Island Adventure Day 4
November 16, 2012

The problem with writing a blog while on a business trip is that everyone thinks you are having a holiday when you are actually working. Today was one such day.  We woke up at about 6am and so it seems the jet lag is beaten. I had no formal meetings today but both Paul and I decided to spend the morning working anyway. The ladies went and did the sunbathing thing as it was a lovely blue sky day.  The hotel is a lot busier now that more actuaries have arrived.  Helen spent the morning playing spot the actuary (much to her own delight). While the ladies sunbathed Paul and I spent some time (rare time given how seldom we see each other these days) discussing business issues.

We decided to at least get out for lunch and headed into the town center for lunch. Paul had previously seen a Greek restaurant and so we ended up there. Strange eating Greek food in Bahamas but then again you can pretty much eat any food in the Bahamas – it is a really mixed culture. After lunch we went to the supermarket to buy some Hagendaus ice cream because Paul can’t travel overseas without eat Hagendaus ice cream.

The real reason for going into town was because I had heard about the ‘Queens Staircase’ and was told it was a must see site in Nassau. There are 66 steps though originally there were 67 (one has eroded). They were built at the end of a tunnel from the governor’s manor to that point to assist in fleeing an invasion. As it turned out no one ever invaded the island and so none of was ever used (except for tourists today). We also ambled around the fort at the top which is the highest point on the island and so therefore you get great views all around of the island.  We completed the trip but walking back into town and finding a taxi to get back to our hotel.

Taxi’s in Nassau are very much like SA taxis. Beaten up, minivans. The difference is that you can have a whole one to yourself versus having 4 people per row as we do in SA.  I spent the afternoon working and Helen caught a few more rays by the poolside. We had dinner arranged with the other South Africans and we have just gotten back now (10pm). A nice relaxed dinner at a restaurant called Van Bruegels (owned by a Dutchman). The food was quite good. The wine ridiculous expensive (I could buy a case for the same price in SA). Some people tried conch (remembered pronounced ‘conk’) for the first time. And a number of people (including Helen and I) had Mahi Mahi for our main course.

It was a chilled day but then we have come to realize that everything is quite chilled here.  Nothing much happens and so you just got along with the pace of the place and that would be a pace of slow to very slow. There is never any rush. There is plenty of time in the day. Tomorrow is another day and the sun will shine and rise & set. Tomorrow is also a day that I am fully occupied the whole day.  I am fearing the effect on my wallet.

2 thoughts on “Island Adventure Day 4

  1. Bryan had a good chuckle this morning while reading your blog and I wondered what he was laughing at. I know now – your last comment re you fearing the effect on your wallet. He sympathises with you, as ‘when the cats away, the mice will play’, so they say:)

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