51peg is a band from the Washington DC area. Interesting music... Difficult to categorize... Very heavy and deep
When this page loads, hit the stop button on the top right music player to stop the song (you have to click it twice)... Then, scroll down to the video player on the left and watch the video (again you have to click it twice)... I saw this group Friday night... The chick that plays the SYNTH is unbelievable!!
http://www.myspace.com/51peg
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Friday, November 10, 2006
My Chemical Romance
For all you alternative music lovers out there... If you get a chance watch "Welcome To The Black Parade". I saw these guys do the song on Saturday Night Live last week... What a SMOKIN HOT PERFORMANCE!!!!
I'd love to have a quality copy of the SNL video if anyone TIVO'd it... !!!
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Bahamas Taino Beach July 2006
Intro... This is my first attempt at BLOG writing, and this paragraph was written well after our return. So if I messed everything up, we can call it a learning experience. After our first few hours, I decided it would be nice to try out the new Internet Cafe at the resort, and what better thing to do than document our trip.. I tried to include as much detail as possible, without killing my fingers and spending all day typing... I hope I least covered the highlights... If I missed anything, there's always NEXT YEAR!!
Hint: If you click the images below, they will open full-size so you can absorb the full effect...
Well, Saturday started off good enough. Nice smooth airflights... I like that... Then, when we got here from the airport, we checked into our resort... and Rain... Along with the rain though, came cool temperatures. Now anyone who knows Bahamas in July knows that the temperatures are NOT usually cool... So, that was actually pretty nice.
We got our room, spaced around the resort, then the rains really came. Steve saw a water spout form not too far from where we are staying... A big one. What a surprise that was. Steve and Beth got pictures of it, so I'm hoping to post it at some point... The pictures look good on camera, but they haven't been uploaded to a PC yet.
We planned a trip over to Port Lucaya, but we couldn't make it because of the rain. So, we had pizza, watched the rain and lightning, then got a good nights sleep...
Then comes Sunday... COFFEE please!!! I found some... I went to the breakfast room early and got some... Then I see Steve looking for me. He wants to go the grocery store and get food for the week but the shuttle is overwhelmed. Ha! No match for Steve, he grabs a Taxi!! However, I wasn't quite awake yet, so I didn't go to the grocery. He made it back with lots of food for the week. Cool... So then we went to breakfast... Mmm good... Pancakes, eggs, more coffee... I needed it...
Then, my bro hit the amusements... He setup the snorkeling gear, waverunners, the bonfire, and other stuff, so we head for the beach. My favorite niece in the whole wide world went snorkeling with me, along with her friend Beth. It was cool... We saw lots of nice fish... Swallowed some water, and kept going... But, then it was time to come back... About that time, what do I see? A sting-ray... Hiding under a rock... So I come to the surface, and let the girls know so they can see it... Typical girls, they scream and run away... Ha! So I go back under and watch it for a while... It was definitely doing a good job of hiding under the rock. So I watched for a while, then we headed back to civilization on the beach... And on to the pool, where I discovered it was happy hour... 2 for 1 Yellow Birds... Yummy...
After all that, what do I decide? To start a blog of the trip... A record for future centuries... For all the worlds people to see and read. It actually works pretty well cause this resort has a Cyber cafe... I am limited to 30 minutes though, so this is all you get for today... Sorry...
Oh, one more thing... I'm head back to the beach for dinner and a Bonfire... So, that should be pretty cool...
Well, here it is Monday morning already. The Bonfire last night was fun, lots of food, dancing, music, and WINDY! The guys starting the fire had a difficult time getting it started because of the wind. But, with enough gasoline, anything is possible!! So, they got it lighted... It was HOT... So, we hung out there for a while, drinking Bahama Mamas until they ran dry... Bummer... But they still had Kamakaze's, so it wasn't so bad...
Angel and Beth were dancing, having fun, and then... Angel passed out. For unknown reasons... So we got out of the Bonfire area and went back to the room. I got sidetracked though and went to the Hot Tub. The moon was bright, and it reflected off the water... Beautiful... I met this lady from Missouri who told me about her Tornadoes... They sprinkled debris all over her husbands truck, and tore her roof off. Nasty little Tornadoes... She also told me about her friend who crashed a boat at about 170 MPH in a speed race... But, he won the race because the crashed boat slid across the finish line in 1st place... A total of 4 seconds of racing according to her... Ok, enough... I had to get out of the hot tub and dry off... And she wouldn't stop talking... So, end of day two...
Now, on to more of Monday morning... Beautiful Bahamian women wearing Independance Day T-Shirts (today is their day)... I gotta have one... I know what you are thinking... Do I gotta have the Bahamian women, or the T-Shirts...? Tough decision.. Can I have BOTH? Well, I'll let you know later... It's 10:30am now on Monday...
Continuing from Monday? Yep... I know what you are all thinking... Why is this idiot spending time on a computer in the Bahamas, when he could be out in the pool... Well, I did manage to get off the computer and go to the pool. It was nice... The weather was beautiful and the water felt great... I saw some sunglasses on the bottom of the pool, so I alerted the local youngsters to dive for them... As it turns out, the local was Mr. Petersen's grandson. Now, Mr.Petersen is the fellow who started this timeshare here... A local legend... But, he was shot in February 2003 and nobody knows whodunit... His grandson lives in Denmark (where Jason is staying right now, Copenhagen). Guess what else? He is 17 years old, and has been here 17 times... Wanna hear more strange but true stuff? Steve has had his timeshare here for 17 years... Weird huh? Then, he tells me that when he leaves he is going to New York City... Hmm, Jasons new home town... Amazing... Oh, and did I mention his older sister Anna? WOW... Nuff said...
