Packed everything to leave Nassau on flight back to Miami and then looked around town a little more then made my way to the airport.  Have a good tip to save about $25 on taxi ride to airport to share later.More...

Sorry for my delay in posting but here is a brief list of events so far, will update all later.  Connections and trying to make connections have kept me busy.More...

I woke early and made my way to the ferry terminal at Potter's Cay where I bought my ticket and then waited to board.  After just a short wait we boarded and headed out.  The trip was nice and the colors of the water continue to amaze me.More...

Today I shopped around at the Straw Market and then went to Cable Beach and walked back to the hotel.  This allowed me a great way to see more of the island. 

The internet has been off most of the day yesterday and today but this is an island.

I have put together a rough plan for the next few days in case the connection is out anymore.  Right now I hope to catch a ferry to Harbor Island and stay there for a couple days and then return to Nassau on the 15th.  On the 16th I will catch a plane to Miami and pick up a rental car to be able to see more of the Everglades and Big Cypress National Parks.  I will then head north and see how the plans unfold then.  You can check out the share page at http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0TSm7h5vSsAoziekqbF4hvDJuKRbIJsDX to see where I am and if all is going as planned.  I plan to catch everything up as soon as connections and time permit so keep checking in.

Today I spent the day running around the sights here in Nassau and on Paradise Island.  I visited a couple of the forts and the Queen's Staircase.  There is a lot of history here and I encourage everyone to Google these to find out about it.

Then I headed to Paradise Island to see the Cloisters.  There were part of a 14th century French Monastery that were moved to the Bahamas.  It is always amazing to me to be touching and looking at something so beautiful and so old.  Across the street was Versailles Gardens that contained a beautiful collection of plants and statues.

I decided to try getting onto Atlantis beach and it was just a simple walk from Cabbage Beach onto the Atlantis property, and without paying the $35 they wanted in Atlantis.

I decided to go back as it got dark and was treated to a full moon as I crossed the bridge to Nassau.  One thing of note is that most restaurants and stores close at 7pm so be prepared to look around for an open one if you are running late.

 The Cloisters

 

 Fort Charlotte

 

 Fort Fincastle

 

 Versailles Gardens Statue

This morning I ate at the hotel and then decided to go to Paradise Island to see the other side of Nassau, one fueled by lots of money and casinos.  Atlantis alone just spent approx $650 million on improvements.  The place is beautiful and very Las Vegas-ish.  I couldn't resist and put $5 in a slot machine and proceeded to win $50 before deciding that I better quit while I was ahead.  I had hoped to look around on the Atlantis beach but was told I would have to pay $35 to just to be able to visit their beach.  (Note to others visiting here-- A vendor on Cabbage beach just out from Atlantis said that you can walk from Cabbage beach to Atlantis beach and they can't stop you since the beach area is owned by the government -- I will try this tomorrow)

The water and sand was beautiful and there was a rock jetty on the upper end that I walked to.  A vendor there offers fresh coconuts with mixed drinks for $20 with unlimited refills till you leave the beach area, a good deal for a hot day. 

After a while looking around and taking pictures I walked back to the hotel and had a great meal there.  It is raining a little so I decided to work on the blog and pictures.

 

 

  Atlantis

 Paradise Island Shops

 Atlantis Aquarium

Atlantis Waterfall

Coconut Drink-I had one of these for all my phriends! Hope everyone enjoyed!

 And I had a Kalik for all my beer drinking phriends

 On the rock jetty at Cabbage Beach

 View of the rock jetty at Cabbage Beach

After a night of working on the blog posts, pictures, and a bit of cat-napping at the airport it was finally time to board the plane for the next part of this journey.  As a single male traveling with only carry on luggage I was immediately pegged for the "extra" security scan.  Everything I had was checked and some re-checked before I was cleared my flight.  At the gate I was checked against my passport one last time and allowed to board the plane.  The flight was quick and only had minimal turbulance (surprising since a hurricane ahd just hit Cuba).  The cloud cover the ocean from my view in all but a few spots.  After we landed I got a taxi to the Towne Hotel in Nassau.  The fare for the short ride seemed high at $27 but everything here is high in my opinion (a bottle of beer at most places is in excess of $5).

The hotel rate is $85 but that does include everything and a continental breakfast.  It is located near the middle of town and I have walked everywhere so far even though the bus stop is just down the street.  The port is just down from the bus stop and there was two cruise ships in port when I went walking around.  The Straw Market is there too along with Senor Frog's and other shops.  Across from the hotel a church had a big event going on and everyone was dressed in their finest.  The police and security were no exception and their uniforms really stand out in a good way. 

I ate and walked around town to find my bearings here.  The people of Bahamas are very friendly and happy to wish everyone a good day.  Of course the vendors are always trying to make a sale but all are respectful when I explained I was just looking around, quickly moving on to the next victim.

Later I went out to Senor Frog's to have a few drinks but the place was nearly empty.  I wish some of my Phlocker Phriends had been along with me to liven up the place but I was all alone.  I made my way back to the hotel and had a good nights sleep to get ready for tomorrow.

 

 Senor Frog's

 

 The Straw Market