLEASE CONSERVE THE WATER. This bungalow uses rain water for its water supply (for drinking, bathing, etc.) and two signs are posted reminding guests of that. The one in the bathroom is my favorite: "In the land of sand and sun, we don't flush for number one."
Since we're from Cali, we are already quite conservative in our water use anyway. Though I like to drink a lot of water, I have NO problems whatsoever substituting beer (Kalik) for drinking water.]
Back to the main story …
We had a brief morning "toilet," then I headed out to the porch to catch up on this journal.
While I wrote, people would occasionally drive by the by and wave. I'd wave back as that seems to be the custom around here. Eventually, a truck went by with a seemingly large black man driving it and stopped at the main house (next door to our little bungalow).
Soon, he drove back the other way and briefly stopped, calling out to ask our trip was going so far. I told him "great" and asked how he was. He replied "Thank God I'm alive" or words to that affect. I asked him his name and he told me to guess, though I didn't hear him say that at first. I repeated the question and he replied the same way. I asked if he was Stanton Cooper and he admitted he was. I laughed and asked him again - by name this time - how he was and he gave me the same answer as before! I asked Stanton about renting cell phones ($100!?). He told me to go to Tia's place to pick it up. He would leave it there for me. He then took off.
Leia eventually came out, carrying the journal left by the owner with additions made by guests that stayed there. She read to me some of the passages, then brought out her leftovers from the Unique. I popped open a beer and joined her. She wrote in the journal while I wrote in mine and the two of us talked about re-rethinking whether to have a house there some day.
[Digression …
A gecko / lizard was quite fascinated with us and vice versa. He was a cute little fellow, to be sure. While Leia was inside, I remained quiet and watched him slowly sneak up to me. I didn't move to see what he would do. I knew there are only one or two poisonous lizards on the planet (one of them is the gila monster) and none of them were on Eleu. So I didn't move while he went to my discarded flip-flop first because he came right up to my foot and licked it a couple of times. The second one felt closer to a bite than a lick - his scaly jaw, no doubt - but I twitched my toe which sent him scurrying.
He later walked by my feet while I wasn't watching, but being wary of scorpions, I moved my feet and he went running. I guess it was his little claws I felt. Anyway, I named him "Quentin" after Quentin Tarantino.]
Back to the main story …
Soon after I met Quentin, Leia went down to the ocean and I finished up my entry so I could join her.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
July 6, 2004 - Beach, Food and Kalik
Digression ...
To find Tia's Place, we had to stop on Queens Road to get directions. We pulled into Sands' General Store to ask and the proprietor pointed to some guy to lead us there on his bike because it was "on his way." Probably he wanted a tip for his trouble, but we followed him anyway (and sorry, I don't remember if we ever gave him any money).
Back to the main story …
We drove down Bank Road (ocean bank, not money bank) - also called North Drive - to get to our bungalow. At first, the road was pretty smooth, but quickly got bumpier and more difficult to traverse as we pressed on. We took note of a sign along the way that said "Unique's Restaurant" as we passed. The road now got narrower and rockier along the way. If only we had 4WD instead of the old jalopy we were pushing ahead.
There were many interesting looking properties we saw on Bank Road, all of them with fanciful names. Eventually we figured we were off track since we never saw a sign that said "Bank Road." Leia suggested we go back and ask at the Unique's Restaurant. I waited in the car while she ran up to talk to someone. As it turned out, we were heading in the right direction, just not far enough. Eventually we came across our bungalow, the first of two pink houses (Pink is a popular color for buildings in the Caribbean, I later learned, especially for government buildings).
We struggled to open the lock to the house, but finally we were "home" - for the week, anyway.
Digression …
On our way from the airport, Lee was the first to say that she couldn't see us living there, an idea we flirted with. I told her I was glad SHE was the first to say it, because that's what I was thinking, too.
Back to the main story …
The bungalow was as hot as hell when we first got in and it was SO stale and musty smelling. THANK GOD for the air conditioning and ceiling fans! Slowly, the place started to cool down as did we.
We threw on our bathing suits and walked down to the beach, just across Bank Road. I took note of the large hammock, for me, the symbol of idyllic vacation living, as we descended the steps to the Atlantic.
The beach was totally deserted, fairly clean, with coral formations from the beach into the water. We waded slowly into the ocean … so calm, clear and tranquil … warm, but not like bath water, either. Even though this was just the Atlantic side of the island, it was just beautiful - I couldn't wait to see the Caribbean side!