So I swim around for a while (good exercise). Then it was time to get out of the pool. I went back to the room and it was time for the shuttle boat to Port Lucaya and an Italian dinner.
Dinner was great, everyone was celebrating the Bahamian Independance day. Huge boats are normal here.... And there was plenty of them today! Amazing yachts... We looked at a few of those. There was music in the square (4 bands), and plenty of good Pina Coladas right from the coconut shell. Steve and Diane and I went on with a little gambling excursion... I lost ($60) and Diane won (?)... We took the shuttle back to the resort, and then the Independance Day fireworks started. They did a great job with the fireworks!
Now comes Tuesday... Scooter day! This is one of my favorite days!! This one started out not-so-good... Steve and I went to get the scooters, and the lock to the key drawer was missing... So we waited... And waited... Bahama time of course, so everything moves sloooow....
Eventually, we were told that we had to go to Port Lucaya to get the scooters, cause no one knew where the key man was... So, we went... It's a free boat ride to the port, then we get the scooters with no problem... Nice, now off to the races!!
We come back to the resort to get Angel and Beth (Diane decided she was going to sunbath and relax while we go exploring)... So, we hop on the scooters, Angel rides with Steve and Beth is stuck with me... up the street we go... then, suddenly, without warning, putt putt putt... My scooter dies... Ouch... Beth takes it personally (it's probably my fault she says...)... Not so... It's the scooter!!
We try and try to get the scooter started, but it won't cooperate. Steve says "Let me try it!"... Zooom, off he goes with no problem... So, Steve and Angel decide to stick with my scooter and Beth and I jump on his. Off into the windy day we go. At least it's sunny and warm and both scooters are running.
We drive to Fortune bay and stop at the Banana Bay seaside restaurant. This is a small place on the beach that we found a few years ago... Time for lunch. We talk to the locals there and enjoy a really good meal, then head off to one of our prime destinations... The Fortune Bay cove... Jason will remember this, cause he helped me find it a few years ago... The water is so clear and warm and the cove is protected from waves. It is a beautiful place to stop and relax...
Steve and Angel lead the way off the main road and onto the small access path that leads to the tip of the cove. Uh-Oh... Trouble... Steve and Angel start sinking into the sand... Slowly sinking... Down... Deeper... leaning to the left... Then, down goes the scooter with Steve and Angel on-board... Ha! Beth and I watch and it seems like slow motion as they tumble to the side... I wait for screams of OUCH, HELP, IT HURTS, anything to help assess the damage, but there is no sound... Steve and Angel both come up out of the sand unharmed... Good! Steve lifts the bike, resumes along the sandy path until he finds firmer ground... Angel walks (so did Beth so we wouldn't sink)... I'm glad Steve and Angel are both ok...
So we continue on... And, guess what...? The hook around the cove that we drove out on in the past (the one that protected the cove) is now gone... Destroyed by recent hurricanes. Even the small path that leads to the tip was washed out so we couldn't go more than about 50 feet... We stop and look around for a while, decide we are not going to swim, then proceed to prime destination number 2... This is one of Angels favorites... A Deserted Hotel... Some say it is haunted... We will see...
I follow Steve as we tour around the area looking for the missing hotel... We aren't sure exactly which road to take... So we drive... and drive more... loop around... search... Then, there it is off in the distance... Beth says, "That must be it" and points to the left... Cool... There it is, looming into the sky from the middle of nowhere... about nine stories worth of abandoned hotel... Buzzards are everywhere overhead. This is their home, and we are outsiders...
We are cautious not to upset the buzzards and provoke an attack... We park the scooters and there is a fully stripped vehicle at the entrance... We all decide we shouldn't leave fingerprints on the vehicle or else we'll be arrested and never see light of day again, so we don't touch it... We enter the hotel lobby and up the stairway we go... I hear SCREAMS!!!... Oh, it's just Angel and Beth... Attacked by a killer moth that measured about 5 inches across... They photo a dead person lying in the bottom of the elevator shaft, or at least that's what the picture looks like... Spiders crawl around... Spooky... Here is the dead guy.. You decide...
Then, up the steps we go. The buzzards watch us as they fly by what used to be windows, but are now just holes in the walls... Steve and I separate from Angel and Beth and I keep hearing screams... Steve calls out to Angel to make sure they are ok... Yep, they are... I walk out onto a walkway that extends along the length of the building. I look down and see that the walkway cement is cracked under my feet and I'm thinking, "Hmm, what would happen if this thing crumbles.."?
Then, I hear noises... I'm thinking, uh-oh... The ledge is collapsing!!! Then, a bird... HUGE! with a 4 foot wingspan... swoops down right past my head!!! I duck, quickly! After I get my composure back, I look up cautiously and see a hole about 2 feet overhead, like an air vent with no grid... AND, the face of an huge OWL looking down at me from inside the hole!! I duck again and the OWL swoops down out of the hole and out into the air... Obviously, I disturbed their peace and quiet and they didn't appreciate it...!
We took photos all around, nice place... Buzzards continue to fly over and watch us, while others begin to land on window sills... Steve and I decide we will take the girls camping here overnight... The girls don't agree... The girls win...
