Kangiebibi's Blog: June 2022

When I went to college & professional school, the 1 thing that helped me to chug along instead of giving up during my hardest times was my goal to travel to every country in the world and all 50 states with the money that I make, without help from my parents.

Probably I won't achieve this goal, but 1 country I've always wanted to visit was The Bahamas with someone I love--it is a rather romantic location. I'm not the type to wait around for someone to save me or love me, so as soon as the travel restrictions lifted, I went on an impromptu solo trip to The Bahamas--and I had the best 3 days of my life as I fell in love with the wildlife, the culture, and the people.

Day 1

I went straight to Baha Mar when I landed bc I had booked a flamingo encounter experience. I had about 3 hours to walk around & get some food.

Baha Mar was a such a beautiful resort that I almost regretted not staying there (perhaps next time!). I had 2 cocktails & a salad at Costa. The food was pretty pricey for what it was, but it was located next to a big pond & lush trees so I did get a great view:

Afterwards I walked around the resort & went to Cable Beach. The water was an absolutely pristine turquoise color--just breathtaking:

The flamingo (the national bird of The Bahamas) encounter experience was around 20 min. But I had a blast! I got to interact with Lynden, Indie, Baha and--I forgot the 4th flamingo's name. All 4 were quite friendly & approachable & didn't seem to mind being touched.

You will see flamingos around the property, but you won't be able to get up-close with them or feed them so I highly recommend this experience. Baha Mar has a sanctuary of other animals and activities, too.

(All links in the end)

Day 2: Exuma Islands!

My biggest wish on my bucket list was to swim with sharks--sharks are my favorite animals because they are some of the oldest animals in the world, outliving the dinosaurs, surviving mass extinction, and continuing to rule the oceans. I was so excited for Day 2!

I booked a full-day excursion to The Exumas to see the iguanas, pigs, and sharks.

The day started very early at around 7:30AM.

There were unlimited drinks on the boat & the captain & crew were so kind & easy to talk to. A crew member gave me "The Spongebob", which was basically just Bahamian punch with vodka:

1st stop was a small island with wild iguanas for about 20 min. The water around this island (well actually the water all over The Bahamas ) is crystal clear & warm. The iguanas were not scared of people and glady came over to eat the food we offered them:

Next stop: the nurse sharks at Compass Cay!!

Nurse sharks are generally not a threat to people. However, there have been instances where they bit humans & didn't let go. They were usually provoked in these cases. You can touch or "pet" them (they feel rough, like sandpaper) as they swim around you, but don't pull on their tails if you don't want to get bitten!

3rd stop: swimming pigs!

The pigs, like the iguanas, are used to people so they are approachable as well. In fact some of them even swim out to the boats because they know people are going to feed them.

Lunch was at a buffet in yet another island. The food was better than what I ate at Costa--the buffet has a variety of food & a bar. The Sands beer is officially my favorite beer:

The last stop was Pablo Escobar's sunken ship & a secluded beach for another ~20 min to swim & relax.

Day 3:

The Bahamas doesn't have Uber or Lyft. It's best to book a taxi/private transportation because public transportation isn't very frequent and you have to flag one down to get on. I had difficulty differentiating between regular cars and buses because Bahamian buses are quite small.

It's also a good idea to book a tour guide because you'll save more time. They know what you should see and where you should go.

AJ, my tour guide from Luxton Ace was so friendly and accommodating.

I wasn't sure what to do for my 3rd day so he suggested visiting Paradise Island to check out the famous Atlantis.

I'm not a huge fan of casinos but Atlantis resort has a variety of activities you can do. It has its own water park modeled after the myth of the lost Empire of Atlantis, restaurants, luxury shopping, and even an aquarium.

We visited 2 forts. Fort Montague was built in 1741 entirely out of limestone and is the oldest fort in The Bahamas. Nearby, there was a local conch stand. Conch is very popular in The Bahamas and stands are easy to find. You will also see conchs at restaurants but I highly recommend trying a local stand because they only use fresh conch. You can even watch how they shell the conch. I tried conch salad & conch fritters (fried conch) but conchs can be cooked in a variety of ways. You can also drink fresh coconut water at coconut stands.

The last place we went to was The Queen's Staircase. AJ told me that 600 slaves built this staircase by hand out of pure limestone. Originally there were 66 steps but the government renovation of the staircase left 65 stairs made of bricks. When you get to the bottom of the staircase, you will see some beautiful trees. I was fascinated by how this tree was still alive when half its roots are not in soil.

&& that's a wrap! This was probably the best 3-day weekend of my life. I simply fell in love with The Bahamas, its beautiful beaches, wildlife, and most of all the kind, welcoming people. Because tourism is the #1 industry in The Bahamas, the Bahamians are used to tourists and everyone you meet will go out of their way to make you feel comfortable and welcome. Overall, I felt that The Bahamas is very safe and you can easily go by yourself without fear. However The Bahamas is a pretty expensive destination. Everything is imported so prices can be astronomical--you definitely have to save up.

I drink tap water, so I don't know if this price is reasonable, but $7+ for 1 bottle of water seemed pretty crazy to me! (& P.S. Isn't this conch bag so cute??)

There are so many places I want to visit but not enough time, so it's hard for me to re-visit a country. But I know I will definitely come back to The Bahamas! And next time around I plan to go swimming/diving with hammerhead sharks~