Month: June 2010

Wednesday
June 9, 2010

Last full day in the Bahamas, and lots to do. Unlike yesterday we decided to go no further South than Governor’s Harbor and keep mostly to the North. We started the day by heading as far North as we would go to Glass Window Bridge, a narrow strip of rocky land that connects the upper third of the island to the lower two thirds. On the NE side the ocean is a dark blue with large swells crashing against the cliffs, but on the other side it’s a calm, electric aqua/teal bay (or something resembling a bay). The contrast is nothing short of breathtaking. The road through there has been torn up (washed away?) and rebuilt so many times it’s something of a slow rolling drive, with one point so narrow only one car can pass at a time. Needless to say we jumped out cameras a blazing.

Our next stop was a couple of hundred hards to the South at a turnout in the road that Heather & Susan had told us about, which allowed us to hike over to the cliffs, cave and tide pools on the NE side. With the storm clouds brewing in the distance, the dark blue water and big swells crashing against the rock we were mesmerized. As I climbed down to one of the large pools near the cave a large, rogue wave came in and broke so hard and high it almost washed me into one of the tide pools and who knows where else. Luckily I saw it first and both braced myself for it and held my camera high enough that it didn’t get wet (Sara got some photos of it below). Still, it was a really cool spot and I’m glad we stopped and made the effort to hike over to the cliffs and tide pools.

From there we headed back South exploring the beaches along the way including Moon Flower Bay (one of our favorites), Hidden Beach and the beach at Cocodimamas. As you drive down the little dirt road into Moon Flower Bay from the main road you pass numerous partially completed homes, mostly just frames with a roof. A little eery and yet beautiful in their own way. I don’t know what it is about the wood down here, but even the worn, weathered 2X4s used in the frames were beautiful barren of their wall coverings (don’t know if they use plaster board or something else down here). Once you get to the bay on the left side up on the cliff is a big home that’s actually completed (almost startling considering all the homes we passed that weren’t). If I’m not mistaken the home belongs to Lenny Cravitz who’s from Eleuthera.

Throughout the day we stopped at various road side points of interest whether settlements, piers or just random spots we just had to stop and photograph (it’s what we do!). There was so much to see and photograph that we ended up neither swimming or snorkeling during the day, just taking photos, even after we got back to Squire Estates. In the end it didn’t matter, it was a great day full of great memories & experiences that more than made up for yesterday, and made us both grateful we stayed here rather than back on Harbor Island.

The grain elevators that dot the road in the middle of nowhere as you head South from Glass Bridge.

The way we leaped out of the car and hurried off the side of the road with our cameras firing you would have thought we were marines practicing a pursuit of the enemy…

The Glass Window Bridge. On one side, the deep, dark blue ocean; on the other, calm, brilliant turquoise waters, separated by twisting, rocky, rutted road that has been rebuilt numerous times.

Just beyond the bridge is a turnout where you can park and hike down to the tide pools and caves on the west side. Looking up the coast on the hike over…

Looking north.

In for a closer look.

The rocky terrain…volcanic I think…

The large cave dug into the cliff side.

From Sara’s POV…see the large wave that almost took me out? Yeah, me too, just not soon enough to get out of the way…

At least I kept the camera dry!

This is what I came to look at…crystal clear waters.

One more look back up the coast (or is it down?).

A small settlement along the way…and eventual location where Sara got 2 of her conch shells.

Look ma, right-hand driving!

Moon Flower Bay —

One of numerous unfinished beach homes dotting the road in.

Clearly someone knew what they were doing when they tried to develop this – the most beautiful bay we came across on our trip. Sara got the jump on me and was the first one to the water…

Our trusty steed…er, old gray mare.

Didn’t have much time as lunch was pressing, so it was off to the next beach…Hidden Beach.

A cool little boat we saw as we were heading to Cocodimamas for lunch.

Cocodimamas. Another late lunch but an awesome one, and yet another lost opportunity to go for a swim afterwards (the brewing storm was a little intimidating – at one point a little funnel cloud could be seen trying to drop down on the other side of the bay)…

In addition to a restaurant there are several bungalows and ‘condos’ that you can rent. This was one of the places we considered and if we ever come back here I think we’ll stay here. A great beach, cool vibe and delicious food…what more could you ask for?

Just off shore was this cool little boat tide up. I didn’t get many shots with my iphone, but I did with the 50D.

This beach had a ton of shells on it, many of which still had little critters in them. This one was just under the water about a foot (the water is so clear it would have almost looked the same under 3 feet of water).

Hard to see, but this was my shadow…

Looking back at Cocodimamas from the little blue boat.

The same boat as earlier in the day (post) on our way back to Buccaneer Hill. This time when we stopped at this pier there were a couple of guys who helped Sara find the best conch shells (when we stopped earlier we were a little apprehensive about just taking the shells since we didn’t know if it was ‘bad form’ or not – these guys put our minds at ease…there are so many shells they really don’t care).

We were so tired after lunch and it was so late we headed back to Squire Estates, grabbed showers, took more photos around the place (that follow) and hung out with our adopted stray.

See? Tired.

The view from the front porch of the larger house.

The house across the street.

Sara found this old bottle under one of the palm trees…must have been over a hundred years old by the look of it. Who knows, maybe it belonged to a pirate or the governor?

