Also with Rhynie, we went to the conch shack and had a lot of great fresh, raw conch. Jenn may have even tried a conch penis, we think the man shelling the conch might have been high on them, he was eating penis after penis after penis. Ya seriously, it was pretty gross. The men were shelling the conch raw in preparation to cook them or soak them in citrus juice, and one of the procedures was to remove the penis.
Later that same day we went to Rhynie’s friend’s house, Jesse. His dad was a big bank figure on the island, may have been the owner of Scotiabank. This kid Corey lived in this old, deserted resort. The apartment itself, or whatever it was, was amazing. Incredible. He had at least 2 bedrooms in a totally modern apartment and he lived by himself. The patron and champagne was passed around as we giggled and got to know each other on his balcony with an amazing view. There were infinity pools all over the place, living room set-ups along the coastline, jacuzzis, beachchairs, you name it. Jenn and I decided we needed to go down and see it for ourselves, in person. There was no one there but it was a playground fit for a king, it was just me and Jenn galloping around alone. We felt like princesses, while our new friends overlooked us from a corner balcony. I’m not sure I had felt so priviledged in my life.
And oh, it gets better. The next morning Jenn and I went snorkeling and from there to Rhynie’s, we were taking a boat ride with him, his friend Mike and two of his girlfriends whom he had flown in for the weekend from NYC (yep seriously). We island-hopped while blasting music for everyone around us to hear, and had lunch prepared and ready for us upon arrival on another Turks island. Jenn and I both tried really hard to resist pleads from Rhynie and both girls to come with them to Vegas the next morning. Tickets were already reserved for us just in case.
I couldn’t do it; after all, I was here in the first place for work!
The next morning, Jenn and I went to breakfast. We laughed over and over as we re-capped the events of the weekend, it really was hard to believe what all just happened.
What a survey trip this was!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Poker Face
Jenn and I arrived back to our hotel room after meeting Rhynie and the gang. We turned on the TV, flipped through the channels, and guess who we saw. Rhynie’s face prime and center on the taped airing of the Turks and Caicos world poker championship. Jenn and I burst out with laughter. I guess he wasn’t lying!
The next day Jenn and I took a ride to the other side of the island to check it out. We just wandered… and stared in amazement at the beautiful blue of the ocean as we got lost. Once we got back, Rhynie sent for one of his security guards to pick us up and take us to dinner. We ended up at this really fancy restaurant at a beautiful hotel. Infinity pools surrounded us and we ordered nearly everything on the menu, far more than any of the 10 of us at the table could possibly eat. What’s more, the drinks kept a flowing towards us. I can’t even imagine what the bill could have been. We ended the night partying at a bar down the street, they were having a big locals party that we checked out. Jenn and I danced up a storm.
The next day we hung out like old friends over Rhynie’s while he had a hockey olympic party (hockey is actually huge on the island because there are so many Canadians that spend a lot of time in Turks and Caicos, and we know how Canadians love their hockey).. . we spent a lot of time playing cards, and even got the chance to play against the champion himself, while learning some important poker lessons of course. I didn’t do so well, but Jenn actually held her own. She may have even beat one of his hands… or so she thought!
The next day Jenn and I took a ride to the other side of the island to check it out. We just wandered… and stared in amazement at the beautiful blue of the ocean as we got lost. Once we got back, Rhynie sent for one of his security guards to pick us up and take us to dinner. We ended up at this really fancy restaurant at a beautiful hotel. Infinity pools surrounded us and we ordered nearly everything on the menu, far more than any of the 10 of us at the table could possibly eat. What’s more, the drinks kept a flowing towards us. I can’t even imagine what the bill could have been. We ended the night partying at a bar down the street, they were having a big locals party that we checked out. Jenn and I danced up a storm.
The next day we hung out like old friends over Rhynie’s while he had a hockey olympic party (hockey is actually huge on the island because there are so many Canadians that spend a lot of time in Turks and Caicos, and we know how Canadians love their hockey).. . we spent a lot of time playing cards, and even got the chance to play against the champion himself, while learning some important poker lessons of course. I didn’t do so well, but Jenn actually held her own. She may have even beat one of his hands… or so she thought!
Post Jenn's arrival... if you can handle it
Jenn finally got here today. I was so damn excited that she was here I arrived at 230 pm at the airport to pick her up. She thought her phone was going to work but it didn’t. She finally came out around 3 pm. After settling in at the hotel, we walked down to the beach and chatted but it got cloudy and we went back to nap for a bit. In the morning before Jenn arrived I had taken a walk on the beach – I took in the water, the sand, the beauty of the island. It was an oasis. I often passed through stretches of deserted beaches, and this… this was a beautiful day in Turks. I was shocked and so pleased at the lack of people at the beaches. We woke up from our little nap around 730 pm and planned on dinner. Meals out here are so expensive because the quality of the food really is excellent and they can afford to charge as much as they do. We went to the Mango Reef at the Royal West Indies Resort (which was really much cheaper than most of the locations!) and got a very filling wahoo dinner. I’m not sure if I’ve ever eaten wahoo. Afterwards one of the workers took a photo shoot for us. Then, we went out to hear the live band next to the hotel. We met David who worked for Beaches and invited us to come by and he would show us around on Monday. OK – hey why not right? Then, we went out down the street to Danny Bois, I kind of needed to convince Jenn to go, but I thought it would be a good idea. I was right. We met Rhynie Campbell who is a poker champion especially in Vegas who may be our savior for the week – a boat ride tomorrow, an Olympic party on Sunday? Hell ya! Why not? He is originally from Turks and Caicos. I always said I would eventually get onto one of these yachts and now was my chance. Our chance. Ah, what good times here. I still might never go home!
