Adjust the local music to your liking!
Although it was several months
ago now, it still seems like only yesterday when I left the
security of my home for an adventure into the unknown.
I departed for the Bahamas on Friday, February 12th, 1999.
It was just my luck that I got to travel during the American
Airlines strike so, needless to say, my flights from Boston
to Atlanta, Atlanta to Orlando, and Orlando to Nassau were fill
with screaming kids, annoyed mothers, and impatient fathers.
I can't even describe how happy I was to step off the plane
in Nassau and leave the US behind me. Americans can be
extremely obnoxious, especially when they're under stress!
I passed through the Bahamian Customs no problem and took a
severely overpriced ($20), and seemingly dangerous cab ride
to my destination. The taxi driver didn't appear to know
how to stay on his side of the road, even though they drive
on the opposite side in the Bahamas, and I saw my life pass
before my eyes on at least four occasions. Just as another
side note, in the Bahamas, even though there are posted traffic
signs, you don't have to obey them as long as you honk your
horn while you're committing the traffic violation! Stop
signs, red lights, yield signs, and pedestrian crosswalks mean
nothing to local Bahamians. Thankfully, I arrived at the
International Travelers Lodge & Youth Hostel, my home for
the next four days, in one piece.
.
Home sweet home,
The International Travelers Lodge & Youth Hostel
The lodge
was the cheapest place to stay on the island and it was worth
every dollar. Most Semester at Sea students, along with
their families, stay in a ritzy hotel (arranged by Semester
at Sea's "official" travel company) on the posh "Paradise
Island", the more glamorous part of Nassau. I figured
I'd be better off staying in the lodge because I'd possibly
meet other Semester at Sea (SAS) students more like myself.
This turned out to be a very wise decision on my part!
The first SAS person I met in the Bahamas was Dawn, a charmingly
jovial gal from Iowa. She came into the lodge office
as I was on the phone with American Express. Oh yeah,
I forgot to mention... Somehow in my rush from the Nassau
airport to the lodge I managed to lose my passport, $500 in
traveler's cheques, $200 in foreign currency, the plane tickets
for my flight home from Seattle, and the card verifying that
I had received the Yellow Fever vaccination (you can't get
into Kenya unless you have it)! I had immediately assumed
that the taxi driver, or one of his shady friends (there were
plenty of those too), had stolen them at the airport.
I wasn't very trusting of Bahamian people at the time, and
looking back, I can't believe how foolish I truly was.
How was I going to survive a trip around the world if I couldn't
even keep track of my belongings on the first day?!?
Luckily for me, the Nassau police found the documents at the
airport and went from hotel to hotel looking for the owner
until they came to the lodge at around 4:00 AM in the morning.
I was really moved that these two police officers went well
out of their way for me. They didn't even want a reward,
they simply wished me a safe voyage! Bahamians truly
are kind hearted people. After breathing a sigh of relief,
I hit the hay to rest up for an exciting of exploration.
During that Saturday
and Sunday, Dawn and I were travel companions and we saw the
major sites of Nassau. After a meager breakfast (consisting
of toast and juice) at the lodge, Dawn and I headed
down the hill to the world famous "Straw Market". Along
the way, we were offered pot by sketchy locals. This
surprisingly turned out to be a common occurrence in almost
every country I visited!
The lively and colorful
Straw Market
We had fun talking with
the local merchants (who have a tendency of calling you "sweetie"
or "my love") and were amused because they thought Dawn and
I were just married and on our romantic honeymoon! Here
is one of my words of wisdom [WOW] (there will be many
of these throughout my stories). If you're ever in the
Bahamas here's a word of caution, even though the Straw Market
merchants are dressed in rags and look poor, don't be fooled.
Their annual salaries are actually well over $100,000 and are
among some of the richest Bahamians on the island! Also,
they claim to sell "local handicrafts" but chances are, more
often than not, the "local" straw bag you're thinking of purchasing
was actually made in Southeast Asia, not the Bahamas!
