Two days, one night, in the Bahamas

Like I said in my last piece, we had flown out of Jose Marti international in Havana late morning and landed airport Lynden Pindling international airport late after noon.Have you heard the names of these airports before? I hadn’t, as well, before the trip.The view of a long row of lean trees that seemed to […]

Like I said in my last piece, we had flown out of Jose Marti international in Havana late morning and landed airport Lynden Pindling international airport late after noon.
Have you heard the names of these airports before? I hadn’t, as well, before the trip.
The view of a long row of lean trees that seemed to me indigenous to the islands, planted on both sides of the runway almost at equal intervals as we approached to land, reminded me of those immaculately dressed soldiers, policemen, or indeed any paramilitary organization whose uniformed men stand at attention on both sides of a red carpet when receiving a visiting dignitary.
It’s all right to assume we were the dignitaries. You may not entirely be off target, because inside the terminal building we were treated as such.
Walking along the wide, carpeted and squeaky clean corridors to the immigration, we were welcomed by a set of smiley old school musicians playing salsa that would tempt one to jump on the dance floor.
The immigration lady who stamped us in treated us as special and generally made us feel welcomed.
Outside the terminal, we somehow missed each other with Ambrose—remember him? The one I mentioned I sent sms to just before we left Havana in the concluding part of my last piece? Anyway, I will get back to him later.
So, we took a cab to Best Western, Paradise Island, the hotel we had booked for our one night stay.
The cab driver John, a hefty guy who looked to me like a retired boxer that has had it with workouts, was very friendly and helpful with information as we drove along the picturesque seaside.
By the time he dropped us in the hotel, he had become not only a taxi driver but a guide as well.
Immediately John bid us farewell, I surveyed the environment and saw it really looked like paradise on earth —the one we know of.
That Best Western was not a conventional hotel as such, but a maze of individually built suites that provide each occupant the privacy required.
We asked for directions to the reception from, this time a lanky and snoop looking security man who pointed to a well planted cobbledwalk way onto a flight of stairs.
We enter the reception and who do we see? Not anybody from here, —your guess is wrong—but a very amiable grandmotherly looking old woman named Sandra.  
The kind of lady you wouldn’t mind leaving your kids with, in the likes of Mrs. Doubtfire—remember her from the late Robin Williams movie of the same name?
I engaged her in conversation whilst she was trying to sort us out, and believe me, before going to our suite, we had known all about her, her son and grandchildren. We have exchanged a couple of e-mails with her since our return.
She was the kind of old woman you cannot forget in a hurry; what with her full and neatly cut crop of white hair, plus looks and demeanor of Mrs. Cosby in the Cosby show of the 80’s.
She made us feel as if we were home, and you can imagine, in that far, far away Fairytale Island, I tell you.
Before long, Ambrose arrived.
Now, back to Mr. Ambrose, a Nigerian of Edo State, who I must say is equipped with native intelligence and good public relations. He is somewhat like the PR guy of the association of Nigerians resident in the Bahamas, and for that he has reason to interact with many  government officials, advantage of which he used to acquire a piece of land in a prime location of the downtown to use as a private car park. We had reason to go by it in order to change cars before he took us to a restaurant for lunch, and I noticed his hourly charges are a little less than others in the vicinity. See the native Edo intelligence?
Exchange of pleasantries done with, he dropped us at a restaurant and we  told him not to bother coming back because he had a business to run and that we would take a cab back to the hotel, a suggestion he reluctantly agreed to.
THE ISLANDS: The Bahamas has a total of about 700 islands, some of which are entirely owned by rich American celebrities. Was I that loaded as well, I wouldn’t think twice about acquiring one.
The island we are currently on, though not the biggest, houses the capital of the country—Nassau.  To get to some of the other far off islands, one has to fly. The closest island to Nassau is the Paradise Island where our hotel and the Atlantis are. The two islands are joined by a bow—shaped beautiful bridge.
The Bahamas is blessed with warm climate, crystal clear waters of all imaginable shades of green and blue and countless number of fine beaches.
The country, is indeed, also a place of colors and treasured traditions.
You need to see how they play with colors on their buildings and traditional artifacts.
Christopher Columbus was the first European to make landfall—like a hurricane—in 1492, which in a way is—like a hurricane— to the original inhabitants, considering how the British and Spaniards competed for the islands much later.
