Bahamas Update #29

The Return Of The Native: Who knew I would be back so soon? If I knew, I wouldn't have sold so much stuff before I left last summer. But anyway, I made it back to Nassau recently, and here's how I spent my crazy 3 week vacation (*note - there are a few video clips on this page, some are large files, and some are small. They are marked in BLUE BOLD CAPS):

		Just as I left it - I arrived back in Nassau on Monday, February 16th, and went straight to my old neighbourhood of Love Beach. I was house- and cat-sitting for my friend Carole while she was out of town, so I had accomodations taken care of for the first week. Her cat wasn't too pleased to have me around (he would NOT sit still for a photo), but I got a warm welcome from my old friends and neighbours, and by dinner time we were cooking up freshly caught lobster (courtesy Paul and Marcel) at Paul's place, and having a great time. it was just a coincidence that Marcel and his girlfriend Susan were visiting from Germany, and even though I poisoned them the last time they were in Nassau (see update #26), we put that all that behind us, and by the Friday we were all off to the island of Eleuthera for the weekend.

		On The Road Again - The first thing we did when we got to Eleuthera was to rent a car (left). Since the island is over 100 miles long it's a bit of a neccessity. Our first stop was lunch at the home of of old friend Maurice. This amazing surfer shack, dubbed Mojo Kingdom, is almost entirely constructed from things found washed up on the beach or salvaged from the town dump. Normally it's rented out to visiting guests, but luckily it was free that weekend and so we had a COOL PLACE to crash. Paul and I stayed in the newly added Taj-Mo_Hal wing, while Maurice, Susan and Marcel stayed in the main house. Mojo Kingdom is close to Surfer's Beach, where 6 ft waves roll in all day long. Marcel and I tried our hand at surfing, but it was beyond our ability, so we spent the rest of the day playing in the waves. Much easier!

		Eight is Enough - The next day we made a trip north and had an amazing brunch at Le Cap, the magnificent island home of my old friend Patou. It had been a while since the 8 of us had seen each other, so it was a nice reunion. Eleuthera isn't for everyone (as Niels will tell you, since he now lives there) but we all love it. Next stop for us was a drive down to Rock Sound where we took turns cliff diving into the town's blue hole. What a BLAST. That evening we ended up at the Gregory Town community festival and spent the evening eating BBQ chicken and fish, drinking beer, and doing stupid things like playing ring toss. Maurice needed a new flashlight and he won one.... eventually. Later on that evening we scooted over to Harbour Island where Maurice was doing a set of music at Hammerheads restaurant, where he was joined onstage by the lovely and talented Italia Johnson. Yum!

		Au Revoir one more time - What else did we manage to do while in Eleuthera? Well, there was a lot to see, and we saw it all. Whether it was scaling the cliffs near the GLASS WINDOWS BRIDGE, checking out the freaky flora and fauna, snorkelling the reefs, GOOFING AROUND in the water, buying fresh produce from farmer Rasta John, or stopping by a little cove for some late afternoon spearfishing (see pic, left) we packed a lot into one weekend. But all too soon we had to say goodbye to Maurice and Mojo Kingdom and catch the boat back to Nassau. The boat leaves from Harbour Island (a small island off the coast of Eleuthera) so we spent our afternoon there visiting Niels and Trishka one more time (they moved there from Nassau last year), and relaxing on the stunning Pink Sands beach.

		Don't hold your breath - Marcel and Susan were due to head back to Germany at the end of the week, so Marcel and I went scuba diving on his last day in Nassau (left). Our friend JP set up the deal for us (au gratis, thank you very much) and we spent the afternoon swimming with sharks. And because Marcel is part fish, we all went out for seafood dinner that evening, and made a late-night stop by the Atlantis Hotel to see the enormous walk through AQUARIUM one more time. And it is indeed a sight to BEHOLD. By this time, the girl I was cat-sitting for had returned, so I took over the small 2nd floor apartment that Marcel and Susan had just vacated. Very good timing! And what a view! My only responsibility was the occassional feeding of Buffy, who doesn't actually live in the apartment, but on the staircase just outside the door. We had a breakfast send-off for our German pals, and then it was "auf wiedersehen!".

		It's all in the wrist - Catching up with all my old Nassau pals was top of the agenda for week 2, so I teamed up one day with fellow ex-Dupuch employee Kim (left), and together we crashed the Breezes all-inclusive resort for the afternoon. The purple ID bracelets we are wearing are just taped on. I cut them off the wrists of some friends who stayed at Breezes 2 years ago, and luckily for the weeks I was down in Nassau, purple was the colour for the hotel guests. I actually went to Breezes 5 times during my trip, and drank a lotta frozen daquiris by the pool. But life isn't all drinking and goofing off. I also helped my friend Paul with some of his contracting jobs, including building a reinforced fence on some rich dudes' property. Hard work yes, but at lunch we got to cool off at a beach like this. Plus I made a bit 'o' cash which is always welcome in an overpriced place like Nassau.

