So here we are in the Bahamas; relaxing in the sunshine of
this very laid back paradise preparing ourselves for our next adventure. We are only here for two nights as we cannot fly directly from the US to Cuba. We flew here on a very small prop plane and will be flying out in the same sort of transport. Only flying at 17,000 feet, the view was spectacular but the altitude played havoc with my ears (unpressurised cabin), also, with only twelve rows of four seats boarding and disembarking takes but a few minutes.Here on Nassau, the cars are, mostly, left hand drive but they also drive on the left, which is rather odd; the only transport from airport to resort is by taxi. We
are staying in a small complex which is on the beach although the two storey, brick built chalets don’t actually open onto the beach; the ground floor chalets have a small patio area and the first floor chalets have a private balcony; we chose the first floor so that we could look at the Caribbean Ocean from ours. The Coral Harbour Beach House is in the processes of 
refurbishment and only two or three of the ‘mini apartments’ are currently occupied; self-contained with a large bedroom and built in wardrobes, an en-suite shower and a small kitchenette with some spaces that could, loosely, be called cupboards. We have an sink/draining board, a brand-new fridge/freezer but no cooker as yet. Of course, there is also a clubhouse/restaurant/bar!We arrived around mid afternoon and after settling in we went to explore the immediate surroundings, walking first along the beach and when we couldn’t go any further along the beach, because the waterfront belonged to the military, along the roads, passing some very nice looking homes. Anyone we passed had a smile and a wave ready to share, some even stopped for a brief conversation. The area is mainly residential with few shops; thankfully, a very helpful young local pointed us in the right direction. The walk to the shops was a lot further than we had assumed and it was quiet dark by the time we got to the little parade containing a small supermarket, a booze shop and a few others, one of which I think may have been hardware. We purchased some cereals, milk and orange juice from the supermarket but were somewhat distressed to find that the booze shop was closed; not that being closed, as it turned out, was any problem. A very cheerful chappy unlocked the door and invited us in and helpfully pointed out the locally made beer, something we always aim to try.
Coral Harbour is as
far away from the main town of Nassau as it is possible to get, so as we are only here for one full day we decided to enjoy the beautiful and virtually deserted beach; certainly, we were the only ones sitting on the beach or swimming in the water. There is a coral reef but it was a little too far out so we settled for some snorkelling in the bay, lazing in the sun and watching two very beautiful sunsets.The Bahamians would appear to be every bit as laid back as I had been led to believe they would be. The people we spoke to would seem to love ‘Mother’ England and adore Liz and Wills but are not over struck on Charlie. We were in the restaurant on the second evening when we were joined by one of the locals who told me that I was an angel sent by God to look after the good man, Paul. The taxi driver had very similar views to ours regarding US politics, bullyboy tactics and changing what they want when it suits them. He went on to add that he very much esteemed Castro and Cuba who, although only a tiny island, had said a firm and sincere ‘No’ to the US.
And so, we are back at the airport, our luggage has been checked and we are waiting in the best airport departure lounge we have ever seen – outside and laying on the grass!
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