Wonderful restaurants, beach and good people = Lauren in heaven
The next night I went to this ritzy high-end restaurant called Anacanoa for dinner. I bet it would be beautiful to see during the day. Beautiful all white decorations, lots of pools, set right on the beach. I sat at the beach and tried to listen in on surrounding conversations. They were a little snobby but I tried to appear snobby and reserved myself. I enjoy causing people to wonder what I could be doing at such a fancy restaurant alone. Bajavascript:void(0)rtender gave me a free lovely cucumber drink; it was refreshing and delicious. I stayed until I was totally annoyed with the wind rustling my papers. I didn’t want to leave the restaurant, it was some sort of a dark, tropical oasis.
Ahhhh Jenn is coming tomorrow I am so excited! And I am up much too late. Today I finished up the survey… there were some crazy windy, violent thunderstorms that came through today and left huge puddles. I’m really hoping that the weekend turns out really nice. Tonight I closed down the restaurant Bella Luna, a cute and delicious fancy little Italian joint. I was the last one there chatting it up with the owners and waiters. I fascinated them with my job, they filled me in on the ways and gossip of the island. It was a fantastic end to the night.
Ahhhh Jenn is coming tomorrow I am so excited! And I am up much too late. Today I finished up the survey… there were some crazy windy, violent thunderstorms that came through today and left huge puddles. I’m really hoping that the weekend turns out really nice. Tonight I closed down the restaurant Bella Luna, a cute and delicious fancy little Italian joint. I was the last one there chatting it up with the owners and waiters. I fascinated them with my job, they filled me in on the ways and gossip of the island. It was a fantastic end to the night.
Andrew, and the embarassing culture class that ensued
The next night, at the same bar, I met Andrew at the bar while he was being harassed by a crazy black man who is apparently originally from T&C but lives in NYC (makes sense). I had fun chatting with him and we planned to hang out more this week; he is alone staying at his dad’s and I’m alone, so why not? I think he’s a lot younger than me though; maybe Steph’s age 23 or 24. Or, maybe even 22, haha. Nice kid though from Montreal, big hockey fan.
Didn’t mean for it to be… but kinda went on a date with him the next night. Or, well it felt like it. There was awkward conversation and he even picked me up at my hotel. The most awkward moment was when I was leaving and he reached in to do the Canadian “kiss kiss” and well, I thought he was going in for it. So my thought was ok, didn’t expect this but I’ll close my eyes and pucker up. When I got a peck on my cheek and then turned to give me another on the other side, my eyes still closed, I was turning totally red and quickly got out of the car! Talk about an embarrassing culture clash. I always forget that not just Europeans are kiss kissers. But anyway, we had a nice dinner and some nice conversation. (Not one of the best restaurants I have tried though), but It was nice to not eat dinner alone.
Didn’t mean for it to be… but kinda went on a date with him the next night. Or, well it felt like it. There was awkward conversation and he even picked me up at my hotel. The most awkward moment was when I was leaving and he reached in to do the Canadian “kiss kiss” and well, I thought he was going in for it. So my thought was ok, didn’t expect this but I’ll close my eyes and pucker up. When I got a peck on my cheek and then turned to give me another on the other side, my eyes still closed, I was turning totally red and quickly got out of the car! Talk about an embarrassing culture clash. I always forget that not just Europeans are kiss kissers. But anyway, we had a nice dinner and some nice conversation. (Not one of the best restaurants I have tried though), but It was nice to not eat dinner alone.
Checking out the scene, 3rd world beach paradise
I arrived and checked out the scene. It was a cute little hotel, nothing like the resorts that looked like mansions compared to mine, but it was cute and comfortable and clean and the backdoor went right out to the pool. I had some time to kill and some work to finish so I went to one of the restaurants across the street to finish up some work. I was there until it closed. Drunkards surrounded me, an interesting mix of locals and visitors. I had a few sober (me) to drunk (them) conversations with some entertaining people, a couple of which had lived here all their lives. I could deal with that. One girl I talked to, her mother opened a travel agency on the island years ago. Well before the commercial airport had been built. I’m not really quite sure how that works, and I’m sure that would have taken much more time than I had given the work I was trying to finish.
The store manager today at the only nice grocery store on the island told me about all the celebrities coming in doing their grocery shopping dressed in their disguises. I want to see one! I love T&C. I haven’t even seen the ocean yet…. I just really love the smalltown feel that it holds. The downtown and the resort areas are completely different worlds. You forget that not everyone here is wealthy rich and in fact, there is a good share of poverty here. And workers have a lax attitude and no one picks up the damn phone.
The store manager today at the only nice grocery store on the island told me about all the celebrities coming in doing their grocery shopping dressed in their disguises. I want to see one! I love T&C. I haven’t even seen the ocean yet…. I just really love the smalltown feel that it holds. The downtown and the resort areas are completely different worlds. You forget that not everyone here is wealthy rich and in fact, there is a good share of poverty here. And workers have a lax attitude and no one picks up the damn phone.
Finally, Turks and Caicos... 2 parts; before and after Jenn's arrival
I was psyched to be here. Though I had no idea what a week I was going to be in for. There was before Jenn and after Jenn. I’ll start with the mild stuff.
First, I checked in to customs and told them what I was doing here. The lady was skeptical of my intentions and called over her supervisor to make sure it was OK that I was here. Totally laid back, as they are in the islands, her supervisor seemed uncertain of why she was doubting my intentions. Nah I think it’s fine. What kind of harm can that do? So down came the stamp and like that I was in paradise. Good thing I told the honest truth, cause a few days later on the small island in a nearly deserted grocery store I found her in one of the aisles where she expressed how she caught me in action. “Oh hi it’s you” she said; it took me a moment before I recognized her and then I proceeded to rethink to make sure I told her all the truth. This was another one of those moments where I could say thank goodness!
