Another paradise... Grand Bahama

Bahamas here we come..

On the morning of December 30, 2007, at dawn, we leave the hotel and head to LaGuardia airport, from where we take off for Atlanta… from there we subsequently take off for Freeport with about a 2-hour delay. The trip goes smoothly and quietly until, from the clouds, the crystal-clear Caribbean Sea begins to appear. We remain glued to the window enjoying that wonderful view. Once landed on the island, tiredness was already a sweet memory; recharged, we rent a car and head to our accommodation at the “Island See Resort” in Grand Bahama. Right away we notice the order and cleanliness that distinguish an island that is not exactly poor, given the numerous banks there… just to give you an idea, a Monte Carlo of the Caribbean, although there is very little that is luxurious. The Resort is very nice, overlooking the sea thanks to an extensive beach of white sand, as fine as flour.

The property is still part of the timeshare circuit; we stay in a decent apartment equipped with any appliance one might need: dishwasher, stovetop, fridge, microwave, etc.… all nice…

The next day - December 31, 2007 - our vacation in the Bahamas practically begins. Early in the morning, after breakfast, we decide to take the first excursion aboard a medium-sized boat owned by a guy from the resort, at a price of $60, lunch and drinks included… lunch, already?… once on board, in fact, we and the other 7 tourists we were with realize that something was missing that in the end could have been edible. Once out at sea in this wonderful water, the “captain” decides to stop, drop anchor and “go shopping” for lunch. In fact, he jumps into the water armed with a spear gun and within 20 minutes our fridge was already full of fish of every type and every color, including two huge lobsters… after setting off again, we stop on a small island just off the coast called “Peterson Cay Natural Park.”

The captain has us get off on the island and after just 1 minute we are already in the water snorkeling with our inseparable underwater camera, capturing the most beautiful things one can encounter on such beautiful seabeds. Right away I encounter numerous fire-red starfish, fish and endless coral vegetation, until I see sand rising completely anomalously from the sea floor… out comes a huge ray and I immediately catapult after it to photograph and film it… beautiful!!! Meanwhile our “captain” was offshore, busy cleaning the fish and preparing our lunch. Nothing other than little aluminum foil packets containing fish, some spices and banana, all wrapped up like a cartridge and cooked on a sort of grill.

Delicious! bread, water and finally a exquisite lobster… we looked like “survivors” eating standing up and almost with our hands, but as we know, genuine things are always the most beautiful.

After setting off again, we decide to stop once more to snorkel and be able to see yet more starfish and enormous shells with the mollusk inside. We return to the resort just in time to celebrate the “Italian” New Year and to watch the sun set over the sea, a fiery red sky that seemed to fade out on the water… a wonderful image, extraordinary colors… there was everything we desire more than anything else… sea, sun, sand. For dinner we decide, together with two American guys we met on the boat trip, to go to Port Lucaya to eat something and wait for midnight. We eat, just to change things up, a delicious plate of spaghetti and shrimp and make it to midnight, where in a square packed with locals and tourists we toast to the new year with music, dancing and, obviously, even in the Bahamas, the traditional fireworks were not missing.

The new year - January 1, 2008 - begins early, ready for a new adventure. Once in the car, we decide to drive the entire east coast of Grand Bahama to reach Paradise Cove. Its name already says it all… a Paradise. What strikes us most is the silence. There were maybe 10 of us, the sea was like a “sheet”… you only felt the morning breeze on your skin… we arm ourselves with snorkeling kits and jump into the water, where we stay for a good 2 hours, among barracudas, corals and fish of all sizes and all colors… what beauty… easier to experience for real than to describe. With our skin by now peeling off our bodies from all the time spent in the water, we decide to get out and get a nice tan in the sun, and what better way than to even lie down for a nice nap?

