4th day 12/31/16

It's New Year's Eve, and all of us are so excited we can barely keep it in!  We all decided to sleep in late cause we know we are going to stay up late tonight for the countdown. Because of this we have decided to relax and go shopping to all different types of stores. We all wanted to get something to remember this amazing vacation and the time we all spent together.

One of the places we went to was the Nassau straw market it was absolutely amazing to see all different kinds of artwork from a country.  The straw market almost reminded Kailynn a lot of home and how we had the supermarket for people to show off things they are good at and talents they had at making stuff.  This made Alyssa and Avni also feel a little homesick but they all reminded themselves of this fun and amazing vacation they were on and that they will be back soon to see their families.

Kailynn decided to get herself a wooden carved rabbit. The guy offered to even put her own name on the beautiful, amazing sculpture.   She absolutely adored it and reminded her of her bunny back home.  She missed all of her pets and had trouble trying to figure out what sculpture she really wanted.  She was so amazed about how he carved every single sculpture and wanted to see him in motion.  We had to practically drag her away from the booth because she was way too interested in how he did those sculptures.

Alyssa soon was walking around and found a place that made beautiful jewelry made out of conch shells.  They were all so precious and absolutely amazing.  She chose a nice pretty bracelet to remember her time here.

Avni sadly did not find anything at our time in the straw market but we all went paddle boarding (Sport) for fun and loved it so much.  Kailynn was having such a blast she decided to do some of her gymnastics skills on the board but failed since she said it was very different from on land.  She kept trying though and eventually got what she wanted to do!

Meanwhile time was nearing towards 2017 and we wanted to eat really quickly and walk the beautiful streets of Nassau.   We started thinking about what to do for our new year’s resolutions.

3rd day 12/30/16

Today was a tiring, but fun day that started at 8am at our hotel.   We decided to go to the Blue Lagoon (Sports), which is a private island in the Bahamas.  It was a fun way for us to work out and play sports.  It was about an hour away, but the drive was easily worth it. When we got there, we were given the chance the meet some dolphins!  One of the dolphin's name was Cuddles - so cute!  It was like a dream come true!  One of the dolphins was only a few months old!

 

We spent the whole day there fishing, stand up paddle boarding, and water biking as well!  All of us have never been water biking before, so it was a crazy experience! It was so much fun going there and we all definitely had a blast!  We also went snorkeling and it was so beautiful to go in the pretty clear waters and see the fish there.  Kailynn started screaming through because she thought she saw a shark.  She did not,  it was just a big fish.  The experience was amazing!  All of us have never done it until now and certainly will try to do it again.

After snorkeling we wanted to dry off so we decided to do beach volleyball.  It was so much fun but we kept getting sand in our eyes that hurt really bad.  We all kept switching in and out, trying to let everyone get a turn, but so far Kailynn certainly got the most points since she likes to play volleyball in her free time.

We all later went to the beach that was so pretty.  The sand was about pure white and the water is really pretty.  It was practically all clear and so different from the oceans we have in North Carolina. Everyone sat for a little while, trying to relax in the sun and to work on their tans.  Of course Kailynn who had on 100 SPF still burnt!  She was not happy at all since she told us she always burns and it never turns into a tan, it just goes away.

For dinner, we all agreed on going to the Bahamian Cookin' Kitchen (Meal), which is this amazing place that was near when we docked the boat from the Blue Lagoon.

It was a very nice and neat place to go and eat.  The building was very small and cute.  We also loved that the prices were not too expensive, of course!  Kailynn decided to get the chicken fingers since she is not a big fan of seafood.  Both Alyssa and Avni decided to get the cracked lobster, which sounded unique and authentic to the Bahamas.  They both thought it was just absolutely delicious and they would definitely get it again.  The lobster was so fresh, and better than anything from Red Lobster here in North Carolina!  Alyssa though thought her lobster was slightly overcooked and also salty, but the customer service was great and they agreed to fix it for us for no extra charge.  How generous is that!  Cracked lobster is a classic Bahamian dish that is found all over.  Seafood is very popular in the Bahamas because it is always readily available.  The amount of sea life around the Bahamian islands is crazy!

 

We ended our day after dinner, tired from all the fun we had seeing sights and playing sports. We had a long drive back to our hotel and we almost fell asleep in the car, but we are glad we went to the Blue Lagoon.  Although it was exhausting, we had a once in a lifetime experience!

2nd day 12/29/16

After the first day's excitement of arriving, we decided to really dive into the history of the Bahamas today.  At around 8:00 in the morning, after we had eaten breakfast with the food we had at the hotel, we took the 20 minute walk to the Queen's Staircase (History).  The weather was great and it was nice to get some exercise.  We simply walked down W. Bay Street and made a right on Elisabeth Avenue.  When we saw it, we were absolutely stunned.

It was gorgeous!  The Queen's Staircase is a set of tall stone steps with an artificial waterfall running beside it.  Who can tell the difference though?  We learned a lot about it on our visit.  It was built in the 18th century as part of Fort Fincastle, which we saw later that day.  During this point in time, the Bahamas were ruled by Britain, and the British settlers were concerned about pirates raiding their islands.  The forts around the island were built as a source of protection, and this staircase was a supplement to the fort.  It's a massive structure, with 65 steps that total up to 102 feet in height.  The staircase is made of solid limestone and took 600 slaves to carve it.  The 65 steps may be symbolic of Queen Victoria's 64 year reign, for whom the staircase is named.  The Bahamas fully gained independence in 1973.  

