The Bahamas: A New Adventure for Us

Beautiful Bahamian Water

The Bahamas, a new adventure for us.  Erin, who is still with the US State Department, was recently posted there for a three year assignment. It has only been three months, but she and Diego, her beloved Mexican street rescue cat, love it.

Upon leaving San Miguel de Allende we decided to visit with Erin and Diego for a couple of weeks before returning to Denver.

There is so much to do, mostly involving the sea and sun, but for the first few days we simply relaxed on her screened-in back porch.  Yoga Nidra is a great hammock based, restorative activity.

When we tired of that we put on our bathing suits and walked a few feet to her swimming pool--which she shares with her condo complex neighbors, but we often had it to ourselves.

It was a vacation for us, but Erin had to work much of the time we were there, including a three day trip to another island, Abaco, with the Chief of Mission. (The US currently has no ambassador, so the Chief of Mission leads the delegation there.)  Erin says the trip was fascinating and educational, but a tiring one.  Abaco is very different from the touristic atmosphere of Nassau--much more an agricultural and fishing community.                                                                     

On one of Erin's free days we all boarded a local ferry for a three hour trip to the island of Eleuthera and the town of Harbour Island. There are over 700 islands and cays in the Bahamas, although many are unoccupied and many others have only a small population.

Pink Sand Beach on Harbour Island

Erin and Larry in front of the "Snack Shack"

Harbour Island was one of the earliest settlements in the Bahamas and an active shipping and fishing port, but today it is known for its beautiful pink sand beaches.  

Golf carts greatly outnumber cars and trucks. We enjoyed our short visit to this pretty, quiet island.

Perhaps our favorite outing was an afternoon snorkeling with Captain Basel. Just a few minutes motoring from Nassau harbor, we anchored off a small cay that offered an hour of the best snorkeling we have ever experienced.

That was followed by the opportunity to swim with some sea turtles--early May just happens to be the breeding season and the little cove where we anchored seemed to be a favorite resting spot for a number of green sea turtles--that's one in the picture to the left.

    If you approach them from behind, you can get pretty close, but once they become aware of you they can quickly swim away from you, trailing their resident sucker fish behind them. We were all thrilled with the experience as well as the kindness and gentility of our skipper, Basel.

On our way back to port, we passed by Gilligan's Island--probably not the site for the well-know TV series, but a place often used for music videos and other shows.

Erin has had the good fortune to be posted to a place that she has come to love in just a few short months.  

She is extremely busy but feels she is doing important work...and she gets to live in a place that seems perfectly suited for her--no cold weather and home to a great yoga Ashram.

We so enjoyed our first visit, but we know we will be back for many more!

Leaving Nassau's sun and 84 degrees, we arrived back in Denver, just in time for a late spring snow...but these storms don't last too long.

Today it is 70 degrees and delightful.  So who can complain.  

And we get to be with our Charlie and his Mom, Bryn; that's a great treat for us.