We head back to the resort... It was a fun day... Until, my new scooter sputters and misfires... It slowly dies, and I pull to the side of the road... Geez!! Steve (who is leading the way back) circles and comes back to find us... "Let me try it" he says... Hmm, same problem... Luckily we are fairly close to the resort. Steve shuttles Beth and Angel back to the resort while I keep trying to start the scooter. Finally, I get the scooter to run again. Not good by any stretch, but running nonetheless... So, I drive down the shoulder of the road and back to the resort while Steve follows me along in case I die on the highway again...
Back at the resort, Steve calls the scooter guy and he wants to give us a new one, but we have to be quick cause he is closing (remember, we are on Bahamas time so they close early)! Steve drives away from the resort quickly, I follow, and it starts to rain... hard... We get soaked... Oh well, on a trip to the Caribbean we all plan to get wet right? We go back to Port Lucaya and pickup the new scooter, the skys clear, and we head back... Hmm, we need to make a no-so-quick stop at the local KFC (Diane had a craving)... Flooded roads, traffic jams, and even a car accident slow us down. What an adventuress day... We go back to the resort, and into the pool...
Is it Wednesday already? Wow... The plan today is for watersports... The weather isn't cooperating... Steve and I have to return the scooters, so we head off to Port Lucaya. Also, we have to look for somewhere to empty his camera memory card so he can take more photos. We stop at one place, no luck... So, we continue on to the port... On the way, I start to feel much better about driving these scooters... Neither has died since yesterday!! We decide to keep them another day...
We get the photos dumped onto a CD at the local camera store, and head back to the resort... Most of today will be hanging out at the pool... We hit more rain riding back... No problem...
At the pool, Anna returns... The perfect woman... Did I mention she is from Denmark? Hmm, probably not... There are a lot of things about Anna I haven't mentioned... Like how everything else in the world seems to slow to a crawl when she is near... Time moves in slow motion... The slightest glimpse of her is... Well, I'm speechless....
After the pool, it's dinner time and then off to the port again. This time we take the shuttle boat. Steve and Diane are ready to try gambling again. Me? I'm not a gambler... You think I'm cheap? Maybe... Frugal? Nah... I just save my money for other things... Angel and Beth go the the Internet Cafe to talk with their friends online. Steve and Diane go to the casino. I look around to find a Cigar lighter for my Bro (more like a blow torch)... and get him a Cuban cigar. Hmm, he will like those... Mmmm, then I find a Yellow Bird...
Uh-Oh... It's time to go pick up the girls, and Steve is on a win streak... So, it's my job now... I find Angel and Beth almost empty of Internet time, so they close off there account and we hang out at the square and eat ice cream. The square is blasting a variety of music on the house sound system... Nice, I like it... The girls do also...
Steve and Diane are WINNERS!! Yahoo ($500+)!! We all make our way back to the ferry boat and back to the resort... Everyone is happy... This was a long and fun day...
Well, it's Thursday now... Time is flying by so quickly... Angel and Beth have a swim with the the Dolphins scheduled this morning. They head out early (9am shuttle boat) and Steve, Diane, and I use the scooters to get over to the port. The Dolphin boat leaves from Port Lucaya, so the girls get on the boat and off they go... Steve, Diane, and me scooter off to explore the west end of the island... Its a beautiful day today, clear skys and low humidity, but the sun is pretty intense. We go to the old Pier One restaurant that Steve liked so much... It was obliterated from summer hurricanes the past two years... Only splinters remain... Bummer... Steve loved to watch the Sharks on the shoreline being fed... Everyone else did too...
We move over to another location which is new to us... A nice beach near the Xanadu hotel on the west end of the island. Then, we start running out of time. So we scooter off back to Unexso to meet the girls... Guess what? We have to turn in the scooters also... No problem, they were fun while they lasted...
Well, Beth and Angel had a good trip to the Dolphins... No sunburns, and they had a great time... Angel says its different this time than in the past... Piers rebuilt, etc, cause of the hurricanes... Unexso takes photos of everyone while at the event, so Steve buys a CD of them...
We all start to realize now that we only have a couple days left here... It's not a good thought... But, it is reality. We better squeeze in everything we still want to do before time slips away completely.
When we get back to the resort the weather was perfect!! We go after waverunners, but they are booked for almost two hours... So, off to Parasailing we go... Steve's back is hurting, so it's just Angel, Beth, and me... Angel and Beth are first... I watch in amazement cause I've never done this before... Beth hasn't either... Angel tries to explain to us, but my focus is "Will I survive?"... I did, it was great... Angel and Beth went up together, and I went solo... 5 seconds off the platform, and it's so quiet (except for the wind)... But all the voices from the platform are gone now... Just me and the wind...
Angel and Beths landing was pretty smooth... So, I'm thinking "No Problem"!! Hmm, not so... The platform guys miss catching my rope when the boat goes by. So, the boat comes back... But, he crashes into the platform this time... I sit high above watching the action far below... Feeling as though I am floating in the air (Angel says, "No, you were dropping")... If I knew that, I might be worried. But, the platform guys figured out the mess and my landing was smooth... Way nicer than I imagined...
Back at the resort, we decide to go see Pirates of the Caribbean... It was filmed in Bahamas, so we all want to see it here... Cool movie, small theatre. Angel thinks the first movie was better, so does Diane... Time to go back now... Thursday is over... Time is running out...
Where is Anna?....
Friday!!! ARGH!!! Do we really have to leave tomorrow? I'm a little envious of the local people here... To live in this environment year round... No going back after the party is over... But, I guess I should count my blessings... After all, a week in the Bahamas isn't a bad deal in anyones eyes... So, I am thankful!!
