Day 2 - Exumas, Bahamas (part 2)

Next on the Agenda was lunch.  The Captain took us back to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, where there were tables waiting for us.  Once again, my husband went from the boat and into the water and back with the sharks.  Sometimes I think he was a fish in his former life. At first it looked like I was going to eat solo, but he finally gave up and joined me for a drink and sandwich.

The next stop was without a doubt one of my favorites of the day.  We stopped at a sandbar in between the cays.  As we pulled in 5 puppies came up and greeted the boat, barking their welcomes and wagging their tails, it was hysterical.  This little sandbar was magical.  I don't think there is a word that could describe the beauty and colors of the water.  This was paradise at it's best.  The sand was like powder, and just walking into the shallow waters you would easily stumble upon conch, and sand dollars.  My husband and I walked around the perimeter absorbing every inch of this place, before taking a short swim and relaxing in this gorgeous pool.  I couldn't get enough, and no matter how many pictures we took, no matter what setting we used on the camera, there was no way to capture the hues, or beauty of this place. 

You guessed it, we were back on the boat.  This time we were headed to another small marina to swim with the nurse sharks.  When we arrived we had to pay $ 10.00 per person if you wanted to actually get into the water with the sharks. Again, my husband and I were first in line.  Once in the water, a gentleman on the docks would throw food into the water, and these creatures would just swarm you.  All I could do is laugh, not just at the sharks, but at the other people in the water.  Being part of the shark family, these fish are quite gentle, and have a comedic way about them.  Needless to say my husband was happy, and again first in and last out of the water. 

The next and final stop of the day was the "Iguana Island."  Iguanas to me are some of the funniest creatures to observe, but when I saw them rushing down the beach when they saw the boat pull up, just put them on a whole other level of silliness.  As we got off the boat the Mate through food on the beach for us to watch the Iguanas eat.  Well I am not really one to watch or sit on the sidelines, so I went over and grabbed a handful of the food just laying there and walked a little further down the beach to feed some of the more shy fellas. If they wanted something to eat they were going to have to come and get it, and they did.

By the time we got back to the Exuma Palms Hotel, we were exhausted, but it was way too early, and too nice out to call it a night.  We showered and changed and decided to head to the hotel restaurant and try some of Chef's food.  Between the scenery, the people, and the amazing food, it was just a perfect night, and the perfect ending to a great day!

Day 2 - Exumas, Bahamas (Part 1)

This is the day, the one we've been waiting for.  We are going to see the pigs.  Sooo excited.  We arranged the tour with Capt. Pat and 4 C's Adventures after very high recommendations, this was a huge mistake.  The tour itself was an all day event including snorkeling in the grotto featured in the movie "007 Thunderball," swim with the pigs, swim with nurse sharks, feeding iguanas, visiting a sandbar, and lunch at Staniel Cay Yacht Club.  Our first clue that today was not going to be what we expected was that the driver was almost 45 minutes late picking us up, the second clue was that when we arrived at the boat there were almost 30 people total for the tour (it was advertised as small groups 6-8 people), and the 3rd clue was that the Captain informed us that they no longer visit the nurse sharks.  At this point I was pissed, I'm sorry but there is no other way to describe how I was feeling.  This is not a cheap tour at $ 160.00 plus having to buy your own lunch.  After much arguing with Captain Andrew (not just us, but also 12 other people on the tour) regarding the nurse sharks, he agreed to take us, but for an additional  $ 10 per person if we wanted to swim with them.  By the time we even got on the boat I was completely in awe that this company got the highest recommendations on the island and on Tripadvisor.

After driving past island after island, and seeing which islands celebrities ownede (such as Faith Hill & Tim McGraw, David Copperfield, Nicholas Cage, & Jessica Tandy to name a few) we arrived at our first stop, The Grotto.  This is the place where Sean Connery filmed "007 Thunderball." Basically it is a huge cave that you snorkel in.  My husband and I were the first ones off the boat, and of course the last ones back on the boat.  The cave was pretty cool, and when you swam to the other side it opened up onto one of the many beautiful reefs in the area. 

