Day Two - Lots of travel

DAY TWO - MONDAY

At the airport on Sunday everyone was issued $35 for food. Remarkably, by noon the next day when we were finally in Ft. Lauderdale after two flights we still had over half the dollars left which we pooled for a meal.

We arrived at Eleuthera at 4pm on Monday and went through customs. St. Patrick’s parish sent their bus to pick us up. Fr. Lance was at the airport to greet us along with George, our bus driver. The bus ride from the airport to Governor’s Harbor where we are staying is one hour.

The Bahamian Archipelago, is part of a land mass that broke away from the African continent millions of years ago and was pushed up by plate techtonics. The islands stretch in the shape of a broad comma from northwest to southeast. Unlike Hawaii which is volcanic, the Bahamas are a long series of reefs which are largely limestone with the highest point about 200 feet above sea level. Reefs surround each of the islands providing a rich environment for sea life. In addition to limestone some of the rock formations are ancient granite from Africa. Centuries ago, the granite was used as ballast in ships. Today some granite is exposed in outcrops pointing into the sea. Eleuthera is one of 30 islands which are inhabited – each island has a distinct personality and dialect.

Driving south from the airport our first stop was the Glass Window Bridge. An amazing sight where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean across a narrow one-lane bridge. The Atlantic is a deep blue with breaking waves on the east. The Caribbean to the west is teal green and very calm. We all got out of the bus and walked to the edge of the Atlantic and turned toward the start of the Caribbean! It should be on the Natural Wonders of the World list!

South of the Glass Window Bridge we passed through a large area that had been the largest dairy farm on the islands. After independence in the 1970s, groups of militia formed and demanded “taxes” from major industries. The dairy owner abandoned the dairy and cows in place. The cows are gone and the area is fallow today. Towering rock silos stand as sentinels to the past. We stopped at a small local fruit stand along the highway to get coconuts and fresh fruit. Everyone got to taste deliciously fresh coconut water.

We arrived at our accommodations around 6 pm– the Laughing Bird named after the native black faced gulls who flock and “laugh”. We have two small condos with three girls and two chaperones in each. Our hosts in Eleuthera, Al and Janice Curry, hosted us at their home for a swim, barbeque and s’mores. We met wonderful people at the barbeque who we continue to work with and are very  supportive of our mission. One wonderful couple, Arthur and Kayla, brought over fresh bread and homemade local pineapple and guava jam, and coconut stacks which has become our breakfast each day.

When we got back to the condo after dinner we discovered that one unit had lost its air conditioning. At 88 degrees at night and 90% humidity we made do with three fans. The wonderful thing about having a red eye with no sleep was that everyone slept well despite the heat and we were ready to go the next morning. Pro tip: Damp sheets can substitute for air conditioning!

The girls are wonderful. Despite all these delays and changes and surprises, everyone was resilient. Great humor and teamwork.