Yesterday, being my last full day here in Nassau, we hung out on the beach most of the day. Dinner last night was my choice so I elected to return to the “Fish Fry” but this time we tried the “Big 10″ for more Bahamian Grouper! The buses ($1.25 ea. way) run often so we walked to the street and hopped on and headed all the way to the end of the bus line in town (right by the cruise ship docks) and walked around. Eventually made our way up the beach back to the Fish Fry. Along the way are all these darling, colorful huts & stands where they sell all sorts of stuff including drinks. Taking pictures all the way. Ships, docks, people, palm trees…everything! Trying to soak it all up!

We returned to the hotel and located an ice cream parlor (Beaches and Cream!) on the property (thank GOD we found it the last night!!) and stopped in for a couple of scoops and ate it right across the way and sang some Karaoke! WHAT?!!  Once we finished butchering a couple of crowd favorites we settled in down in the lower lobby with some other fans of American Idol and watched last night’s performances. That was fun, actually…talking Idol with a bunch of strangers! I’ll miss the results show as I’ll be landing about then. I’ll survive!

As I go through this travel day (on my own…Baker’s stay ’til Saturday), I know I won’t be able to wipe the smile off my face. Thanks Baker’s for allowing me the opportunity to join in again this year! I love you all very  much. See you soon!

(P.S.) For some strange reason, my incoming e-mail as quit. I’ll get to e-mail once I return home. Thank you for your patience.

I should back up just a bit to let you know that they didn’t just throw us down there to the sharks. Our first dive was actually more of a “test” run for us to warm up to the idea of being in and amongst all the sharks. Because we were a small group they opted to let us do the feeding right on the deck of this 120+ foot wreck. This ship was at a depth of 35 ft to the deck and 70 ft to the sand. When I first hopped into the water and grabbed a hold of the line I stuck my face in and looked down and my heart immediately began to race. Not out of fear but more of excitement! I could see the sharks and the wreck as if they were just beyond my fins. The visibility was outstanding! I waited for Anne (she and I were ‘buddies’) and we headed down the line. First, we all descended to the deck of the bow and gathered as a group then swam off to check out the wreck. Keep in mind that at this moment we are swimming around with sharks and countless fish. Immediately, Terrie spotted a GIANT stingray so we all swam over, watched and waited for it to lift itself from a thin layer of sand and float off…it was a sight to behold! Then we roamed around the ship, in and out, and met back up on the deck…bottom time, about 35-40 minutes..it goes so fast! 3 minute safety stop at about 15 ft then back to the boat.

Then, like golf, we sit around (with our wetsuits undone to our waists) and talk about our dive! “Did you see the….?” For about 30 minutes we rest and switch tanks and get the briefing on the actual “feeding” of the sharks…what to do and what NOT to do (as I wrote earlier). Altho’ I alerted my bank to the fact that I would be here before I came down, I ran into a bit of a glitch when ordering some digital files from our dives and am waiting for them to work that out. As soon as I get the images you can be certain that all 4 of us will be changing our profile pic and I’ll be uploading them and adding them to the  photo album of this trip!

This was an amazing experience and I recommend it highly! This was no “show”, no “circus act”, nothing rehearsed, just wild, reef sharks, in their element…we just got to watch. Truly awesome.

After a tour around the grounds, where Liz (Pete’s sister) attended school as a child, we headed towards the bridge to Paradise Island where, at the base, is a cozy marina restaurant (on the water, of course!) called “The Poop Deck”. I may never be able to order fish at another restaurant ever again! This Mahi Mahi was OUT OF THIS WORLD! Served with the island standard “peas & rice”.

Caught a cab back to the hotel to get some sun. Pete and the girls took kyaks out while Anne and I held down a couple of lounge chairs! This would be the night where we would make our way to the famous “Fish Fry” area. If you’ve never been, it’s this block of tiny restaurants, one right on top of the other, all serving the greatest fish. Okay, I know I said I may never order fish again…..but that was after I ate at Andros with Big Mama! Grilled. Bahamian. Grouper. WOW! Glad we got there at 7 cuz this (and all the other restaurants) were PACKED to the gills (pardon the pun!)

