School BBQ and Bonfire

As a sort of celebration for completing the first test in this program, the administration invited all of the students to a BBQ/Bonfire. We were bussed to Taino Beach, which is on the other side of a canal near where we live. There was a pretty nice facility and the beach was really clean and nice as well.  

There is a nice dock that extends thirty feet or so into the ocean, and it provided a very clear view into the water. We spent the first little while there, while everyone else was milling around.

The weather has been a little on the crummy side for the past week, so we actually had to wear long pants! That is only the second time since we've been here.

While we were on the dock, we were able to see this huge manta-ray! It was so cool and speckled. 

I know this picture doesn't seem that cool, but the DJ at this place was something else. He would play and sing everything himself. They were all songs that we knew, but it was quite difficult deciphering what the song was at the time.

These are a bunch of Reed's classmates playing an epic round of volleyball. Apparently it was a very one-sided game, we found out afterward.

There was definitely a common theme with the decor around the facility here. It revolved around beer advertisements. Luckily though, this party did not allow alcohol to be brought or purchased there. It was really nice for us.

Once again, we couldn't get away from the beer bottles...

They had these sweet paddle boats just hanging out in front of the facility. Reed and I really wanted to take them out for a spin. 

For dinner we had traditional Bahamian cuisine. They eat a lot of peas and rice, baked mac and cheese, fish and chicken. It was neat to try their different foods. Everything was pretty tasty too.

For the bonfire, they had a ring of beach chairs set up for us. It was interesting to see that they just dug a large hole and set up the logs inside that. 

When it was time to actually start the fire, it took about 20 minutes. There was no kindling used, but I guess that doesn't matter when 5 or so gallons of gasoline are thrown on the logs...It was a little more tense for us when we realized the guy dousing the logs was smoking with his other hand!

The school administration also arranged for a fire dancer to come and perform. We were excited to see that, but were slightly confused when no one came down by the fire. She did a few cool tricks and singed some hair off of one of the volunteers. She also extinguished the flames in her mouth, which was impressive. 

Performing along with the fire dancer were some of the employees dressed in local ethnic garb...too bad you could see their street clothes underneath. They played the same beat over and over on their drums and were accompanied by a guy with a gym whistle. Quite the headache.  

Resort Town

The main things that the Bahamas is known for are the luxurious resorts and white, sandy beaches. Tourism has always been a part of this island, and people have flocked here to enjoy the island feel. What we did not know however, is that tourism is the only industry on this island. There is no economy without it.  

All of the money on the island seems to go to these resorts, so they are all in good repair with the hedges trimmed and grass cut. This resort hardly ever has people staying in this wing here, so we decided we should take advantage of the photo op. 

We have never seen people in or near this pool in the 6 weeks we've been here, so I thought it would be nice to take a load off. This is one of three pools this hotel has.

We found out this pool is actually heated, and feels so nice! The ocean water and also most of the pools we've been around are fairly chilly water, so it needs to be a really nice day to swim. There is a bar behind Reed where the shutters open to serve drinks to people in the pool. There are actually stools under water, although this too has never been open.

We thought this gazebo was pretty, and took a couple shots. It overlooks the marina here and at all times of the day you can see boats and yachts of all sizes.  

 

Here is another shot of the marina and the huge resort across the way.











Here Reed is showing off his flexibility and long legs. I couldn't reach, so I'm glad he could at least show off a bit.












 We haven't been able to determine if this lighthouse is actually used, or if it's decoration. We haven't seen it on, but I guess we're not normally out in stormy weather...

This is an entrance to yet another resort. Since tourism is down quite a bit this year, many of these places have not been full at all. We still see tourist all over, but most come in from cruise ships to spend the afternoon.





This is by far our favorite resort to visit; it is called The Grand Lucayan. We have to be careful to not look suspicious though, we have already gotten kicked out once. We like to walk through this hotel to the beach, because it's air conditioned and beautiful as well. They are tricky here though, they make you wear a wristband to show you're staying at the resort. Bummer...

The Grand Lucayan resort also has this beautiful pool overlooking the ocean. We want to swim in it so badly, but don't want to get into trouble.









They also have a lap pool that the local high school swim team uses. We could pass for high schoolers, right?

This is a view of one of the restaurants on the beach, owned by the last resort. We have never seen it open though, there aren't enough people to warrant having it open I guess.

There is a barbecue shack on the beach as well. They sell the typical burgers and fries, but they also have more Bahamian things like conch and chips.