Town of New Plymouth on Green Turtle Cay

Green Turtle Cay's Atlantic-side coves once were the breeding grounds for hundreds of green turtles, now scarce and on the protected species list. Pirates once knew these gentle creatures as "belly timber" because, as a convenient source of fresh meat during long weeks at sea, turtle meat built strength and energy for the crews of the pirate vessels.

Green Turtle Cay quietly languishes in Brigadoon-style time warp where the island's children still attend an "all grades" school house and quaint pastel houses (some are more than 100 years old!) and business establishments line the village streets of New Plymouth. There is even the inevitable Plymouth Rock Restaurant and Package Goods Store recalling the historical background of the town's New England namesake.

We rented a golf cart, and drove the 3 miles into town. We had wanted to purchase a Bahamian cell phone at the BaTelCo office, but when we arrived there, it was mysteriously closed for the day. We wandered around town, and visited the local hardware store and liquor store/restaurant. We picked up a bottle of Havana Club rum, a Cuban rum not sold in the US. Most of the town's 450 inhabitants were inside, but we did meet several people on the street. While the town seems to survive largely on tourism, there were very few tourists around. This has been the pattern so far in the Bahamas, and we feel that we have the run of most of the places that we visit.