happy new year's eve! the last day of 2009 is here and i am sure lots of people can breathe a sigh of relief that this crazy year is over. with each new year upon us there are new hopes, so let's hope 2010 brings us something a little better.
i have taken my balcony position again this morning to blog about yesterday;s adventures, and i believe i have found a friend. a dove has landed on the railing of my porch and is quietly minding his own business. i don't think there will be an attack on me today. anywho, yesterday began with a taxi ride to dolphin cay at atlantis resort. holey moley is atlantis incredible! for those of you who have stayed there, i am slightly jealous and can only wish to go there myself someday for a stay. the dolphin cay attraction is also amazing, and i learned quite a bit about dolphins and got to play with one!
patrick, emily, and i were the only ones in our crew who did the shallow water dolphin experience, and so we suited up in our wet suits, went through an orientation, and then waded through a large pool (meant to resemble a dolphin's natural habitat) and met wee tee, a 23 year old male dolphin. he was quite the quirky one, not really doing any of the behaviors his trainers desired him to do, but it was not disappointing to us at all. he was funny and very lovable. we all got a chance to kiss and hug him (we bought the pics to prove it) touch his rubbery skin, and feed him fish when he did listen. we also found out that wee tee has a crush on jill, a 45 year old dolphin who has no interest in him whatsoever. maybe he is too immature for her, who knows?
for those of you who think that this type of place is a way to keep dolphins in captivity for a profit, think again. most of the proceeds go to marine life research, and it also helped save the lives of 16 displaced dolphins during hurricane katrina. we also learned that dolphins live a lot longer in human care than they do out in the wild, almost twice as long! jill would surely not be around if she was not living at the dolphin cay. it is an amazing experience to encounter these beautiful creatures and see them show off their skills for us. thank you to everyone at dolphin cay who made it a great morning for us!
after the dolphins, the five of us wanted to eat some true bahamian fare at a fish fry. our restaurant of choice was oh andros! there is a whole row of these places, so you can have your pick of restaurants in just one spot. now, when you eat at these places, do not expect to receive that fast american service that we are used to. that is not the bahamian way. when they say a time multiply it by 4 and then you will have a better idea of when your food is coming. so we waited about an hour for only 3 entrees to come out (the food is heaped onto the plate so we had more than enough food for all of us). as our meals finally arrived, we were so hot and hungry it wasn't funny. oh and judy was impatient for the food to come out that she went inside the restaurant and brought it to our outside table herself! she does not mess around, let me tell ya!
patrick and i ordered a snapper/ conch combo with rice, plantains, and macaroni and cheese. everything tasted so good and was a little spicy! my favorite part was the rice and peas though. it was so flavorful, perfectly seasoned. the mac and cheese was quite good, and it too had a kick as it was made with jalepeno peppers. the snapper was tasty, although a little dry for my liking, and the conch was fried up and very tender. i also tasted judy's grouper (by far my favorite protein) and chicken combo. the fried chicken was semi-moist but tasted so good in the famous bahamian spices that they smothered on everything! i have to say that i thoroughly enjoyed a traditional meal and might try to find a bahamian restaurant in the city. does anyone know of one?
when we returned to the sheraton, we took a dip in the pool to cool off from our meal, then relaxed for a couple of hours in our respective rooms. around 6:30, the fam congregated in the lobby to have some drinks and to figure out what to do for dinner. none of us could agree on what to eat, and when we finally did, the restaurant was completely booked! so we ordered dominos pizza, and some salads, drank decent wine (a beringer cabernet) and enjoyed the sea breeze out on a deck. we then went out to the pool area to partake in a little karaoke!!! i was so excited because i didn't think anyone else would want to do it with me, and when they said they would i was ecstatic! patrick asked me, "are you happy now?" and i replied with a YES!!!!
all the ladies (judy, amanda, emily, and i) sang earl had to die by the dixie chicks, and it was a funny rendition for sure! patrick and i sang summer nights, also hilarious, and to wrap up our selections emily and i sang mercy. yes i sang all three songs because it is so fun. there were some other funny performances, but nothing could beat a mom with her two daughters singing boom boom pow by the black eyed peas! it was soooooo great!
so then we headed to bed, and now we are waking up slowly to the new day ahead of us. on our agenda today we have some kayaking, sun soaking, and new year's fireworks!
hope everyone has a happy new year's eve and rings in the new year with much joy!
this is beth signing off.
mission: day 2 accomplished.
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