Posted by: travadmin on Apr 13, 2004 – 11:54 AM
exoticlocations 1. Nobody but us! Robert Symonette, 7, and his family, who were visiting from Grand Bahama Island, were the only beachgoers (and yours truly) on beautiful Arawak Cay, which is an easy walk from downtown Nassau. There’s always a Bahamian beach to call your own.
2. Hot, hot, hot pink! The Bahamas has the largest number of flamingos in this hemisphere (mostly on the islands of Inagua and Long Island). Dorothy Towns, visiting from Detroit, points out the flock at Ardastra Gardens in Nassau. Ever wonder why the flamboyant birds’ knees bend backward? That’s because they’re not knees, they’re ankles. Their knees are under their feathers, and they’re walking on their toes.
3. Amazing seafood. Angela Bassett got her seafood groove back at Goldie’s, one of a dozen “fish-fry shacks” on Arawak Cay, where you can get fresh seafood caught by fishermen on the Hustler II docked out back. Fried snapper with thick homemade bread costs $5. I got this hearty portion of red snapper, steamed with plantains and three kinds of peppers, plus peas ‘n’ rice, of course, for $10.
4. Visit a pink Parliament building. John Johnson from Eleuthera makes sure we don’t miss the pink Parliament building. Nearby is the pink Supreme Court building, where barristers and judges still wear wigs, and the similarly colored Senate and House of Assembly building, which often reverberates with the noise of hands banging on desks (that’s how assembly members show agreement.) The House of Assembly was built by ship carpenters in the 18th century.
5. Can’t get enough guava duff. That’s the Bahamian national dessert, and children will tell you it’s their favorite. It’s not easy to make: You roll out the dough, spread it with guava that’s been boiled into a jam, roll it like a jelly roll, wrap it in foil, steam it for an hour, then pour on the sauce — a rich concoction of cream and guava. Yum.
6. Walk with the fish. Noah Watson, 7, from St. Louis, gives us the sign the mega-resort Atlantis on Paradise Island is THE place to be. Atlantis has the world’s largest outdoor aquarium, which includes this tunnel through one of the lagoons. You can even eat with the fish at restaurants with underwater views. (You might feel guilty ordering the grouper when one is looking at you with big, sad eyes.)
7. Do Junkanoo. Junkanoo performers in eye-popping costumes play at a half-dozen restaurants and hotels on Bay Street and at Cable Beach every Friday night. But try to catch the real Junkanoo — an all-night parade beginning at midnight on Boxing Day (Dec. 26) and New Year’s Day.
8. You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ If so, you’ll want to go straight to the Atlantis Casino, the largest casino in the Bahamas and bigger than any in the Caribbean, or the Wyndham Nassau Resort and Crystal Palace Casino. I put $5 worth of quarters in the slot machines and lost $5. I could have spent that on more guava duff.
9. Slide down a Mayan Temple. The Mayans might have been brilliant mathematicians — probably the first to develop the concept of zero. And they developed a remarkably accurate calendar. But they never built a temple with a slide into a shark-infested lagoon! Atlantis Resort built this Mayan Temple replica for adventurous guests. (And never fear: The sharks are encased behind acrylic walls.)
10. Find out who let the dogs out. I caught up with the Bahamas’ own Grammy-winning Baha Men at Club 601, while they were rehearsing for a U.S. and European tour, which starts next month, coinciding with a new CD. Who Let the Dogs Out? was their biggest hit, but wait until you hear their new single Holla, which should get your hips and feet moving.
Note: By Cheryl Blackerby, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer