"Keep the circus going inside you, keep it going, don't take anything too seriously, it'll all work out in the end" --David Niven

I was wrong, we ended up staying in Freeport for two more days. I just wanted to keep the circus going and going and going. Wednesday was my blessed day off! While I’d spent an hour here and there at the beach it was the first time we have just to hang out in the sun all day. I woke up at about 8 and thought I’d go for a run. Yeah, that didn’t work. Sego and I just put on our bikinis and went and hung out until noon when Jaimane came by to pick us up.

We went to all of the tourist haunts. The International Bazar, Port Lucaya, and a Fish Fry. The international bazar was built 15 years ago as a way to represent diversity on Grand Bahama. For a while it was a very popular place to go, but when the hurricanes hit in the early 2000’s the majority of the shops were destroyed. The few that were open were a fun blend, selling random touristy things and cute boutique items.  Both the Bazar and Port Lucaya have straw-markets. The fun of a straw-market is in bargaining. I purchased a sarong for $15 dollars—the original price was $25. It's neon pink and absolutely beautiful.

I’m totally sunburnt! I always use baby oil as lotion and when doing that in the Bahamas you’re guaranteed a beautiful burn. Hopefully It’ll turn into a gorgeous tan and I can feel all vacationed and toasty. Right now, however, I feel just a little tight in the skin. Sego is burnt too! Everyone thinks we're sisters and now we have burns to match!

I’d also like to talk about Jaimane! He’s our absolutely amazing tour-guide of sorts. He’s made sure that we all have groceries and rides everywhere we have to go.  He’s delightful and full of stories. He was the first person we met off of the plane and he told us all about the over 700 islands that make up the Bahamas. Only 38 of them are inhabited. And most of those are “oat-islands” that are used primarily for farming. Freeport is the most organized of the Bahamian islands, but Nassau is by far the most,  “fun.” It’s apparently full of restaurants and life and more city like things. 

Religion is a very important part of Bahamian life. Christianity is clearly the dominant religious energy. Every show starts with The Lords Prayer the recitation of their pledge of allegiance and the singing of their national anthem.  Many of the local businesses and cars have crosses or various other religious iconography.  In fact there’s a man named Frank who owns most of the ice-cream businesses in Freeport who has a Bible exam every year. He gives five children who memorize the whole bible a free lap-top or car.

It’s also been harder than expected to find healthy food. Traditionally Bahamian cuisine is dominated by carbohydrates and fried food (conch fritters, lobster bits and fried fish). Asking for a side salad or something similar has garnered delighted responses. Wednesday night for dinner we went to a “Fish Fry” a common place for locals to hang out on a Wednesday night. I asked for a veggie for a side and the only thing they had was fried plantains. It was really delicious, my body was just craving something green. We discovered conch salad. It’s essentially cracked conch ceviche—light and refreshing.  I also had a Chicken Roti Wednesday that was excellent. The spices were bright and delicious.

I’m also trying to spend as little money on food as possible. We're staying in resorts and tourist centric areas, so food is really expensive. Either eat at a restaurant and spend 20 for something simple, or go grocery shopping. Sego and I have been very resourceful with fresh fruit and veggies that we purchased at the local grocery store. (Which closes at noon on Sundays because it’s the Lords day) Sego and I have also become also masters of the tin-can dinners. My newest delicious light-food discovery is tuna with corn, green beans, dried cranberries and sliced almonds. Sounds weird, I know, but it’s good for a late night dinner without being heavy. I’ve had more peanut butter sandwiches and eggs in the past few days than I have in a while. It’s good to know that I can eat without spending a lot of more and still get what nutrition I need to function at work.

Se yesterday was absolutely nuts. We had to be up at 5:30am in order to be picked up at 6 (USA time J)  We then took a 7 am flight. We were at the venue at 8am. Had to check rigging, and had a show at 11am. Now, I’m no stranger to being tired, but yesterday was a trip. Not the best performance despite our greatest efforts. It was okay, but after the amazing audience we had on Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday was definitely a different world. I'm looking forward to performing tonight when we have more elaborate lighting.

Our transportation situation is random and changes after every show. Sometimes we're in van's or buses. In the Bahamas people drive on the left side of the road, but half of cars have the steering wheels on the right of the car. Talk about confusing, that has taken some getting used to. This morning's show went really well and we had all afternoon off. This picture is from the van ride to the Sheraton Resort we're staying at.  I'll tell you  more about Nassau later! After an afternoon of relaxing on the beach I'm going to keep the circus going inside of me and enjoy putting on another show!

The View From our Second Hotel