Lockdown Walks Down Memory Lane: Nassau, The Bahamas
Not quite sure what ‘Lockdown Walks Down Memory Lane’ are all about? Find out here how they started.
Ready for round two? I am for sure, already halfway out the door! Where are we off to today? Well, after making you walk quite a bit yesterday, and given the wintery weather lately, I thought you might like a stroll around a tropical island for a change?
Meet my travel buddy Denny, he’s going to join us on today’s lockdown walk.
Also, I brought company this time, which I’m sure some of you don’t mind either probably getting tired of seeing my face all the time. So, shall we head out and explore The Bahamas with lovely Denny, my Kiwi travel buddy? Perfect, let’s get going then, before the bad weather front I’ve been warned about starts heading in.
Given our time restraints, weather shall not be an issue and we should be okay to do plenty of exploring even if not able to pursue the main activity that brought us to the Bahamas back in 2018, the year I was keen on splashing about with Exuma’s swimming pigs. Random you say? Well, I guess you haven’t read my 2021 to-do list then — random shenanigans are the aim of the game, and 20 pigs and piglets living the easy life on an uninhabited island (or cay* rather) perfectly fit that list.
*What’s the difference between a cay and an island you wonder? While islands tend to be formed by volcanic action or continental plates, a cay (also spelled caye or key) is created by the ocean transporting loose sediment across coral reefs where it accumulates and over time builds up sandy islands. Such small, low-lying coral islands tend to occur in tropical environments, some being more prominent than others if you think of places like the Florida Keys, a long stretch of sediment accumulation that benefitted from lowering sea levels millions of years ago…
Those feral creatures have been around for decades, although nobody’s sure how they got there which adds another layer to a rather unique encounter. Some say the pigs swam ashore after a shipwreck. Others claim they were left on the island by sailors who planned to come back and eat them. Clearly, they never did, and nowadays people actually pay money to feed rather than eat them. How times have changed.
But as I said, unfortunately we’ve got tropical storms pulling in again just like in 2018, when Denny and I were forced to explore Nassau and Paradise Island a bit more instead, slightly annoying back then but rather useful today. Come along and we’ll show you our favourite corners:
First things first, where exactly is today's walk taking us? The Bahamas are a chain of islands that spread over 800 kilometres (500 miles), and are situated in the Atlantic Ocean, East of Florida in the United States and North of Cuba.
Nassau, the capital city of The Bahamas, lies on the island of New Providence which is connected to Paradise Island via two bridges. The infamous pigs are on The Exumas 🐷, a little boat ride away. Not today though, we got other things to check out...
...some lovely beaches for instance. Fancy joining the girls? Not just yet, there'll be better ones.
See that hotel in the distance? That's the ocean-themed resort Atlantis on Paradise Island, popular among the rich and famous and well, its accommodations are built around a 62-hectare waterscape, which includes fresh and saltwater lagoons, pools, marine habitats, you name it. I'd say, when in Rome...
...let's head over and check it out ourselves!
Gotta make it through the rougher parts of town first.
Oh boy, dead end.
Denny, where are you taking us?
Gosh, do I need to have a look at directions again?
Ah, that looks more like it.
Let's hop on a quick ferry over to Atlantis, time is limited after all. If not in a hurry next time around though, you can either walk over the bridges I mentioned (toll-free for pedestrians), or use one of the ferries that leave when full not when scheduled, it’ll save you a few Bahamian dollars.
Getting closer, and as we do, we're passing by a James Bond movie set apparently -- does this house look familiar? Casino Royale (2006) maybe? Apparently, that's not the only one, as I came across people recreating scenes from Never Say Never Again (1983) and Thunderball (1965). Very tempting to look where those spots might be hidden, but no time for that today, Atlantis awaits!
And as it seems, some serious winds as well -- told ya! You didn't believe me, did you?
Still not holding anybody back from going for a swim...
...and how could you not, just look at that water?!
Denny’s testing it already…
...seems like we're good to go! . . . Lovely, isn’t it? Big question now though: Who wants to stay in the water and who wants to check out how the rich folk live? Shall we have a little peak at Atlantis and its grounds? Whoever is staying in the water, we’ll pick you up on the way back.
All the others, come along, let’s have a closer look!
Fancy a little snack with Ariel and Sebastian? At least that’s who I would expect in there by the looks of it, don’t you?
