liberateny

We just returned from a 5-day Glory cruise that included Nassau as a port of call. We've been there before, done most all of the common excursions like the dolphin swim, sea lion encounter, Blue Lagoon, walking tours, etc, and were looking for something different. After a suggestion from ScubaGirrl (thanks!!) we arranged to meet a local host through the People-to-People program sponsored by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism (www.bahamas.com).

 

This turned out to be a major highlight of our cruise! I can't give you a detailed description of exactly what to expect, because each experience is probably unique to the personality of the host or hostess, and your wishes as the visiting guest. In our case, our hostess was a lovely, gracious woman who has lived all her 76 years in Nassau. We pre-arranged to meet at the fountain in front of the Ministry of Tourism building at 10:00 AM. She took us in her own car on a tour that included a lot of off-the-tourist circuit locations, including East End mansions, beautiful beaches, and the Fox Hill residential area. Along the way we visited her church, which is currently building a new sanctuary, and her home, where we met her pack of friendly dogs.

 

Because I had expressed an interest in Rake-and-Scrape and Junkanoo music, she took us to a record store and helped me pick out a couple of representative CD's to take home as souvenirs. My wife had expressed an interest in visiting someplace other than the Straw Market at the pier where she could buy some souvenir arts and craft items (which did not say "made in China" on the bottom!), so we went to the Bahamas Craft Centre on Paradise Island. We treated her to lunch at Fish Fry (Twin Brothers, BTW...very good), and ended our day at Ardastra Gardens feeding the Lory parrots and watching the (semi-) skilled marching drill of the flamingos. Our hostess was still going stong, and I think we could have gone on longer but after nearly six hours we were beat, and decided to call it a day then.

 

There is no charge for this service, however we paid for all admissions, parking, lunch, etc. We offered to fill her gas tank, which she declined, but we also brought a unique gift for her which I think she appreciated. It was a sweetgrass basket, a local art form found only here in the low country of South Carolina, along with some books explaining their history and significance. Now you might think taking a "straw basket" to the Bahamas would be like taking coal to Newcastle, but the materials used and construction technique are quite different. Ironically my wife bought a Bahamian style basket to take home so now we can exhibit the two styles of basketry side-by-side.

 

This was a one-of-a-kind experience that we will remember for a long time. If you are interested in meeting locals in Nassau, are curious about the local culture, food, music, or history, we would highly recommend you try the People-to People program.

This is wonderful! I wish I had known about this a few weeks ago- but will keep the info for future use.