Visiting with Mom

My Mom arrived Sunday. I went and got her at the airport which is on the other side of New Providence Island. It was a nice cab ride - I got to see a lot of the island and learned a lot from talking with the cab driver.

Since it was early afternoon we decided to jump right in and start out by taking a tour of Atlantis with bathing suits on - Martin and I felt that a ride on The Rapids would be a good intro for her :) Then we just chilled out together with sangria a great dinner that Martin cooked.
Yesterday we set out to see Atlantis again. We toured the whole park, rode The Rapids and another scary ride involving an intertube and blind drop in a tube tunnel. We checked out the ponds and aquariums. It was a long day in the heat and sun. Somehow Mom's intertube managed to flip in a rapid and she had to swim it. The rides also take a toll on your butt - the low point in the tube... Poor Mom, in less than 24 hours we managed to get her all bruised up and exhausted!

We knew the weather was turning today so we planned to visit Nassau figuring it would be better to walk the city in cooler weather. We were so lucky - it poured early this morning and then the rain held off all day. The water ferry was quite an experience with the big waves in the harbor. We decided to take a regular taxi back! We toured the city, checked out the Queen's staircase (cut into rock by slaves in the 18th century) and the ruins of Fort Fincastle. We found a great Greek restaurant and then went to the Straw Market and bought some beach towels.
It was a great afternoon to chill out and stay in so Mom and I watched Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Now the bread is baking and smells soooo good in here. I think we'll have a quiet night in.

We have lots planned for the end of the week as the weather clears. On Thursday we have a snorkel trip scheduled. You snorkel in 3 locations - a reef, a wreck and then, if you want, with sharks. Mom and I may watch the 3rd site from the boat :) On Friday we're going to the Exumas on an excursion. Originally we had hoped to go and anchor out for a couple of nights with Mom in the northern Exumas but after discussing it, Martin and I decided it wasn't the best plan. The seas and winds are too high today and tomorrow, we don't know where we're going and we're worried that an anchorage may be to rockn' rolly for my Mom who doesn't have sea legs like we do... So we're going with a local tour group on a day trip. We'll get to feed the Bahamian iguanas and snorkel. Mom will also get to see the more remote areas which are much more common to the Bahamas than the city here.

Ah, the bread is done...