Opening Eleuthera Scenes and Giant Moth

My ride to the airport was generally without issue, as it was 5 in the morning on a Saturday and traffic was pretty light. It was still a bit of a shock to see just how many other early risers were preparing themselves for their Jet Blue flights ... there were some serious lines for baggage drop off and security screenings; I was told if I had been 15 minutes later then they would not have allowed me to check my bag, which would have been quite a bit problematic. Jet Blue also has its own terminal at JFK and it was very fancy and hopping even at 6 in the morning. I abstained from any overpriced snack, though I did buy a bottle of water for the ride. As time passed, the sky went from near dark to sun lit to blue and cloudy. 

The flight from JFK to Nassau went pretty well. I made up for the lack of sleep I was able to clock in on Friday night by sleeping through the majority of the four hours in the air. Once in Nassau I went through customs, picked up my baggage (which was not on the labelled carousel for my flight thus causing me to have an almost heart attack about missing my connecting flight to Eleuthera), and headed to local section of the airport. I should have taken photos because the comparison between the facilities available in the international terminal and those offered once you get to the facility geared more towards actual Bahamians is striking. Everything's run down. The light's bad. Seats are torn up. Coffee's self-serve (horrors!). Just a very different vibe. I took Pineapple Air to Eleuthera, bought some beer, waited to be picked up and then had an entertaining conversation about love with the dude who picked me up/set me up with my rental van. He was one of many to ask me if I was married or had a boyfriend within five minutes of saying hello. Eleuthera is not an island accustomed to single women it would seem.  

I ultimately arrived quite safely at Edge of the World's Tamarind Cottage in Gregory Town. I had found the place through TripAdvisor and had every expectation that it was going to be a great place to call home for the next six days, and that certainly turned out to be true. Kimy and Terry are wonderful proprietors and seriously welcoming. They've created a wonderful haven that I very much am glad I was able to share for as short a time as it was. It was a little sad making that the weather was decidedly not sunny nor terribly warm upon my arrival. I had only leggings and two light sweaters among my wardrobe for the trip and wished that I had decided to pack two less sundresses in favor of one pair of jeans, because those first two days were super windy and rainy. This is me soon after arriving at the cottages. My bangs are being pushed aggressively by the wind. 

There were three cottages on the property, in addition to our hosts' own house. The property was right on Gregory Town's main harbor/cove area. A short stroll down a bromeliad and palm tree laden hill brought me to the property's deck.

I thought I'd take advantage of this deck and its complementary kayaks at some point, but this turned out mainly to be the spot I'd enjoy when I first woke up. I'd walk down with my earl grey tea and mystery novel and just adjust to the morning before heading out to other beach vistas.

The view of town.

Sunday was also a bit of a wash in terms of adventuring during the day. It was just very rainy and there would be these thirty second views of the sun followed by much more prolonged bouts of rain and wind. I basically just holed up in bed reading for the majority of the day. Venturing out from time to time whenever it seemed like there was a break in the clouds. This was my front door view.

You know I logged some quality time sitting on this porch.

On Sunday evening I decided I'd go out for dinner and make vacation friends, but first I had to stop at the town's convenience store for a bit of gas. There I ran into Wallace, from whom I was renting a van and with whom L. and I spent some time last year. He told me my intended destination was closed and invited me to a party instead. I was hesitant to go as I don't necessarily thrive in environments where I know no one, but I thought 'what the hell' and ended up going. That experience was definitely something to write about in more depth in another space but for now I think I'll be doing a pretty Cliffs Notes version. The house/party was out on Whale's Point and it was quite a beautiful location and had a great view of Harbour Island.

The wind was serious and it got quite cold once the sun began to set.

The party was just a very strange thing. A weird mix of folks who seem pretty happy with being very insular. The best conversation I had was with another 'outsider' - a contractor from Canada. I could only enjoy myself so much when surrounded by a generally indifferent group of strangers and soon was ready to go. Wallace was kind enough to drive me back to my car, which I had left at a restaurant a few miles away at his suggestion -- basically I think I would have enjoyed myself more if folks seemed more interested in conversation with an unknown (me) and/or if I had the freedom to leave without having to rely on someone else, but Wallace had said that the roads were rather rough for my van (questionable)  . In any case, it was still neat to end up at a party my second day on the island. I never get invited to strange parties in Philly, and that's a shame.

Once I returned back to the cottage I made myself a cheesy snack and retired to my lofted bedroom to read. The winds were howling so I battened down the hatches and snuggled deeply into the sheets and quilt, reading a Margaret Maron novel. At some point I looked up at the screened window closest to the bed and saw this sight. So huge! Made sense that this moth would want to get a little respite from the winds outside but I noticed that it seemed to have pooped a bit on the edge of the bed, which looked at first like bleach spots. While I considered just leaving it alone I ultimately decided I didn't want to be pooped on by a giant moth while I was sleeping, so I gently scooped it up and returned it to the outdoors. So crazy.