One of my reasons for creating this page or lifestyle/way of thinking is to keep me and my fellow island-dreamers close to the islands - specifically when we're not able to be there. I'm going to be blatantly honest here for a sec. I absolutely love to travel though I'm a bit biased. I've never been to Europe. I've never left this side of the planet. Don't get me wrong though; I have every intention of seeing Europe some day and Australia, the Maldives, Mauritius - the list goes on. However, right now my focus is solely on the Caribbean. You might be thinking, "Why Wes?! Why are you limiting yourself?", and the answer is I'm not. I have visited 16 countries in the Caribbean and it is my dream, life's goal (at the moment) to visit every single one in the Caribbean. There are 28 and I've got about 12 more to get to. You with me?
My Time: Nassau, Part 3
That evening we ended up connecting with T again. I can't remember how, I think one of my friends had kept his contact information. We were going to "his" club. We were picked up in the limo and brought to it. I remember thinking that it was really nice, and that if it was a club in NY it would be a hot spot. However, this club was empty. Besides the workers we were the only partygoers in the club. Weird, but okay. I figured maybe it was new and people didn't know about it yet.
The lounge area was pretty huge. Two open concept floors with beds and pillows as seating and curtains (I think there was a Moroccan theme going on). From the second floor you could look down over the dance floor and the bar. My friends were having a ball; dancing on the bars, singing - you name it. Of course, me, Paranoid Penelope didn't feel right. Something didn't seem right about this place or him. A few of us sat around trying to decide what to make of the place. Again, I wasn't really enjoying myself.
The next day on the beach, we're all laying out on the beach laughing and talking about the events taken place so far when a man approaches us. He begins by making small talk, asking us how we're enjoying ourselves, where we're from, etc. Then the conversation changes. He identifies himself as an FBI agent, hands one of my friends his card and tells us to be careful around T. He tells us T is under investigation for money laundering and that he's originally from Turks & Caicos but conducts illegal business in the Bahamas. He told us that's why the club was empty - he doesn't need to fill a club for profit.
We were speechless and shocked, though his news only confirmed my suspicions. We didn't see much of T after that FBI visit.
The remainder of our trip was great; we hit up the Friday night fish fry (Some of the BEST food I've ever had - definitely worth a trip back) and played with dolphins.
"Traveling- it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller" -Ibn Battuta
My Time: Nassau, Part 2
On the way to Atlantis, the old guy and T are telling us what they do. The old guy claims to be a filmmaker (Porn, maybe? Of course that's me being skeptical, paranoid) and I don't really remember what T said he did. In any case, he had mentioned he owned a club on the island. The entire time we're in the limo, my 6 friends and I are sizing these 2 men up. My friend said she had quick access to an empty champagne bottle if need be!
We spent a little time at Atlantis. T and the old guy stayed there and told us we could use the limo for the night. I relaxed a little. Next we headed to what looked and felt like a local bashment party (If you watched Bobby & Whitney's reality show back then I think this was the same spot Bobby had visited). We didn't stay long.
The next morning, the sun was up, hot and shining bright. I remember one of my girlfriends knocking on our patio door in her bikini telling us to hurry up and get up because the sun was out. We were super excited since it had rained so much the night before.
We spent this day on the beach and parasailing. While on the beach we noticed a small island out on the horizon. I don't recall whose bright idea this was, but we decided to take a banana boat (small yellow inflatable boat attached to the back of a speedboat). For a fee the guys working on the beach said they'd take us. Our plan was to bathe topless (again, the things you do when you're young).
Nevertheless, our ride on the banana boat didn't go as expected. Keep in mind all of us had on life jackets (thank God!) but the majority of us could not swim. Midway through our aquatic journey (somewhere between shouting, fist pumping and some acting as if they were on a mechanical bull), we flipped and went asunder.
It all happened so quickly: There were 4 of us on each side of the boat. One side went down first, in unison. My side went next. I remember feeling like my life was flashing before my eyes (I saw a glimpse of my old neighborhood in the Bronx as I was going down) then thinking "No, this isn't how I'm going out". I floated back up to the top and saw all 7 of my girlfriends splayed about the ocean in different areas. The speedboat had kept going, not knowing we were no longer on board the big yellow banana.
The boat eventually came back around and pulled us all in, one by one. To this day, I'm not sure how I managed to keep my flip flops in my hand through the turmoil, but I did. We continued on to the small island, though the vibe had changed and most of us didn't want to go. We took a few photos looking soggily downtrodden then hopped back onboard the SPEEDBOAT (not the banana boat - though 2 of my brave friends did). We made our way back to the safe sands of the resort.
To be continued!
My Time: Nassau, Part 1
Some time in 2003 I decided to head back to school for Fashion Design and Merchandising. While there I met and made lasting friendships with a group of 7 girls. In 2005 we decided to celebrate our graduation with a trip to Nassau, Bahamas.
I don't remember the amount we paid for this trip (I think it was around $850, flight & hotel), it wasn't a whole lot. My friend booked us through Travelocity. This was a short 4 or 5 day getaway.
We arrived in the Bahamas in the evening, it was raining and the sun was beginning to set. After checking in at the Nassau Beach Hotel, we found that our rooms were on the lower level (AKA basement). I remember walking through a hallway door with a cracked window. We made jokes about it looking like the perfect place to commit a crime. There were 2 of us to a room, our 7th friend hadn't yet arrived. Our rooms were dark, a little dank and with a number of plumbing issues. In any case, we showered and got dressed for dinner.
By this time it was dark and pouring outside. We crossed the grounds of the resort shrieking with umbrellas and arms covering our heads. Slightly damp from the rain we arrived at the building that housed the various restaurants. Being that we were all on a tight budget we searched the menus on the window (mainly looking at prices). Everything seemed pricey so we decided on a steak house.
Once seated, we perused the menu trying to decide what we wanted to eat and how many drinks we would order since we were splitting the check evenly. All I remember seeing was dollar signs next to every meal I considered. Damn, it wasn't going to be easy.
When the waitress came over to take our order she came with a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice. We didn't order that. She gestures over her shoulder to 2 gentlemen at another table. "It's from them", she says. One of the guys is a young, light brown skin man with a round face and short curly black hair. The other man was an older, white haired Caucasian guy with glasses. Well okay then. We all smiled and said "thank you". The waitress then adds, "he says your meals are covered. Order whatever you like." By this time, I'm sure you know our eyes were as wide as saucers. Did we hear that correctly? Our meals are covered? As in paid for?
Some of us stuck to what we were originally planning to order just in case it was a fluke. I stuck with the grilled chicken, I could still afford that if the dudes dipped out on us. Others went all out with the surf and turf meals. Our dinner totaled somewhere around $600. They paid.
After dinner, "T" (as I'll refer to the young man as) asked us about our plans for the evening. We had none. He told us he had a limo waiting outside to take us to Atlantis (Atlantis is a huge resort/casino on the island). By now, my antenna is all the way up. Let me step back and talk about myself for a minute here. I'm a very careful, PARANOID individual. I don't trust easily - especially not 2 strange men who just randomly spent $600 on us. My friends were down, and of course I went along with them. I figured there's safety in numbers, right? Besides, what was I going to do if I didn't go with them? Nothing.
To be continued!