EXUMAS!

     Well, I love it here. The skies are blue, the water is crystal clear, and the islands are wonderful. The Bahamas is a truly magnificent place. It's been a while since I have had internet access, so I will summarize what I've been up to in the past week or so.
     After leaving Nassau, (with my mother aboard!) we headed across the Yellow Banks to Allan's Cay. It's a relatively small, uninhabited island with oodles of large Exuma iguanas that scurry around looking for handouts. We did some snorkeling and swimming, in awe of the beautiful crystal clear waters. Unfortunately high-speed power boats come by a couple times a day and dump off a boatload of giddy tourists that snap pictures, throw some food at the iguanas, then hop back aboard their boat to be whisked back thirty miles to Nassau. Other than that, Allan's was a delightful place. We spent a few nights there and endured being tossed around by the waves from a cold front that passed. Oh well, it was more than worth the sleeplessness.
     From Allan's we headed down to Warderick Wells for a night where we met up with Sisu again, as well as Curiosity, another boat with kids. The next day the whole posse of us decided to sail north to Shroud Cay. Shroud was BEAUTIFUL. We snorkeled on coral reefs, splashed in the bright blue water, and had campfires on the beach at night. We spent a day and rowed up a mangrove-lined creek to the ocean side of the island. Never in my life have I seen a more beautiful place. There really are not adjectives that can accurately express the magnificent turquoise color of the water, the beauty of the rugged limestone terrain, or the raw, untamed beauty that overwhelms your senses everywhere you look. It was an absolutely perfect day.
     The next day we motored back down to Warderick Wells with Sisu and Curiosity. We have spent the past couple of days hiking around the island and marveling at the beauty of the place. After rowing over to Sisu for a movie night last night, I ended up having to sleep over due to high winds that made rowing back to White Seal impossible. I had a lovely time though, it had been months since I had had a sleepover. We walked all the way down to the Southeast mooring field today, a spectacular four mile walk that took us the better part of a day due to the treacherous limestone and old coral that we walked on.
     We will probably sail down to Cambridge Cay on Saturday. My sixteenth birthday is on Sunday and I hope to spend it with my friends. I purchased some Bahamian Goombay Punch back in Nassau, as well as triple chocolate cake mix and frosting. ( I did come to the horrifying realization that we didn't have any eggs to bake with, but fortunately some friends on another boat came to my rescue with a large can of powdered eggs. Whew.)
     The next inhabited island that we will visit will be Staniel Cay, where I seriously hope I can obtain ice cream or some other sort of cold, sugary treat. We also really need to do some laundry, it's pretty slim pickings as far as clothing these days. We will stock up on groceries too while we're there.
     I am LOVING The Bahamas. It is an awesome place and I feel so privileged that I get to live here for a few months and explore. Also, good news: the network here at the park is working remarkably well so I can upload some pictures. Enjoy!

Mom and Dad at Shroud Cay

Our hike on Warderick Wells earlier today...

Our dinghy on a lovely little beach on Allan's Cay

Hanging out with friends on Warderick Wells

Junkanoo on New Years Eve in Nassau (photo credit to Andy Schoenberg)

A brilliantly colored Junkanoo piece. They take lots of time, money, and skill to construct and they're only ever used once.

Playing in the sand with some of the other boater kids on Shroud Cay

Iguanas at Allan's Cay... they aren't exactly cuddly looking now are they...

I might not have Internet for quite a while, but when I do I shall try to post again. (Hopefully with pictures!)