Tuesday, April 6, 2010

A Piece of the Bahamas

I spotted this necklace on Saturday when we went into a jewelry store in downtown Nassau. I liked it a lot, but decided not to spend the money on it. Steven told me later that he thought we should go back and get it the next day so I could have something to keep from the Bahamas. We went back Sunday before eating dinner and the store had already closed. Places don't seem to have set hours around here because their business revolves around the tourists, especially these stores that are located right by the cruise ship ports. They close down pretty early in the day, usually by 5:30. We decided to try even earlier the next day. Our second attempt, on Monday evening we got there even earlier. Once again, the store had already closed! We asked a guy closing up the shop across the street what time this store closed every evening. He said 6:00. I raised my eyebrows as I looked at my watch and saw it was only 4:55 and everyone in the store was long gone. There really doesn't seem to be any concept of time here! Steven was still determined to buy that necklace for me and was not giving up so easily! While I was finishing getting ready on Tuesday morning before checkout, he caught the bus downtown and bought the necklace for me. What a sweet guy! Thankfully the store was actually open!!

Rockin' the Waves

I really wanted to ride the ocean tricycle before we left and that meant Steven was determined to make it happen! We hadn't been allowed to take it for a ride all week because of the wind and tide. Tuesday morning was our last chance before our lunchtime departure. We got up and went straight to the beach to be there when the watersports booth opened. It was windy, but the tide hadn't come in yet so they finally allowed us to take out the giant tricycle! Hooray! Check out our sweet ride.

Tour Time!

Here are some more pictures of the inside of our hotel. I took most of these from the floor overlooking the lobby. A few steps below is another lobby on the second floor. There is an internet access area, cafe, and seating area. The fourth floor overlooks the lobby. The fitness center is located directly behind where I am standing.I know you're waiting for it...a video tour!

I had to take a few more pics of the outdoors because it is just so pretty!
One last video tour for you. This one is of my favorite pool, although we swam in the heated one more often!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Hard Rock Cafe

Here comes our primary means of transportation....bus line # 10 that runs from Cable Beach to downtown Nassau. We rode downtown and what is normally only a 15 minute ride turned into a much longer one. There was a Fish Fry taking place, a festival that seemed to stretch for miles through beaches and parks. From the traffic and cars parked everywhere, it looked like the entire island of locals came to this event. We ate dinner at Hard Rock Cafe and you guessed it, we had to try out their burger and fries too! I love the rule for vacation...eat whatever you want and calories don’t count!


Playing on the Beach

Sadly, Monday was our last full day in the Bahamas. We spent an extra few hours on the beach soaking up the sun. I was able to finish reading book #2. It has been super windy all week, so we weren’t able to take out the water sports equipment. There were floating rafts and snorkeling equipment available so we took those instead! The wind made for great waves and a fun floating ride on the rafts.
We brought the goggles along to try and keep the salt water out of our eyes from the splashing waves. Yes, we’re just that cool. Steven was so sure I was going to flop into the ocean water as I attempted to get onto my raft. I found later that he had videotaped it just in case it turned out to be an America's Funniest Home video moment. I shortened to clip so you didn't have to watch me struggle with how to board the raft without getting dumped into the water!

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Senor Frogs

Sunday evening we took what is now becoming a familiar bus trip to downtown Nassau, this time to eat dinner at Senor Frogs.
It was quite an entertaining restaurant, complete with a view from a fish's perspective. This was on the ceiling above our table.
If you didn’t grow up setting a table every night, Senor Frogs gives you a sort of cheat sheet.
Apparently, nobody spell-checked the table (see the word “stain”).
My mother has told me my entire life that I am not allowed to put my elbows on the table. It looks like this restaurant has its own set of rules!We sat outside and had a great view of the lighthouse. It's across the water on the end of Paradise Island.During dinner, one of the massive cruise ships was departing the island. We watched a jet skier get chased down by a police boat when it zoomed by the cruise ship that was trying to turn around. I guess we’re on an unplanned quest to find the island’s best burger. This one rated highly!

Happy Easter!

We were able to participate in an Easter service on the beach, led by a local minister. What a neat experience to celebrate the resurrection in such a breathtakingly beautiful place! From this view at least you can't see the old guy in the Speedo, ha ha!Of course we sat in the front row, Steven doesn't like to change this habit! The minister led the songs and held the microphone up to Steven for him to sing one of the verses. He asked for volunteers to come up and lead one of the prayers, and you better believe my husband jumped right up to the front! I'm so proud of him!The day wouldn't be complete without Easter decorations for the kiddos! There were planned activities for the kids, including a sand castle building contest. I think the winning team made a Bugs Bunny shaped sand creation, complete with snorkeling gear for Bugs. I was tempted to participate in the Easter Egg Hunt that followed the contest!After a fancy peanut butter sandwich for Easter lunch, we were ready to hit the beach!

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Sunset in Paradise

Instead of taking a taxi back to New Providence Island, we opted to walk so we could catch the sunset. This is the bridge that connects Paradise Island and New Providence Island. There is also a ferry that takes passengers back and forth across the water.This is the view from the bridge looking back at Paradise Island. You can tell just how massive of a place Atlantis actually is!There are all kinds of boats in this area, a few huge freight ships as well.Our walk was timed perfectly and we got to view a beautiful sunset from the middle of the bridge.