I watched one last Bahamian sunrise, this time without a camera in sight. We had packed, and we were ready to head home. We had a good, large breakfast at the hotel, then went to meet our transport to the airport.
The trip home was uneventful, which was a good thing. By this time I had caught the cold that had plagued Laura for the entire trip, so we were both coughing up a storm (much to the annoyance of our fellow travelers.) There were no delays, and we arrived safely in Greenville at the appointed time.
Our luggage, however, was a different story. There was nothing awaiting us in Greenville. We were just glad it happened at the end of the trip rather than the beginning. The airline was able to locate it, and about 11:00 PM it was delivered to our house. Apparently my luggage tag had snagged in a conveyor belt and had caused damage to the bag and the delay. The contents were OK.
This was our first trip to the Caribbean, and here are some of the things we learned along the way…
1. The Bahamians are super, super nice.
The main industry is tourism, so they have to be. I’m even more impressed that they could maintain a happy professional demeanor even when faced with boorish tourist behavior. And we witnessed quite a bit of that. “I’m on vacation so I’m entitled.”
2. Don’t count on the Bahamas for tropical warmth.
From north to south the Bahamas stretch about as far as the state of California. Consider the difference in climate between Eureka and San Diego and you have some idea of the difference between Freeport and some of the more southern islands. Grand Bahama Island is due east of Palm Beach, Florida. Miami and the Keys are much further south than we were.
Normally the island isn’t as cold, but the same cold air mass that affected most of the US affected the islands, too. We wore jackets most of the time, and I bravely took only one dip in the pool.
3. Travelling while ill is no fun at all
Usually I’m the one sick when we travel, having managed to tour England and Washington State both while running a fever. This time Laura was sick the entire time, which meant that she didn’t feel like kayaking, etc. Not good.
4. We like the Bahamas, but…
I like to get away from resorts when it’s safe to do so. Next time we’d like to head somewhere further south, and someplace with interesting scenery for photography. You can take only so many pictures of stunning sunrises.
It was a good trip. I wish both of us had been well the entire time and that it had been warmer, but we still enjoyed it.