.
After about 30 minutes,
Dawn and I were tired of chatting with the merchants and decided
to make our way to Potter's Cay (pronounced "key") which lies
beneath the Paradise Island Bridge. Every morning fishing
boats, from all around the Bahamian Islands, arrive here filled
to the brim with fresh fish and conch. I adamantly despise
seafood, so the smells wafting through the market air made my
stomach turn. All that aside though, the locals were very
jocund and the sights were wondrous.
Get your fresh conch
here!
After
eating some fruit (no, I wasn't up for the fresh conch salad)
at Potter's Cay, we crossed the Paradise Island Bridge and got
our first good glimpse of "Atlantis", a new resort which tries
to recreate the lost city of Atlantis. Without a doubt,
this is the most amazing building complex I've ever seen.
Rooms rent for as much as $3,500 a night and even the maintenance
corridors are impeccable (don't ask me how I know this)!
The Oprah Winfrey show had just finished a week of taping when
we arrived so it was amusing to see tourists and locals alike
all decked out in Oprah Winfrey T-shirts.
.
The awe-inspiring
hotel complex, Atlantis
After entering
the hotel complex, Dawn and I darted like bullets to the Casino.
I had never stepped foot in a casino before this point and
I now realize how they can become so addicting. Dawn
put a single quarter in a slot machine (which was tastefully
decorated with crabs and other aquatic life), pulled the handle,
and ended up winning $12! We played the quarter slots
for awhile and I ended up losing more than I was winning so
decided to call it quits and move on. I had read in
my Lonely Plant guidebook (another [WOW], if you'll be traveling
independently in a foreign country, pick up one of these books,
they're fantastic) that the Atlantis aquarium was one of the
best in the world. Dawn and I found the entrance and
tried to enter, however to our dismay, it was only free for
hotel guests. If you weren't staying at the hotel, you
had to pay $25! Needless to say we were disheartened,
however we were determined to get in for free (when you're
about to embark on a voyage around the world $25 is a lot
of money). After about an hour of searching, Dawn an
I found another entrance to the aquarium which didn't have
any "aquarium guards" keeping watch. We quickly entered
and started to enjoy the sites. I've never seen so many
fish tanks in my life, and everything was constructed
to perfection. It really looked like the lost city of
Atlantis had recently arisen out of the water. We especially
liked the signs posted along the outside displays...
.
Maybe they should
try the nicotine patch?
.
The next day, Geoffrey Collie, the International Travelers Lodge
owner, gave me a personal tour of the island. He was building
a new house on the eastern end of the island and we took a drive
out. Along the way, we passed through the wealthy
area of the island which contained numerous extravagant mansions
(many of which belong to the Straw Market workers) and light
houses were built specifically for meditation (what else would
you use a lighthouse for?). On the way back to the lodge
we passed through the "Over-the-Hill" district which is considered
the poorest area on the island. It wasn't to settling
to learn that these neighborhoods began directly behind the
International Travelers Lodge. Although these people did
appear poor, and Geoffrey insisted that they were very
poor, they didn't seem as poor as the people I anticipated seeing
in places like Vietnam and India. We made it back to the
lodge just in time to catch Dawn before she left with one of
her new friends, a girl from the "People to People Program".
I joined up with them and took another tour around the island.
The first place we visited was Fort Charlotte, which was built
in the late 1700's to protect Nassau harbor.
.
.
This sad cannon
never fired because Fort Charlotte was never in a battle
Next
we drove out to the east side of the island to witness some
of the beautiful beaches. We stopped at what the locals
have affectionately dubbed "Condom Beach". I can assure
you that this beach is aptly named and I must have stepped on
at least five condoms while there! Needless to say, it
was extremely beautiful as you can see from the following picture...
The beautiful and
intriguing "Condom Beach"
.
After our tour, Dawn and I said good-bye to the "People to People"
person and returned to the lodge to get ready for dinner.