Faith Hill & Tim McGraw's Island & House

Next stop was to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, not yet for lunch, but to pick up some bread to feed the pigs.  We were given about 15 minutes to grab a Kalik (Bahamian Beer), or to just walk around.  As we were walking on the docks we noticed quite a few nurse sharks in the small marina.  Well that was all my husband needed to see.  He went back to the boat, grabbed his snorkle gear, and jumped in with these docile creatures.  I on the other hand decided to grab a drink.

Once back on the boat Captain Andrew announced we were heading to the "Pig Island"  This is it!  This is what we came for!!  I could not control my excitement, and as we pulled in my excitement changed to disappointment.  All I could see on the beach was one pig, just one.  That's when Captain Andrew said that normally the boats come in the morning because that's when the pigs are hungry.  We were too late!  Then to my horror as this one lonesome piggie started swimming towards us, the Captain started pulling away.  I questioned him if we could actually get in the water before leaving, and he replied, "Oh, no they are aggressive."  ARE YOU KIDDING ME!  There are videos all over Youtube, photos and articles in travel magazines, and even this company's own brochure shows people actually in the water with them.  My temper was flaring at this point, and my husband sensed it.  He went over to Captain Andrew and to my surprise he pulled the boat back into the beach, and told us we had 5 minutes to get some pictures.  SERIOULSY, this is what we all came here for and you are going to give us only 5 minutes.  Having no time to argue, we jumped in got our pictures, fed this Ham some bread and jumped right back on the boat.  As this little piggie swam back to shore, I could feel the tears coming, not because I was sad, but because I was angry!  But even after 5 minutes, I knew if given the chance I would come back and visit them again, just not with Captain Andrew.

Country 2 - The Exumas, Bahamas

Day 1  - Arriving on Great Exuma

My husband and I have been to the Bahamas before, once to Freeport (Grand Bahama Island) so I could get SCUBA certified, and once to Nassau on a cruise.  But this trip was different.  We decided to come here not only for our 3rd anniversary, but more specifically to "Swim with the Pigs!"  That's right I said it, "Swim with the Pigs."  Several months ago My husband came across an article in a travel magazine about this island in the Bahamas where some locals dropped off pigs.  When these barnyard animals see boats pull in close to the beach they begin to swim to the boats wanting to get fed.  When I saw this I immediately put it on my bucket list, and what better way to spend our anniversary, but to swim with these comical creatures.  So the planning began. . .

The Exumas is a group of about 360 islands in the Bahamas.  There are 2 ways to get there.  There are direct flights from Fort Lauderdale, and Miami, or like me you can fly into Nassau and purchase a ticket on either Sky Bahamas, or Bahamasair for about $ 70.00 each way.  I opted to take Sky Bahamas simply because of their on-time performance (we are on island time by the way) and their schedule just suited me better.  I reached Great Exuma about an hour before my husband arrived (he took the direct flight from Fort Lauderdale.) The islands looked gorgeous coming in, and the people very friendly. So far off to a great start. 

After reading review after review on Tripadvisor we decided to stay at The Exuma Palms Hotel ( www.exumapalms.com ) and we were not disappointed.  The couple who run this hotel are amazing.  He is from Ireland, and she is from Britain. From the minute we arrived, we were met with such a warm reception, it felt like being welcomed into their home instead of checking into a hotel. After introductions we were shown to our room.  The rooms were very nice, but the view, WOW! AMAZING! This hotel is located on beautiful 3 Sisters Beach.  While we were changing and settling in, Chef (The gentleman who runs the hotel and who is also the Chef of the on site restaurant) arranged for our tour for the next morning, and also brought us two Kalik beers wishing us Happy Anniversary! Now that is service!

We changed into our bathing suits and headed to the beach to swim and relax a little.  After decompressing and cooling off it was time to clean up and figure out what we were going to do for dinner.  The hotel is not located in town, and we opted not to rent a car, and being that it was a Monday night the hotel restaurant was not open.  Not to worry we were informed that there was another restaurant down the beach that was open, so off we went.  It was a little further than we thought, but the walk was amazing.  There is just something about the sand in the Bahamas that is unlike anywhere else we've been.  We finally arrived, and ordered two more Kalik beers, the fried chicken dinner, and fried conch dinner. One thing about this place is everything is fried.  As we were sitting outside it started lighting, so we decided to head back to the hotel, and make it an early night since tomorrow was going to be a busy day.  We just made it back right before the skies opened up and the rain and the wind just took over.  There is nothing like watching a storm over the ocean, and this one did not disappoint.

