December 21-30

We passed a Bahamian fellow the other day in a neighbouring resort setting up a table with souvenirs to sell and he says ‘Hey mon, how you doin?’

We replied, ‘Terrific. How are you doing?’

He said, ‘Great, it’s the Bahamas, mon!’

And it really has been a lot of fun. We have been walking the beach almost every day, doing some snorkeling and exploring, and generally beginning to find our way around. Our walks often take us to Port Lucaya for our three Kaliks, and the other day I introduced myself to my second most favorite pirate.

Christmas Eve was a bit of a sad time – we really missed being with family and friends. Christmas day was a beautiful day, though, and we were up pretty early for a long walk on the beach. Christmas dinner was a pot-luck around the pool, not 50 feet from our boat, with 45 to 50 people attending. After dinner we had a monstrous gift exchange. I had at least five different gifts pass through my hands and ended up with a rope puzzle that has no directions. I wonder how our family would feel about the possibility of stealing presents after they have been opened.

We always say that we meet so many interesting people cruising. Seated at our dinner table were Chas and Kat, a couple who travel around the world presenting seminars based on dolphin therapy, and Sara, a retired bobby, who is currently refurbishing a sailboat she bought on Ebay.

Buses seem always to be a source of stories. The other day we were returning from Port Lucaya after visiting friends who had just crossed from Florida. The buses quit running ‘about’ sunset, which it was, so we weren’t sure if we were going to be able to catch one back to Ocean Reef. We wandered over to the bus stop, where another group was also waiting. They were in conversation with Gynger, spelled with a ‘y’, who promptly came over to introduce himself. He was a Bahamian fellow who assured us that a bus would be along shortly, and if not, he would have to go and steal one. Two more groups gathered at the bus stop, and Gynger introduced himself to everyone once again, as if for the first time.

Just when everyone was wondering if there would be another bus, one pulled into the bus stop. Buses are vans, often Toyotas, and twelve of us were more than happy to squeeze into this van with Gynger. Just as we were all settled into our seats, Gynger burst into a raucous stream-of-consciousness Christmas carol for the entire, thankfully short, ride home.

As we neared our stop I said, ‘Gynger, I’ve heard a lot of Christmas carols this past week, and I can’t say that I remember anything like that.’ He replied, ‘Merry Christmas, mon, and began humming.’

Do you recognize this boat? Apparently the second and third sequels to Pirates of the Caribbean were made on Grand Bahama Island. Ghost is, we believe, one of the pirate ships in those movies. It is moored in one of the canals just a short distance from the marina where we stayed when clearing customs.

The Bahamas have two or three national dishes, but my advice is to skip the first two and hold out for a conch salad, and on a really good day, a side of conch fritters. Today was a really good day!