Steve, Diane, Angel, and Beth are headed gift shopping in Port Lucaya... I am lazy today, so I hang out at the resort... Sitting at my little piece of paradise out on the beach (my personal Tiki Hut)... Parasails fly by... Waverunners scream... and the waves endlessly wash over the beach... Today is beautiful, clear blue sky and low humidity along with 85 degree temps... Not bad at all...
I decide to add some pics to the blog... so, I add them in their proper place up above. I hope you enjoy... Now, back to the beach!!
Uh-Oh... Someone stole my Tiki Hut... I wait on the covered picnic table for another one to free up... Then, there it is... I jump on it... It's mine again...! I settle into the cozy little Tiki and once again start to enjoy this spectacular day!! I decide to take another dip in the water and after a while Steve shows up waving from the shore... It's time for lunch, but I decide to keep swimming... The water is great today.
I meet this guy named Brad from Texas, who just got married in early July... He's been swimming with his wife all morning, nearing the end of his 2 week honeymoon... Nice guy, beautiful wife... They can't stop hugging and kissing... Steve comes by again, and tells me it's almost time for waverunning... So I scoot on up to the room, collect the club sandwich he got me, then head back to the beach to shovel it down... Then... after my first few bites...
OMG!! ANNA!!!
She walks down to the beach and into the water... Oh my... She's alone... I have to talk to her... I ease down to the beach and swim over to her... "Hi Anna!"... Oh geez... She remembers me... Wow... Now what...? I'm already in heaven just talking to her... She tells me she is two years older than her brother, so that makes her 19... She says, "Don't tell my brother you know... He likes people to think he is older than me and that I'm his little sister"... What an amazing accent she has. Ok, whatever Anna wants, Anna gets...
Steve comes down to the beach along with Diane, Angel and Beth... He's calling me to go ride the waverunners... OH NO!! NOT NOW!!! ANNA is HERE!!! Steve persists, and I tell Anna I'm going to ride the waverunners... She has ridden them before, but not this trip... Well, I ask... "Would you like to ride with me?"... YES!! SHE SAYS YES!!! This day has turned out to be even more spectacular than I could have imagined...
We get on the waverunner and head out to sea... Anna holds on to my waist and we fly across the water... We race Beth and win... (Annna counts, 1, 2, 3, GO! Her accent is SO COOL!). Then we go to race Angel, but she won't race... So we simply zoom around having a blast... Anna likes jumping the waves... A lot... Eventually, one of the attendants comes out on a boat, so we race him... He wins... I tell Anna he gave us a bum boat... She agrees... We stop for a few minutes, then she asks the attendant if she can drive his waverunner... He says yes, and she jumps over to his boat to drive...
This time, I race Anna... She says that she won, I say I won... So we race again when I hit a big wave that sends me flying high through the air and BAM back into the water... Her boat slows down, and then I slow to see whats wrong... They ask me if I'm ok and I say YES! We start to take off again, and my boat dies... starts... dies... It WON'T keep running!! "Piece of shit boat" Anna says with a smile... It's amazing how her accent can turn the simplest phrase into heaven...
So, the attendant takes my boat, and I start to go back with Anna... Anna leans over slightly and Whoops... over we go, flipping the waverunner and tossing both of us into the water... Ha! Funny!! We laugh and wait for the attendant to yell... He doesn't, cause his boat is still broken... So, we flip our waverunner back to normal, Anna and I climb back aboard, and off we go... What an adventure!!! I think I'm in love... Umm, no... It's definite....
We go back to the beach and Steve is waiting... No one on the beach saw the boat flip, or the other boat die... Anna thanks me for taking her out... Steve snaps a picture of us...
Later, we all go the pool and relax (except Anna)... I can't stop thinking of her... She's in my head now... Forever etched in my memory... We go out to dinner, and I think of Anna... Where is she...? I want her to come with us... but, I dont know where she is... Steve, Diane, and me have a quiet small dinner, sitting at the bar at The Stone Crab... I drink Rum.... ARGH!!! Tonight is our last night... I miss Anna... Tomorrow we leave for Baltimore... I miss Anna....
About 10:30pm, Steve and I go out to sit on the deck and just enjoy the view... Then, we decide to go sit on the beach instead... We see stars, lot's of them... I see a shooting star that lasts for what seems like entire minutes... Steve tells me, "Make a wish!"... I do, but I won't say what I wished for... Then, whats that on the horizon? An Orange glob rising up from the Caribbean... The Moon... This is a magical place... I hope to see Anna one more time before we leave... Steve and I return to the room to try and sleep...
Saturday is here... Too quick... I don't want to leave, but the time has come... If I could, I would stay indefnitely. But that isn't reality is it...? The reality is, we have to be on a plane at 11:00am... The reality is also that I will probably never see Anna again... But, she is etched in my mind, my memory, and a few simple photos... It was such a great pleasure to meet her...
We pack and walk out the door to meet Tunky... He is Steve's preferred taxi driver and one heck of a nice guy... Tunky takes us to the airport and talks about the recent hurricanes and devastation they brought to the locals... His house survived, but many didn't... Things are much better now and he has a bright outlook. Then again, Tunky always has a bright outlook... That is why he is Grand Bahamas taxi driver of the year... He won the award, and deserves all the recognition he received...
Well, it's 10PM Saturday night now... The flight was long and delayed... Smooth nonetheless... I am now home trying to figure out how to wrap up the blog... First, it was a GREAT trip!! Thank God for brothers like Steve who always offers his generosity... He has taken many a visitor on past vacations... So they also could share in his good fortune... Steve deserves an award also...!