Navigating the coral formations was a bit tricky when you walked on them as the they could rise up or drop without warning. They weren't sharp - or at least dangerously sharp - but still a bit tricky. There was a bit of an undertow, too, so you had to keep bobbing around to correct your position. Still, very relaxing (especially when compared with bobbing and weaving on the job!).
At Leia's suggestion, we left the water and took a walk down the beach for a while. We noted along the way the intricately built-up coral formations, all seemingly of different ages … some looked like rocks more than others, unless you looked at them close up and you could see it was coral at one time. There was also large collection of flotsam and jetsam strewn along the beach, mostly made by nature (seaweed, driftwood and the like). We also saw what seemed to be waste washed up on shore from fishing boats, too. All in all, though the beach was very pretty.
After our nice long walk, we turned around and headed back to the bungalow to get cleaned up for dinner.
We decided to go to the Unique's Restaurant to eat as it was close and we knew where it was. When we got there, the dining area was empty with only a couple of people sitting at the bar. Gus, our waiter, owner and barman gave us our choice of tables. I opted for the one by the ocean, but inside instead of on the patio.
Gus was a character, quite charming in his own way. We introduced ourselves and told him where we were from. He said he was from Eleuthera - about eighteen miles away from Palmetto Point - though clearly, he was Caucasian. I guess that wasn't too uncommon - not only blacks settled here from the shipwrecks of the old slave ships. Eleuthera was actually discovered in 1492 by Columbus and his crew - who knows, maybe some of the crew stayed behind and the rest, as they say, is history.
We ordered the conch fritters for an appetizer. I ordered the conch soup and then the conch for dinner (I forget how it was prepared). It was there that I ordered my first Kaik beer.
Kalik is the official beer of the Bahamas. They so jealously preserve it that they don't export it anywhere, so you have to bring it back with you if you want it. Now, I'm a beer connoisseur and let me tell you, this is a beer you MUST try, even if you don't like beer much. Sharp, clean and slightly sweet - like Corona, except with more body. I gave Leia a taste - who hates beer - and she really liked it (in fact, she took more than just one trial sip).
The conch fritters and soup came at the same time. I started on the soup. It looked like beef stew, which I was surprised to see - it had carrots, potatoes and conch pieces all in a brown gravy that wasn't thick like beef stew gravy is. And the taste was outstanding - sweet, yet not cloying, and so, so good!
The conch fritters were round balls of conch fried in some batter, served with a mustard-like sauce for dipping. Yum! There were very filling along with the soup and for a moment, I was concerned I wasn't going to be able to eat my entrée. Ha, likely chance! The conch entrée came in a light butter, fried and not greasy at all. It was accompanied by carrot slices and peas in soy sauce (or something). It was all SO GOOD. I got full pretty quickly … of course, all the additional Kaliks I was drinking helped. Definitely, a very satisfying meal.
Funny note … while eating, Gus came up to me to tell me I left the dome light on. He tried to turn it off, but couldn't. I ran downstairs, expecting to find a dead battery. I started her up and voila, she was running. I figured out how I messed up before, turned off the dome light, and ran back upstairs to finish dinner.
This wasn't the first adventure we would have with that old piece of junk.
Gus took little convincing to sell us a couple of Kaliks and cokes to take back with us. The total cost for dinner, including tip - $100. Driving down Bank Road in pitch black on roads that never saw asphalt - priceless.
When we got to the bungalow, I just crashed. Between the early morning, the long day of travel, the beach activity and the great dinner with those Kaiks, I was more than ready to go to sleep and surprisingly so was my late-night wife, Leia.
To find Tia's Place, we had to stop on Queens Road to get directions. We pulled into Sands' General Store to ask and the proprietor pointed to some guy to lead us there on his bike because it was "on his way." Probably he wanted a tip for his trouble, but we followed him anyway (and sorry, I don't remember if we ever gave him any money).
Back to the main story …
We drove down Bank Road (ocean bank, not money bank) - also called North Drive - to get to our bungalow. At first, the road was pretty smooth, but quickly got bumpier and more difficult to traverse as we pressed on. We took note of a sign along the way that said "Unique's Restaurant" as we passed. The road now got narrower and rockier along the way. If only we had 4WD instead of the old jalopy we were pushing ahead.
There were many interesting looking properties we saw on Bank Road, all of them with fanciful names. Eventually we figured we were off track since we never saw a sign that said "Bank Road." Leia suggested we go back and ask at the Unique's Restaurant. I waited in the car while she ran up to talk to someone. As it turned out, we were heading in the right direction, just not far enough. Eventually we came across our bungalow, the first of two pink houses (Pink is a popular color for buildings in the Caribbean, I later learned, especially for government buildings).
