9th day 1/5/17

Today we had an amazing time on Eleuthera Island. To go by ferry, we woke up at 6:00 in the morning. We got ready, ate breakfast at the hotel, and drove up to the port where the ferry's are docked. Luckily, the hotel we booked is right off the shore, so most of the places we needed to go were very close by. This spot on the port in particular was about 12 minutes away, and we were able to be there a few minutes early. After about five minutes upon arriving, we began to board the ferry. In our bags, we brought a few bottles of water along with some snacks we took from the hotel. We also brought a few towels and a pair of extra clothes, in case they got wet on the beach. I was so excited to go to this island because it is one of the most beautiful in the Bahamas.

By far, the most tiring part of the day was the ferry ride. Unfortunately, Kailynn gets seasick often, so the boat ride wasn't great for her. The ride was a total of five hours long to get to the island! We made use of our company and made friends with other people on the ferry as well. For part of the time, we played games on our phones and otherwise, we spent time talking and viewing the ocean scenery around us. Avni is not much of a morning person, so she took a nice and long 2 hour lap while we were awake. How lucky is she? After the time passed and we were approaching our destination, we began to repack our bags and be ready to get off of the boat, at last. After getting off, at around 12:00pm, we had about 2 hours, more or less, to explore. For money purposes, we didn't pay for any excursions, instead we took the "DIY" route of making our own arrangements for places to go.

Our first stop was the pink sand beaches (Natural Environment). We managed to find one beach that had such vibrant pink sand, it was unbelievable! Another beach we found had pure white sand, almost as if it were snow. On the beach, we relaxed and swam in the shallow waters for a bit. The water was surprisingly warm, even though it wasn't very late in the afternoon. One word of advice is the bring loads of sunscreen, because it was HOT! After hanging out at the beach, we went on to our next stop- the pineapple plantations (Natural Environment). Alyssa, was jumping with joy before going here because pineapples are her favorite food in the whole entire world. Getting to the plantation was a bit of a struggle, because in Nassau, we drove our rental car. Here, on the other hand, we were force to take the train instead. It was a new experience for us, and a bit of a hassle, but we eventually got through it.

At the pineapple plantations, we were given an exclusive tour of the field because lucky enough for us, Kailynn's uncle works with the company. The tour guide let us sample a freshly cut pineapple straight off the plant. Alyssa's eyes were glowing when she saw the rows of pineapple plants. She was mesmerized by the bright yellow color of the fresh fruit. Her face made us laugh hysterically! But before we knew it, our two hours were up and we had to go back to the port, get on the ferry, and return to Nassau again.

When we arrived back at the Nassau port, we were STARVING!!! Immediately we drove to the hotel and ate at the restaurant in the lobby. I don't think hotel food has ever tasted that good! After going up to our room and showering, we passed out for the night, although it was only 8:30.