Saturday, December 14, 2013

Down Island Trip Day 1!


We were jolted out of bed in anticipation of our Down Island Trip. Our day started out with a long morning of packing the vans with our camping gear and nourishment. This day in particular had a spectacular start as we enjoyed plentiful amounts of egg frittata and, most importantly, POTATOES! After a superb breakfast, we headed out for our adventure, starting with a 2 hour drive up north to the Glass Window Bridge. We were all surprised at such an amazing view, with the treacherous dark blue waves of the Atlantic Ocean to the East and the tranquil aqua blue waters of the Caribbean Sea to the West. The only thing that separates these two bodies of water is a small 40 foot wide bridge.



We headed back down south a short way to visit the Island Made Gift Shop (to buy all of our wonderful parents and siblings fantastic Bahamian presents). Many of us faced shopping anxiety as we paced in and out of the store trying to find the perfect gifts. We then had a small sandwich and cassava chip lunch on a nearby beach.

After lunch, we packed ourselves into the vans and headed to the Hatchet Bay Caves. While there, we spelunked—in other words, we explored the caves like experts! Our geologically inclined counselor, Mackenzie, taught us all about the formation of the caves, and its relation to the freshwater lens from which the Island collects its drinking water. While in the caves, we channeled our inner warriors as we decorated our bodies with tribal markings from the clay at the bottom of the murky cave. We had tons of fun!



After all of this fun, it was time to make our way to the campsite. Due to gusty weather conditions, the site was moved from the abandoned resort, Club Med, to a small and shallow beach on the opposite side of the island. Once at the site, we immediately set up our tents and began collecting firewood to prepare our dinner. As we were preparing for the night, we saw the petite shadow of Ms. Post rise from over the top of the grassy hill. A roar of cheers exploded from the other side of the hill as we welcomed her back to Eleuthera (Amanda, we still miss you dearly!!) After we finished eating our delicious penne pasta with homemade vegetable stew, we cleared our plates in the ocean, and began yet another rousing game of mafia … dun dun dunnn. On her first day back with the group, Ms. Post managed to eliminate nearly all of her students without suspicion (figuratively of course). It was as if she never left.



Following a series of silly games, we concluded our busy day with a magnificent and relaxing stargazing session. We counted numerous shooting stars and attempted to name the constellations as we sang along to some of our favorite tunes.

PS - Sarah got sand in her toothbrush and is still in distress over the incident :(. Could be worse!

-Sarah & Mac


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