For Maryann's birthday we rented a car and toured the long island of Great Exuma. Once we got the hang of driving on the wrong side of the road and not clenching the wheel at the speed the Bahamians blasted by us, we had a great day.
We started out early in the morning and headed west, taking the Queen's Highway (most of the Bahamian island's main thoroughfares are named that) going all the way to the tip of the island. Most of the route provided spectacular views of harbors, beaches and the ocean. The colors of the water never ceased to amaze us. They say the high salinity of the water makes it that unforgettable "Bahamas blue". Sprinkled along the way were tiny settlements, few of them were very prosperous looking.
We were intrigued to see the famous Bahamian Class A sloop builder in Barretere who was quite busy getting ready for next week's Family Island Regatta. We saw the produce farms around Steventon that grow most of this and other nearby island's fresh food. We saw several modest hotels and cottage rentals that had obvious hurricane damage and no occupants.
We stopped at Emerald Bay to look at the marina we stayed in exactly 5 years ago on Maryann's Birthday. It is one of the few marinas in the Exumas period and was and is a great bargain at a $1/foot with no services. Not a lot had changed at the marina--same floating docks, same free laundry, same very courteous staff, same surge coming in from the ocean.
However, the Grand Resort, adjacent to the marina, was finished since we last came through here. The resort included very upscale villas, a spa and restaurant overlooking beautiful Thompson Bay. So, we stopped for a nice lunch and Maryann was able to get a massage at the Spa! Wow what a day! And they had screaming fast wi-fi to boot! (The photo is from the infinity pool overlooking the bay.)
Then it was off to the east where we were able to drive, without incident, almost to the eastern end of the island. We crossed a one lane bridge that had been built next to an abandoned ferry dock that connected to a settlement called 'The Ferry', what else? Last stop was back to Georgetown to buy some groceries. Rather than take the rental car back to the people's house who rented it to us, they told us to just park it in front of the market and they would be by the next day to pick it up. No paperwork! We ended the day back on the boat with a glass of wine and a spectacular sunset.
Pretty excellent adventure, right? Happy Birthday Maryann.