| Bahamas 2008 |
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Personally, I struggle to find a word that completely sums up the whole trip but our first tour to the Bahamas and our Company's first International Trip was certainly one that will be remembered by the seniors who went for its good times and it bad times. It was a busy 7 days and for some on the trip a complete culture shock. People who went on the Trip were Ryan Mellor, Joe Dixon, Phil Wright, Jim Walker and Chris Burrows. They were accompanied by John Quigley who would be leader of the BB Group, Rob Walker, Graham Bushill, Graham Lamb and Malcolm Hilditch.
For the majority of the trip, the lads were staying in Crown Haven, a small settlement right at the end of the Abaco Islands on Little Abaco Island in the North of the Bahamas. The Settlement is one that suffers badly from hurricane weather during the Carribean's Hurricane season but as everyone noticed on the trip has a strong community that looks out for each other and has a strong family feeling.
Day One
We began our trip with a long journey to the islands. We caught three planes there in total with American Airlines starting off in Manchester flying direct to Chicago O'Hare International Airport. We then took a direct flight to Miami International Airport where we got off and stayed in the Embassy Suites Hotel for the night. The Hotel was nice enough with its own restaurant, swimming pool and central indoor area as a garden with nice rooms. Everyone was tired at this point and soon fell asleep.
Day Two
Next Morning we had a fairly early start where we all got in the pool for a bit, had a rather filling American Breakfast with Doughnuts, Cakes and Muffins and Devotions just before we left the Hotel.
We were soon back at Miami International Airport where we caught an American Eagle (A branch of the American Airlines group) flight to Marsh Harbour, the biggest settlement and town in the Abaco Islands.As we got off the plane, the heat instantly hit us and we were facing a small yellow building Marsh Harbour call their airport. It suprised many of us why airlines like American Eagle even fly to Marsh Harbour. However we made our way through Customs, collected our bags and waited for Graham Lamb and Malcolm to pick us up in the car. However, Theo (our host)'s wife, Timara, picked us up in a car and drove us into the centre of Marsh Harbour.
In Marsh Harbour we left behind John, Phil, Chris and Jim and Ryan, Joe, Rob Walker, Graham Bushill, Timara and her son Tiko continued up to Crown Haven. It was a long 80 mile drive to Crown Haven but it was interesting along the way to see Bootle Highway, the Northern Abaco's biggest road almost completely empty most of the time. Along the way we picked up Timara's sister and she was telling us interesting facts about the area, even taking us to the place Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham grew up.
We contiuned up the empty Highway to a place near Crown Haven which is a traditional Bahamian Take-away. Here we had some wonderful fried Chicken in Batter with Chips which beats KFC 1000 times by what I tasted. It was freshly prepared and wonderful for the system. We then travelled for a further 10 minutes when we finally reached the settlement of Crown Haven.
Crown Haven appeared to me not as run down I imagined it to be. It had many houses scattered around the settlement in all different colours which added that sense of life in the village. When we entered Theo's House we were surprised to see a TV, a nicely decorated house and a Computer. However we learnt that this was one of the better houses of the settlement and found that other familes in the area were not so fortunate. This we discovered when going on a walk of the settlement after the takeaway Timara had kindly bought for us.
It was a wonderful warm evening and a stroll was what we needed to take the worries off our chest for an hour or so. It was great seeing the settlement. In a way it is what we expected but other times it surprised us in a good way and a bad way. It was clearly run down but it was a really interesting place with all the colourful houses and the smell of fresh sea air hitting us in the breeze. It was wonderful. As we walked past the local bar and saw the view of the sea from the pier, the sunset was a breath-taking sight and one we would get used to during the week.
As we walked around, the locals didn't hesistate to greet us and the kindness they showed us and the friendly atmosphere made us instantly feel at home. Tiko was with us and he showed us most of the way around the village introducing us to the locals and showing us where the different things in the settlement were like the church which they are highly proud of in the village.
It was much later in the afternoon, when the sun dipped suddenly below the horizon, that Phil, Chris, Jim, Quigley and Graham finally returned from Marsh Harbour. We got together and set up a temporary campsite for the night because it was too late to get all technical with the positioning of the tents and everything.