On the way back, however, we notice that a very annoying itch was beginning to be felt on our skin. We immediately start noticing some small red blisters and get quite alarmed. Fortunately, at the hotel the staff tells us it was only mosquito bites, which surely while we were sleeping had, so to speak, “attacked” us without us noticing anything… in fact, they told us the consequences only showed up later… On the way back we stop at a local supermarket and buy food. We found our inseparable friends “Barilla spaghetti”!!! Let’s go! For dinner, a nice plate of spaghetti with tomato and shrimp… what a delight!!! Unfortunately, while we were having dinner, we notice that outside a real downpour was underway. At the time we thought it was the classic tropical storm that vents for 10 minutes and then it’s over… instead the “problems” and bad surprises were only beginning…

The following morning - January 2, 2008 - we wake up to the surprise of surprises. A winter wind was blowing over the island although the sky was almost clear. We decide not to go to the sea at all and decide to take a look around the shops in downtown Port Lucaya in search of some good commercial deal, always considering the low value of the dollar. The problem, however, was that it was hard to stay out and about with just a cotton sweater because of the cold. Selene was very sad… going to the Bahamas and walking around with a scarf… unbelievable! In the afternoon we decide to tour the island lengthwise and reach HIGH ROCK, where one of Grand Bahama’s lighthouses is located.

The clouds in contrast with the colors of the sea create a wonderful panorama; the only regret was not being able to be in the water for a nice swim. Returning toward the center, we stop at other beautiful and at the same time unspoiled beaches where even today vegetation, mangroves and palms reign supreme… FORTUNA BEACH, CHURCHILL BEACH and TAINO BEACH. Stretches of white sand extend for hundreds of meters… it was me, Selene, sand and sea… what more could one ask for?… in fact, there was something more to ask for… the heat!!!

The next day - January 3, 2008 - we get up early hoping the weather conditions will be better than the previous day. Unfortunately they had gotten even worse… the sky was completely black and we looked in vain for a patch of brightness. We even leave the house in jeans, sweatshirt and scarf… what bad luck! We visit 2 beautiful beaches, perhaps the most beautiful on the island, XANADU and BEACH PRINCESS… what a shame.

Who knows how nice it would have been to be at XANADU under a palm tree sunbathing or taking a walk along the shore. Just a few photos, just enough time to start shivering from the cold, and we went straight back to the car, destination home… it was 15°C!!!!.

We spend the evening in front of the TV trying to find the weather forecast for the following day, hoping someone could give us good news… it had been since 1979 that such low temperatures had been recorded in the Florida and Bahamas area in these first days of the year…

And here we are, telling you about our last day in the Bahamas; fortunately this morning the weather is nice, though still slightly chilly. Paying no attention to any of that – we would be missing it after 2 so-so days – we immediately arm ourselves with swimsuits and hit the beach to sunbathe and take the last photos. We begin to trace an overall picture of this vacation of ours. Obviously beautiful, after all 2 days of bad weather in the Bahamas could not erase the rest of the wonderful vacation.

What can I say, New York, in my opinion, is a destination everyone must do at least once in life. I left with an idea of how it might be thanks to films and stories I had heard, well! You know what I tell you? I found it even better than I could have expected, chaotic but with an organization to be feared, the kind we unfortunately lack in Italy. People were very friendly to us “tourists”… just as in the Bahamas, a tropical paradise, perhaps much less “poor” compared to many other Caribbean islands, but still always beautiful. When you walk on white, very fine sand, or you are immersed in crystal-clear water surrounded by an infinity of fish of the most incredible colors and shapes, all the problems you carry with you get set aside, suddenly all ailments, stress, etc.… disappear, otherwise what kind of “paradise” would it be?

In the evening, after spending some time at the casino, we return home and start packing our suitcases. Obviously, as on all vacations, it is the worst moment. Already the mind slowly begins to return to Italy, to the cold, to work… the important thing is to close inside the same suitcase the most beautiful memories of the days spent on vacation…

JANUARY 5, 2008 It has arrived, the moment of goodbyes… the Bahamas are already beginning to be a sweet memory. We observe the last images of this wonderful island from above the plane taking us back to New York… the farther we get from the island, the thicker the clouds become, as if to testify that the vacation is now over. From New York we board the same Delta AirLine flight that takes us back to Europe, destination Venice. Once landed in Venice, we immediately realize we have arrived in Italy… fog, cold and rain… the worst of the worst. We relax while waiting for the last trip to Malpensa. The vacation is over, it’s back to everyday life, sad but rich for having visited other wonderful places that obviously add to others already visited previously… the map of the world is gradually starting to color in…???

made in Italy by Luca & Selene