After receiving my stamp, I picked up my tiny box dihatsu which would be crunch chips if it ever got into a car accident (literally I kinda felt like Fred Flinstone), popped on the radio and jammed to some reggae as I drove down the only main road on the island. I felt like I had arrived at a tropical island, for sure. Sand littered the street on both far sides, and I didn’t pass one traffic light. All round-abouts only. I soon found out that only 37,000 people lived on the chain islands that make up Turks and Caicos. This was such a beach town. A small, sandy quaint beach town. I later found out the first commercial airport in the country didn’t open until 1995. I loved it before evening getting to the hotel.
First, I checked in to customs and told them what I was doing here. The lady was skeptical of my intentions and called over her supervisor to make sure it was OK that I was here. Totally laid back, as they are in the islands, her supervisor seemed uncertain of why she was doubting my intentions. Nah I think it’s fine. What kind of harm can that do? So down came the stamp and like that I was in paradise. Good thing I told the honest truth, cause a few days later on the small island in a nearly deserted grocery store I found her in one of the aisles where she expressed how she caught me in action. “Oh hi it’s you” she said; it took me a moment before I recognized her and then I proceeded to rethink to make sure I told her all the truth. This was another one of those moments where I could say thank goodness!
After receiving my stamp, I picked up my tiny box dihatsu which would be crunch chips if it ever got into a car accident (literally I kinda felt like Fred Flinstone), popped on the radio and jammed to some reggae as I drove down the only main road on the island. I felt like I had arrived at a tropical island, for sure. Sand littered the street on both far sides, and I didn’t pass one traffic light. All round-abouts only. I soon found out that only 37,000 people lived on the chain islands that make up Turks and Caicos. This was such a beach town. A small, sandy quaint beach town. I later found out the first commercial airport in the country didn’t open until 1995. I loved it before evening getting to the hotel.
The last thing you want to hear is songs of prayer not to crash on your next flight.
It was finally my last night in the dingy hotel room. I was so rudely woken up at 9 am by that damn music teacher I had told my hotel to. They gave him my room number at the front desk. Just another reason not to trust those “cheap” island motels. After telling him I was still sleeping and it was nice to meet him but please GO AWAY, I went back to bed for a few before getting up and walking across the street to the small beach out front. Aside from the bright colors, the beach was nothing to brag about but I still hadn’t set foot on it despite that it was just across the way. I laid down and closed my eyes trying to get a wink of relaxation before it was time to move on. I was quickly awoken by an attractive black man who wanted to show me around. I love when I can honestly say that I’m leaving and don’t run the risk of running into someone again. Well I got the normal “do you have a boyfriend?” “yes I have a boyfriend.” “Have you ever been with a black man?” “No I haven’t been with a black man.” “Well you know what they say, once you go black you never go back.” My thoughts: Yep I’ve heard that one before. My Mom had mentioned to me she also heard that, only about two weeks ago. Ha!
After dropping off my rental car, I called my taxi friend, who I thought was totally not sketchy – all week. Course I was totally wrong. He told me I should come back some day. In fact, he would pay for my airfare and my hotel room and he would show me all around the island for the whole week. Riiiiiiiiiiight buddy, keep dreaming.
To aid in my fear of flying, on the way out to T&C, passengers broke out in songs of prayer to prevent the flight from crashing. Or, to bless their souls if it did. This was totally representative of the presence of religion between these two islands. From the gospel music in the grocery stores, to the majority of radio stations and the number of churches on the islands, it was fascinating to see the religious presence here. Maybe this is why everyone was so nice?
After dropping off my rental car, I called my taxi friend, who I thought was totally not sketchy – all week. Course I was totally wrong. He told me I should come back some day. In fact, he would pay for my airfare and my hotel room and he would show me all around the island for the whole week. Riiiiiiiiiiight buddy, keep dreaming.
To aid in my fear of flying, on the way out to T&C, passengers broke out in songs of prayer to prevent the flight from crashing. Or, to bless their souls if it did. This was totally representative of the presence of religion between these two islands. From the gospel music in the grocery stores, to the majority of radio stations and the number of churches on the islands, it was fascinating to see the religious presence here. Maybe this is why everyone was so nice?
Paradise Island
I tried to wake up early the next day, but that never works. So I left to head over to Paradise Island around 12, but I first took a quick drive over to the conch shack to get me some fresh conch. I was led into the back of a small wooden restaurant with a tight area for sitting where a man in a white cap and apron repeatedly cut up veggies, fruit juices and conch to fit every last order. There was a line of restaurants down the street specializing in conch, but someone had tipped me off that this was the place to go. So I watched him in amazement repeat the same order over and over until he handed me mine. On the way back to my car conch in hand, a man stopped me to talk. I entertained him with my life story, he was a music teacher for a bunch of kids on stage playing their instrument, and I needed to send these kids a postcard someday. I told him where I was staying which was right down the street, but didn’t know the next day he would come knocking at my door (literally) at 9 am.
Anyways, on to Paradise island. The island itself was beautiful; there was no sign of the poverty and danger that irked downtown Nassau. This literally was, a different island. I can see why it was so popular among expats. The Atlantis is something else. Sharks hang out in the pools, starfish are everywhere, and you could easily walk around anywhere you pleased – whether or not you were staying at the hotel. I found my way over to the bar where my waiter from earlier in the day was DJing and said hello before buying a drink and planting myself on the beach for some reading and relaxation. Shortly after I ended up back at the bar and of course, I closed it down (which wasn’t until about 6 pm). Of course I got a few free drinks out of it before heading out to a solo dinner – I definitely needed a little time to sober up after spending the afternoon in the sun, drinks in hand!
By the time I got home, I was completely out. I tried not to be, but I passed out for a good 4 hours and by the time I came to, it was time to give up and get some sleep for the night. My “plan” earlier in the day was to possibly meet up with DJ at a bar somewhere. That was very ambitious and was probably fueled by a couple drinks. That definitely wasn’t happening.