We also sought out the bent palm tree on the beach that Pete has photographed on previous trips and had a little photo session. It’s right down the beach from the Fish Fry area.

This big day got bigger when Pete suggested we all get in a van and head over to Paradise Island to the Atlantis for Ben & Jerry’s…I was DYING!!! So full.

Another early night for the 7 of us. Penny, Liz’s friend leaves today (Monday) and Liz will sit with Emily and Amanda while Pete, Anne and I go diving this afternoon. Same outfit (Stuart Cove’s), same time but today, well…I’ll save it for when we complete it!

We had dinner on the property last night at an Italian restaurant and I have to say that I was mighty impressed. Great food, tasty and well presented…coupled with a great Chianti! Altho’ we were all pretty wiped from the day we stopped outside and played ping pong and I assisted Amanda in her quest to beat her dad at the giant checkers! Duh! Winning! 

Sunday is family day in the Bahamas. Like Mexico, families flock to the beaches and hang out all day together. We will start ours by attending church at Sacred Heart, in town, with Pete’s Aunties and perhaps grab a bite at the “Poop Deck” at Sandy Beach.

Sunny, 80 something, light winds, calm seas.

Before dinner last night, we hopped on the bus and went directly to A. Baker & Sons (about a 5 mile-20 min trip) to meet up with Pete’s Aunts. This store is odd to say the least. Everything you could think of neatly packaged in bins with hand written labels on them…”White T-Shirts – Large $5.  Some items new, some items used, most in original packaging but behind the counter, out of reach of the customers. You simply ask “Do you have any women’s shoes?” and they bring to the counter what they have in stock that day for you to decide if it’s what you want.  I liken it to a consignment store but with a little (and I’m dating myself here) La Belle’s thrown in. I did not bring my camera along but we’ll visit them again and will definitely have it with me. I shot some video on my phone and will share that on fb when I get back.

After our visit we all walked down to the, I know..not proud of this but…Nassau Hard Rock and from there we grabbed a cab and took the new bridge over to Paradise Island and checked out the famous Atlantis. WOW! This is the craziest hotel on the planet. Seriously, it’s like Vegas on an island. You need a map to get around! It started to get dark while we were there and so we didn’t really get to “see” all there was to see but from what I could see I’m pretty sure that it’s not somewhere that I would stay. Too massive. The fish tank was amazing…I got some great video of that!  We all ran into Ben & Jerry’s for a scoop and then headed all the way back up to our hotel. An early night last night…wanted to be fresh for diving!

Altho’ I posted some images on my fb page I thought I’d throw this one up of my sister enjoying a (literally) hand crafted umbrella drink from a gentleman walking the beach. The first one is $8 (labor included) and the refill is only $4! Yum.

I’ve never been so this is all new to me. I decided, back in January, to click “purchase” on a round trip ticket to the Bahamas and join my sister’s family (minus Ben) on their Spring Break. Now, I know I was just in Mexico with Gary but…really…can you blame me? We spent the better part of the day traveling yesterday and with a bit of a delay in Atlanta we landed around 5pm.

Customs, a breeze. We all hopped in a van and headed to the hotel. Pete, being the local, sat in front next to the driver (Larry) and within minutes, Pete and Larry were talking about Pete’s family and how Larry knew of Pete’s father, Useph (who passed away over 40 years ago) and his uncle George. It seemed as if during the cab ride the two of them were old friends.

Settled in our rooms we quickly hit the town and grabbed a bite at “Conch Fritters” (I kept calling it “The Crab Shack”…turns out, I’m turning into my mother!)

Pete showed us where his family’s store is  “A Baker & Sons” (closed…we’ll hit that another day) and we peeked into the newly remodeled Hilton for a night cap then we decided to get back to our place and listened to some live music in our lobby bar area. We all turned into pumpkins a  midnight. Big first day.

What I know for sure right now…..the local beer (Kalik), in a can, at our hotel is $8.05 and a coke at the pool (in a glass with ice) is $3.00. A Coke, served to you at the beach (in a glass and by the time it gets to you the ice is melted), is $3.75 and an ice cold can of Coke in the hotel store…..$2.50.

