Bahamas (Day 3)

“I actually really like it now!”

“I actually really like it now!”

Matt and I both said to each other at the same time today, laughing. Kaliks in hand.

Receiving photos of Ollie fishing with Matt out on the crystal clear blue waters that the Bahamas are known for….

This is what the Bahamas are about.

(Morgan and I had a lazy girls day at the pool.)

The only luxury experiences in the Bahamas one truly needs IMO is sunshine, a cold beer, fresh caught fish, crystal clear blue waters, and a shady spot. I’d add to this, a good laugh, some dancing, and shower at the end of the day to purify you from the day of grime—sunscreen, sweat, salt, fish, sand…

Everything else…

…Everything that feels homogenous and “American luxury” is, in the most American way, excessive and un-Bahamian.

Everyone here encourages you to relax, but I never could shake the unadventurous adventure we were on, until today. The haze of monotony broke and I was able to see the shade of the palm trees in the water…

Today, Ollie caught a bunch of strawberry grouper on a local boat and we’re having them cooked and sent to our room for dinner. That beats the room service menu and any five star restaurant you could ever dine at!

The hotel likely charges and arm and a leg to charter a boat, but Matt, a seasoned fisherman, found a local charter off property and the boys went out for a half day and had the best day of their lives—for a fair price. Highly recommend.

I have a feeling we may be back with the kids— most definitely to the sister islands that feel more intimate: Exumas, Harbour Island…

With Ollie’s passion for fishing (and Matt), the Bahamas feels appropriate. Once you get off the land here, you start to feel like you’ve landed. The Bahamas is about the water. So today, we feel like we really sunk our teeth into a more local experience and made some connections that aren’t “experience options” on the tourist a la carte menu. This is where Matt and I thrive. I crave adventure, so even though I’m a bit on the sidelines living vicariously through them while they’re out fishing this season, I know Morgan and I will be out there with her big brother as soon as she can hold a pole.

As for food, one can only eat so many cheeseburgers, bagged crisps, and grilled chicken salads day after day before becoming completely bored of eating the same monotonous flavors which taste so un local and so native to where we live…Almost as if we haven’t traveled at all. Food is such a large part of our travel experience (and culture is equally important). I do really wish I could find a place where I could dance with the children to Bahamian music for an hour after dinner, but I’ll take fresh fish and a day out on the boat as a major win and a big splash in the memory bucket of life!