Anyways, on to Paradise island. The island itself was beautiful; there was no sign of the poverty and danger that irked downtown Nassau. This literally was, a different island. I can see why it was so popular among expats. The Atlantis is something else. Sharks hang out in the pools, starfish are everywhere, and you could easily walk around anywhere you pleased – whether or not you were staying at the hotel. I found my way over to the bar where my waiter from earlier in the day was DJing and said hello before buying a drink and planting myself on the beach for some reading and relaxation. Shortly after I ended up back at the bar and of course, I closed it down (which wasn’t until about 6 pm). Of course I got a few free drinks out of it before heading out to a solo dinner – I definitely needed a little time to sober up after spending the afternoon in the sun, drinks in hand!
By the time I got home, I was completely out. I tried not to be, but I passed out for a good 4 hours and by the time I came to, it was time to give up and get some sleep for the night. My “plan” earlier in the day was to possibly meet up with DJ at a bar somewhere. That was very ambitious and was probably fueled by a couple drinks. That definitely wasn’t happening.
All you need to know is that I ate at the Poop Deck
For the rest of the trip, I ended up renting a car which was hugely appropriate. A bus was no longer going to cut it in the strange middle of nowhere places I was going due to time and safety, but especially time. The steering wheel in this car was on the left side (as I’m accustomed to) but I had to remember to keep left while driving. This really, truly messes me up – while back in the US I always need to second-guess myself when it comes to driving. Which side of the road am I suppose to be on? Driving in Nassau was a little bit less intimidating than I had expected. I met with my very last realtor who was extremely nice but spent hours and hours showing me some very irrelevant pictures of rental properties. I really didn’t have the heart to tell him that he was wasting both of our time. Granted, the market is saturated with expats renting properties in Nassau, but there were so many realtors located here that they have too much time on their hands – well this is what it seemed to me. Work for the rest of the day consisted of getting car prices, and checking out hotels in the area all of which were much better than my own. That evening I finished it all up and ended with dinner at the Poop Deck. Yup, you heard me right. The atmosphere looked fun and I needed a drink. There is no better feeling than the one you get when the survey is done and you know you can start to relax. Turns out, I had one of the best snapper I have ever tried at the Poop Deck. (As I usually do,) I asked the waiter what he would recommend and the super-fresh, caught-that-day snapper was his answer; sautéed with some evoo, lemon, pepper… he sold it to me for a market-price deal of $26. This actually is pretty decent; Bahamas restaurant prices are pretty steep. To boot, the waiter sat down with me (maybe he felt bad cause I was alone, or maybe he just thought I was cute) and we chatted for a while. He told me he worked also at the Atlantis (shhhhh) as a DJ and had some pretty cool experiences through them; including being sent to Miami and NYC for the sole purpose of checking out the music scene and what they play. He told me he was DJing the very next day at the Atlantis and I should come see him (maybe for some free drinks). My plan for the next day was to check out the Atlantis anyways, so I told him I would. It was an awesome end to my survey work. Now I could look forward to playtime.
If my room wasn't so creepy, I might have gotten some sleep.
I came back to the hotel and was feeling better. I secured a 2nd appointment and did a realtor meeting over the phone. I made my way back downtown to catch the “jitney”, or local bus, to the grocery store. I tried to make it to a mall beforehand but that didn’t work, a nice lady at a pharmacy I stopped in gave me a ride there on the way home. Another one who told me to be careful. Maybe I don’t look as bad-ass as I feel. This manager was very friendly, just like the one I encountered the day before when I started surveying the wrong grocery store (damnit!). Going home I had the taxi take me to a Japanese restaurant located next to my hotel. I had been told to check it out and I was so happy I did, the sushi was heavenly. I mistakenly ordered lots of sashimi. But that’s fine, it was fresh-off-the-boat quality and I just had to turn a corner to get back to the hotel. So much unlike last night. I had walked a long way in dangerous quarters to get my fried chicken and conch. (Conch is hugely popular here… kinda like calamari. I want to know what a live one looks like!) I’m still up at 315 am. Partly because of the irish coffee I had to top off the night, but partly also due to being scared of this hotel. Maybe if I wasn’t all the way in the corner it wouldn’t be so bad, but I keep thinking someone is going to appear at my window (and can see right in too). Ugh I’m going to stop thinking about it now and try to get some rest.
I was exhausted today since I didn’t fall asleep until about 5 am! So I woke up exhausted and started making phone calls at 10:30am. Things were going quickly, thank goodness, so I took a little 45 minute nap. My body clock was amazing because I had completely forgotten I had a phone interview at 1 pm (10 am California time) and hadn’t set my alarm; I started having nightmares that I was missing this interview and finally woke up (still exhausted) 5 minutes before I had to make the call. I was so impressed with myself! I finished the rest of the calls around 5 and jumped in the shower in preparation of starting a new grocery store, yippee! But, I arrived at the store and the manager told me I needed to call the head office tomorrow and then panic set in. It was only 6:30 pm and I had told my taxi driver to come back at 9 pm. And, I didn’t have his phone number. So, I mosied over to the liquor store (and after dealing with a creepy white owner who looked me up and down a few too many times), did as much as I could there, then the drug store, and then with everything else closed I decided to go back to the grocery store and just do what I could do before a) it was 9 o’clock or b) they kicked me out. It worked out fine, no one said a word to me and the manager was clearly aware of my presence. He didn’t seem too pleased that I was there though. I was happy to get out of there since I knew I wasn’t welcome and my taxi friend came to get me and whisked me off to the Hilton where I wanted to get some food. I ordered lamb chops which sounded delicious but was only so-so and extremely expensive, and I paid a $6 cab fair to go about a 5 minute walk because I was done with walking at night from the downtown area to my hotel. I decided it was the only safe option seeing that I had no other form of transportation to get around. Sorry AIRINC!