The island on which he made the landfall, called Guanahani by the locals then, is now known as San Salvador, and is part of the 700 major islands in the Bahamian archipelago.
There was a period when pirates controlled the islands, probably the reason why the actor from the movie ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ remind me of his name please, yes! Johnny DEPP bought an island there. I don’t know.
The islands were finally inhabited by erstwhile British Empire loyalists and their slaves from the United States. The reason probably for the cross-culture and unique accent the islanders are blessed with. You need to hear them talk.
The country transited peacefully, to fully representational government in the 1960s.
In 1973, Sir Lynden Pindling, their first prime minister, led the country to independence.
What is of interest here is the fact that from 1973 to date, the islands have become a booming financial centre, hosting most of the world’s biggest banks and investment firms.
Imagine what we could have done from independence to date if… and only if—.

DAY 2: In the course of a conversation with Sandra the previous day, she had said to us, “The Atlantis is just walking distance from here, so no need to take a cab in the morning”.
We, thereafter, immediately requested for late check out and she was gracious enough to grant us up to 2pm. We figured that would give us enough time to do a tour of the Atlantis and be back to freshen up for the airport.
I called Ambrose and told him to come for us at 2pm.
What she didn’t tell us was what to expect on a visit to the Atlantis, which by the way is a must for any visitor to the Bahamas.
We had woken up a little late on the second day. What do you expect when you are in paradise on earth?   
We quickly got ready and trekked to a restaurant called ‘Anthony’s’ for breakfast, a portion of which is just enough to last you exactly the length of the trek for the tour.
ATLANTIS BEACH HOTEL: This 2300 room beach hotel was built 20 years ago to bring to life the myth associated with the lost city of Atlantis. At the time the project was conceived, it was considered to be mind boggling; it is, even today, I think. I am sure you too will agree— by the time you consider this;
It houses the world’s largest open—air marine environment, gulping 11 million gallons of water, with well over 40,000 sea creatures representing 200 species.
Also within the complex, is a spectacular Mayan temple waterslide amongst countless waterfalls.
There are six swimming areas to choose from and a multis million dollar marina for the rich and famous to park their yachts.
The Caribbean’s largest casino is also located within the royal towers of the sprawling complex, with an additional 100,000 sq ft of conference facilities and 30,000 sq ft of the flagship Mandara Spa.
Now, lest I forget, before going to Anthony’s we had gone to purchase tickets for the tour. There, we were confronted with a variety of options to choose from, ranging from a minimum of a one hour tour to upwards of three, if one was the adventurous type and wanted to swim with fishes.
We opted for one hour for two reasons.
1. We are not that adventurous, and
2. Our time wouldn’t permit more than that.
When it got to our turn on the queue, the ticketing lady politely asked where we were from, and I gave her the option of three guesses, “after which if you fail we get free tickets”. After all, we were within the precincts of one of the word’s biggest casino.
We don’t gamble. So, without waiting for a counter offer from her, I almost immediately said ‘Nigeria’, in my mind praying that she doesn’t ask or say anything about goings on back home.
She did, but something positive, to our utmost delight.
She had said, “I Read The Book” “Things Fall Apart” Long Time Ago” and I enjoyed it. I heaved a sigh of relief.
It was after getting the tickets; with about an hour at hand before the next tour began that we dashed to Anthony’s.
We trekked back to the entrance and waited for a guide to come pick us, and true to type, he was there on the dot.
He introduced himself with a distinct American/Caribbean accent —that’s how they all talk anyway—as Peter.
THE ATLANTIS PARADISE ISLAND TOUR: The resort, created by an African—a southern one—was officially opened in 1998 as the trump plaza, but was renamed Atlantis when additional buildings were added.
The tour began at the main lobby where we were mesmerized by the sheer grandeur and art work on display.
The main attraction of the Atlantis, to me, is not the hotel or casino, but the aqua venture.
These are some of the things, but for the adventurous, you should look out for and do when you find yourself there.     
THE CURRENT: This is a one mile long water ride (can you imagin)  complete with waves and tidal surges.
THE MAYAN SLIDES: Consists of four major slides, some of which drop at lightening speed and slide into a shallow pool.
THE DIG: The dig is a series of aquariums located beneath the lobby of the towers and is the world’s largest marine habitat. We were privileged to see much of aquatic specie of fishes ranging from barracudas, stingrays, sawfishes, angelfish, jelly fish, sharks, and manta rays that grow up to three meters long.
