March 29, 2024

Ty's Take: Fun in the Sun

After a week of fun in the sun, velvety smooth beaches and the translucent waters of The Bahamas, I am back, rejuvenated, refreshed and ready for action.

I needed this trip in the worse way, and I feel all the more better for it. To put how much I needed it into perspective, I brought the camera I use for work with me and didn’t shoot a single shot with it. Why, you may wonder. Well, because then it would have felt like work.

One thing I did do was purchase an overpriced legal pad while at Port Lucaya, and I would take daily walks to beach to record my thoughts.  Some of which I would like to share in this welcome back edition of the Take.

Day 1

Straight from the beach at the Island Seas Resort in Freeport, Grand Bahama. Here, I am trying this whole “relaxing” thing I’ve heard so much about.

Step One, which is unplugging from the world, is courtesy of having a less than stellar wireless carrier. It has been surprisingly easy to not have to text, Tweet and Facebook.

Step Two is shutting my brain down, which hasn’t come as easily. I kind of regret not bringing my laptop because I have so much to write and I hate writing by hand. If my penmanship was as awesome as say Thomas Jefferson’s, this would be a different story.

Step Three, just sitting still, has been pretty easy. When you spent the previous day traveling for 20 hours to get here, sleeping-in, drinking from a coconut and curling your toes in the white sand is a nice treat.

From there I just rambled for a bit, so let’s jump ahead to Day 4, which actually starts with a recap of Day 3.

Day 4

Yesterday was pretty sweet. I teamed up with a former Marine on Veterans Day to catch a cab and go grocery shopping. (My resort’s shuttle had at least 40 people waiting to ride). Everything was SUPER expensive, but I made the wise decision to buy something to make a meal with.

So after I whipped up my little kitchen miracle, and too quote my boss, “I made an executive decision,” to go see Thor. By doing this, I knew I would have no way to get back to the hotel, since the buses would be stopped and I had no phone service.

But you only live once.

Once the movie was over, I had to figure out a way to get home from downtown. Me being me, I said “Meh” and started trying to walk back to Port Lucaya to find a cab. I passed several restaurants and gas stations in the three miles I walked (at night in a foreign county mind you) before I finally decided it might be time to get a cab.

Of course the one gas station of the six or so I passed didn’t have a working pay phone. So the helpful ladies at the counter asked a guy they knew to give me a ride back. The gentleman who was in the passenger seat seemed to be the only obstacle of me getting back to my room.

He demanded a $1.50 from me, and me being as cheap as I am, told him, “I don’t have it.” I was pretty taken aback by the whole situation.  He then changed it to 50 cents, and I pulled the Bahamian and American change I had in my pocket out (avoiding all the bills I had in that pocket) and gave him the two biggest silver pieces.

He then informed me one was a nickel and demanded the other quarter I held. I gave it to him. I mean, if I’m going to get robbed on vacation, spare change isn’t too much to lose. I had also wisely placed a $20 in my shoe before my walk began and threw my watch in my back pocket.

I may be dumb enough to walk around a foreign county at night, with no cell phone, and only the slightest clue as to where I am going, but I also think ahead.

So after that weird incident (the driver was oblivious to it), I got a ride back to Island Seas, and my helpful driver refused to take any compensations and just told me “Enjoy my time in The Bahamas.”

I have maybe 20 pages front to back of my ramblings in the islands, but I thought those two would give a pretty good inkling of the things I was getting into. I had a great time there, and the people of the islands are wonderful (minus change thief).

Now that I’m refreshed, look for the continued quality that I strive to provide to our readers and my “generic” vacation automatic-email reply has been disabled. So keep those tips coming in and just look for the bylines, because Ty is back!