02 July 2009

King of somewhere hot


I'm back after my all-too-brief sojourn in the Out Islands of The Bahamas. It was hard to say goodbye, but I know it's not forever. I'm going back to same spot next month, only for a week next time.

This was my sixth visit to Fernandez Bay, Cat Island, my sixth visit in two years. The lone immigration agent who works at the New Bight International Airport knows me by name and that's really cool.


Life there happens at a much slower and irregular pace, and yesterday morning I was up pretty early as I'm wont to do. Call me crazy, but I think it's fun to wake up early when I'm not even required to. Anyhow, the sun rises in that part of the world just a little before six, and I was the only one up. I love having the world to myself for a couple of hours. Having the world to myself in a place like the Out Islands take on a whole new meaning though. Although it's only 350 nautical miles southeast of Miami, it's another world in every sense of the word. All the birds are different, the trees are different, the sights, the sounds, the ocean itself --it's all completely foreign to what I see normally.

So I boiled some water and took my coffee supplies out onto the rocks to watch the sun rise and the tide roll out. I had a three-mile beach to myself, just me with a French Press and the birds and the fish and the millions of hermit crabs who call that rock formation home.


After a couple of hours, the sun was up and so was everybody else. I couldn't have been any more content.

So now it's back to life.

Many, many thanks to Melody, Franki and Kelly for taking over around here in my absence. They did great and it was a real thrill to come home and see what had been posted to this blog. So starting on August ninth, I'm throwing this back open to anybody who want to give it a whirl. I'll make another announcement in early August, but in the meantime, give it a thought.

11 comments:

  1. Welcome back! I can't tell you how envious I've been--it sounded like heaven!

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  2. Ahhhhh, it's my "safe place" that's for sure.

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  3. The slow pace seems nice. Even with a slow economy, I can't seem to slow down.

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  4. Thanks for the comment Eric. I have a hard time in that department too, so I seek out places where I'll be cut off from telephones and internet access. Getting one's self good and unplugged is the key.

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  5. Welcome back, Paul :-) Sounds like you had a great time, even if it was just for a day :-)

    Kelly

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  6. Thanks Kelly, the next six weeks can't speed by fast enough.

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  7. WELCOME BACK Paul! Sounds like you captured a little piece of paradise and serenity while you were away. That is what I call 'a Holiday'.
    -Brenda-

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  8. Love the Bahamas! Anyone reading this has to visit Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Greatest vacation spot on Earth!!

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  9. I have never been to the Atlantis, though I've flown over it more times than I can count. It's an amazing country, that's for sure and there's something for everybody.

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  10. Three years after the fact, there is nothing less Bahamian than the Atlantis Resort. I'm sorry if I offend you but my definition of hell involves places like that. The Bahamas exists in its Out Island beaches and in the authentic culture of its people. None of which you'll find on Paradise Island. US tourists have all but destroyed that country and it's nothing short of bliss to find places that don't carry the filthy pawprints of Americans carrying their culture with them as they venture abroad.

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