Exploring Grand Bahama

The mornings here are very quiet and peaceful.  Birds and an occasional dog are the only sounds that interrupt the serenity.  I love it!


We decided to take a tour of the island to learn the area and the top spots.

 My favorite stop of the tour - Garden of the Groves.  A botanical garden that I almost vetoed since being hot and humid -  I thought flying insects.  The gardens are very well done with multiple paths, a friendly cockatoo, dozens of turtles, ducks, ponds, a waterfall and stone structures and bridges blended nicely with the vegetation.  (And no insects!)













A quick stop at the farmer's market (AKA straw market) which I definitely would have skipped! ( But I was not the tour guide.)  Colorful for sure but the aggressive selling is not for me.  We came away empty handed.

A small distillery that has been in business for just a few years was more interesting than I would have imagined.  The guide there was a young man with lots of knowledge and passion for his craft.


A very short stop at a pier where the shark are fed.  None were swimming but we did see the same tanker ships we had sailed by just a few days ago, still waiting for their deliveries.  Apparently they can wait weeks for all their goods to arrive before being loaded and sent back to their countries.

Our final stop was the Port Lucaya Marketplace.  Definitely a tourist trap with plenty of vendors selling food, drinks and "souvenirs".  We enjoyed fresh conch salad and drinks with new friends.

What I learned about Grand Bahama:
    Hurricane Dorian decimated the east end of the island in 2019.  It was a category 5 storm that stalled for 3 days and sent sea water inland killing much of the vegetation and trees.  That many of the islanders that were killed or went missing had refused to evacuate and/or move inland.  Only a fraction of the hotels and markets have been rebuilt.  They sit empty and seem okay from the outside but sea water destroyed the interiors.  Owned now by the government, they remain up for sale.
    That brush fires at the end of March further destroyed the east end of the island.
    There is a castle on the island and a street the locals call "Millionaire's Row".  There is no property tax, only a specific yearly "fee" of $400 per half acre.  
    The season for tourists runs from November to mid April.  Go figure -  we arrived as everyone was vacating.  


    
    








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