I wish I could say I am happy to be back. The USA and I have not gotten along well lately... I don't believe in many of the policies they implement... Our society seems paranoid, bullyish, and seems often trying to control the world... But, this is my home... Although I often talk about moving somewhere else (even other countries)... This will always be my home...
I am glad to have visited the Bamahas again... It's a beautiful place, with many fantastic people... I'm glad I met Anna... I hope I brought a small token of joy into her life, like she did for me...
To Steve, Diane, Angel, and Beth... THANK YOU for being such fantastic travel companions and for opening up your hospitality to me!!!
It was a GREAT trip, and I hope you all had as much fun as I did!!!
Hint: If you click the images below, they will open full-size so you can absorb the full effect...
Well, Saturday started off good enough. Nice smooth airflights... I like that... Then, when we got here from the airport, we checked into our resort... and Rain... Along with the rain though, came cool temperatures. Now anyone who knows Bahamas in July knows that the temperatures are NOT usually cool... So, that was actually pretty nice.
We got our room, spaced around the resort, then the rains really came. Steve saw a water spout form not too far from where we are staying... A big one. What a surprise that was. Steve and Beth got pictures of it, so I'm hoping to post it at some point... The pictures look good on camera, but they haven't been uploaded to a PC yet.
We planned a trip over to Port Lucaya, but we couldn't make it because of the rain. So, we had pizza, watched the rain and lightning, then got a good nights sleep...
Then comes Sunday... COFFEE please!!! I found some... I went to the breakfast room early and got some... Then I see Steve looking for me. He wants to go the grocery store and get food for the week but the shuttle is overwhelmed. Ha! No match for Steve, he grabs a Taxi!! However, I wasn't quite awake yet, so I didn't go to the grocery. He made it back with lots of food for the week. Cool... So then we went to breakfast... Mmm good... Pancakes, eggs, more coffee... I needed it...
Then, my bro hit the amusements... He setup the snorkeling gear, waverunners, the bonfire, and other stuff, so we head for the beach. My favorite niece in the whole wide world went snorkeling with me, along with her friend Beth. It was cool... We saw lots of nice fish... Swallowed some water, and kept going... But, then it was time to come back... About that time, what do I see? A sting-ray... Hiding under a rock... So I come to the surface, and let the girls know so they can see it... Typical girls, they scream and run away... Ha! So I go back under and watch it for a while... It was definitely doing a good job of hiding under the rock. So I watched for a while, then we headed back to civilization on the beach... And on to the pool, where I discovered it was happy hour... 2 for 1 Yellow Birds... Yummy...
After all that, what do I decide? To start a blog of the trip... A record for future centuries... For all the worlds people to see and read. It actually works pretty well cause this resort has a Cyber cafe... I am limited to 30 minutes though, so this is all you get for today... Sorry...
Oh, one more thing... I'm head back to the beach for dinner and a Bonfire... So, that should be pretty cool...
Well, here it is Monday morning already. The Bonfire last night was fun, lots of food, dancing, music, and WINDY! The guys starting the fire had a difficult time getting it started because of the wind. But, with enough gasoline, anything is possible!! So, they got it lighted... It was HOT... So, we hung out there for a while, drinking Bahama Mamas until they ran dry... Bummer... But they still had Kamakaze's, so it wasn't so bad...
Angel and Beth were dancing, having fun, and then... Angel passed out. For unknown reasons... So we got out of the Bonfire area and went back to the room. I got sidetracked though and went to the Hot Tub. The moon was bright, and it reflected off the water... Beautiful... I met this lady from Missouri who told me about her Tornadoes... They sprinkled debris all over her husbands truck, and tore her roof off. Nasty little Tornadoes... She also told me about her friend who crashed a boat at about 170 MPH in a speed race... But, he won the race because the crashed boat slid across the finish line in 1st place... A total of 4 seconds of racing according to her... Ok, enough... I had to get out of the hot tub and dry off... And she wouldn't stop talking... So, end of day two...
Now, on to more of Monday morning... Beautiful Bahamian women wearing Independance Day T-Shirts (today is their day)... I gotta have one... I know what you are thinking... Do I gotta have the Bahamian women, or the T-Shirts...? Tough decision.. Can I have BOTH? Well, I'll let you know later... It's 10:30am now on Monday...
Continuing from Monday? Yep... I know what you are all thinking... Why is this idiot spending time on a computer in the Bahamas, when he could be out in the pool... Well, I did manage to get off the computer and go to the pool. It was nice... The weather was beautiful and the water felt great... I saw some sunglasses on the bottom of the pool, so I alerted the local youngsters to dive for them... As it turns out, the local was Mr. Petersen's grandson. Now, Mr.Petersen is the fellow who started this timeshare here... A local legend... But, he was shot in February 2003 and nobody knows whodunit... His grandson lives in Denmark (where Jason is staying right now, Copenhagen). Guess what else? He is 17 years old, and has been here 17 times... Wanna hear more strange but true stuff? Steve has had his timeshare here for 17 years... Weird huh? Then, he tells me that when he leaves he is going to New York City... Hmm, Jasons new home town... Amazing... Oh, and did I mention his older sister Anna? WOW... Nuff said...
So I swim around for a while (good exercise). Then it was time to get out of the pool. I went back to the room and it was time for the shuttle boat to Port Lucaya and an Italian dinner.
Dinner was great, everyone was celebrating the Bahamian Independance day. Huge boats are normal here.... And there was plenty of them today! Amazing yachts... We looked at a few of those. There was music in the square (4 bands), and plenty of good Pina Coladas right from the coconut shell. Steve and Diane and I went on with a little gambling excursion... I lost ($60) and Diane won (?)... We took the shuttle back to the resort, and then the Independance Day fireworks started. They did a great job with the fireworks!