I was exhausted today since I didn’t fall asleep until about 5 am! So I woke up exhausted and started making phone calls at 10:30am. Things were going quickly, thank goodness, so I took a little 45 minute nap. My body clock was amazing because I had completely forgotten I had a phone interview at 1 pm (10 am California time) and hadn’t set my alarm; I started having nightmares that I was missing this interview and finally woke up (still exhausted) 5 minutes before I had to make the call. I was so impressed with myself! I finished the rest of the calls around 5 and jumped in the shower in preparation of starting a new grocery store, yippee! But, I arrived at the store and the manager told me I needed to call the head office tomorrow and then panic set in. It was only 6:30 pm and I had told my taxi driver to come back at 9 pm. And, I didn’t have his phone number. So, I mosied over to the liquor store (and after dealing with a creepy white owner who looked me up and down a few too many times), did as much as I could there, then the drug store, and then with everything else closed I decided to go back to the grocery store and just do what I could do before a) it was 9 o’clock or b) they kicked me out. It worked out fine, no one said a word to me and the manager was clearly aware of my presence. He didn’t seem too pleased that I was there though. I was happy to get out of there since I knew I wasn’t welcome and my taxi friend came to get me and whisked me off to the Hilton where I wanted to get some food. I ordered lamb chops which sounded delicious but was only so-so and extremely expensive, and I paid a $6 cab fair to go about a 5 minute walk because I was done with walking at night from the downtown area to my hotel. I decided it was the only safe option seeing that I had no other form of transportation to get around. Sorry AIRINC!
Bad Day in Bahamas
Today started out blah. I got some bad news, then more bad news, then more bad news. Nothing majorly effecting me, just enough to be a discouraging way to start a day knowing first that I had a lot of work in front of me, and second just being alone and having no one to distract you can also be difficult. And, it was raining! I was planning on walking to my first meeting, but so much for that idea. I tried to buy a bottle of wine before heading to my first meeting, but liquor store after liquor store was closed. Finally I caught the third one as they were closing down before 10 am to get a realtor gift. Why were they closing? Apparently it was election day and liquor stores can’t be open during election days! (There’s more reason to riot with a little liquor in you, apparently). Because of this setback, I was a little late. I stepped in a big pile of mud, and then my 2nd potential realtor meeting was “cancelled” because the realtor was sick. I was stressed and still had a lot in front of me. At the end of the first realtor meeting I actually managed to schedule, (a long-time contact), she literally rushed me out the door when I said I only had one more question. The meeting had only been 45 minutes which is short (well, on my standards). I was embarrassed but more like, it was just rude. I got cut-off and had to leave. She had already left the conference area. Times like those I wonder sometimes why I do this job. I walked around and did my thing collecting prices in the downtown and a dirty man with missing teeth begged me for a meal. Normally I ignore and walk by, but as I have said before, Bahamians are so nice and spiritual it’s hard to ignore them, plus I know food is so expensive here. This man was a painter/car washer (when there was no work). He hadn’t had any work that day. So, we walked to the local restaurant together (which literally caters only to locals) and I bought him a “cheap” meal for $10. That was my good deed for the day. I wasn’t sure if this made me feel better or worse. On the way back, a lady overheard me ask the missing toothed painter where a particular book shop was, so she walked me that way. Her goodbye advice was to stay around the main tourist locations. Come on girl, can’t you see the tough spirit of a girl who has seen much worse than the side streets of the Bahamas? Ha, if only my job allowed me to stay in such safe quarters…
Friendly, not lazy, couldn't ask for much more.
Everyone says how are you doing, darling? I wonder if the fact that a little blonde girl walking around alone in the sketchy downtown neighborhoods gains some respect in their eyes. But really, I have met some nice people on my travels, and I know I may say it over and over, but really; the Bahamian people are so very friendly. They go out of their way to help me out. And best of all – (which you often see south of the border) the majority of the people here are not lazy. I asked a boy (yes a boy – what age is working age here? I don’t know but I swear there was at least one 7 years old working) the price of a small bottle of soy sauce and he searched around everywhere; from books to calling other stores to get the price for me and came back to tell me almost a half hour later. That is dedication and service at its best. I even told him not to worry about it. After, I told him that the Bahamians were so very nice. He said they live by the theory of: treat others they way you would like to be treated. I wish everyone did that. Then the store manager bought me apples and oranges and drove me home because the taxi he called for me took too long. One thing I have felt about here, is that most places I go that are less well-off than the US the people seem to have a sense of resentment towards Westerners, or at least they try to take advantage of them. Here, it’s almost like they treat everyone the same. I feel respected here, like one of the locals even. That’s a very, very good thing. And, even better, people are more polite than they are even in the US! People actually say excuse me ALWAYS. It’s amazing. It’s wonderful. I’m not sure if they ever actually get mad. I have never once been anywhere that people have been so polite and patient. To further prove, there just is NO road rage. People beep if they want to be let in, to say please and thank you. What a great system!
I will no longer listen to advice from the men at my hotel. They told me it was fine to walk around into the downtown area at 10pm. Sunday it felt ok, there were lots of people out and about (President’s day weekend/Valentine’s day) but last night it was just deserted. I felt fine walking there but walking back I almost wanted to run. I had received a few comments from people driving and sitting in the shadows and it was not comfortable. I won’t be doing that again. I got back with my take-out and a Bahamian girl said to me, “you went there all by yourself on foot to get some food? Wow you are dedicated!” And just another justification why I won’t be walking alone again.
