Theme: Island Hopping in the Caribbean  Country: The Bahamas  Languages: English  Unit of Currency: Bahamian dollar  Locations: Eleuthera Island, Harbour Island, Nassau, Paradise Island, & San Salvador Island Years: 2005 (only San Salvador Island and Nassau) & 2011   Bucket list: Cliff jumping off Eleuthera Island’s coast

 

 

DO:  HIRE A JEEP AND VENTURE AROUND THE ISLAND

Eleuthera Island:

• Walking and hitchhiking to Gregory town and checking out the historical little town before hiring a Jeep for the day

 

• Hiring a Jeep and driving to the Southernmost lighthouse on the island

 

• Caving Hatchet Bay Caves, witnessing the ocean trailing in the cave, and exploring sections of the cave known as Birthday Cake, Lord of the Rings, Bat, etc. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site!

 

 

 

• Visiting UNESCO World Heritage Site Queen’s Bath

 

 

 

 

• Cliff jumping in between rocks
• Snorkeling for lion fish
• Swimming with green sea turtles
• Cruising the Caribbean Sea during a sunset cruise
• Surfing at Surfer’s Paradise

 

DO:  SPEND YOUR BIRTHDAY WITH YOUR TOES IN PINK SAND

Harbour Island:

• Pub hopping with Golf carts around the island
• Sinking toes into pink sand during sunset

 

• Drinking tequila and rum with locals

 

• Taxing to Eleuthera Island on small boat

 

 

DO: PARTAKE IN THE FESTIVITIES AT SENOR FROGS

Nassau:

• Exploring Junkadoo Beach

 

• Grilling fish fry and conch fritters with the locals
• Partaking in the Senor Frogs tradition with cruise ship members

 

 

DO: VISIT “THE DIG” AQUARIUM

Paradise Island:

• Gambling in Johnny Depp’s favorite casino, Atlantis
• Visiting “The Dig” aquarium – learn about the mysterious depths of the ocean

 

 

DO: DIVE IN THE WORLD’S RICHEST CORAL REEFS

San Salvador Island:

• Teaching local children how to snorkel and scuba dive
• Diving in the world’s richest coral reefs

 

 

• Witnessing a hammerhead shark face to face
• Exploring the island and sitting on pristine beaches
• Hanging out with the locals drinking Kalik

 

Travel Hiccups:

The Jeep Cherokee that I had rented was not in the best condition, but since it was a Jeep I thought I would attempt to reach the southernmost lighthouse on the Eleuthera island. Once I reached the beach, I noticed that the signs to the lighthouse were non-existent. I stopped before I started driving in sand, and asked a family of tourists where the lighthouse is. To my surprise, they pointed in the direction of a sand path and a few trees growing on the outskirts of the path. I took their advice and drove through the soft sand. Then my worst nightmare happened, I got stuck! My back left tire was 2 inches deep into the tan light sand and I was left trying to dig myself out of this hole. After realizing that this was hopeless, my passenger Tatjana (a 50 something year old carefree soul longing to find her purpose in life), and myself walked 5 miles down the road to the closest sign of civilization.

A few hours had passed since the incident, and we met a few locals that were willing to help us out, for a small fee.  A boy and 2 male adults gathered us in a truck and took us to where the Jeep was buried in the sand. The boy’s father attached his winch to the back of the Jeep and slowly began pulling us out of the sand and back on to the dirt path. A few smiles were exchanged and a good amount of dollars for their hard work. It was a very eventful day, to say the least. I was thankful that we were able to get back on the road when we did. The night grew darker, and though I still wanted to photograph the southernmost lighthouse on the island, Tatjana and I made our way back to Gregory town to return the Jeep. To this day, I still want to see this beautiful lighthouse, and this time I assure you I will not get stuck!