Day 1 in the Bahamas
Trip Start
Jan 19, 2006
1
2
Trip End
Apr 28, 2006
Nassau, Bahamas
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Considering I've been welcomed to this country more times than I can count by the kind Bahamian people, I want to personally welcome you to the Bahamas. I am currently "on vacation" at The Atlantis Resort in Paradise Island.
When we were driving from the airport along a road that was next to the ocean, I couldn't keep my eyes off of the beautiful water. Being a first timer in the Caribbean, the turquoise water and pastel-colored buildings along with a very friendly and talkative cab driver who was telling us how we had to go to clubs like Waterloo and Senor Frogs while we were here. Inside of the rickety van, I was sitting on a seat that was missing half of its stuffing. Calypso music was playing in the background. I did some research and found out that Calypso originated in Trinidad and spread to other islands. The style of calypso is very interesting; singers improvise on any theme, especially poking fun at politicians and their shortcomings. In the song I heard in the cab, the singer was singing about Osama bin Laden, and it made me laugh just hearing that name in a song on the Bahamian radio.
After arriving at The Atlantis and checking into my hotel room, I met my roommates I would be sharing the hotel room with for the next four days: Alicia from San Diego State University, Amber from the University of Maine, and Ashley from the University of Michigan. The view from our room was the beach, however the roof of the hotel got in the way of it being a really spectacular view.
We then began exploring the massive hotel. Outside the Beach Tower hotel, there were massive sea turtles in a large tank. We walked over past the Royal Towers and the Casino to find another tank near the Royal Towers that had the largest sting rays I've ever seen, Some of them were all black, some brown with white spots- but they were probably four feet long. Although it was dark, I was amazed at the Royal Towers that were lit up. I explored the lobby and the famous indoor shark tank. My roommates and I then went to the casino for dinner at Atlas, a restaurant in the casino. While the dinner was nice, the service was a lot slower than what we come to expect in the States. We all concurred that it would be difficult to adjust to the slower pace of life in the Bahamas.
The Bahamian people seem friendly. Today I found out that it is considered rude if you do not say hi to someone when you pass them - anytime you pass someone walking most often that person makes eye contact with you and says hello.
Being here in the Bahamas is surreal. I still can't believe this is actually happening to me and I am going around the world after a short vacation in the Bahamas. I board the ship on Jan. 19 at 10 a.m. Until then, I plan on enjoying my time in this beautiful hotel. Tomorrow morning I am swimming with dolphins!