The goal of touring the dig, which has wreckage and debris of the lost city scattered on the floor is to get an impression of how life was in the legendary destroyed city of Atlantis, but, I must tell you this village boy couldn’t make any sense of it.
What exited us was the opportunity of seeing those many varieties of fish, (even if we couldn’t get to taste them) which we wouldn’t have seen anywhere else otherwise.
We came out of the dig, crossed a bridge and were made to stop at the most vantage of spots for a souvenir photo—According to Peter, a point that brings to full view the ‘Michael Jackson Bridge’.
Now, talking about the Michael Jackson Bridge; it is not a bridge which takes people from one end of a body of water or rocks to the other, no, it is a very large suite in the hotel that connects the two royal towers, and was where late Michael Jackson always stayed whenever he vacationed in the Bahamas, and the cost per night? You guess pls.
A whopping $25,000! And you have to book for a minimum of four nights!
You do the maths in our now battered and tattered naira or Italian lira if you want a short cut for a headache. I won’t help you with that.
Another must for tourists for a souvenir photo is an open well lit space by the casinos where a giant —Bokassa look alike—throne is well positioned for that.  
The downside of a dig tour is; you may come out hungrily going up and down looking for grilled fish, which isn’t difficult to find in the vicinity anyway.
  NASSAU DOWNTOWN: We got back to the hotel, quickly showered, checked out and waited for Ambrose at the reception.
He showed up on time.
He dropped us in the downtown for some little shopping, and what a beautiful and colorful place, filled with shops for both the rich, not so rich and .
We had an eyeful of window shopping first before ending up in a shop that sells mostly kid stuff, antique and ceramic wares advertised in a peculiar manner.
This is what you see written on entry into the shop: ‘Lovely to look at, delightful to hold, but if you break it, consider it sold’.
Though, “no matter how expensive” wasn’t added, we all the same tip toed our way around, luckily without any incidence.
“Not the kind of shop you go into with kids”, I came out thinking.
 By the time we finished, we needed a bag. We are Nigerians.
Ambrose took us to another section of town where he said the bags are cheaper. Don’t forget, the Bahamas is millionaire’s playground.
Bag in hand; we drove back to his car park to re-pack the luggage.
Ambrose quickly went into a local jewelry shop to present us with a symbolic gift before we jetted to the airport. On the way, we passed by the cemetery in which many American celebrities — the most famous of whom I know was Anna Nicole smith—were buried.
At the airport we were delighted to find out that American immigration formalities could be done right from there, which enable passengers to land at local wings in the U S, and we were lucky there were no queues at all — very convenient.
We bid Ambrose farewell with tons of thanks and practically entered the United States without leaving the Bahamas.
I only know of one other airport that does that, Abu Dhabi’s in the U A E. From there you can also land in the United States as a local passenger.   
The immigration lady that stamped us in was very friendly. She even asked us about our vacation in Habana—by the way, this is how it is spelt in Cuba, with a ‘b’.
BACK IN THE US: We arrived Miami late evening and conveniently checked into a hotel at the airport for the night.
In the morning we self checked ourselves onto a Delta airline flight to Atlanta.
My friend Baba Garba, had us picked and checked into a Marriot close to his house, and was generous to us with everything, from the most precious of possessions—time, right up to local cuisine throughout our stay in Atlanta.
The thing that will strike you the most, like a thunder, when in Atlanta is the vegetation.
Two must do—to for me things in Atlanta are 3.
1. A visit to CNN. We did, and even passed by Aisha Cisse about to start a programme—as if that’s something. Well, maybe it is, if you take the comments of a security man we passed bye—which I’ll leave you to guess—into consideration.
2. A visit to Coca Cola factory, which I missed out on and was made to understand, is even better than that of CNN.
3. Lennox mall at Lennox square, right opposite the sovereign building, which boasts of some of the most expensive apartments in the city.  The mall also is for the rich and famous, but can also serve as an abattoir for the not so rich.
I eventually left the U S through New York about a week or so after, leaving my wife and daughter who stayed for an additional week behind.
We are not done with the Bahamas yet, God willing.
How can we be—when armed with a six-year multiple entry visa?
The Bahamians certainly know how to lure people to their place, just like the Sheikhs of Dubai.