Home Safely

I just put lots more photos from the trip on-line at: http://rkylebailey.shutterfly.com/

Enjoy!

Lucaya National Park

After breakfast this mornin, we decided to drive about 25 miles East to the Lucaya National Park. Once we got away from Freeport, things thinned out quickly. We saw nothing but pine forest for miles at a time. It was interesting to pass through the different towns & neighborhoods of Grand Bahama. Just when I was beginning to wonder if we were lost, we arrived at the park.

The park is divided into two sections. The first area we visted was the natural caves. We were able to go inside some of them, but they continue for thousands of yards underwater. We enjoyed seeing the caves and learning about the Lucayan Indians that inhabited this area many years ago.

The next section was across the main road. We followed a nature trail & boardwalk through a mangrove swamp down to a beautiful beach. It was nearly high tide, so there wasn't much sandy beach area, but the water was warm, clear, and shallow --we walked quite a distance out and the kids could still stand up. We had a great time swimming, playing, & snorkeling.

We started getting hungry and decided to continue 7 miles further East to Bishop's beachfront restaurant (recommended by a park ranger). We would never have found this place on our own, but it was great. We ate at a waterfront bar on a beautiful beach. The kids made sandcastles and played in the surf while I sampled the local beer of Grand Bahama: Sands.

At one point, Cameron wandered away from the bar and some playful dogs started scampering around nearby. He got scared and started to run. I'm sure you can guess that the dogs thought he was playing and started chasing him. I have never seen Camron move so fast! It looked like his tippy toes were barely touching the ground. Unfortuneatly, he was running away from the bar area and it took us a minute or two to catch him and get the dogs settled down. No harm done, just scared.

Finally, we decided to head back to the hotel. Someone told us that the Black Pearl from the Pirate movies was stored nearby, so we decided to check it out on the way home. We got lost and ended up in a junkyard, instead. Not exactly a tropical paradise! We gave up on that idea and made the long drive back to the Westin. Everybody was sawing logs by the time we got there.

We rested in the room for a little while and then got dinner at a chinese restaurant here at the hotel. It was delicious! Afterwards, we strolled around the market across the street and then came back to the rooms. It is so pleasant outside, I was reluctant to come in!

We will be heading home tomorrow, but the boys don't have school until Monday. I'm sure we will find something fun to do back in Tampa.

Pool / Beach Day

We decided to just relax around the resort today and take it easy. After breakfast, we walked across the street to the market to look around for a while. Cameron found a walking stick that he really liked. I was OK with it because the guy made it by hand in his shop --I had buying the mass produced trinkets. The guy even carved Cameron's name in it for him. Justin found a cool wooden cobra that he liked. Brandon didn't see anything that caught his eye.

After the market, we came back to the room and put on our swimsuits. We went down to the pool for a while. The kids enjoyed going down the slide and we all went to the beach to body surf for a bit. It was very windy and the surf was heavier than usual.

Later, we grabbed a bite to eat at the Prop Club restaurant. We had a table outside near the beach & basketball court, so I had to take the boys to school while we were waiting for our food to arrive. We played a bit more ball after lunch and then hopped in the pool again to cool off. Next, we went back up to the room for a quick nap.

At 5:30, we headed out to our beach BBQ / bonfire party. Since we had a rental car, we drove there insead of taking the bus. We were the first to arrive and wondered how much of a "party" it was going to be, but several bus-loads later, we were all having a good time. Michele & the kids played games on the beach and we all enjoyed some Bahama Mama's.

It started to rain a bit, so we all came inside and got dinner. The rain didn't really let up, so the party wound down a bit early, but we all had a good time. Now, the kids are watcing a movie next door in Michele's room and I have some peace & quiet! It has been a very relaxing day. I think tomorrow we will drive to the Lucaya National Park and go hiking. Hopefully, the weather will be better in the morning.

Sampson Cay to Port Lucaya

We were a little sad to leave our tropical paradise this morning. I could have stayed here for a few more days, for sure! But, we are always ready for a new adventure and there were more places to see and things to do in Grand Bahama.

After breakfast, we got a ride back over to Staniel Cay airport and we were happy to see our plane was still sitting there safe and sound. We loaded up and blasted off around 11:30am. Michele got some great aerial photos of Staniel & Samspon Cay on the way out and I took some later of the Atlantis Resort as we passed over the Nassau area.

Just over an hour later, we we touched down in Freeport, Grand Bahama. We already cleared customs on the way into the Bahamas on Friday and received a "cruising permit", so customs was quick & easy. Michele went to go pick up our rental van, while I secure the airpane, paid for the fuel & fees, etc.

