PDA

View Full Version : June 15-24 Trip Report Part 1 (LONG)



Nebraska Buckeye
06-27-2007, 12:41 AM
Trip Report

Thursday (6-14) Left Omaha and flew to FLL via Chicago. Flights were great. Got our rental car and headed to the hotel to meet family. We drove down and caught part of Marlins game (we are sports lovers).

Friday (6-15) Took Continental out of PBI first flight of the morning. The experience was great. They left on time, were friendly, etc. We had no problems whatsoever. My brother fly Chalks and was delayed about 6 hours. It was a nightmare trying to get him over. We landed and drove our van to Causarina Point to our house, Abaco Palms. The house was superb - even more beautiful than the pictures we’d seen. We unloaded our luggage and took inventory before heading back into Marsh Harbor. The four of us ate at Snappa’s and it was fabulous (dolphin burger, snappa fingers, philly steaks). It was raining, but we still enjoyed the view and the atmosphere. We left to go to Maxwell’s for groceries. There were going to be 9 of us for 10 days, so we had tons of shopping. While my mom and I shopped, the guys went to pick up the next groups from the airport. We loaded 8 of us, plus their luggage, plus 3 carts of groceries into our van! It was a cramped ride home.




As soon as we unloaded the van, we hit the beach. It had stopped raining and was overcast, but we really didn’t care.




We played in the water the rest of the day. My brother finally made it in around 6:30. We finally munched on pizza, fresh bakery rolls, and sandwiches for dinner. Since all of us live in different states, we enjoyed catching up. After soaking in the hot tub, we headed to bed. We’d been up early and were tired!

Saturday (6-16) We started our beach exploring first thing. Several took the boat out to an island to explore, some hit the reef to snorkel, and others just walked the beach. It was overcast and cool, but we quickly adjusted to the water temp.


It finally started to rain, so we decided to head into town for a late lunch at Mangoe’s. The food was good and we really liked the little gift shop. It was still raining buckets, so we headed back to the house for movies and games. The evening turned into a karaoke night and we had a blast. We’re not exactly a quite family, but we love having a good time.

Most of us headed to bed around midnight, but some of the guys stayed up until 3 am. There was a pretty strong storm outside. They at in the hot tub and said they could barely open their eyes for the rain pelting them in the face! The next day the neighbor (a local) told us they almost evacuated because of the bad winds and rain. Guess those guys were just stupid tourists!



Sunday (6-17) We were up early to explore and swim some more. We boated out to another island to snorkel. It was sunny and really pretty.


Since the boat was too small for all of us, some of the guys decided to walk back. They got caught in a current and could not move forward or backward. My step dad had to go get them. They claimed it was a near death experience and we had to hear of the drama for the rest of the day!

Seriously, we were glad they were safe. We had dinner and relaxed inside the rest of the day since it started raining again. My brother went over with the neighbor who taught him how to fish from the shore. My brother loved every minute and learned so much from him. The Bahamian people are so friendly. We could really get used to this routine!

Nebraska Buckeye
06-27-2007, 12:43 AM
Doesn't look like the pictures are showing up. I'll add them in another post. Sorry - I'm not too good at this!

JJ
06-27-2007, 12:45 AM
Your trip was the exact same dates as ours!!! Except we were up at Treasure Cay and Green Turtle Cay. Can't wait for the pics!

Nebraska Buckeye
06-27-2007, 01:01 AM
Ugh! This is getting frustrating. All of my pics are too large to post. I'll have to work on resizing them tomorrow. Sorry. I'll finish posting tomorrow.

Elizabeth

Nebraska Buckeye
06-30-2007, 01:55 PM
Photos to go with the first post.

All of us crammed in the van.
The water/boat from the deck.
My brother's "jig"
The boys in the hot tub during the rain

Nebraska Buckeye
06-30-2007, 01:56 PM
Snorkeling on Sunday
The "rescue"

Nebraska Buckeye
06-30-2007, 01:59 PM
Monday (6-18) About mid-morning we decided to go to Hope Town. I stayed there 9 years ago, but this was the first trip for everyone. We were about 3 minutes late for the ferry, but the kind people at Albury’s called the boat back to allow us on. They were so nice about it and we were grateful we didn’t have to wait for the next ferry.
Hope Town was even prettier than I remembered! We shopped and explored. The town is so quaint and everyone loved it. We had lunch at Cap’n Jacks and it was so awesome. I think it was my favorite meal of the whole trip!
We walked all through town stopping at St. James church, HTHL, the museum (it was closed), Vernon’s, ice cream shop. Everyone was impressed with the beach behind St. James. It was sunny and beautiful and just took your breath away when you saw it. Pictures and descriptions will never do it justice!
We caught the ferry back to Marsh Harbor (after a wait in the hot sun). We returned and had dinner made by my stepsister and her husband (each night one of the kids had to cook the main meal). It was one of my favorite days of the trip.
Pictures
Lighthouse
Lunch - my husband, stepsister, and her husband
The ocean behind the church

Nebraska Buckeye
06-30-2007, 02:01 PM
Tuesday (6-19) We planned to go to Treasure Cay for the guys to golf and the girls to explore. We dropped the guys off and then picked them up some lunch at Annie’s. The place almost looked deserted, but she fixed the best burgers for the guys.
We went to Coco Bar and saw the beautiful beach. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a prettier beach. It was just gorgeous.
We went to some shops and looked at the nice homes in the area. We went to Abaco Ceramics and found some wonderful items to take home. Finally headed back to the golf course to pick up the guys. We watched them play the last hole before heading back to Marsh Harbor.
This was the first time several of them had been golfing and they had a blast.