I will no longer listen to advice from the men at my hotel. They told me it was fine to walk around into the downtown area at 10pm. Sunday it felt ok, there were lots of people out and about (President’s day weekend/Valentine’s day) but last night it was just deserted. I felt fine walking there but walking back I almost wanted to run. I had received a few comments from people driving and sitting in the shadows and it was not comfortable. I won’t be doing that again. I got back with my take-out and a Bahamian girl said to me, “you went there all by yourself on foot to get some food? Wow you are dedicated!” And just another justification why I won’t be walking alone again.
You would think things would be better in the Bahamas...
Today was a frustrating day. Of course, I only slept 2 hours last night. I get to the airport and my boarding pass does not have a seat number. When I asked why, the lady said well, the flight was overbooked but 9.5 times out of 10 when this happens you will get your seat. So, the idiot I am, I get to the gate about 2 hours in advance and spend 1 hour and 15 minutes of it sitting and eating breakfast at Legal Seafoods and don’t even ask about it when I go to sit down. Dumb. When I’m finally the very last person to board the plane, I decide to mention that I don’t have a seat number. “We have been looking for you forever!” They say. Bullshit. I was sitting right there for the past 45 minutes! So, after some misunderstanding and frustrated chit chatter while holding up the DIRECT flight from Boston to Nassau, I was kicked off and re-booked on another flight that was going through Charlotte adding on another 3 hours to my would-have-been nice and quick transit time. Damnit and oh well.
Luckily my luggage was patiently waiting for me in an off-to-the-side pile at the airport and I had a friendly taxi driver who told me all about the island. He also mentioned that the way that Bahamians survive is through sharing everything amongst a group of people, especially money. Everyone works and they share the money they make; one week one person gets it, the second week another person gets it. It’s a traditional African way of life adopted in the Bahamas, apparently.
I had conch for dinner. Food here so far is pretty good! Though it was heavy; fried. I heard there were lots of great restaurants here so I’ll be checking them out. There are also lots of resorts with restaurants too… I will have to stop by them at some point to get prices anyways, so there is some high-class munching to be done anyways.
My hotel is pretty ghetto. I found a black hair in my bed. There are bars on my window. We already had a blackout at the hotel. The appearance is just dirty. I guess that’s what you get for $120/night in the cheapest room of a crappy hotel in Nassau. Luckily, I do have free internet though. Too bad this would only matter if I actually had to pay for it myself. I’m sleeping with my lights on tonight; and every night to come in that room, that is if they don’t black out again anyways. At least I’m in “warm” (70 degree) Nassau, right? I hope I get some sun to prove it!
Luckily my luggage was patiently waiting for me in an off-to-the-side pile at the airport and I had a friendly taxi driver who told me all about the island. He also mentioned that the way that Bahamians survive is through sharing everything amongst a group of people, especially money. Everyone works and they share the money they make; one week one person gets it, the second week another person gets it. It’s a traditional African way of life adopted in the Bahamas, apparently.
I had conch for dinner. Food here so far is pretty good! Though it was heavy; fried. I heard there were lots of great restaurants here so I’ll be checking them out. There are also lots of resorts with restaurants too… I will have to stop by them at some point to get prices anyways, so there is some high-class munching to be done anyways.
My hotel is pretty ghetto. I found a black hair in my bed. There are bars on my window. We already had a blackout at the hotel. The appearance is just dirty. I guess that’s what you get for $120/night in the cheapest room of a crappy hotel in Nassau. Luckily, I do have free internet though. Too bad this would only matter if I actually had to pay for it myself. I’m sleeping with my lights on tonight; and every night to come in that room, that is if they don’t black out again anyways. At least I’m in “warm” (70 degree) Nassau, right? I hope I get some sun to prove it!
San Ramon, boring San Ramon, again
San Ramon, in all honesty, was pretty boring and there was nothing special to write home about. It was my second time going there for survey so luckily I felt like I knew it inside and out which made the work go by that much faster; though I didn’t really get a chance to see the real estate agents that I wanted to meet with – (getting anyone to talk to you in the US for free information on the rental market is nearly impossible and such a pain in the ass). Luckily I got a chance to repeat a visit with a realtor I had met with before who was so very friendly (and was content enough to give up information for a free bottle of nice vino), so we had the chance to catch up. But aside from that, the only notable thing that happened was that I got sick with a terrible ear infection so I had to go to the doctor – and waited in line for hours to do so. He prescribed me medicine and pretty much told me this better get better by the time I had to fly home or it would be possible that my eardrum would perforate. I wasn’t totally sure what that meant but all I could picture was my ear drum exploding. It didn’t sound pleasant. Luckily everything turned out fine in the end; the high-dosage of strong antibiotics he prescribed for me did the trick.
I swear to God during the week I was there they were holding the annual Wal-Mart conference nearby. Either that or it was the red-neck extravaganza. I tried, really hard to listen to conversations to see if I could get snippets of what was going on. No luck. The characters coming through the hotel, well staying at the hotel were humorous. Big fat ladies who hadn’t seen a gym in her life, men with long hair and beards with clothes that were far from fitting. It was comical, I couldn’t believe my eyes. We were in California not Arkansas and these people did not belong.
I ate at In and Out Burger. Yum. I was given a large pizza for the price of a small at Papa John’s. I missed Mom. And then I went home for the weekend; I got a break from the madness to refresh and it was very nice.
I swear to God during the week I was there they were holding the annual Wal-Mart conference nearby. Either that or it was the red-neck extravaganza. I tried, really hard to listen to conversations to see if I could get snippets of what was going on. No luck. The characters coming through the hotel, well staying at the hotel were humorous. Big fat ladies who hadn’t seen a gym in her life, men with long hair and beards with clothes that were far from fitting. It was comical, I couldn’t believe my eyes. We were in California not Arkansas and these people did not belong.