A bit of conch, s'il vous plaît? Conch (pronounced "konk") is the national food of The Bahamas. Its meat is kind of like calamari, white, firm, and a bit chewy -- a true Bahamian speciality that comes in every shape and form; steamed, deep-fried, raw with citrus juices and fresh veggies, or even in a hot dog bun apparently?!
Watered and fed now, let’s do more exploring and oh my, what's hiding down there, an underwater tunnel?!
Where’s the entrance?
Found it! 🙂 Although this dude is not too thrilled about my discovery?!
We are though! Lock at this, terribly mesmerising, isn't it?
I know, I could watch this for hours as well, but time to move on I'm afraid.
Okay okay, enough time for a quick selfie. But then we have to get going, the clock is ticking, …in the metaphorical sense, no worries, no crocs around, at least not today…
Fishy photo bomb!!
And what a whopper!!!
Come on Denny, time to go, or I’ll send the 'Lusca' your way! — Did you know that The Bahamas have their very own sea monster? I did not! Apparently in 1896 a large sea creature’s carcass washed ashore starting the myth of the lusca, which allegedly has been spotted near the blue holes off Andros.
Said to grow over 23 meters (75 feet) long and being able to change colour according to folklore, probably not something you want to encounter. It’s often been described as half-shark and half-octopus whereas scientist believe it to be a giant squid.
Andros, where was that again? Well, good thing we only had a quick dip. Oh wait...
...better get the others out of the water and finish our walk with a quick Nassau city tour, shall we?
Welcome to Parliament Square! To get it out of the way early on, yes, all government buildings are pink. Why is that? Besides being called colonial pink, it was the Queen's favourite colour, apparently.
So, here a pink Public Library. Yes, I am tempted but shall resist the urge, no time for reading today.
After all that talk about sea monsters, maybe best to call home and tell the family we’re okay?
Oh my, I think we got Denny's mom more worried than calmed now, ooops.
My turn! 🙂
Hmmm, nobody's home, nobody's worried.
I guess I'll just send them a postcard instead, which also allows me to use a postbox going back to King George's time. A pretty rare sight being used to the ER emblem (Elizabeth Regina) rather than GR (George Rex). Although I just learned that ER can also represent any of histories King Edwards, such as Edwardus Rex, claimed to be seen on the older style postboxes. I'm intrigued now and shall keep my eyes peeled on future UK walks.
Speaking of kings and queens, how about another set of stairs?
Don't start sweating just yet, we're heading down today. Go on, Denny's already waiting.
The Queen's Staircase, a major landmark of Nassau, was dedicated to Queen Victoria. It was carved out of solid limestone rock in 1793-94 to create an escape route from the fort above. It has 65 steps in total, piece of cake.
Being literally at its doorstep, let's check out Fort Fincastle as well, which was named after the man who constructed it, Lord Dunmore, ...also known as Viscount Fincastle.
Built in 1793 on Bennet's Hill, the Fort was meant to protect Nassau and Paradise Island from pirates…
...those guys! Clearly they moved with the times as well. Not sure if forts will stop them from finding treasure any longer, but that's a story for another day.....
To stay with the mutiny theme though, another place to go to is the Government House where you’ll find a statue of Columbus…
...as well as a beautiful mural just across the street.
The Beat Drum Club Mural was commissioned by the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas and created by local artist June Collie...
...whose selection of vibrant colours perfectly captures the spirit of the island. It just makes you wanna dance along, doesn't it?!
Perfect way to end today's walk! Let's keep up the good spirits, guys! Let's keep dancing through this mess!
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If in need of a soundtrack for the walk, here the tune I could not shake off when walking through Atlantis on Paradise Island: Under the Sea 🎶
But time to go back into my little bowl where I shall cook up our next little adventure — hope to see you there again! 🤿🎒🙋♀️
When was I there? In spirit, today . . . in persona 27-30 May 2018
P.S.: If Disney is your occasional guilty pleasure as well, may I introduce or remind you of another crustacean that made my day recently: Good ole Tamatoa, the giant coconut crab featured in Moana, who’s so terribly shineyyyy 🎶. A bit more creepy than jolly Sebastian but still great fun, and in general, a lovely movie to (re)watch if down in the dumps. If you’ve never seen it and give it a whirl, all that’s left to say is (as always): 🎶You’re welcome!🎶 😉