Later in the evening, are worries were over when Graham Lamb and Malcolm finally arrived after spending a very long time getting here. Apparantly what had caused their long journey was the long delays of their flights and the fact the ferry that would bring them to Crown Haven from Grand Bahama broke down. The ferry had been broken down for most of the day during the baking hot sun and their was no cover for them to take shade in.
However after telling us their story, we had a lavish meal prepared by Timara which everyone throughly enjoyed and was filled with all sorts of food from beef, to Macaroni Cheese and Salad. It was a meal much enjoyed by everyone and was followed by debriefing and bed.
Day Three
The next morning, much to our displeasure, we were woken up early and given a filling breakfast prepared by our cook Graham Lamb. For the duration of the trip, the group were insistant on using the house facilities Theo had as little as possible. We used the bathroom for the toilet and shower but things like food, storage and water were put in the shed. Also the food was prepared in there in the cooker provided.
Today's task was to start collecting items from the beach, which is often cluttered with rubbish, and use them to make games out of for the upcoming Adventure Day on Sunday. This meant we had two days to prepare. We were expecting the beach to have a fair amount of rubbish on but the type of rubbish of which was on the beach suprised us greatly. There was everything from glass bottles to planks of wood to parts of a boat. It was amazing at the amount of rubbish. However, as part of our aims, we cleared them off the beach and put them into tidier piles and removed hazardous objects.
Once we had cleared the objects of the beach and put them in piles in the grass area, we collected items we thought would be useful for our Adventure Day. We collected such items like discarded ropes and planks. We also found poles which could be used as stands. We even found boyd which decided to use for one of our games. We then got together to think of ideas for the games, what could we do with the objects of which we had collected? However, the middle of the day fast approached and soon we were all getting hungry and felt a little bit hot. The leaders thought it would be best if we relax during the middle of the day so then we would not get tired quickly doing work in the blistering 37ºC (98.6ºF) heat. So we left the objects in a neat pile near where the Adventure Day would take place and had lunch once again prepared by Graham Lamb. We then spent the rest of the day in the kayaks having a paddle around with some of the young people in the area. It was great fun and lasted for the rest of the day.
It still makes us feel warm now the happiness that went on that afternoon, we had so much fun that we decided to finish work that day and spend some time with the locals getting to know one another and have a good time.
At sunset, we were amazed about how time had flown and we put the kayaks away and went back up to the camp site and settled down to another meal and chilled out for a little bit taking a few photos and even trying to crack open a coconut - the hard way! We also moved the tents around a bit so then However night was soon upon us and we had another good meal prepared by Graham with the help of Rob Walker and had an evening briefing about the next day.
It was again another late night for us all, but it was a great day that we all enjoyed and we were starting to get our bearings of Crown Haven. We all were growing to like it and the people were really friendly and welcoming to us. We already began to feel we were part of a family.
Day Four
The next morning, it was vital that we spent today getting a crack on with preparing for this adventure day. We picked up from yesterday and got together the materials and started setting up the games. We decided to have a range of games to pass the time including a rope route where people are blind folded then have to follow a route the rope creates. We also created an obstacle course where people had to walk on a route created by planks and not fall off under timed conditions. Also there was a coconut bowls and bowling and also a hit the coconut game. We also created an island hopping game which involved being in a team and using two blocks and a plank to get from one side of a swap to another. The main part of the adventure day though that would be on offer to the young people was the kayaking which would be run by Graham Bushill, Graham Lamb and Malcolm.
We spent the morning setting up the games and deciding how we would run the Adventure Day before settling down to some lunch.
After Lunch we spent about 15 minutes sorting out the Adventure Day and then spent the rest of the afternoon resting as we had finished setting up the adventure day and were confident that we were ready for the next day.
Today we were not joined by many of the locals when we in the kayaks and in the sea but we still had a lot of fun swimming and messing about. Also laughing at Quigley because he could not catch a fish with his spear.
Later on in the evening, me and Chris went out for a Navigation exercise in the Kayaks. It was a beautiful, calm Saturday evening and perfect conditions for kayaking, however there was a slight breeze. We kayaked a short distance with Graham Bushill to Orphan's Cay. Here we learnt about how Navigate ourselves around with a Compass and Map. We also learnt different ways of finding out the direction of the wind and distances. A much enjoyed afternoon of kayaking.
