Out and About

Renting a car proved to be a good move.  The Turtles took the tiny Turtle-mobile and drove west, looking for a beach.  Beach access is not really clearly marked and the Turtles spotted a gravel road towards the ocean, which they decided to take.  “No, Myrtle” a worried Tony said, “this can’t be right”.  “Keep going, Tony, don’t give up so easily, the sea must be here somewhere!” (no flies on that Myrtle).  They saw an entrance leading into a townhouse complex and Myrtle suggested that the Turtles turn in “just act like we live here” she whispered (because security guards have supersonic ears and can hear inside moving vehicles…).  The Turtles parked the Turtle-mobile and confidently gathered their beach gear and climbed down the stairs and rocks leading to the beach.

A beautiful sight awaited them: white beach, blue water and palm trees fringing the beach.   All for the Turtles’ exclusive enjoyment -  not another soul in sight. They swam, they dug holes in the sand (Tiny enjoys a little swimming pool) and they just pottered about. They were later joined by two other people and a dog but it was time to leave anyway. 

This outing was in stark contrast to our drive, and walk, through Nassau’s downtown…  The Turtles imagined colonial buildings filled with off-shore banks and accounting firms.  Professionals bustling about before knocking off at 5pm to watch the sunset, cocktail in hand.   The Turtles didn’t see much of those.  They may be hidden out of sight, but the downtown area was pretty much deserted except for the ship-load of tourists getting hammered at Senor Frogs and the touts trying to sell cheap trinkets expensively.  There were many run down and derelict buildings, as if the money dried up and no-one cared.

The  population of Nassau is apparently about 200,000 and this swells with another approximately 30,000 people every day as the cruise ships dock.  The Turtles spotted five massive cruise ships docked on Saturday – some of them complete with super tubes (waterslides). 

The Turtles went to Paradise Island yesterday, a short hop and a skip over a bridge from Nassau downtown, the home of Atlantis.  Atlantis is owned by Sol Kerzner, well known to South Africans as the brains behind Sun City.  The Turtles headed past Atlantis to Cabbage Beach, a beautiful strip of white sand, where Tiny quickly made friends with a four year old boy.  The four parents dug a “pool” while Tiny followed and copied every move made by the boy – which included running up to the pool, jumping in while screaming “cannonball!”  Tiny copied by running up to the edge of the pool, hopping on the edge and putting one foot inside the pool, screaming “tennisball!”  She’s the cute one.  Last night Tiny slept as if she finished a five set match against Roger Federer.  Tennisball!!!

Room with a view: