What struck me first about The Bahamas was the friendliness of its people. Arriving in Nassau on New Providence Island with my husband, we were greeted in the airport arrivals hall by a local band playing folk songs and welcoming customs officers, followed by the most pleasant taxi ride we have had in a long time.
Chatting with our driver James about everything from the weather forecast (sunny, no rain) to the best tips for local food (Frankie’s, for the conch fritters) and souvenirs (Straw Market for shopping and rum cake), the 25-minute ride into Nassau passed in the blink of an eye and we were at our destination: Graycliff Hotel.
Graycliff Hotel is an icon in Nassau. Originally built in 1740 by famous pirate Captain John Howard Graysmith, it became Nassau’s first inn in 1844, before hosting such nobility as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Lord Mountbatten, and Sir Winston Churchill. Graycliff conveys a mysterious, nearly melancholic atmosphere—a house detached from time, a piece of England far away from home.
This was our first trip to the Caribbean and while we didn’t really know what to expect, we were certainly hoping for vast white beaches, crystal-blue water with tropical sea life, and a slower pace of life.
Like a scattered string of pearls, the islands of the Bahamas stretch alongside Florida about 500 miles across the Caribbean Sea. Only a small number of the 700 islands are inhabited and Nassau, the capital, is home to around 70 percent of the 350,000 Bahamians. What used to be a sleepy, quiet town is now the economic, political, and infrastructural hub of the nation and the narrow streets can be crowded at times.
A popular attraction for shopping is the Straw Market, conveniently located on Bay Street, Nassau’s main shopping mile. Here locals, mostly women, sell Bahamian straw works and other souvenirs. In the 1940’s, the straw vending industry replaced the dying local sponge industry and today, finely crafted items such as baskets, table mats, hand bags, hats, and dolls are made of dried leaves of palm trees and sisal plants.
Outside the market we were approached by a local man selling coconuts from the back of his car. Deftly wielding an impressive machete, he beheaded a coconut and offered the delicious coconut milk with a straw to my bemused husband, who clearly would’ve liked a go with the machete himself.
After the first sip, for $5 a generous portion of gin was added to the cocktail by the friendly vendor, and the sun seemed somewhat even hotter for the next hour or so.
