Cruisin' - 2

We sailed overnight and arrived at our first stop, Nassau, Bahamas, about noon on Saturday. Most people hit the shops - jewelry is a big attraction. I opted for a guided walking tour. My guide was Vernita, who was pleasant, but a bit like a rent-a-tape: Go to tourstop 1; push the play button; listen to the tape; go to tourstop 2, etc. For the most part the tour centered on the government buildings - Nassau is the capital of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

Just a taste of history to make this thing educational: The Bahamas received their independence from Britain in 1973. The chief exec is the Governor General who reports to the Queen. There are 700 islands and 2000 cays (small islands of sand atop coral reefs) in the archipelago that makes up the Bahamas. Only 40 islands are inhabited. Each island has a rep in the country's Parliament. Here are a couple of government buildings.

No, I don't think this is called the Pink House.

Also walked by several churches. I'm always fascinated by old, downtown churches. Here are the Presbyterian and Methodist churches. Went back later to look inside but they were both locked.

One of the Nassau attractions is the super-luxurious Atlantis Resort, located on Paradise Island adjacent to Nassau. More info here. The Mike and Jeff Easterling families had opted for a paid excursion for a guided tour of the grounds, see aquariums (aquaria? - this is the dawning of the age of aquaria, ... ), and to hear stories about the lost continent, Atlantis. There's also a large waterpark at Atlantis with slides and the opportunity to swim with dolphins, for additional fees. None of our group did that, but I've heard reports that the dolphin-encounter is a fantastic experience.

In late afternoon the rest of us took cabs to Atlantis. For free, we could roam the lobby and see the large aquarium located there.

Back in Nassau, we opted for the Senor Frog Bar and Grill. As luck would have it, they had a karaoke show going. With a large, enthusiastic group there, celebrating Susie’s birthday, still, it wasn’t long until the emcee/singer invited Susie on stage for a duet. She went without much protest, she's so shy - said no one would know her here - and put on a show.

Next day, on a tender taking us from the Monarch to Cococay (the Royal Caribbean’s private island), lady next to us said, Aren’t you the Susie celebrating her 70th? I saw you last night singing at Senor Frog’s. She was so embarrassed - NOT.

Anyhow, back to the ship for buffet and a magic show that was quite entertaining.

Cheers,

Susie and Rob