We were going to the fish fry! The "fish fry" is a local
hangout which has lively music and tasty (albeit very greasy)
food. I tried what I thought was fried conch (yes, I decided
to try conquering my fear of seafood but it turned out only
to be a french fry!) and knocked back a few Goombay Smashes,
a local drink. The live band performed numerous energetic
Soca (Southern Calypso) songs including the coveted, "Dog Song".
This song soon became our anthem in the Bahamas. It has
a very catchy melody and describes a person who lets their dogs
out which then proceed to run around, cause havoc and bark.
This scene was uncannily like the Lodge because Geoffrey owned
five dogs which barked constantly (don't even get me started
on the nightly mating sounds)!
.
Who let that dog out?
One of the lodge's many barking dogs
(Click here
to hear an excerpt of "The Dog Song")
.
After
relaxing at the fish fry for awhile longer it was time
for bed. Give me a break, I had another very busy day!
The next day I walked around Nassau on my own and saw the Queen's
Staircase, water tower and Fort Fincastle. Along the way
I chatted with locals and really grew to like Bahamian people.
They're extremely upbeat and friendly and aren't in a rush to
do anything. What happens, happens, no big whoop.
Upon returning to the lodge, I met several more Semester at
Sea people; Steve, Crystal, Jimmy, and Dave. We got to
know each other for a bit and then Steve, Jimmy, Dave and I
decided to walk to Paradise Island to meet my friend Kira and
some other Semester at Sea people. I had met Kira at the
"Bon Voyage Party" held by a Semester at Sea alumni in the Boston
area a few weeks before the trip began. It's very hard
to describe Kira in words because she's like no one I've ever
met before (and I'll probably never meet another person like
her again)! I'll try my best here: always smiling,
outdoorsy, random, kindhearted, veegan, and earthy. We
hit it off at the party so decided to meet up again once we
got to Nassau. It was nice to see a familiar face again
and good to meet new people too. Most of the other Semester
at Sea people were more concerned about drinking at the bar
than exploring the island so we decided to blow the joint and
check out the night life over at Atlantis.
.
Dusk falls on Atlantis,
can you say romantic?
.
Atlantis has a night club with live music which was fun to dance
the night away in. After dancing for awhile, Jimmy and
I decided to explore the Atlantis complex at night along with
Andy, Robin, and Colleen, a few other fellow Semester at Sea
folks. The Atlantis complex has a magical ambiance at
night and exploring it was fascinating. We came across
some water bikes, alongside a moonlight lagoon, which appeared
to be chained up. However, upon further inspection we
noticed that the chain wasn't locked. So what did we do?
Take them out for a midnight ride of course! Eventually
we got caught, however the security guards weren't mad because
they thought we were high paying Atlantis guests. We then
snooped around a little more and found the jacuzzis. Oh
boy was that fun! Nobody else around, just friends and
good times in the warm tropical air. I couldn't believe
that I could have been in snowy old Ithaca, NY stressing through
classes. Ugh! We next found the water slides (which
were built on a recreated Mayan Temple) which slid directly
through the middle of a shark tank. It was great fun to
crawl up inside and watch the sharks swim around. I guess
you could say it's kind of like being a worm on a fishing hook.
We gave the hotel guests a good show too! At long last,
it was time to say good-bye to Atlantis for the night.
We walked home (definitely should have taken a cab) and went
to sleep.
.
On my last full day
in the Bahamas, I went to the botanical gardens with Sonia,
a gal on spring break from Canada who was also staying at the
lodge, and almost got a good case of tetanus crawling through
rusty fences. Long story. We then headed back to
the Lodge and along with Crystal, Steve and two other people
from France who were staying at the Lodge went on the "Booze
Cruise". Take people + alcohol + snorkeling + limbo +
music + Bahamian food = BOOZE CRUISE! Basically, for one
price you take a glass bottom boat on a four hour cruise which
includes snorkeling, a private beach, as many drinks as you
want, and food. Looking back, I can't even recall how
many Bahama Mamas, Yellow Birds, and Goombay Smashes I had.