At the top of the staircase, we arrived at Fort Fincastle (History).  It was built in about 1793 to spot invaders approaching and is located at the top of Bennet's Hill, the highest point on the island.  It was built by and named after Lord Dunmore, who had the additional title of Viscount Fincastle.  The fort never saw any battles.  Replicas of the seven cannons that were once housed there can be seen by visitors.

Beside Fort Fincastle, we also spotted a water tower.  It was built in 1928 to help stabilize the island's water pressure, but the public is not allowed access inside.

After spending about two hours at Bennet's Hill, stopping to see the staircase, fort, and water tower, we took another 3.3 km walk to Fort Charlotte (History).  It took us about 45 minutes going at a brisk walking pace, but we made it enjoyable by talking amongst ourselves.  Fort Charlotte was even better than Fort Fincastle!  It covers 100 acres - a breathtaking size!  The fort was built in 1788 and named for Queen Saharia Charlotte, wife of King George III.  Surprisingly, it was built by Lord Dunmore, the same man who built Fort Fincastle.  As it is much more extensive than Fort Fincastle, it has a moat (not currently full), passages underground, and dungeons.  It has 42 cannons that were not fired offensively, compared to Fincastle's seven.  




















After these viewing this magnificent examples of Bahamian architecture, we walked back to the hotel to rest and buy groceries at the local super market.  We bought enough food to last us the first week.  We then watched some television and went to sleep around 9:00.

1st day 12/28/16

Today is finally the day we've all been waiting for: the day we head out to the Bahamas! We are all so excited except for the fact that we have to wake up SO early. We had to meet each other at the airport at 4:00 AM - so that meant that we had to get up around 2:30 in order to complete hair, make-up, and other last-minute items.  Luckily and not surprisingly, there wasn't very much traffic at 3 o'clock in the morning.  

We arrived at the airport and went through security.  Alyssa almost died of boredom!  We finally got through and found our gate.  The flight then took about 45 more minutes to load.  When we took off, it hit home: we are going on a vacation to one of the prettiest archipelagos in the world!

The excitement wore off slightly on the two hour flight to Atlanta, Georgia, as witnessed by Avni's snoring.  The rest of us dozed on and off.  Then we repeated the same monotonous process at the Atlanta airport and flew to Nassau, The Bahamas.  The view was quite exquisite, and we arrived around 10:45 AM.

With a quick taxi drive, we were at our Courtyard Marriott hotel.  We all collapsed, relieved to finally be done with the day's travels.  We unpacked and unloaded until we were comfortable.  The three of us girls would be sharing a room.  A roll-away bed made this possible.  

At 12:00 we went to a luncheon for the Bahamas Society of Engineers (Technology).  The food was great at Luciano's of Chicago, a fine-dining Italian restaurant.  It was so interesting to get to meet all of the BSE's members!  We discovered what the goal of the Society is and how it impacts the people in the Bahamas.  Their mission statement is: "The Bahamas Society of Engineers is a multi-faceted organization dedicated to the promotion of the Arts, Science and Engineering practices and the Allied Arts and Sciences in the Bahamas. One of the primary goals of the organization is to advance the standards of engineering in the Bahamas as well as promote the exchange of information among Engineers and other members of the public. The Society encourages original research and seeks to foster engineering education and professional training."  This was a great educational experience and a great way to kick off our trip!  We discussed the plans and upcoming projects over margarita flatbread pizza, chicken parmigiana, and snapper con carciofi.  Alyssa wolfed hers down like a starving whale!  Due to the dismay of Kailynn and Avni, we had to go back to the hotel so Alyssa could nap.  

"BSE Mission Statement." Bahamas Society of Engineers. Bahamas Society of Engineers, 2016. Web. 6 Nov. 2016.

For the rest of the day we just stayed at the hotel, discussing upcoming plans and watching TV.  We ate dinner at the hotel bistro, then went to bed early, at 8:15, so we could recover from the early flight and be up and ready for the next day.

Our trip will be two weeks long, from Wednesday, December 28, 2016, to Tuesday, January 14, 2017.  We will fly to the Bahamas on December 28th and flying back to North Carolina on January 10th.  The days in between will be filled with tons of fun activities and excursions!

The average weather during our trip looks very nice.  The weather in late December is extremely similar to the weather in early January.  Both have temperatures between the high 60's and high 70's, with an average daily low of 66°F and an average daily high of 78°F.  The median cloud cover is estimated partly cloudy, or 45%.  The probability that there will be any precipitation whatsoever is low, about 32%.  If there was precipitation, it would most likely be moderate rain.  A light breeze would be all the wind we get.  All of these conditions look favorable for all of our outdoor activities!  The only bothersome element could be the humidity, which will be in between 59% as the daily low and 92% as the daily high.  We came expecting great weather and it looks like we're going to get it!

Travel Itinerary

Budget Analysis
One Bahamian Dollar is equal to one US Dollar, so there were no currency values to convert.