I ate at In and Out Burger. Yum. I was given a large pizza for the price of a small at Papa John’s. I missed Mom. And then I went home for the weekend; I got a break from the madness to refresh and it was very nice.
Lombard Street, the sexy painted ladies, and Haight Ashbury... of course
The next day we scored a free breakfast which was completely unexpected, apparently it came with the hotel reservation which was not even expensive. On the way home we took the tourist route through Sonoma. I tried to figure out where I had stopped to eat when I had come last time (Feb 08) and eventually we ended up passing it, bringing back memories. But really, I hadn’t remembered how beautiful Sonoma actually was. It was breathtaking; we would never had gotten back to San Francisco if we actually stopped to take all the pictures we wanted to take.
We made a few stops along the route before arriving back “home”. Sausalito was the first one. The scenery was a windy mountain that provided beautiful views from the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Artisans with entertaining parrots and balancing rock towers occupied the streets as tourists walked from shop to shop. Mom bought an artsy little night-light and we visited a few art galleries in her honor before crossing the Golden Gate. We stopped for a photoshoot once we got back into San Francisco, it really was breathtaking to see in person. We almost blew off the cliff though since the wind was so strong.
From there we took a crooked drive down Lombard Street, stopped to view and photograph the sexy painted ladies (and the flower pots made out of shoes located in the park across from them) and ended the evening in Haight Ashbury where I got more hippiness than I ever could have wanted back when I was in the junior high. After being convinced, I decided against buying a super cute hippy dress but devoured a crepe instead
My bittersweet visit with Nicole was done. Well, at least I still had Mom. We dropped Nicole off at her apartment and said our goodbyes, I’ll see ya when I see ya and from there, Mom and I hit up Le Colonial, a restaurant suggestion from one of Jason’s girls (hehe). French-Cambodian food. I must have had gained at least 10 pounds that trip! On full stomachs, we drove the hour away to San Ramon to check in at the Marriott hotel. I had to drive all the way back in the morning to drop Mom off. Yahoo….
We made a few stops along the route before arriving back “home”. Sausalito was the first one. The scenery was a windy mountain that provided beautiful views from the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Artisans with entertaining parrots and balancing rock towers occupied the streets as tourists walked from shop to shop. Mom bought an artsy little night-light and we visited a few art galleries in her honor before crossing the Golden Gate. We stopped for a photoshoot once we got back into San Francisco, it really was breathtaking to see in person. We almost blew off the cliff though since the wind was so strong.
From there we took a crooked drive down Lombard Street, stopped to view and photograph the sexy painted ladies (and the flower pots made out of shoes located in the park across from them) and ended the evening in Haight Ashbury where I got more hippiness than I ever could have wanted back when I was in the junior high. After being convinced, I decided against buying a super cute hippy dress but devoured a crepe instead
My bittersweet visit with Nicole was done. Well, at least I still had Mom. We dropped Nicole off at her apartment and said our goodbyes, I’ll see ya when I see ya and from there, Mom and I hit up Le Colonial, a restaurant suggestion from one of Jason’s girls (hehe). French-Cambodian food. I must have had gained at least 10 pounds that trip! On full stomachs, we drove the hour away to San Ramon to check in at the Marriott hotel. I had to drive all the way back in the morning to drop Mom off. Yahoo….
Weekend trip to wine country
What an excellent weekend we had! Wine country is just as beautiful as I remember it being. We left the Westin early after finding a lovely French bakery to get some fresh oats, fruit and OJ from. We picked up my hot little red rental car and were on our way up north. Besides running into an oil spill on the way up (no big deal) it was smooth sailing after GPS helped us around it. The first winery was expensive but awesome ($40 for tour and tasting). The wines were probably the best I have tried, and we got to try them straight out of the oak barrels – name was Del Dotto – or as a guy from another winery stated – Del Blotto cause they give you so many to try. The second tasting was a quick stop and we got to taste for free. I stole a couple lemons that had fallen from a lemon tree in the backyard. I’m so badass. By the second tasting (and the best dessert wine I had ever tried!) I was feeling a bit tipsy but onward we went to the third at Miner and they didn’t even try to charge us. It was straight to the wine we went. We decided to break out the snacks we had bought from Safeway by the end especially since I didn’t think I would be able to drive without getting a little something in my tummy. We checked into a ghetto Hilton Hotel and immediately were a bit put–off. They had screwed up my reservation and gave us one king bed instead of the 2 double beds I had asked for. A lady came to our room, dropped the bed off and scurried off without even offering us some help. But, we laughed about it and drove about 20 minutes back out to wine country to try the restaurant Martini which Nicole had suggested. We were all done with drinking for the day (I think we were all feeling a little hungover already) as well as still full from all of the snacks we ate on the porch at the winery (while enjoying the Napa sunset). But, we were there, and we had to try the food which looked delicious. The decoration of the restaurant was completely French-rustic like, it had an earthy wooden feel to it. We ordered a few things and just about all of us got something with mushrooms because this was the restaurants’ specialty and man, it was just incredible. With a menu consisting of mushroom options like this, how can you resist?
Olive Oil Poached King Trumpet Mushrooms
Mascarpone Cheese / Artichokes / Olives / Radishes / Meyer Lemon
Sautéed Morels
Risotto / Sweet Peas / Tarragon / Parmesan Cream
Pan Roasted Maitake Mushroom
Asparagus / Polenta Cake / Red Wine Sauce
We were completely stuffed after not even ordering that much and made our way home.
Olive Oil Poached King Trumpet Mushrooms
Mascarpone Cheese / Artichokes / Olives / Radishes / Meyer Lemon
Sautéed Morels
Risotto / Sweet Peas / Tarragon / Parmesan Cream
Pan Roasted Maitake Mushroom
Asparagus / Polenta Cake / Red Wine Sauce
We were completely stuffed after not even ordering that much and made our way home.
Health food tax?