Now comes Tuesday... Scooter day! This is one of my favorite days!! This one started out not-so-good... Steve and I went to get the scooters, and the lock to the key drawer was missing... So we waited... And waited... Bahama time of course, so everything moves sloooow....
Eventually, we were told that we had to go to Port Lucaya to get the scooters, cause no one knew where the key man was... So, we went... It's a free boat ride to the port, then we get the scooters with no problem... Nice, now off to the races!!
We come back to the resort to get Angel and Beth (Diane decided she was going to sunbath and relax while we go exploring)... So, we hop on the scooters, Angel rides with Steve and Beth is stuck with me... up the street we go... then, suddenly, without warning, putt putt putt... My scooter dies... Ouch... Beth takes it personally (it's probably my fault she says...)... Not so... It's the scooter!!
We try and try to get the scooter started, but it won't cooperate. Steve says "Let me try it!"... Zooom, off he goes with no problem... So, Steve and Angel decide to stick with my scooter and Beth and I jump on his. Off into the windy day we go. At least it's sunny and warm and both scooters are running.
We drive to Fortune bay and stop at the Banana Bay seaside restaurant. This is a small place on the beach that we found a few years ago... Time for lunch. We talk to the locals there and enjoy a really good meal, then head off to one of our prime destinations... The Fortune Bay cove... Jason will remember this, cause he helped me find it a few years ago... The water is so clear and warm and the cove is protected from waves. It is a beautiful place to stop and relax...
Steve and Angel lead the way off the main road and onto the small access path that leads to the tip of the cove. Uh-Oh... Trouble... Steve and Angel start sinking into the sand... Slowly sinking... Down... Deeper... leaning to the left... Then, down goes the scooter with Steve and Angel on-board... Ha! Beth and I watch and it seems like slow motion as they tumble to the side... I wait for screams of OUCH, HELP, IT HURTS, anything to help assess the damage, but there is no sound... Steve and Angel both come up out of the sand unharmed... Good! Steve lifts the bike, resumes along the sandy path until he finds firmer ground... Angel walks (so did Beth so we wouldn't sink)... I'm glad Steve and Angel are both ok...
So we continue on... And, guess what...? The hook around the cove that we drove out on in the past (the one that protected the cove) is now gone... Destroyed by recent hurricanes. Even the small path that leads to the tip was washed out so we couldn't go more than about 50 feet... We stop and look around for a while, decide we are not going to swim, then proceed to prime destination number 2... This is one of Angels favorites... A Deserted Hotel... Some say it is haunted... We will see...
I follow Steve as we tour around the area looking for the missing hotel... We aren't sure exactly which road to take... So we drive... and drive more... loop around... search... Then, there it is off in the distance... Beth says, "That must be it" and points to the left... Cool... There it is, looming into the sky from the middle of nowhere... about nine stories worth of abandoned hotel... Buzzards are everywhere overhead. This is their home, and we are outsiders...
We are cautious not to upset the buzzards and provoke an attack... We park the scooters and there is a fully stripped vehicle at the entrance... We all decide we shouldn't leave fingerprints on the vehicle or else we'll be arrested and never see light of day again, so we don't touch it... We enter the hotel lobby and up the stairway we go... I hear SCREAMS!!!... Oh, it's just Angel and Beth... Attacked by a killer moth that measured about 5 inches across... They photo a dead person lying in the bottom of the elevator shaft, or at least that's what the picture looks like... Spiders crawl around... Spooky... Here is the dead guy.. You decide...
Then, up the steps we go. The buzzards watch us as they fly by what used to be windows, but are now just holes in the walls... Steve and I separate from Angel and Beth and I keep hearing screams... Steve calls out to Angel to make sure they are ok... Yep, they are... I walk out onto a walkway that extends along the length of the building. I look down and see that the walkway cement is cracked under my feet and I'm thinking, "Hmm, what would happen if this thing crumbles.."?
Then, I hear noises... I'm thinking, uh-oh... The ledge is collapsing!!! Then, a bird... HUGE! with a 4 foot wingspan... swoops down right past my head!!! I duck, quickly! After I get my composure back, I look up cautiously and see a hole about 2 feet overhead, like an air vent with no grid... AND, the face of an huge OWL looking down at me from inside the hole!! I duck again and the OWL swoops down out of the hole and out into the air... Obviously, I disturbed their peace and quiet and they didn't appreciate it...!
We took photos all around, nice place... Buzzards continue to fly over and watch us, while others begin to land on window sills... Steve and I decide we will take the girls camping here overnight... The girls don't agree... The girls win...
We head back to the resort... It was a fun day... Until, my new scooter sputters and misfires... It slowly dies, and I pull to the side of the road... Geez!! Steve (who is leading the way back) circles and comes back to find us... "Let me try it" he says... Hmm, same problem... Luckily we are fairly close to the resort. Steve shuttles Beth and Angel back to the resort while I keep trying to start the scooter. Finally, I get the scooter to run again. Not good by any stretch, but running nonetheless... So, I drive down the shoulder of the road and back to the resort while Steve follows me along in case I die on the highway again...