After an hour or so kayaking, we headed back to Crown Haven and helped put the Kayaks away and washed the kit down. We then spent a bit of time relaxing before going up to the bar to have a tradtional, American influenced Burger and Chips. It was a treat for Saturday night. It was a great night chatting, listening to Caribbean music, taking plenty of photos of everyone and the beautiful sunset over the calm sea. It was a great evening and much enjoyed by everyone.
Later in the evening we headed back to Camp site, had a debriefing on what happened that day and what was to happen tomorrow. We then headed to bed for an early night as we heard that we would be getting up early for church in the morning.
In our opinions, today was one of the best days because even though we were working, we were starting to get used to Crown Haven and each other. We were starting to work better together and getting more things done.
Day Five
Morning broke and we were woken early for Church. After a brief time to get ready and have breakfast, we headed down to the Church where we were warmly greeted by the Community going to Church. We took photos before going inside and we were amazed by how different to our expectations the Church service would be. The Church was wonderfully decorated and wonderfully cool. It was a long service with many events in such as communion and birthday celebrations. Also the hymns were sung without music in the background and it felt like a very friendly and welcoming place to be. Half way through the service, everyone gave everyone else a hug - including us and it was a great way of getting the message of God over to us. After the service, we headed back down to Theo's House and prepared the Adventure Day.
After a spot of lunch, we all went down and were amazed by the amount of young people that had turned up. We took photos and began the work. At first everything seemed to be going the way we wanted it to, but soon we realised that the way Graham had wanted it to work did not go to plan, so everyone adapted to a better system of letting people go to games as they wanted freely. The games we had set up were great fun and the yuong people really enjoyed the experience playing these challenging games we had set up. They also had skills behind them which they quickly picked up and used during the games. It was also good fun and I think everyone enjoyed themselves throughly. Also the Kayaking for the young people was a fun past time too and one of the most popular. Kayaking around the Bay and learning a few skills was a really good way of spending an afternoon in the heat of the day.
By the end of the day, everyone went home and we packed the stuff away and settled down in a our tents for a while. We all felt good about the adventure day and thought it was a great success. Then me, Jim and Joe went on a short walk around Crown Haven.
Walking around Crown Haven reminded us about how lucky we are as westerners to live in houses that we do. Although it was stunning the different colours of the houses and the amount of land each had but we still couldn't help but to notice the houses could not stand to the weather of which Crown Haven has experienced and the poorer conditions. We were taking photos of the settlement and looking around with Tiko guiding us. We followed the main road that runs down the islands to the beginning of Crown Haven and stopped at a playground where we played tag with Tiko and one of his friends.
We later headed back and watched the sunset on the North Coast of Little Abaco over the Atlantic Ocean. It was beautiful watching the sunset again and we felt really lucky to be here in Crown Haven to watch the sunset every night We headed back towards camp and began organising for the survival night on Smith Cay. We packed carefully and got an early night sleep as we would need it.
Day Six
If being in the Bahamas wasn't exciting enough, we were all about to get the chance to kayak to and stay on one of the Bahamas' 700 unihabited islands. The island the leaders decided to place us on was Smith Cay, an island about 2 or 3 miles away from Crown Haven. It was once inhabited by people but was soon abandoned after it suffered very badly from hurricaines during the Hurricaine season. Half of us were to kayak to the island and the other half in Theo's boat. Once again we got up early and had a filling breakfast before setting out for the Cay. Once we packed up the tents and the stuff we would need for the trip, the kayakers set off in the kayaks for Smith Cay. It was decided we would take the long way to our destination, however we discovered that the first leg of our journey would be against the wind and tide. This would prove a challenge but the group rose to the occasion and we went for it. It started well, however we soon ran into difficulties when Rob Walker and Graham Lamb began to sink.
Even in the terrible conditions we were working in to help Graham and Rob, the team reacted quickly to the sinking and we soon had them back into a different boat with me having to swap with them for a kayak more suitable to their needs.