Pictures
Annie's
TC Beach
Guys golfing

Nebraska Buckeye
06-30-2007, 02:04 PM
Wednesday (6-20) The power was off for a few hours in the morning (this only happened three times). We lazed around the house and beach. Decided it would be a good day to go to Pete’s Pub. We took two trips and the first time out we couldn’t believe how far it was! The road was so small and we just knew we were going to be lost forever. There were a couple of times my mom wanted to turn around thinking we were lost. We finally found it and it was so worth the drive! What a fun little place. We walked around the gallery, the boats, and then the other side where the ocean was. It was amazing to see.
We loved this area, but wish we’d remembered to bring bug spray! We were nearly eaten alive. We had a great meal listening to the music and talking to the few other people that were there.
I was prepared with my Sharpie, so we all left our names at Pete’s. I’m so glad we didn’t turn back when we thought we were lost! This is a great place I would recommend everyone try! When we returned to the house, several in the group decided to go explore Different of Abaco. Apparently this is a resort that is abandoned. The best we could find out is that the lady left for Nassau and no one is running it or using it. They enjoyed exploring and found it a little creepy seeing clothes in the drawers and closets. There were tons of peacocks running around the place. It is sad to see the place so run down, since it could be quite nice.
Pictures
My mom and her husband
The ocean
The gang at Pete's Pub for dinner
Different of Abaco hotel

Nebraska Buckeye
06-30-2007, 02:07 PM
Thursday (6-21) At the last minute, we decided to try to rent a boat. We found one through B&B rental for the afternoon. We went to several of the little islands and had a blast. We got caught in a couple of downpours, but enjoyed ourselves none the less.
We had a blast, but it was very tiring. We came home and crashed after dinner. The sun was scorching that day and several got burnt.

Pictures
Our boat day
Janelle, Eddie, Michelle
Trying to pull Dean
Snorkeling

Nebraska Buckeye
06-30-2007, 02:09 PM
Friday (6-22) We had planned to go out on the pontoon boat with Rex Albury. I woke up at 6 am to a bad storm. We canceled the trip, but later the sun came out and we were able to go out for a few hours in the afternoon. We had a blast with Rex. He was so nice and shared tons of knowledge. He cracked conch shells and had some of the braver guys eating them raw!
The trip was great and we really wished we’d planned our time with Rex earlier in the week. He showed us some great islands, places to snorkel, fish, etc.
Pictures
Rex and Dean
Me with my mom
Snorkeling

Nebraska Buckeye
06-30-2007, 02:16 PM
We went back to the house and headed into town for the Junkanoo Festival. This was one of the best things we did on the trip! We really loved the music, dancing, food, parade, etc. I’ll attach a few pictures. It was just amazing and such a great experience.
This was so much fun. We loved talking, eating, and dancing with the locals. The little booths had food, shirts, baskets, etc. The music was great and there was always someone on the dance floor. I would suggest everyone try to go if you can!

Pictures
I don't think this is what they meant by Flashers!
Kids playing games
The scene

Nebraska Buckeye
06-30-2007, 02:18 PM
The Junkanoo parade was incredible. The costumes were so pretty. They were so detailed and colorful. The music was so awesome. We even joined in the fun!

Pictures
Some of the costumes
Junkanoo Drummers
Chad and Kevin joining in the parade
The girls in the parade

Nebraska Buckeye
06-30-2007, 02:26 PM
More Junkanoo Pictures
The littlest dancer - about 1 year
Junkanoo Parade
Parade
Sunset at Junkanoo Festival

Nebraska Buckeye
06-30-2007, 02:30 PM
Saturday (6-23) This was our last full day since we’d be leaving early the next morning. We stayed around the house and that evening took family pictures. My brother in law, Kevin, took the photos and did great.
We are a blended family, but you could never convince us we don’t belong together!

Sunday (6-24) We were up early to head to the airport. We all left around 10:30. The airport was packed and we waited over an hour in line to check in. It was so hot. We had a fabulous trip and could not have asked for anything better. This was a celebration for my mom’s 50th birthday. She was thrilled with how it turned out and I was glad everyone was happy. The trip was my idea and I’m glad they all fell in love with Abaco like I did. After over a year of planning, we’re reflecting on the best trip of our lives!

Pictures
The guys - we like to call this What muscles?
Chad, Janelle (daughter), Eddie (dad), Joy (mom), Michael (son), Elizabeth (daughter), Dean, Michelle (daughter), and Kevin
The girls
Our favorite photo at the hut right in front of our house.

Nebraska Buckeye
06-30-2007, 02:31 PM
Kathy, the homeowner, was fabulous! She helped me plan and was a wealth of information. The house was fabulous and perfect for our group.

How will I ever return to my normal life after this trip? I know I can't wait 9 years before going back again! Thanks for reading my LONG report.

Elizabeth

momshell
06-30-2007, 04:47 PM
Love your report and the wonderful pictures! We took my parents 2 trips ago, and it was quite a memory-maker! Glad you had so much fun.

elcahun
07-02-2007, 01:27 PM
Thanks for the report. Looks and sounds like you all had a great time.

Austin
07-02-2007, 01:50 PM
Please be aware for any future trips that the conch in the picture with "Rex" is not of legal size. It is a resource that needs to be protected and knowing the law is important when visiting any country.

Nebraska Buckeye
07-02-2007, 02:55 PM
Austin -
Rex (who has lived there his whole life) was our guide. The guys just followed his lead. I guess they should have asked first. Sorry about that and I can assure you that no harm was intended.