Fri, March 21, 2014-
Ok, so typical day in the islands. Guests went home. The boat has been cleaned. It is time to do laundry and provision. We put 5 loads of laundry into the dinghy (in trash bags to stay dry for the almost 2 mile trip across the harbor in choppy seas). Also loaded are the refrigerator bag and cloth bags for groceries. After reaching the dinghy dock we carried everything to the laundry, about a quarter mile away. Just after loading up the machines with our goods, we were told that there was no water. The water meter was being changed out and it would be 15 minutes before the washers could be used. No problem. An hour later, Bob wandered outside and found that a pipe in the dirt road in front of the laundry was dug up. It was going to be a lot more than another 15 minutes. We went back in and unloaded all of our laundry back into the trash bags and parked them in a corner saying we would be back the following morning to try again. Off now to the grocery store.
Now the selection at the grocery stores in the Bahamas is always dependent upon when the supply boat has come in. In the outer islands it also brings the mail weekly. The GeorgeTown market has a good selection. It is not super Stop and Shop however. They do not have any diet foods or even decaf coffee. We did a bit more stocking up than planned and found we did not have enough cash to pay. No problem – we had a credit card with us (even though they charge 5% for using one). It was not to be. The credit card machine was down. A bit of discussion with the store manager – he took a copy of our credit card and we left, agreeing to come back the next day and pay cash.
Sat, March 22-
Back to town to do laundry (a success) and pay for our groceries. This is one of the two good laundries in the Exumas. I also really like to woman who runs it. She is professional, organized, and very nice.
I had been debating what to do with this head of sundried curls. They have a mind of their own. Answer: I went to a local woman cutting hair, and now have my very first “fro”. Not bad.
Water is currently 86 degrees. The air is also warm so we are swimming daily, usually just before dinner. We have started exploring Stocking Island more since we know there is a beautiful Atlantic Ocean beach on the other side. The trees and bushes are too thick to walk through, but in several areas paths have been created that are excellent and largely not used. They seem to be a great secret. By poking around at the northern end of Stocking Island we found a path that crossed the island to a beautiful beach. Both times we went there we had it all to ourselves.
Behind the P&P beach there is a trail that now has many of the trees and bushes marked with their botanical names and a bit of information on the use of the leaves or berries. Someone put a lot of work into establishing the path and information. It is well worth exploring. The path starts and finishes on the harbor side of the island. Midpoint it goes across the ridge of the hill and to the Monument above Monument Beach.