Back at the resort, Steve calls the scooter guy and he wants to give us a new one, but we have to be quick cause he is closing (remember, we are on Bahamas time so they close early)! Steve drives away from the resort quickly, I follow, and it starts to rain... hard... We get soaked... Oh well, on a trip to the Caribbean we all plan to get wet right? We go back to Port Lucaya and pickup the new scooter, the skys clear, and we head back... Hmm, we need to make a no-so-quick stop at the local KFC (Diane had a craving)... Flooded roads, traffic jams, and even a car accident slow us down. What an adventuress day... We go back to the resort, and into the pool...
Is it Wednesday already? Wow... The plan today is for watersports... The weather isn't cooperating... Steve and I have to return the scooters, so we head off to Port Lucaya. Also, we have to look for somewhere to empty his camera memory card so he can take more photos. We stop at one place, no luck... So, we continue on to the port... On the way, I start to feel much better about driving these scooters... Neither has died since yesterday!! We decide to keep them another day...
We get the photos dumped onto a CD at the local camera store, and head back to the resort... Most of today will be hanging out at the pool... We hit more rain riding back... No problem...
At the pool, Anna returns... The perfect woman... Did I mention she is from Denmark? Hmm, probably not... There are a lot of things about Anna I haven't mentioned... Like how everything else in the world seems to slow to a crawl when she is near... Time moves in slow motion... The slightest glimpse of her is... Well, I'm speechless....
After the pool, it's dinner time and then off to the port again. This time we take the shuttle boat. Steve and Diane are ready to try gambling again. Me? I'm not a gambler... You think I'm cheap? Maybe... Frugal? Nah... I just save my money for other things... Angel and Beth go the the Internet Cafe to talk with their friends online. Steve and Diane go to the casino. I look around to find a Cigar lighter for my Bro (more like a blow torch)... and get him a Cuban cigar. Hmm, he will like those... Mmmm, then I find a Yellow Bird...
Uh-Oh... It's time to go pick up the girls, and Steve is on a win streak... So, it's my job now... I find Angel and Beth almost empty of Internet time, so they close off there account and we hang out at the square and eat ice cream. The square is blasting a variety of music on the house sound system... Nice, I like it... The girls do also...
Steve and Diane are WINNERS!! Yahoo ($500+)!! We all make our way back to the ferry boat and back to the resort... Everyone is happy... This was a long and fun day...
Well, it's Thursday now... Time is flying by so quickly... Angel and Beth have a swim with the the Dolphins scheduled this morning. They head out early (9am shuttle boat) and Steve, Diane, and I use the scooters to get over to the port. The Dolphin boat leaves from Port Lucaya, so the girls get on the boat and off they go... Steve, Diane, and me scooter off to explore the west end of the island... Its a beautiful day today, clear skys and low humidity, but the sun is pretty intense. We go to the old Pier One restaurant that Steve liked so much... It was obliterated from summer hurricanes the past two years... Only splinters remain... Bummer... Steve loved to watch the Sharks on the shoreline being fed... Everyone else did too...
We move over to another location which is new to us... A nice beach near the Xanadu hotel on the west end of the island. Then, we start running out of time. So we scooter off back to Unexso to meet the girls... Guess what? We have to turn in the scooters also... No problem, they were fun while they lasted...
Well, Beth and Angel had a good trip to the Dolphins... No sunburns, and they had a great time... Angel says its different this time than in the past... Piers rebuilt, etc, cause of the hurricanes... Unexso takes photos of everyone while at the event, so Steve buys a CD of them...
We all start to realize now that we only have a couple days left here... It's not a good thought... But, it is reality. We better squeeze in everything we still want to do before time slips away completely.
When we get back to the resort the weather was perfect!! We go after waverunners, but they are booked for almost two hours... So, off to Parasailing we go... Steve's back is hurting, so it's just Angel, Beth, and me... Angel and Beth are first... I watch in amazement cause I've never done this before... Beth hasn't either... Angel tries to explain to us, but my focus is "Will I survive?"... I did, it was great... Angel and Beth went up together, and I went solo... 5 seconds off the platform, and it's so quiet (except for the wind)... But all the voices from the platform are gone now... Just me and the wind...
Angel and Beths landing was pretty smooth... So, I'm thinking "No Problem"!! Hmm, not so... The platform guys miss catching my rope when the boat goes by. So, the boat comes back... But, he crashes into the platform this time... I sit high above watching the action far below... Feeling as though I am floating in the air (Angel says, "No, you were dropping")... If I knew that, I might be worried. But, the platform guys figured out the mess and my landing was smooth... Way nicer than I imagined...
Back at the resort, we decide to go see Pirates of the Caribbean... It was filmed in Bahamas, so we all want to see it here... Cool movie, small theatre. Angel thinks the first movie was better, so does Diane... Time to go back now... Thursday is over... Time is running out...
Where is Anna?....
Friday!!! ARGH!!! Do we really have to leave tomorrow? I'm a little envious of the local people here... To live in this environment year round... No going back after the party is over... But, I guess I should count my blessings... After all, a week in the Bahamas isn't a bad deal in anyones eyes... So, I am thankful!!
Steve, Diane, Angel, and Beth are headed gift shopping in Port Lucaya... I am lazy today, so I hang out at the resort... Sitting at my little piece of paradise out on the beach (my personal Tiki Hut)... Parasails fly by... Waverunners scream... and the waves endlessly wash over the beach... Today is beautiful, clear blue sky and low humidity along with 85 degree temps... Not bad at all...
I decide to add some pics to the blog... so, I add them in their proper place up above. I hope you enjoy... Now, back to the beach!!
Uh-Oh... Someone stole my Tiki Hut... I wait on the covered picnic table for another one to free up... Then, there it is... I jump on it... It's mine again...! I settle into the cozy little Tiki and once again start to enjoy this spectacular day!! I decide to take another dip in the water and after a while Steve shows up waving from the shore... It's time for lunch, but I decide to keep swimming... The water is great today.