I can however remember snorkeling, what a rush that was!
.
The Booze Cruise,
what a wonderful invention!
.
There's a reason I
look so happy. . .
.
After
the cruise was over Steve, Crystal, and I went back to Atlantis
to have one more swim in the jacuzzis. After all, the
next day we were leaving for our trip around the world!
I couldn't believe that this was only the beginning of a fantastic
voyage and that a whole world awaited me. There were interesting
people I was going to meet, exotic foods I was going to try,
enchanting rhythms I was going to hear, amazing architecture
I was going to see, alluring odors I was going to smell.
I couldn't wait!
.
The morning of Wednesday
the 17th of February, 1999 arrived and Dawn, Crystal, Jimmy,
Dave, Steve and I were anxiously awaiting the start of our voyage
around the world. We packed up our bags and headed down
to S. S. Universe Explorer, our home for the next 100 days.
.
The Great White Mother,
isn't she beautiful?
.
From the outside, the ship didn't look that impressive because
it was docked directly besides a luxurious Disney cruise liner,
however inside, I was pleasantly surprised. We went through
registration with relative ease (if you call waiting in a hot
line for over two hours "relative ease") and I made my way to
my cabin. At first sight, I was reasonably impressed, but after
seeing many of the rooms on the boat, I came to the conclusion
that my room, or should I say my closet, was the second smallest
on the entire ship! Some of the other rooms had couches,
cloth chairs, huge windows (no, not port holes, windows!), whirlpool
tubs and coffee tables. My room didn't have any portholes
(I think we were actually located below the waterline) and I
couldn't even fit the one chair that I do have on the floor
because there's no room for it! My cabin is located on
the lowest passenger level called Bali Deck, (we've been given
the nickname "the ghetto"). Being on the lowest level
had it's advantages because the rooms didn't rock as much in
rough seas, but also had it's disadvantages because I constantly
heard the ship's motor. That's turned out not to be a
huge deal for me though because I didn't spend much time in
my room during the day and I slept out on deck almost every
night. The ocean air was so invigorating! .
My roommate's name
was Chuck and he's an amazing guitarist. One night, we
had live music at the pub and he was the featured performer.
His specialty is 80's tunes and it's great to hear familiar
songs like "Come on Eileen" played on an acoustic guitar.
He really got the whole ship rockin'!
.
Chuck and I learning
the ropes of shiplife on the bow of the ship
.
At first I was worried that the majority of the ship's community
would be frat guys and sorority girls. Don't get me wrong,
there were a fair number of them aboard, however, there were
lots of other types of people as well. All of my lodge
friends were down to earth and we met many other shipmates whose
sole mission in life wasn't getting wasted every night at the
ship's pub and sleeping through their classes. .
We also had the MTV "Road Rules" show aboard for our voyage.
I have mixed feelings about the project. It was good to
have them because it gives Semester at Sea a lot of publicity.
As an added bonus, we get a lot of free stuff like backpacks,
Nintendo 64's, tickets to the MTV video awards, and foreign
language translators. The film crew did get a little invasive
at times, because they didn't just film the Road Rules people,
the film everyone on the ship. There were so many video cameras
on the ship, first the Road Rules camera crew, second the students
with their personal video camcorders, third the Semester at
Sea video yearbook crew, and finally the mass media cameras
that "greeted" us when we got to Cuba. There were times when
I really feel like a celebrity!
.
I'm sure many
of you are wondering whether or not I'd gotten seasick, and
I'm happy to report that, as of now, I had not. Many people
had, because the seas had been fairly rough, but I guess I was
blessed with a strong stomach. There was tons of seasick
medication available and we knew we were going to hit rough
seas when they put out the saltines. Now, onto Cuba. .
.
Ready for salsa dancing
and sipping mojitos along the Malecón?
Then click on the Cuban
flag to set sail for Havana, Cuba!
Or, click on the ships's wheel to steer back
to the main page!
