December 10-12
It’s been a long term in Malawi. Luckily for us, we are
rewarded with a long Christmas break. I go home to spend Christmas with family
every other year; this year I’m abroad. In the Caribbean…
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| A different kind of Christmas... |
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| A local walking past street art in Nassau |
Hannah spends her Christmases in the Caribbean, specifically
on one of the 700 or so islands which constitute The Bahamas. That’s where I
will be to…not that she knows it. She thinks I am in Madagascar. Surprise!
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| Well, I think it's a surprise... |
That won’t happen until the 23rd of December,
however. In the meantime, I have to lay low and stay off the grid. My main destination
is to come shortly, but I am actually starting this Christmas extravaganza in
The Bahamas, staying in the capital: Nassau.
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| A colourful building in Pompey Square |
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| Fort Fincastle, which overlooks downtown Nassau |
Getting to Nassau from Lilongwe is a mission, taking in the
delights of Johannesburg and New York’s airports. Flying between those two took
about 16 hours, possibly the longest flight I’ve ever taken. I slept quite a
lot on that flight, partly due to the fact that it was dark outside for almost
the entirety of the flight. Talking my way into the Star Alliance lounge in Joburg’s
OR Tambo airport, with its free beer and cheese, may also have helped.
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| Door to door was approximately 37 hours |
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A silver Star Alliance card holder normally wouldn't
get into the lounge to enjoy cheese, cupcakes and beer |
Flying through the US meant that I had to buy a transit
visa, yet the worries I had about the length and stringency of the immigration
line were unfounded. The atmosphere of immigration at JFK was in marked
contrast to that of Nassau’s Lynden Pindling airport, which featured a live
band playing whilst you waited.
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A stock picture of immigration at JFK - being
7:30am, my line was non-existent |
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| The band in Nassau's airport |
Nassau is by far the largest city in the country, housing
about 260,000 people. This is particularly surprising when you see the size of
the island on which Nassau sits. It’s tiny.
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80% of the population lives on New Providence, the island
to which Nassau belongs |
Though small in size, Nassau is a popular place to visit. It
has been for centuries, actually, ever since it was founded in 1650 by the
British. It was a regular docking station for pirates, including the infamous
Blackbeard. This history is played upon today, with the capital hosting a
pirate museum and many bits of pirate-themed tat.
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| A pirate ship in downtown Nassau |
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| Yarr, I be expensive |
Many of these ‘souvenirs’ can be found in one of the
colonial buildings from the British era, the Straw Market. Others, such as the
courthouse, can be found slightly away from the northern shore.
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| The front of the Straw Market |
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The Supreme Court - on the door there was a notice which,
among other things, sternly stated that no red could
be worn in the courthouse. |
One of the stranger sights in Nassau is the Queen’s
Staircase, which is 66 steps and was hewn out of the solid limestone rock by
slaves. It’s parallel to a slope which does the same thing.
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| From the top... |
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| ...to the bottom. |
The naming of these stairs is another example of the British
history which has influenced this place. Looking at one of the notes in the
Straw Market reminds you of this but also shows the other country which
strongly impacts the Bahamas today.
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| A finance building which is a relic of imperial rule |
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| Queen Liz on a dollar note?? |
It’s geographical proximity to the United States of America
means that a lot of things which you would find in New York or Houston can be found
in Nassau. From having the same country phone code to NFL adverts along the roads, American
influence is omnipresent. Then there are the fast food chains…
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| Burger King and many other burger chains are here... |
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| An advert on a bench for Bud Light |
These were actually a relief, and not just because I can’t
get any of them in Malawi aside from KFC. Their prices are reasonable compared
to other food in Nassau, probably because most things need to be imported.
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| Domino's, which looked empty as I walked by |
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I treated myself to a Wendy's on the first night - a full meal
for $8 was 50% cheaper than my small conch salad the following day |
The fact that most items are imported doesn’t just affect
restaurants and cafés. I can’t remember seeing a supermarket with such flabbergasting
prices. The cheapest loaf of bread was $3.25! I had to choose my shopping very
carefully.
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| The only 'wonder' here is how they can justify this price |
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| Pack of Doritos - over $5, even before tax... |
One thing which isn’t imported and is a staple here, for
tourists at least, is conch. The large seashell with a pink interior is normally
served in the form of a salad. It’s fairly bland and tough, which is seemingly
why the place I ate it added an insanely hot spice ‘on the side’. Which
apparently means on top of the salad here.
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| Beautiful conch shells line the docks of downtown Nassau |
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| Conch salad, complete with 'on the side' hot sauce on top |
Most of the people who come to Nassau don’t seem to worry
about the price of things, which is probably reflected in the size of the
resorts. There are many of them and they dominate the skyline near the beaches.
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The Atlantis complex in the distance on Paradise Island -
Dubai has since imitated it |
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| One of many multi-floor hotels which loom large from the road |
Then there are the cruise ships…simply enormous and massive
eyesores sitting at the docks of downtown Nassau. The largest of the four I spied
seemed to be a Disney ‘Wonder’ cruise ship.
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| Many dock in the morning and head out on the same day |
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| Massive Mickey Mouse funnels |
The cruise ships traverse across the Caribbean, allowing
people on board to see some beautiful places and soak up the sunshine. Well, if
the weather obliges…
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| Clouds loomed large for the two main days I was here |
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| A grey day, but it was still over 20'C |
It is technically winter here, I guess, and warm enough to
walk around in shorts. It’s just a shame that it was so windy and cloudy that
lying on the beach and relaxing was simply out of the question.
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| The weather left the beaches sparsely populated |
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| Palm trees being battered by the wind |
Which is also a reminder that it is almost Christmas. You
can see trees and even buy your own, presumably imported, fir tree to decorate.
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| Define 'fresh'... |
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| Not a fresh Christmas tree |
I’ll be in Nassau twice more during the next month as it is
a convenient base for my travels. I found it to be quite a strange place. The
British colonial island feel, coupled with the wind, reminded me of Malta. If
Malta had been taken over by Americans. I certainly won’t have that problem in
my next location – the USA isn’t very popular in Cuba…
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| A pigeon enjoying the remnants of a coconut |
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| Cheers to the start of the holidays! |
Love you all,
Matt
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