Soon, Michele was swinging the mini-van into the parking lot to pick us up. We drove about 10 - 15 minutes to Port Lucaya and soon found our hotel, the Westing Our Lucaya Resort. After checking in and dropping our bags in the room, we grabbed a quick lunch near the beach. The Westin sure is different from our quiet little house on Sampson! It is a big complex with several large pools, hundreds of rooms & suites, many restaurants, a straw market accross the street, and lots of activity on the beach. After lunch, we put on our swimsuits and hit the pool for a while. I had lots of fun playing & wrestling with the boys.

After our swim, we got cleaned up and went out for dinner. We enjoyed a stroll around the Westin / Sheraton complex and then stopped into Iries, a Caribbean themed restaurant for an excellent meal. Back in the room, I was happy to find a super-fast (free) internet connection and caught up on some blogging while the boys watched cartoons. Not sure what we're going to do tomorrow: We may go explore the caves at Lucaya National Park, or we may save that for Wednesday and lounge around the beach & pool instead. Tomorrow night, we are going to a beach BBQ bonfire for dinner.

Happy Easter!

After breakfast, it was time for the Easter fesitivites on Sampson Cay. At 10am, they had an Easter Egg Hunt for all the kids. There were about a dozen children including ours, a few from the other villas & marina, and a few kids of employees. They seemed to have a good time racing around finding the eggs and even more fun inspecting the contents. Afterward. they had sack races and egg-on-a-spoon races. Afterwards, Michele & I took Brandon & Justin down to our little private beach for a while. We had a nice time swimming, sunning, & just relaxing.

Before long, it was time to head back to the room and get ready for our afternoon fishing charter. First we went back to the restaurant and enjoyed a delicious Easter lunch buffett. Then, we met our guide, "Bonefish" in the bar and headed to the dock.

True to his name, Bonefish planned to help us catch some bonefish. He motored us about 10 - 15 minutes North and picked out a spot that looked promising. He anchored the boat and then found a conch to use for bait. After preparing the bait and getting our rods ready, we jumped out and started walking in the knee-deep water. Catching bonefish is a bit like hunting --you have to stalk them. The bonefish cluster in groups and tend to move in & out with the tide. Every now & then, we'd see some of them nearby and we'd try to work our way close to them without scaring them away.

I must admit, I don't have enough patience for this type of fishing and was soon feeling a little frustrated. I then reminded myself to look around: Crystal clear waters, warm sunshine, Michele & the boys nearby, a cold Kalik waiting for me on the boat...I was quite happy just to be here whether I caught a fish or not. Once I got my attituded adjusted, I was much more relaxed. Soon, we spotted some more bonefish nearby and our guide helped Justin cast just ahead of them. FISH ON --Justin brought in a nice one!

After the excitement, we all went back to the boat for a breather and I suggested we try some reef fishing for a while. Bonefish grabbed a few more conchs and then got us underway. He soon has us anchored near a few coral heads in calm waters. As soon as we casted, we could feel the nibbles right away. The hardest part was waiting for the big one to bite. But, we caught fish steadily: grouper, snapper, grunt --we didn't care. The boys were having a great time!

The fishing died down after a while, so we moved to another spot a little further out into the sea. Luckily there was a light breeze, slack tide, and calm waters, so it was very pleasant. Fishing was great at this spot, too. Roland even had an eel on the line for a while! It managed to get off the hook as it neared the boat and we saw it swim back to it's hole.

As 5:00 rolled around, we decided to pull the hooks in and go for a swim. We donned our snorkel gear and check out the areas where we had just been fishing. It was teaming with life, including a nurse shark and a Pacific Lionfish. Feeling much refreshed, we jumped back in the boat and Bonefish took us home. It was a GREAT trip!

We got cleaned up and came down for dinner. Afterwards, we went back to the room to relax. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset from our balconey. I was tired from another long day and could barely keep my eyes open past 9pm.

Exploring the Islands

In the spirit of the laid-back out-islands of the Bahamas, we purposely did not set an alarm and tried to let everybody sleep in. I got up around 7:30am, got the coffee going and enjoyed a view quite moments on the deck.

Our plan today was to rent a boat and explore some interesting islands nearby. After everybody was awake, we headed down to the marina restaurant for breakfast, which was wonderful! We remembered to bring all of the scraps to use later for feeing the fish / pigs / iguanas.

As happens sometimes, we had a minor hitch in our well-laid plans. I walked over to the office to check on the boat rental. Even though I reserved and pre-paid the boat rental several weeks ago with the room reservation, they didn't get the information and nothing was available. I pleaded with the manager to find something, anything so that I could take the kids snorkeling today.

