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This is the place to be! The weather's warm, the beaches are beautiful, and the Bahamians (that's what the locals are called) are so nice! And lucky for us, most of them speak English, so it's been pretty easy to get around.
Our first stop was the city of Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. Even though the city is packed with hotels, restaurants, marinas, and tourists, it was different than I expected. It's not like any of the cities in the U.S. Nassau was established in 1656, and everywhere you go you can see buildings from the 1700s when pirates and the British ruled the city. One of the coolest places I got to visit was Fort Charlotte, the oldest fort in the Bahamas. It even has a moat and dungeons. Definitely a nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there!
Anyway, on day three, we decided to take a drive around the island. It was such an eye opener, because we got to see how some of the locals live. A lot of Bahamians work in tourism, so they don't have much money. We actually saw a couple of kids working on the beach, braiding tourists' hair and selling jewelry. But not all of the kids we saw were working. In every town we drove through we saw kids hanging out playing basketball. Who would have thought that basketball would be so big in the Bahamas?
Right now we're on Cat Island. This place is so beautiful, and it's way off the beaten track. Yesterday, I walked for miles down a pink-sand beach without seeing a single tourist. It was great. But last night was the best! We met a local musician who plays in a "rake 'n' scrape" band. This guy had the most amazing stories to tell. When he gets sick, he doesn't go to a doctor, he goes to one of the islanders, who uses "bush medicine" (local plants) to make him better. Go figure!
Now, I know I said I'd be home for the Christmas holidays, but we've decided to head back to Nassau to celebrate Junkanoo. It's the biggest cultural festival in the Bahamas. I wish you could come! You'd love the music and the parades! But, don't worry, I'll bring you back a present!
See you soon!
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