Nassau, The Bahamas - Travel Local, Think Global

When I first arrived in Nassau, I saw the palm trees along the cruise ship terminal dancing in the wind that blew from the open water where you could see puffy clouds on the far end of the horizon. I could instantly tell that bad weather was coming. So I scanned all the beaches with my eyes from the top deck of the cruise ship- No signs of closure. Great, looks like this day trip will be fun, at least for a while.

The Lighthouse at the Nassau Harbor

The Bahamas is an archipelago  that stretches from just east of Florida all the way down south to the island of Hispaniola. New Providence is 1 of over 700 islands which the archipelago is consisted of and where the capital city Nassau is as well as where over 70% of all Bahamians call home.  Its convenient location, picturesque scenery , pristine beaches, and warm winters draw  visitors from all over the world (including myself) each year. The country's economy mostly depends on tourism. It's just like what the Bahamians  always say: If you wonder why everybody is being so friendly to you down in The Bahamas, that's because you are everybody's customer. 

A House on Cable Beach

However experiencing things as merely a customer is never my travel style. I'd like to see things in the eyes of locals whenever is possible. In many places across the world traveling is a privilege only the rich has. Many people have very limited mobility due to poverty and some do not even have enough food to eat every day. For people from developed, western countries such as the United States and Canada, we are very fortunate that traveling is easy and affordable for many people. But every time we travel, especially to places that are not as affluent as where we come from, it is very easy for us to develop that typical "customer attitude": I want this or that, because I have the money for it and I paid money to come here. Flaunting wealth anywhere in the world will not help you to get what you want. In contrast you are more likely to be targeted by criminals or have other unpleasant experiences. By traveling like a local, you certainly need to leave that attitude behind. Learn the value of treating others equally and respect the cultures and beliefs of others. Then you will be able to experience and learn new things you never knew or had done before.  Just like the great Mauricio (a Mexican guy who works on the cruise) once said: You wanna have memories that are able to last the lifetime? Go out and do things you've never done before!

Colonial Style Cathedral in Nassau

One of the things I enjoy the most in Nassau was taking the jitney bus with the locals . When I boarded the bus, the friendly driver asked me :" where ya goin' mon?" Many bus drivers on routes frequented by visitors would tell you absolutely everything you see on your ride and the destinations you are about to go to. While the driver drove along the puzzle like streets and the gorgeous coast of New Providence, there was nothing better than sitting on a bus that has seat cushions fixed with duct tapes to prevent the old, rigid springs from jumping  out, and listening to that loud Bob Marley music coming out of the radio with free sea breeze blasting right into my face so nobody has to pay for air conditioning.

Downtown Nassau

The cuisine and the culture of The Bahamas are very similar to other countries in the Caribbeans where people of African descents making up the majority of the population. Most residents of The Bahamas were brought by the Europeans as slaves during the Atlantic Slave Trade. There is an old saying very often quoted: What is a bless, is a curse; and what is a curse, is a bless. For a beautiful country like The Bahamas, it's hard to imagine that it was used as a transfer point for the immoral slave business. The twist, however, is that The Bahamas today has one of the highest standards of living among all countries with  majority of their population being of African descent. The country is recognized by several United States federal agencies as a "developed nation". The success of The Bahamas and its people further proves that everyone has the equal capability of eliminating poverty regardless of race, as long as everyone has the means and the opportunity to thrive (education, jobs, or in the Bahamian case, beautiful islands with lots of tourists). Eventually there would be more understanding between each others and less crime because nobody needs to be jealous of what other people have anymore when everybody can easily access the means to build a good life. If everyone else lives and becomes better, we will live and become better as well. I truly fell happy for the Bahamians and am very proud of what the they have accomplished. 

Cabbage Beach on Paradise Island

As the cruise bids farewell to the city of Nassau at midnight, it turned out that the bad weather never came on that day (it came the next day while the cruise was at a different location, we ended up spending the day at the sea since it was hard for the cruise to enter the port). I found myself standing alone high above the partying crowd from a few decks below. When I saw all the blinking stars in the sky, for some reason my instinct tells me: You better look out for the Northern Lights.It's the perfect dark night! So I looked up north, and there were nothings there. Then I realized that I was down in the Caribbeans - Of course you won't see any Northern Lights at all! The primary reason for coming to the Caribbeans was to escape the North and its harsh winters. But I guess I still can't take piece of the North out of me after all no matter where I am - I might have left the North, but the North never left my heart. 

Downtown Nassau at Night