Goodbye Paradise

25 Feb 2013

I guess all good things must come to an end.  We had to leave the Bahamas today, but Louise is already planning our return.  She wrote us the nicest thank-you card and said she’s keeping all January and February of next year clear, just in case we can make it back.  I told her it would depend on how much work she had for us to do.  I guess that car window of hers has been broken for 8 years, so it’s like a whole new world for her with that thing now working.  I am so thankful Kory could do something for her.  She also appreciated all my home cooking, as she doesn’t cook anymore, so I at least added something to mix, but really it was Kory who saved the day.

Her daughter, Sheila, also wrote us  (and handmade the cards) incredibly nice words of encouragement and thanks for all we’ve done.  She too, invited us back anytime and she said she doesn’t give out those invites often, so we are pretty high on their list.  Woo hoo for that!  She enclosed money in the card for Kaleb to have some spending money and us too, which we used to buy a souvenir at the airport – a fish carved out of a conch shell to put in our bathroom at home.  I figured that conch was one of the biggest memories of our time there, since Kory ate some raw. 

We spent the morning packing and cleaning and chatting away with Louise, then she drove us out west to the airport.  She showed us where Anna Nicole Smith is buried and the church where they held her funeral.  We passed some pretty fancy housing developments that are just summer homes for the rich and famous, which is in stark contrast to the way the locals live.  Incredible really.  I guess having such economic diversity on one small island is why stealing is the number one hobby.  And the government is so corrupt, the locals just pay them off so they don’t go to jail.  Even regular homes put a locking door at the entrance to their hallways going to the bedrooms, so if someone breaks in, they can’t get to the sleeping residents.  Everything is built to protect against hurricanes and burglars.

Our flight was nearly two hours late departing, but the new airport in Nassau had free wi-fi so with each of us owning something electronic, that wasn’t really a problem.  It was just like being at home. 

I called the park-n-ride shuttle van when we touched down and he pulled up to the curb the minute we stepped out of the airport door.  Perfect timing, as we didn’t check our bags so we got back to the RV about 5pm.  The sky was dark gray and I was surprised it hadn’t rained yet, but a few sprinkles started when Kory was looking for the keys to get in the RV.  Within 30 seconds of us all stepping inside and getting the luggage through the door, the skies just opened up and dumped rain as hard as rain can be dumped.  We’d left the roof vents open, so God orchestrated perfect timing on that one as we were there to close them as the whole RV was battered with hard rain and wind.  We couldn’t go anywhere for a while as the visibility was zero so we just sat in the parking lot and unpacked our luggage and waited out the storm.

For some reason our refrigerator stopped working while we were gone, and we had filled up the LP gas before we left just to be sure that wouldn’t happen, but I guess the battery must have run low or something.  No big loss there, it was time for new lettuce anyway.

Once the heavens showed light again, about an hour later, we drove over to our now new favorite restaurant, Sweet Tomatoes (unlimited salad and soup bar), and had a leisurely dinner.  Lucky for us, it’s also right next to an Office Depot, with free wi-fi, so that’s where we spent the evening, too, just hanging out until closing time, then we went back to the hotel up the street that said it was OK to park in their parking lot.  That little treat alone saves us fifty bucks a night as all the RV parks around here charge that, plus the gas to get to them, as none of them are in the city.  Sweet.

Tomorrow is our last day in Florida before we turn and head back home.  Already I feel like we have experienced so much and had God’s blessing on us every step of the way.  We’ve had so many different kinds of experiences it feels like we are changing channels on some reality TV show as we flip from one event to the next.  It won’t be a trip we soon forget, that’s for sure.