Tuesday
June 8, 2010

How time flies! After a great night sleep we grab some shots of the big house next door and a quick breakfast of Trader Joe’s instant oatmeal (or was it Costco’s?), then it was off for our first day of exploring Eleuthera with high hopes. Our first stop was Lighthouse Point at the most southern point of the island, or at least that was the plan. The road signs on the way down were all pretty much hand-painted, and the further south we drove the fewer there were. When we reached what looked like the end of the main road there were several dirt roads to choose from and no signs so after we took one that led nowhere fast we stopped and asked for directions. It didn’t take long before we both knew we might have to change plans for the day. The dirt road quickly deteriorated into something requiring at least better tires and more ground clearance than what we had and possibly 4WD (we turned around at a steep hill after about 45 agonizingly slow minutes of crawling along). At one point a Toyota Forerunner passed us encouraging us to continue (and suggesting that if we ran into problems they were at least in the area and could offer help/assistance), but given our lack of clearance and confidence in our car (not to mention our bald front tires), and the fact we were miles from anywhere without a phone or other means to call for help if we flatted or punctured the oil pan we decided to bail on this one. Too bad, everyone that has been there says it’s spectacular, but it will have to wait for another day.

As we headed back north to a spot we had read about for lunch and snorkeling some locals beckoned us to stop at this tower on a hill with a 360 degree view of the area, which we did. It was worth the 20 minute delay but at this point it was getting later in the afternoon and we still hadn’t eaten lunch (starting to feel like yesterday!). Without much of a map and only a few directions or road signs we per chance happened upon the place we were looking for, and although it was late in the day our host Ruby obliged us with a delicious home-cooked meal (her home is the ‘beach’ restaurant/bar on the bluff overlooking the ocean). Again the atmosphere was very authentically Eleutheran (kitschy and, well, cheap, weathered and old) but the food was great and we had some conversational company this time (some guy on a business trip studying the area for an eco-resort).

Instead of snorkeling there which we should have done after lunch, we went in search of this other place which turned out to be a big inland water hole, presumably fed by the ocean, but it just didn’t look very appealing and frankly we were both tired and a little frustrated so we headed back towards Governor’s Harbor and nearby Pineapple Fields where we had originally booked our stay in hopes of a good beach and swim until dinner. Turns out the beach was narrower than expected but beautiful and the water cool, plus we had the place to ourselves so we just swam and hung out until dinner at Tippy’s located at the end of the beach/bay. Several people had recommended the place – the people were warm and friendly and the food was excellent but the best part was the view and proximity to the ocean.

It was a good day all in all but more of an adventure than we had hoped, and frankly a little disappointing since we didn’t see Lighthouse Point or go snorkeling. Still, beats being back home in Seattle…

Some shots of the big house. Pretty cool table although when I bumped it I thought it was going to roll away…

Nice kitchen…something we didn’t have in our unit (it wasn’t that ours wasn’t, we just didn’t have one).

Even the ceilings were stylish.

The walkway from the front porch to the street.

Once that was out of our system we hit the road. First stop, an old sign on the side of the road.

In case you were wondering, ‘the road’…

The only shot we (Sara) got of our efforts to drive the dirt road to Lighthouse Point…doesn’t look too bad in the photo but trust me, in our little Toyota it was treacherous to say the least. OK, is ‘tenuous’ any better? Whatever, it was intense…

Since we didn’t make it to Lighthouse Point I didn’t take any other shots until we stopped at the tower. This is the old ruin at the top of the hill/base of the tower. The shots that follow are from or around the tower.

Rubies for lunch. Cute, but not what you call 5 star (not that we were looking for 5 star mind you).

The bar…not hopping at this time of day although there were 7 other people at the place while we were.

Outdoor dining area.

The view.

Back on the road and a stop at a beach-side ruin.

One of the beaches we stopped at looking for a place to snorkel…didn’t find it here, but was still pretty.

Some shots from the town/settlement of Tarpum Bay. Some of the buildings like this look like they were around when pirates roamed these parts…probably were.

Our last stop of the day – the beach across the street from Pineapple Fields where Tippy’s is located.

You know me, can’t resist a closeup of something interesting, even if it’s the sand after the waves wash back into the ocean.

Like I said, narrow beach. Probably wider at low tide as there’s a considerable drop off in the sand where the waves were crashing.

Don’t know where this trail lead to but it was intriguing…

While I explored Sara decompressed from the adventure of the day.

Heading up the beach for my towel and swim trunks. Enough photos, time to swim…

A view of Tippy’s on the way back to the car. They assured me that know one had ever been bitten by a shark here.

Sara hadn’t moved while I was away and with some assurances that sharks this late in the day weren’t an issue she joined me in the water (I think she figured if they hadn’t gotten me yet she was safe, or at least if they did they’d go for the bigger meal first). Either way the water was beautiful.

Waiting for our ‘reservations’ time before dinner outside on Tippy’s deck as are the detail shots that follow. Lovely and charming…seriously, why would this be such a bad place to live?

Close up of the table where Sara was sitting…authentic wouldn’t you say? Nothing phony around here.

Old mine or old buoy outside the patio deck.

The view. See what I mean?

Yet another stray we wanted to take home. Bahamian dogs are the only dogs known to look both ways before crossing the street (no lie). This one was looking for some handouts but was also running along the beach and playing/swimming in the ocean…either having fun or trying to rid himself of flees.

Yup, I was actually there.

Finally we’re hungry enough for dinner…Sara contemplating which conch dishes to order (she got 2). Me? I ordered the chicken…still not confident I can eat seafood without a reaction.

The waiters haul this large menu board around from table to table, but it’s charming.

The smaller version for drinks or regular menu items (I think the larger one was for specials or limited offerings).

I did mention that even the ceilings are charming…and I mean just about every place we went the ceilings were beautiful, stylish or charming. Maybe it’s because none of them are dry wall…

Cleaver door handles.

A look through the screen doors…the only thing between us and the ‘noseeums’.

I kept running back out to the deck to photograph the sunset at least until I finally started embarrassing Sara. I couldn’t help myself, what can I say?

We went home full and satisfied after the long day. Life in Paradise for at least another day ahead…