		Run for your lives - Another group of old friends I was eager to see again were the gang from The Nassau Hash House Harriers (left). I did 2 runs with them during my trip, and the runs are always interesting. Whether it means trotting by quaint island homes, through winding city streets, or meandering "troo' da bush", it's good exercise and fun to do. On the 2nd week's run, we passed a full-on marching band parade (it looked like a New Orleans style FUNERAL MARCH, but none of us really knew what the heck it was). Later that week I helped Paul redo the collapsed deck at Crocodile's restaurant. More MONEY, a free (and delicious) lunch, and even a chance to see my old pal Sherry (still working at Dupuch) as she stopped by the restaurant on business. Perfect! Nassau is such a small town, that way. You see everyone you know whether you want to or not.

		Movin' on up - During my 3rd week in Nassau, I got one more cat-sitting gig. This time, at the Nassau mansion (left) of my friend Patou (see panel 3 above). She flew off to France for the month (nice life), and so I was put in charge of her 3 wee kitties. This one was my buddy from the minute I walked in the door. The house itself has a pool, a spectacular view, and well-appointed interior, and even a maid 3 times a week. What more could I ask for? Later that week, Paul and I went OVER THE HILL and made a pit stop at the garage of my old friend Mr Howard Carey. Mr Carey is the mechanic who serviced my clunker of a Mercedes while I lived in Nassau, and he had promised to try and sell it for me after I left the island. I never expected that he would, but lo and behold he had found a buyer for it the previous morning. Admittedly I only got $1000 for a car that cost me about $4000 after all it's repairs, but it was better than nothing!

		Cast-aways - That's me together with (l to r) Dawn, JP, Tim and Carole at a cast party held for the movie Into The Deep, which has been filming on and off in Nassau since January. A few of my Nassau pals are part of the movie's local crew, so it's no surprise I knew half the people at the party. And by the time 3 am rolled around, I was offered a part as a scuba diving extra in Monday's filming. They were gonna PAY me to go scuba diving! I had to rebook my return flight home, but it was worth it. And so Monday morning I got suited up, and rode with the other extras to rendezvous with the hilariously named White Bungi dive boat (Bungi means "ass" in Bahamian slang, and the local crew had given the boat that nickname. But when the movie people found out what it meant, they found it so funny they painted the name "officially" on the boat).

		Definitely not a speaking part - My day as an extra consisted of me scuba diving in about 30ft of water with all the other extras, and pretending to be a tourist. The camera I'm holding is a prop, but the loverly Virginie had her underwater digital camera along and took some great pix. She was the underwater stunt double for the film's female star, the foxy Ashley Scott (no relation I'm afraid). Also aboard was a guy known as The Big Kahuna who had a comic bit-part in the scene we were filming. After lunch (the stars ate on the luxury boat while we ate on the deck of our dive boat), we filmed a few KEY SCENES, above sea level, with some dude named Paul Walker, the film's male star. Everybody in Nassau seemed to be part of the shoot including my old friend Fina (a fellow extra), and boat pilot Billy Braithwaite, who had held the cast party at his swinging beachfront home 2 nights before.

		And dat's all she wrote - Could I have packed any more into my 3 weeks and a day in Nassau? Probably not. And so it's goodbye to ocean views, flowers, lizards, tree-frogs, palm trees, soul trucks, friends, beach bars, deck chairs, outdoor Scrabble games, and the amazing sunsets at Love Beach (left). But before I left on that final morning, I was determined to go spearfishing one last time. I had come back empty-handed the first two times I had been out in the waters, but that final morning... BINGO! I came back victorious with a beautiful glass-eyed snapper the size of a dinner plate. Too bad I had to board a plane a few hours later, and thus never got a chance to eat him. Instead I left him for my good buddy Paul, who was such a great help during my amazing Bahamian vacation!

Well, that's it for now. I guess I can safely say that The Bahamas makes for a great place to take a holiday. In fact, I had to keep reminding myself of why I left in the first place (cuz I hated my job, that's why!). I think Nassau would be a great place to live if you DIDN'T have to work, although that's out of the question for now, given my present financial status. But do click here to see the monotonous kind of weather forecasts you'll have to put up with in this place if you ever do come for a visit. I know I'll be back soon enough.

over'n'out,