My very first international trip was to the Bahamas. I come from a Caribbean family so I was very excited to go on the 5 day cruise.
Now I want to say there are a lot of people that will say cruises don’t count as travel, or if you’re from the US, travelling to Mexico doesn’t count (I went there too), but let me tell you: it counts. When you leave the country in which you reside to another country, you have traveled internationally. If for you, your vacation simply means going to the next state or even the next town, you are a traveler. There is so much gate-keeping and elitism when it comes to travelling and it is totally unnecessary. So many people never get to leave their hometown. Celebrate your travels, no matter how far you go.
This trip was totally insane. We stepped off the ship and I was blown away by the blue water and clean white sand. I’m from the east coast, NYC, I’m used to murky green ocean water and brown sand, usually littered with trash. The sun beaming down warmed my skin and I thought I was in paradise. Then we got scammed over a horse-drawn carriage ride, my father ended up having to pay twice, but not before drawing the attention of authorities. They took my father to a police station with the carriage drivers to avoid bad publicity in front of the other tourists. Of course that sent my mother into a panic. I told her to stay with my younger sisters and I would find my father. I walked from one side of the island to the other, led by 3 officers, who forgot they were supposed to bring me to the station… I followed them for a good mile and a half before I decided to venture off on my own in search of my father. Only 2 stations on the whole island and wound up at the wrong one.
I decide to make my way back to my mom, sisters, and grandmother. While on the way back, I met up with my father who was also returning when we heard a loud BANG and my grandmother shouting. She was hit and knocked off of her wheelchair by a jitney and the bus was STILL moving. My father dropped the $200 bottle of rum he was carrying to run over and stop the jitney. Thankfully my grandmother was okay, only having minor injuries. After that, we had to rush to get back before the ship left us. It was a disaster.
Day 2 of the trip was much more calm and relaxed. We went to a nice beach in Freeport and spent the day kayaking and lounging on the sand, watching the dolphins play. Unfortunately I don’t have any photos of the dolphins. Besides seeing dolphins in the wild for the first time, the day was rather uneventful and the perfect close to that insane trip.
Muffin and Tea 