We struggled to open the lock to the house, but finally we were "home" - for the week, anyway.
Digression …
On our way from the airport, Lee was the first to say that she couldn't see us living there, an idea we flirted with. I told her I was glad SHE was the first to say it, because that's what I was thinking, too.
Back to the main story …
The bungalow was as hot as hell when we first got in and it was SO stale and musty smelling. THANK GOD for the air conditioning and ceiling fans! Slowly, the place started to cool down as did we.
We threw on our bathing suits and walked down to the beach, just across Bank Road. I took note of the large hammock, for me, the symbol of idyllic vacation living, as we descended the steps to the Atlantic.
The beach was totally deserted, fairly clean, with coral formations from the beach into the water. We waded slowly into the ocean … so calm, clear and tranquil … warm, but not like bath water, either. Even though this was just the Atlantic side of the island, it was just beautiful - I couldn't wait to see the Caribbean side!
Navigating the coral formations was a bit tricky when you walked on them as the they could rise up or drop without warning. They weren't sharp - or at least dangerously sharp - but still a bit tricky. There was a bit of an undertow, too, so you had to keep bobbing around to correct your position. Still, very relaxing (especially when compared with bobbing and weaving on the job!).
At Leia's suggestion, we left the water and took a walk down the beach for a while. We noted along the way the intricately built-up coral formations, all seemingly of different ages … some looked like rocks more than others, unless you looked at them close up and you could see it was coral at one time. There was also large collection of flotsam and jetsam strewn along the beach, mostly made by nature (seaweed, driftwood and the like). We also saw what seemed to be waste washed up on shore from fishing boats, too. All in all, though the beach was very pretty.
After our nice long walk, we turned around and headed back to the bungalow to get cleaned up for dinner.
We decided to go to the Unique's Restaurant to eat as it was close and we knew where it was. When we got there, the dining area was empty with only a couple of people sitting at the bar. Gus, our waiter, owner and barman gave us our choice of tables. I opted for the one by the ocean, but inside instead of on the patio.
Gus was a character, quite charming in his own way. We introduced ourselves and told him where we were from. He said he was from Eleuthera - about eighteen miles away from Palmetto Point - though clearly, he was Caucasian. I guess that wasn't too uncommon - not only blacks settled here from the shipwrecks of the old slave ships. Eleuthera was actually discovered in 1492 by Columbus and his crew - who knows, maybe some of the crew stayed behind and the rest, as they say, is history.
We ordered the conch fritters for an appetizer. I ordered the conch soup and then the conch for dinner (I forget how it was prepared). It was there that I ordered my first Kaik beer.
Kalik is the official beer of the Bahamas. They so jealously preserve it that they don't export it anywhere, so you have to bring it back with you if you want it. Now, I'm a beer connoisseur and let me tell you, this is a beer you MUST try, even if you don't like beer much. Sharp, clean and slightly sweet - like Corona, except with more body. I gave Leia a taste - who hates beer - and she really liked it (in fact, she took more than just one trial sip).
The conch fritters and soup came at the same time. I started on the soup. It looked like beef stew, which I was surprised to see - it had carrots, potatoes and conch pieces all in a brown gravy that wasn't thick like beef stew gravy is. And the taste was outstanding - sweet, yet not cloying, and so, so good!
The conch fritters were round balls of conch fried in some batter, served with a mustard-like sauce for dipping. Yum! There were very filling along with the soup and for a moment, I was concerned I wasn't going to be able to eat my entrée. Ha, likely chance! The conch entrée came in a light butter, fried and not greasy at all. It was accompanied by carrot slices and peas in soy sauce (or something). It was all SO GOOD. I got full pretty quickly … of course, all the additional Kaliks I was drinking helped. Definitely, a very satisfying meal.
Funny note … while eating, Gus came up to me to tell me I left the dome light on. He tried to turn it off, but couldn't. I ran downstairs, expecting to find a dead battery. I started her up and voila, she was running. I figured out how I messed up before, turned off the dome light, and ran back upstairs to finish dinner.
This wasn't the first adventure we would have with that old piece of junk.
Gus took little convincing to sell us a couple of Kaliks and cokes to take back with us. The total cost for dinner, including tip - $100. Driving down Bank Road in pitch black on roads that never saw asphalt - priceless.
When we got to the bungalow, I just crashed. Between the early morning, the long day of travel, the beach activity and the great dinner with those Kaiks, I was more than ready to go to sleep and surprisingly so was my late-night wife, Leia.
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