Sky Bahamas Flight

Flying to Great Exuma

Konstantinos Arriving!

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Day 3 (our final day) - Isle Mujeres, Mexico

We woke up today not only exhausted, but our backs were killing us.  The boat ride the day before was anything but smooth to reach the Whale Sharks, and the constant pounding the waves for over an hour caught up with us.  At least today we have no big plans.  Just relax, swim a little, and visit our favourite luncheria. Luncherias are small little restaurants, open for breakfast and lunch, just a few tables, family-run, where everything is authentic, home-made, and delicious.   We found this place on our last visit, and honestly have been craving it's guacamole & tostados since we left.

After lunch we headed back to the North Beach.  We rented a couple beach chairs and an umbrella. To my surprise my husband arranged for me to have a massage on the beach, and it was AWESOME!!!!

While on the beach we met up with some new friends, and exchanged travel and scuba diving experiences.  It was an amazing yet relaxing day.  It was perfect.  We decided to get showers and get everything packed and ready to go for the next morning, then go into town to walk around a little.  After checking out some souvenirs, and artist shops we stopped for all things, a slice of pizza before calling it a night. 

This was our second time here, and by far one of my favorite get-away destinations.  The people are friendly, the food amazing, water and beaches beyond gorgeous, there is really nothing I can even think of negative about Isle Mujeres.  This trip was primarily to swim with the Whale Sharks, but there is plenty to do in this pint-sized paradise.  On our previous trip we rented a golf cart and took a day and drove around the island, stopping every chance we could for a new experience including a photo op with a Nurse shark, visiting the Turtle Farm, Punta Sur, the Shell House, and of course some snorkeling.  The scuba diving here was pretty good, and the underwater museums very interesting.  Isle Mujeres is a place that we will be back to, and I can't wait! 

To check out our pictures of our past adventure here click on the link below.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54828491@N05/sets/72157628040947114/

NEXT STOP. . .THE EXUMAS (BAHAMAS)

Day 2 - (part 2) Turtle Mating/Snorkeling/Beach




After everyone on the boat was given the chance to swim with the Whale Sharks about 3 times, it was time to move on.  We were given sandwiches, and fresh fruit before departing for our next adventure.  We headed towards Contoy Island (which is a huge bird sanctuary.)


Not only was it Whale Shark season, it was also turtle mating season.  As we were heading to a reef to do a little snorkeling we started to see turtles everywhere in the calm, clear waters.  They were amazing.  All I wanted to do was jump in with them, as I love sea turtles, but because we were driving through a sanctuary it was not permitted.  Then there they were.  Two turtles copulating.  So the captain stopped the boat so we could witness this fascinating encounter. 

Turtles Mating :)

We then proceeded to our snorkel destination.  To be honest this is the only part of the day that I could have done without.  The reef was OK, but there are better places around the island to go snorkeling.  Also because the waves were breaking on the reef, it was stirring up a lot of sand from the bottom, so you really couldn't take great pictures  The snorkel was about 30 minutes, then we climbed back into the boat.  The crew had sandwiches, fruits, Oreo cookies, and sodas for us, and as we ate, headed back to Isle Mujeres.  The one thing that I love about traveling is the great people I get to meet, and this was no exception.  It truly makes a great trip even greater.

When we made it back, we helped unload the boat, dropped our wetsuits back at the dive shop, and exchanged emails.  We then decided it was Cerveza and beach time.This is pretty much how we spent the rest of our evening.  Just relaxing!  Which was a good thing, because neither one of us had the energy to try to even walk into town.  As we were sitting there just reflecting the days events, enjoying our ice cold cervesas and watching the sun set, my husband tells me he wants to come back again.  I just smiled!