I meet this guy named Brad from Texas, who just got married in early July... He's been swimming with his wife all morning, nearing the end of his 2 week honeymoon... Nice guy, beautiful wife... They can't stop hugging and kissing... Steve comes by again, and tells me it's almost time for waverunning... So I scoot on up to the room, collect the club sandwich he got me, then head back to the beach to shovel it down... Then... after my first few bites...
OMG!! ANNA!!!
She walks down to the beach and into the water... Oh my... She's alone... I have to talk to her... I ease down to the beach and swim over to her... "Hi Anna!"... Oh geez... She remembers me... Wow... Now what...? I'm already in heaven just talking to her... She tells me she is two years older than her brother, so that makes her 19... She says, "Don't tell my brother you know... He likes people to think he is older than me and that I'm his little sister"... What an amazing accent she has. Ok, whatever Anna wants, Anna gets...
Steve comes down to the beach along with Diane, Angel and Beth... He's calling me to go ride the waverunners... OH NO!! NOT NOW!!! ANNA is HERE!!! Steve persists, and I tell Anna I'm going to ride the waverunners... She has ridden them before, but not this trip... Well, I ask... "Would you like to ride with me?"... YES!! SHE SAYS YES!!! This day has turned out to be even more spectacular than I could have imagined...
We get on the waverunner and head out to sea... Anna holds on to my waist and we fly across the water... We race Beth and win... (Annna counts, 1, 2, 3, GO! Her accent is SO COOL!). Then we go to race Angel, but she won't race... So we simply zoom around having a blast... Anna likes jumping the waves... A lot... Eventually, one of the attendants comes out on a boat, so we race him... He wins... I tell Anna he gave us a bum boat... She agrees... We stop for a few minutes, then she asks the attendant if she can drive his waverunner... He says yes, and she jumps over to his boat to drive...
This time, I race Anna... She says that she won, I say I won... So we race again when I hit a big wave that sends me flying high through the air and BAM back into the water... Her boat slows down, and then I slow to see whats wrong... They ask me if I'm ok and I say YES! We start to take off again, and my boat dies... starts... dies... It WON'T keep running!! "Piece of shit boat" Anna says with a smile... It's amazing how her accent can turn the simplest phrase into heaven...
So, the attendant takes my boat, and I start to go back with Anna... Anna leans over slightly and Whoops... over we go, flipping the waverunner and tossing both of us into the water... Ha! Funny!! We laugh and wait for the attendant to yell... He doesn't, cause his boat is still broken... So, we flip our waverunner back to normal, Anna and I climb back aboard, and off we go... What an adventure!!! I think I'm in love... Umm, no... It's definite....
We go back to the beach and Steve is waiting... No one on the beach saw the boat flip, or the other boat die... Anna thanks me for taking her out... Steve snaps a picture of us...
Later, we all go the pool and relax (except Anna)... I can't stop thinking of her... She's in my head now... Forever etched in my memory... We go out to dinner, and I think of Anna... Where is she...? I want her to come with us... but, I dont know where she is... Steve, Diane, and me have a quiet small dinner, sitting at the bar at The Stone Crab... I drink Rum.... ARGH!!! Tonight is our last night... I miss Anna... Tomorrow we leave for Baltimore... I miss Anna....
About 10:30pm, Steve and I go out to sit on the deck and just enjoy the view... Then, we decide to go sit on the beach instead... We see stars, lot's of them... I see a shooting star that lasts for what seems like entire minutes... Steve tells me, "Make a wish!"... I do, but I won't say what I wished for... Then, whats that on the horizon? An Orange glob rising up from the Caribbean... The Moon... This is a magical place... I hope to see Anna one more time before we leave... Steve and I return to the room to try and sleep...
Saturday is here... Too quick... I don't want to leave, but the time has come... If I could, I would stay indefnitely. But that isn't reality is it...? The reality is, we have to be on a plane at 11:00am... The reality is also that I will probably never see Anna again... But, she is etched in my mind, my memory, and a few simple photos... It was such a great pleasure to meet her...
We pack and walk out the door to meet Tunky... He is Steve's preferred taxi driver and one heck of a nice guy... Tunky takes us to the airport and talks about the recent hurricanes and devastation they brought to the locals... His house survived, but many didn't... Things are much better now and he has a bright outlook. Then again, Tunky always has a bright outlook... That is why he is Grand Bahamas taxi driver of the year... He won the award, and deserves all the recognition he received...
Well, it's 10PM Saturday night now... The flight was long and delayed... Smooth nonetheless... I am now home trying to figure out how to wrap up the blog... First, it was a GREAT trip!! Thank God for brothers like Steve who always offers his generosity... He has taken many a visitor on past vacations... So they also could share in his good fortune... Steve deserves an award also...!
I wish I could say I am happy to be back. The USA and I have not gotten along well lately... I don't believe in many of the policies they implement... Our society seems paranoid, bullyish, and seems often trying to control the world... But, this is my home... Although I often talk about moving somewhere else (even other countries)... This will always be my home...
I am glad to have visited the Bamahas again... It's a beautiful place, with many fantastic people... I'm glad I met Anna... I hope I brought a small token of joy into her life, like she did for me...
To Steve, Diane, Angel, and Beth... THANK YOU for being such fantastic travel companions and for opening up your hospitality to me!!!
It was a GREAT trip, and I hope you all had as much fun as I did!!!
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