Having a BALL!!!

I’ve recently returned from a working vacation in Mexico. The city of Playa del Carmen, located in the state of Quintana Roo (Q. Roo as it’s known), boasts many hotels to say the very least and even in the midst of a recession, that list is growing. That said, it is this photographer’s opinion that Lunata is among the most quaint. I’ve stayed there and photographed it so many times that I was requested to bring my gear along on this trip and capture it’s essence to later be shared on their website and other media materials. How do you turn that down?

This hotel is located on the famous 5th Ave, a completely pedestrian walk way filled with shops ranging from Swarovski to the local silver vendors and restaurants ranging from the very local Ajua to the very American and sought by some, Starbucks. Kids picky about food or not feeling adventurous? There’s both a McDonald’s and a Burger King. If you can’t find it on 5th Ave., you don’t know what you’re looking for. Whether you have pesos or US dollars, it makes no difference here. But we like to exchange US for pesos ‘cuz, well…it’s part of the experience and it’s more colorful! 

Back to Lunata. This darling gem is located on 5th Ave. between 6th and 8th street and consists of only 10 rooms. 6 that face 5th Ave. and 4 that face the serene, lush garden. What I love is that they have decided to name the habitaciones (rooms) rather than number them. My favorite? tough to pick…but twice I’ve stayed in “Cordelia”…large, 1 King bed on the 5th side (all the rooms on the 5th side have sweet little balconies overlooking the street  so you can people watch from the comfort of your own room!). I’ve also stayed in 2 of the garden side rooms. I just simply recommend that you stay. Let Fabiola pick for you and you won’t be disappointed. With breakfast available each morning in the garden at 8am (included in the cost of the rooms) you can wake up slowly and even get to know the other guests of the hotel. Don’t bother wasting valuable space in your luggage with beach towels either as Lunata has those available to their guests as well. All of the little details are covered and while they have WiFi in all the rooms Lunata now has a community computer for you to check your flight, your bank balance and even your e-mail and, if you must, you can even update your Facebook status!  Creature comforts….covered.

I love this hotel. You will too. Tell Fabiola I sent you! She truly is FABulous!

I’ve posted some shots that I took on this most recent trip on my Facebook Fan Page.

I have to say, and I know I’m not alone on this one, that while destination weddings are a lot of work the rewards and results are always outstanding. Gorgeous backdrops are a given but getting to spend more time with the entire group of guests, leading up to the big day, makes you feel like family and everyone seems to loosen up more!

(Destination Wedding pricing is quoted individually and available upon request)

My sister’s family and I were poolside as the staff at the Marriott was prepping for a beach wedding on Palm Sunday. I grabbed this shot before things got crazy, I couldn’t resist!

This trip was pure pleasure and relaxation for me and an escape from the past 5 months of my mother’s illness and passing. It was so good to be there with family!

Pete, my brother-in-law, turned and asked me if I’d like him to take my photo and I handed him my camera and he got this great shot of me. Thanks, Pete! Thank you for everything!

I’m waiting to get shots off Pete’s underwater camera from our dive & I’ll post those another day. Above sea level, below sea level, we had a fabulous time!

Thanks, again, Bakers! I love you.

This is a shot that Anne took when we were in
Mexico a couple of years ago. The hotel lied
about having internet connections for guests.
Well, more like stretched the truth.
The day the girls got their braids, I found a
computer and they charged about a buck a minute!!

There’s WiFi at the Mimi so it pains me not
to bring the laptop. And AT&T told me that
as long as there’s WiFi I can get on my iPhone
and so I may even mobile upload shots to my
Facebook account! Trust me, this is how I relax.
Gary likes to read and float, I like to write!
However, I just write in the morning, he’ll read
all afternoon. hmmmm
Thank goodness we both like the beach and buckets
of beer!

Again…me, relaxing!

…and Gary relaxing.

…me relaxing.

Gary relaxing.

Woops…here’s Jimbo relaxing!

Gary’s best friend, Jimbo, likes to
join us from time to time when we hit
Playa del Carmen…I’m certain this year
will be no different!

Good times. Noodle salad.