Island Time

Fortunately for us, Hurricane Lee headed safely away from the Bahamas just before we arrived, with only a slight swell on the beach and some distant surf on the horizon to remind us of its presence.

In 2019, Hurricane Dorian wasn't so obliging, instead sitting right on top of the Bahamas for several days. The resulting devastation was the worst in recorded history and the impact is still very evident today. 

In the foreground of the photo below is all that's left of a restaurant:

We were therefore very mindful that hurricanes can develop quickly, and every day the weather forecast was scrutinised in case a rapid departure became necessary. 

We needn't have worried. The weather was tourist brochure beautiful most of the time, with balmy breezes and the warmest sea we have ever swum in. 

Note that most of the time did not equate to all of the time, and it was the hurricane season. One night we were treated to a truly spectacular thunderstorm just offshore, complete with house-shaking thunder and blinding lightning. 

Someone was concerned that it was an imminent threat to life and limb easily on a par with Hurricane Dorian. A soothing cup of camomile tea and a slice of chocolate cake with Joanne just after midnight were necessary to calm frayed nerves. 

Someone else just rolled over and went back to sleep....

We were staying on Treasure Cay, which is very quiet in the off season. Apparently nearby Guana Cay is a favoured haunt of a range of celebrities so we thought a trip there would be entertaining. It was merely a coincidence that it is also the site of Nippers Bar and Restaurant which was the only such establishment open in the area during the off season for tourism. 

Yes, a coincidence. We weren't actually seeking a bar. Honest. 

Nippers Bar is apparently well known for its rum-laced fruit punch, Nippers Juice, and the bar helpfully advertised its wares as visitors approached, with a series of signs along the path. 

I duly sampled The Juice, and must report it was a bit tame. To be blunt, I couldn't taste any rum. Our hostess, Joanne, had a far superior alcoholic fruit punch, Gumbai Smash, which Mary and I enjoyed researching, purely for scientific reasons of course. I had several glasses, to validate the initial results. 

Emboldened by my early research, the next night I may possibly have had a bit too much, too fast, on an empty stomach. I felt 'a bit sleepy' so went to bed early. Apparently I looked much worse than I felt, very pasty with clammy skin, to the extent Mary and Joanne thought I was having a heart attack... 

The research project was significantly scaled back from that point forward. 

The rest of the week was pretty much centred around water, appropriately enough given we were on an island. 

There was the sea, of course, for swimming and kayaking, however we also had a regular pool and a spa pool. 

And coconuts. 

Not surprisingly, coconut palms are ubiquitous. With the aid of a gardener and his machete, Mary harvested a few likely specimens and prepared to unleash her inner Coconut Queen. 

We subsequently experienced fresh coconut milk, flesh, and fruit mocktails - Mary in fact got quite inventive in the multivarious ways to utilise this bountiful resource. 

The mocktails looked awesome, and being alcohol free they were healthy too - no repeat of the gumbai smash incident. The taste was more of a challenge, so my suggestion that the ladies might like a top up of their glasses was received thus:

So a big shout out to Joanne for her generous hospitality and for a very restful break at a very relaxing pace. 

Next stop, another island with a quite different pace of life....