Because of the rescue, we had drifted quite a fair distance right. of where we were going and were rapidly heading towards Orphans Cay and the shorter route to our destiantion. We eventually decided because of this, we would take the shorter route to Smith Cay to avoid anymore problems. The original route did prove though that our group could work well together and it was a well carried out operation that avoided too much trouble. We arrived at Smith Cay much earlier than we had orginally said we would arrived and we quickly settled in and got our tents prepared. We then spent the afternoon walking around the deserted area and swimming in the sea and enjoying the natural mud which we bathed our feet in - completely for free!
Also later some of the people who didn't paddle to Smith Cay paddled around in the Kayaks around the island learning some skills and trying to catch fish unsuccessfully. As everyone quickly learnt the Bahamian Fish are clever.
Later that afternoon people continued to paddle, sleep in their tents, create a fire and even bury me in a big sand pile (which can be found on YouTube). However for some people being on Smith Cay was a hard time as they didn't like the feeling of being isolated and the nuisance of having sand in the tents. From a personal point of view, I enjoyed the experience as we were well and truly living rough and I think that was the glue that made us work together as a team on the Cay.
By the evening we managed to make our fire really big and even resorting to methods of trying to put out the adult's fire to win the biggest fire competition. Unfortunately no winner was declared.
When we were satisfied with our fire, we began cooking a delicious stew prepared by Graham Lamb. Having never cooked on a fire before, I found it an interesting cook. The result was a good stew, reasonably hot and filling for everyone bar me who was already looking for seconds about five minutes after eating my own.
Night came upon us and we gathered together around the fire and had a relaxing briefing over cups of Orange Juice. We had our thought for the day and talked about the experience on the island. We shared thoughts and agreed on things we liked and things we disliked about camping on the deserted island.
We decided to pack away and go to bed early as we had to be prompt getting up as Theo would be coming at 9am to pick up our stuff. Many of us were very tired at this point of the trip and felt we needed an extra few hours sleep but unfortunately the arrangements had been made and we just had to cope with the amount of hours we had.
Day Seven
The next morning we were reluctantly woken up early and began to pack away everything on the beach. We tidied up and had a quick breakfast. We struggled that morning to work as a team to pack everything away because of our tiredness but by ten to nine we were ready to go and the people kayaking prepared on their voyage back to Crown Haven. Theo, however, hadn't turned up at the arranged time and the kayakers remained behind with the people that were meant to go in the boat to wait for Theo. After half an hour of waiting, the kayakers set off and we left the people who were to go on the boat to wait for Theo and promised to carry out a rescue mission if we arrived back and the others were still on Smith Cay.
So me, Phil, Chris, Jim, Malcolm, Graham Bushill and Rob Walker set out on the kayaking trip back to Crown Haven. We decided to take the long way around to compensate for yesterday's change of plan. We had a slight wind and tide but it was great to kayak around Smith Cay.
The Journey was long and tiring but we had some good paddling going on and we had a successful long trip back to Crown Haven. When we arrived, we found there was no need to carry out a rescue mission as the others had made it back when Theo managed to pick them up after we had left.
We had a filling lunch after the journey and were given the afternoon to explore and do what we wanted in the area. Me, Jim and Joe headed to the Settlement's bar where we had a drink and played Dominos with Tiko. We were also joined by Malcolm and Graham Lamb and were amazed about the fact for the first time since being in the Bahamas we saw rain and a rainbow created in the grey sky. It was a nice reminder of home and relieved some of us at least of our homesickness. Not suffering for that myself, I was slightly disappointed with the weather that afternoon. However later it brightened up and Tiko took us back to the Playground where we played more tag with his friends.
Later that evening, we came home and had our meal and discussed about what was happening tomorrow. After our trip to Smith Cay, we entered the more relaxing part of the trip which would give us a chance to wind down from what we had done. The next day we would be visiting a pleasant town on Elbow Cay called Hope Town. From what I read in my Travel book, I read that Hope Town was hopelessly picturesque and a very wonderful town. We then all had Dinner and discussed the various bits about the trip which we had enjoyed and had not enjoyed and then we went inside for the evening briefting where we further reflected on the events of the last few days.
Afterwards and very kindly, Timara prepared for everyone a local dish called Conch Fritters which according to my book are 'deep-fat-fried balls of conch covered with corn batter that has bits of sweet peppers, onions and tomato included'. The moment I tasted it, I fell instantly in love with its rich taste and wonderful flavour. I found a new favourite food.
