Surfs Up! My First Attempt at Surfing

Surfing is something that I have always wanted to try. When I was younger I loved the movie Blue Crush and always pictured myself living the beach bum life and going surfing every morning. Well in Eleuthera, Bahamas I finally got the chance to live out my teenage fantasy. I knew surfing would be difficult and I probably wouldn't be turning pro anytime soon, but I thought maybe since I've been snowboarding a bunch of times before that it would help. Boy was I wrong!

The day started off great as we got to Surfer's Beach on the Atlantic side of Eleuthera. There were a decent amount of waves, but they weren't too huge as to scare off a beginner like me. First, we each got a board and obviously took the obligatory "standing with your surfboard" pictures. This should have been my first clue when my I could barely hold the board with my short little arms. So we headed out there, paddling my little heart out. Once we finally made it past the break and my arms sufficiently recovered we were going to learn to push ourselves up to sitting and turn around when a wave comes. Well, I never got past the sitting part. The pulling myself up to sitting part was pretty easy it was the staying on the board while sitting part I had troubles with. Every time I pulled myself up I probably had a good 30 seconds of wobbling back in forth before I finally tipped over one side or the other. It was probably a hilarious sight to see and I sat there trying to talk myself out of falling over, "No no no no no."  I finally switched to a different (nicer) board and was able to manage and sit on the board for a good 5 minutes or so at a time before I would fall off. Deciding to see that as a success I called it a day.

Even though my day isn't what you would call a conventional successful day of surfing I had a great time and I definitely want to give it another try and as my wise teacher told me, "Even if you don't have a successful day surfing, sitting on a board, relaxing in the middle of a beautiful blue ocean ain't bad." 

Have you ever gone surfing before, were you better at it than I was?

Off the Beaten Path - Eleuthera, Bahamas

When visiting the Bahamas most travelers head to the bigger more touristy islands like Nassua and Grand Bahama. The "out islands" or the "family islands" have less crowds, there are no cruise ships and no high-rise hotels and they give you a more unique, slow paced vacation experience. 

On my trip to the Bahamas, I visited the "family island," Eleuthera. It is a quick 20 minute flight or 2.5 hours ferry ride from Nassau. It is a long, thin island that is 110 miles long and at its thinnest point, its less than a mile wide. I decided to visit Eleuthera because my sister was doing an internship at Bahamas Methodist Habitat, which is based off the island and a stop over there was only a little bit more expensive than a flight straight home from Paraguay, so I thought, why not?

It was a whirlwind trip, many days spent at the beach and many days trying out some fun new activities. I went snorkeling and saw numerous tropical fishies. I went kayaking for the first time and hunting for starfish. I ate conch fritters, a traditional Bahamian food made from the conch shellfish. I attempted surfing, which might deserve its own blog post to describe the hilarity. We also rented golf carts to explore a tiny neighboring island.

All and all this week in paradise was a great way to relax and prepare myself for the overwhelming re-entry back into the United States.

Bahamas Travel Tips:

- The Bahamian currency is the Bahamian Dollar it is equal in value to the American Dollar so everywhere in the Bahamas also excepts the USD.

- Drivers in the Bahamas follow the British Rule, which means everyone drives on the left side of the road.

Have you ever visited the Bahamas? Did you venture out to any of the "family islands"?

There is More to the Bahamas than Paradise Island

When I was in the airport in Nassau, Bahamas waiting to check my luggage for my flight to the United States there was a typically American family standing in front of me and overheard their conversation.

Daughter: "So every flight out of this airport has to be an international flight doesn't it?"

Father: "I guess you are right, since this is such a small island and country"

This conversation is the epitome of what bothers me about tourists, when they go on a vacation to another country and make no effort to learn anything about the destination they have chosen. The Bahamas actually consists of over 700 islands, over 20 of which are inhabited, which means there are hundreds of flights leaving Nassau for other parts of the country every day.

That is my biggest recommendation to those wanting to travel to the Bahamas. Look  further than Nassau and Paradise Island, look further than the exclusive beach resorts and hotels. There is nothing wrong with a relaxing beach vacation because the Bahamas has some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to and they are the reason so many people come to visit this wonderful country.  I'm just saying take a break from the sun and the sand and get out there and meet the residents of the islands you visit because they are incredibly friendly and welcoming, eat at the amazing restaurants outside your hotel and visit the historical sites. Try to learn more about the country and culture when you are visiting some place new.

Sorry, I'm on Vacation!

Hey ya'll! I've been a little MIA lately and probably will be for another week or so. But, that is because I'm off visiting my sister and on vacation here on the beautiful  island of Eleuthera, Bahamas! Tell me if you were here would you be avoiding blogging too? But, I miss you guys so follow along on Intsagram!