Luckily, he wa sable to find a boat had it brought over from Staniel Cay. It wasn't pretty: a 13' Boston Whaler with ripped seats, leaky drain plug, and a tiny 60 hp motor, but it was ours for the day and we made the best of it!

After dropping the guy back off at Staniel, our first stop was to visit the wild Iguana's on Guana Cay. It was a choppy 20 minute ride and everybody was relieved when I pulled up to the beach. However, we didn't see the famed iguanas and I started wondering if I made a wrong turn somewhere. Soon, my fears were laid to rest as we spied an iguana sauntering toward us. We grabbed the breakfast scraps and tossed him a bit of pancake. It seemed to love it so we fed it some more. Soon, a few friends joined him and we had 6-8 iguanas all around us on the beach. I think the kids really enjoyed it!

Our next stop was to visit the swimming pigs. Legend has it that the pigs were aboard a vessel many years go that was shipwrecked in a storm. The pigs swam to the nearby beach and flourised. Now, whenever a boat approaches, they run out onto the beach and beg for scraps. They will even swim out to the boat! We walked around on the beach and fed them, but they are big and agressive and I was worried they might bite the kids, so we got back in the boat and watched from a distance. There were lots of other people coming and going, so there was lots to see.

Next, we headed to Thunderball Grotto, which was featured in the James Bond movie. We tied up outside and swam into a small cave. Once inside, it opened up into a large cavern, which was full of fish! We fed them bits of PB&J and had a fun time swimming & taking pictures. It is really a unique experience!

Cameron & Justin were getting tired by now, so we dropped them off with grandma & pop-pop for a nap at the room. Michele, Brandon, & I headed for our finaly stop, Compass Cay, home of the tame nurse sharks. Michele & I visited this spot a couple years ago and swam with dozens of nurse sharks all around us. Today was a bit of a let-down --there were only two nearby. Still, we had a nice time and I think Brandon enjoyed it.

Back at the marina, they were having a BBQ beach party. After getting back and unloading the boat, we headed to the party. I really enjoyed relaxing on the beach with a rum punch and wathing the kids play in the sand. At 6:30, they had some Easter activities for the kids, including pin the tail on the bunny. We met another family at the party and the guy graduated from University of Tampa in 1995 --same year as us! What a small world!

We got back to the room in time to catch the sunset from our dock. Brandon, Justin & I jumped in and swam until it go too dark to see. Now the boysare watching Madagascar and I am almost too tired to keep my eyes open --fun day! Tomorrow, they have a Easter Egg Hunt for the kids in the morning and we are supposed to go fishing in the afternoon.

Getting There

We took departed Tampa around 9:30 this morning --Destination: Sampson Cay in the Exumas. Our first stop was to clear Bahamian Customs in Bimini. This is the closest island to the US and is very popular with boaters and fisherman. Everything went very smoothly and about 30 minutes later, we were back in the air for the 2nd leg of our trip.

After another hour, we touched down at Staniel Cay. We secured the plane and got a ride to the marina / yacht club, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch. Next, we called Sampson Cay Club and they sent a boat to come pick us up and take us to our final destination.

We are staying in the "Maine House", which is a big, two-story, three-bedroom house on top of a hill near the marina. We have never stayed here before and weren't sure what to expect, but I was REALLY impressed. The house is beautiful, comfortable, and clean. It has a wonderful 360 degree view of the marina, the Caribbean, and the rest of the island. It has satellite TV and plenty of air conditioning, a full kitchen, and all the modern conveniences of home. We also have a private dock and beach with cabana!

We were very happy to get settled in and just relax for a little while. I got my first Kalik (beer of the Bahamas) and sat on the porch in the shade. Life is good! After a little while, we put on our swimsuits and took a short walk to the beach. Brandon and I went ahead and Michele & Cameron were to follow shortly. Justin chose to sit in the hammock and listen to his iPod.

Brandon led me on the trail down toward the beach. It was a little steeper & rockier thnk I expected, but it was OK --we were on a fun adventure. Imagine our surprise when we rounded a corner in the path and saw...Cameron walking toward us! He joined us and we continued our walk to the beach.

I brought the portable radio and another Kalik and was soon relaxing in the cabana while the kids played on the beach. Man, I could really get used to this! After a while, Michele joined us. Cameron fell asleep on a chair while Michele, Brandon & I took a swim.

Soon it was time to head home & clean up for dinner. It was good Friday, so the only item on the menu was fish. We had grouper fried, blackened, stuffed, etc. It was terrific!

Tomorrow, we have a boat reserved and plan to go out exploring the area.