Day Eight
The next morning, we woke up again early but had a more relaxing morning getting ready to go out as we didn't need to pack too much to go to Hope Town. We had a good breakfast and headed on the 80 mile journey down to Marsh Harbour.
We arrived an hour later and waited at the ferry terminal. This would take us to Hope Town and we couldn't wait to visit the town. We climbed aboard a small ferry and began our journey to Hope Town. The ride was smooth and the views of Great Abaco and the Cays were stunning, as was the crystal blue sea which sparkled and glowed all different beautiful colours. Very soon we saw the Elbow Cay Lighthouse and before we knew it we arrived in Hope Town. The first thing we noticed was that the streets were very narrow and were hardly any cars out and about. The houses were placed neatly along the narrow streets and decorated in all different colours of the rainbow. Words in the book hardly described what we saw.
We walked down one of the main streets in the town, which was hardly longer than one of our narrow countrylanes and stopped off at a renowed restaurant in the town called Cap'n Jack's. It is a restaurant that overlooks the harbour and set on a pier. There was an endless list of Bahamian and American cuisine on the menu which we were all desperate to try. Since I found a love for Conch the previous day, I went for my favourite Bahamian dish, Conch Fritters. It came with rice and chips and was truely filling meal. Other people had burgers, chips, Toasties and other dishes. We then later all had a Chocolate Cake each which was possibly the best chocolate cake I have had in a while.
We then split off into groups and went on a tour of the Town. I was with Jim, Joe and Rob Walker and we walked up some of the paths in the area and it has to be said the gardens and houses were just stunning. We were almost wishing we lived in them. We visited several shops in the town and even had a walk on Hope Town's Beach.
From what I recall about the town, I remember seeing no litter and a really unspoilt town. I found myself falling in love with its rich colours and sense of pride. Everything from what I remember was organised, not out of place and the most wonderful thing was the lack of noise. It was very quiet and we felt really comfortable in the town.
We stopped off in shops and went for a stroll here and there. It was nice to concentrate on relaxing and enjoying the laid-back Bahamian lifestyle. To see though a town in the state it was for us was amazing and we were so glad we came as it is a town with a wonderful shine.
After a bit of Ice Cream and a look around, we headed back to the pier to find almost a whole afternoon had suddenly passed by. However we enjoyed every moment of it and felt afterwards it was most definately the best part of the trip.
We boarded the same boat again and made our back to Marsh Harbour where we then travelled on back to Crown Haven.
For our last night in the Bahamas, Theo and Timara threw a special party for us and to also celebrate Tiko's Birthday on the Monday which we unfortunately missed due to being on Smith Cay. It was Barbecue night and Theo prepared for us many burgers, sausages and other grilled food to fill me up to the brim! We also sung Happy Birthday to Tiko over a huge cake prepared by Timara. It was a wonderful last evening and everyone who came on the trip really admired the hospitality which Theo and Timara showed and we were very greatful for letting us stay with them and we are also very thankful to them for the warm hospitality they gave us.
Burgers, Chips, Hot Dogs and even a spot of Conch just filled me up to the brim but we had a wonderful night that night developing closer links with the locals and enjoying each other's company for the last time before going home and getting back to normal. Tired and slightly full, we all retreated to the tents for our last night camping.
Despite everyone leaving their luggage at Miami International Airport, everyone made it back to the UK safely and since then everyone has got together again to reflect the times we had in the Bahamas. A trip that a few of us believed at one point would never leave the ground but ended up taking off with enormous success. The trip did have its ups and downs and many times it felt like we kept re-visiting the same problems at different points in the trip but however I think we can all agree we did enjoy the trip and thought it was worth coming out. Some of us were used to the conditions of which we were working in and others found it a complete shock. I think though we all learnt a bit more about ourselves during the trip and learnt from mistakes we made on the trip and if we were to go again, I think as a group we would be more prepared for the challenges that lay ahead and would be able to avoid the mistakes we made this time round. Ultimately by the end of the trip we felt very much part of the community we were staying in and we got to the know the people and understood how they live. All in all I say the the trip was really worth it, we all gained a lot of knowledge and if I had the chance I would go again next week but for others maybe in two years time.
Ryan Mellor