Officially, I love San Francisco. The people, the food, I’m even OK with them having a “healthy food” tax because… well really? Healthy food tax? I have had more than 2 taxi drivers that have told me to keep my money when I tried to tip them. Really? Where am I, peace world? I always thought that Boston has pretty good food. New York has pretty good food. But, San Franciscan food is creative, innovative, all natural organic AND fresh. Who has ever heard of short rib lasagna?
I’m so happy that mom is here to share this with me. I love it. If I were to describe SF in one word, I would call it organic. And, not that I need to actually say it, but I love organic food. From the bums (many happy and hilarious), to the very pleasant weather and excellent food (heavy organic accent!); I found my most favorite city in the US – (sorry Boston!) I finally just finished my work today, after spending more hours sitting at my computer. 2:30 PM I was done after going to bed at 3:30 am the night before and starting to work at 9 am. I think my body is SERIOUSLY fighting a major sickness from lack of sleep. At least I have eaten good food every single night. Monday – Italian, Tuesday – Mexican, Wednesday – Spanish tapas, Thursday – Southeastern Asian and Friday – French Californian. Wow. Seeing Jay yesterday was great. And even funnier that my Mom was there too. Maybe completely inappropriate – (she hasn’t stopped texting him) - JUST KIDDING. Today we rode the cable car. A must do in San Fran. And then we ate and drank more. I love this city.
I’m so happy that mom is here to share this with me. I love it. If I were to describe SF in one word, I would call it organic. And, not that I need to actually say it, but I love organic food. From the bums (many happy and hilarious), to the very pleasant weather and excellent food (heavy organic accent!); I found my most favorite city in the US – (sorry Boston!) I finally just finished my work today, after spending more hours sitting at my computer. 2:30 PM I was done after going to bed at 3:30 am the night before and starting to work at 9 am. I think my body is SERIOUSLY fighting a major sickness from lack of sleep. At least I have eaten good food every single night. Monday – Italian, Tuesday – Mexican, Wednesday – Spanish tapas, Thursday – Southeastern Asian and Friday – French Californian. Wow. Seeing Jay yesterday was great. And even funnier that my Mom was there too. Maybe completely inappropriate – (she hasn’t stopped texting him) - JUST KIDDING. Today we rode the cable car. A must do in San Fran. And then we ate and drank more. I love this city.
FEB 2010: Welcome to San Fran!
San Francisco’s sure got charm and character. I just arrived today half-awake and already I can tell I will be enjoying my stay. I stayed up last night a little too late (well, it was a crazy weekend and to top it off I went to an Ani Difranco concert which got me home at 11pm but had my body all out of whack since my body was in super-excited mode to see her. We got home around 11 and I spent between 11 and 4 finishing up a few things and especially finishing packing. This left me only an hour for sleeping. I didn’t realize how little sleep it would actually end up being. I didn’t get a ride from my regular taxi buddies this time around cause I tried contacting them too late. But, thankfully I made it on time to the airport and I had to fly United and it was a mess. The system for checking bags in was down so once checked in, we all had to make a very narrow line to check in our bags before we could make our way through security (which hasn’t changed at all despite everyone’s worries, in my opinion). I got an omelet for breakfast (it was so nice to not have to spend my own money once again), got on the plane, and passed the f out for the whole 6 hours. I can’t say that I was refreshed when I awoke, but I felt a little better than I did when I was getting on the plane. But, my skin still hurt, all over. Since your skin is an organ it just makes me shudder as to what this lack of sleep and screwing up of your whole system actually does to your body.
Anyway… I arrived at the Westin hotel and have a cute little room with two queen beds (which is convenient for Mom’s visit) and a much too comfortable bed. I got organized and set out to get some work done at my first grocery store. I walked around in amazement at what was in arm’s reach of my hotel room – including many of the major targets I needed. I had a good vibe, and it made me smile. I ventured to use the local bus system to get to the grocery store – successfully. Meanwhile, as I stood there waiting for the bus to approach with my $2 in hand a man walked up to me and gave me his transit card which he said was good until Feb. 3. I made it clear to him that I was very thankful and he made my day. It’s things like that which make the world go round, happily. Already I was noticing the interesting characters. But with these characters came unpleasant smells (like the man who sat near me with the long, pee-looking stained gray hair). Ewww… a hippy gone old and bad.
After (nearly) finishing my first grocery store, I met up with Mike and Nicole and saw their super cute apartment and then we ate down the street at a super delicious Italian restaurant. It was so nice to have some company (especially friends that I know I don’t get to see often). I felt good, I felt comfortable and I feel happy to be away from home for now. I’m excited for this week, let’s just hope I can get all the work done in good time.
Anyway… I arrived at the Westin hotel and have a cute little room with two queen beds (which is convenient for Mom’s visit) and a much too comfortable bed. I got organized and set out to get some work done at my first grocery store. I walked around in amazement at what was in arm’s reach of my hotel room – including many of the major targets I needed. I had a good vibe, and it made me smile. I ventured to use the local bus system to get to the grocery store – successfully. Meanwhile, as I stood there waiting for the bus to approach with my $2 in hand a man walked up to me and gave me his transit card which he said was good until Feb. 3. I made it clear to him that I was very thankful and he made my day. It’s things like that which make the world go round, happily. Already I was noticing the interesting characters. But with these characters came unpleasant smells (like the man who sat near me with the long, pee-looking stained gray hair). Ewww… a hippy gone old and bad.
After (nearly) finishing my first grocery store, I met up with Mike and Nicole and saw their super cute apartment and then we ate down the street at a super delicious Italian restaurant. It was so nice to have some company (especially friends that I know I don’t get to see often). I felt good, I felt comfortable and I feel happy to be away from home for now. I’m excited for this week, let’s just hope I can get all the work done in good time.
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