Grand Bahama Island (Freeport/Lucaya) by Bus

4/4-4/7  – The weather forecast continued to hold true: unsettled weather for a few days, but some pretty good crossing days coming up after Thursday. On Monday we decided to try out the Straw Bar for breakfast. It is a beautiful setting right on the beach. We both had coconut French toast which was absolutely delicious. The better part of the day was spent doing our taxes with Michael (he’s a retired CPA). Not exactly fun, but we are getting a refund. Later in the day we went back to the Straw Bar for happy hour and then ended up at the restaurant, Bonefish Folley's, where we treated Michael and Jana to dinner – a small price to pay for getting our taxes taken care of.  Had the best Key Lime pie ever !!!!


On Tuesday we decided to take a walk into the settlement of West End. Not much there, plus it started to rain. Fortunately, the local bus/van came by and we were able to get a ride back to the boat. We also arranged with the driver to pick us up tomorrow for a trip into Freeport/Lucaya. We decided since we had some time, we might as well see the sights in the local area. The rest of the day was spent hunkered down inside the boat while the wind howled and the rain, lighting and thunder put on quite the show. By evening the front had moved out and we actually had clearing skies and lighter winds.

Wednesday we took the bus into Freeport/Lucaya. It is actually considered one town, with the Freeport area being the older and more commercial area having the largest port in the Caribbean. Lucaya is newer and better known for its shops, restaurants, beaches, hotels and casinos. We spent the better part of the day taking it all in and then called the bus/van to see if he could pick us up. He told us he’d be there in 20 minutes. When he arrived the vehicle was half full of school-aged children. Seems he contracts with several parents to get their children to and from school. He stopped by several other schools along the way picking up more passengers. To say the bus was loaded was an understatement (we even had them sitting on our laps), but this proved to be one of the most enjoyable parts of the whole day. The kids were adorable, well mannered (for the most part) and full of all kinds of questions. We made it back to the boat around 5:00 and later went to the restaurant for pizza. All in all, a nice day.

On Thursday we did boat chores readying the boat for the crossing and then in the evening went to a birthday celebration happy hour on Ken Bane.  During the day another Monk, Czech Mate, had come into the marina so now there were three.  For once, we outnumbered Krogens !!

There were many other boats that came into the marina today -- most of which will be crossing to the states tomorrow.  We should have lots of company.



The beach view from the Straw Bar



Yummy, yummy breakfast -- coconut French toast



The pool at the resort - two levels



Michael, Jana and Gerry enjoying happy hour and the view
at the Straw Bar

The landside entrance to Old Bahama Bay

A pretty intense storm passed through the area.  It's
around 1:00 p.m., but very dark.

Michael adding extra lines to keep Second Star secure

Arriving at the shopping area in Port Lucaya

Michael and Gerry strolling through the shopping area. 
It seemed pretty empty, but we were later told by the bus
driver that, by chance, we happened to pick the one day
of the week when there were no cruise ships in town.  
Otherwise, we would have shared the area with thousands of
tourists.

Browsing through the straw market.  This was an area
with probably 40 or 50 shops that all seemed to be selling
exactly the same thing -- T-shirts, beads, bags, hats, etc.

One of the convenience stores in the area had Anne's House of
Nut's products for sale.  This place is very close to our
home in Annapolis.  I bought about 20 bags of the
Oriental Party Mix to have on board the boat before leaving.
I paid 69 cents a bag.  Here they cost $4.35 each. Packaged products
such as cereal, chips, crackers and nuts are very expensive in the Bahamas.

This is one of the marinas in Port Lucaya.  Very colorful
picnic tables on the dock.

One of Gerry's favorite stores

Finally, a good picture of Dolphins jumping
(oh wait, they're not real)

Bird of Paradise



More beautiful flowers



Ghost, a pirate ship used in Pirates of the Carribean

Another shot of the boat

Michael and Jana aboard the pirate ship

Gerry, a pirate at heart

The beach at Lucaya

The hotel had a nice pool that ran parallel to the beach



Our new friends on the bus



Looking forward at some of the kids on the bus



Our seat mates



Couldn't bake a cake, so made birthday salmon dip for happy birthday
happy hour for Keith on Ken Bane