Writing for Digital Media Weblog

<<Week 1: Introduction

Vacation in Nassau reveals paradise, poverty

Edited and revised based on feedback

Audience: Anyone who is interested in travel, has been to Nassau, Bahamas or is interested in going there.

The blaring of car horns fills the air above dangerously congested streets while a mother yanks her child to relative safety out of the path of a car running a red light. The sidewalk is a pulsing throng of sunburned faces, shopping bags, camcorders, fanny packs, straw hats and white sneakers. Drunken laughter flows out of bars and restaurants, and the smells of cigarette smoke, fried food and delicious desserts linger in the sun’s baking heat. This could be almost any tourist town in any country in the world, but in my case most recently it was Nassau, Bahamas.

In May, my boyfriend, Matt, and I spent a week in Nassau, a city that depends on tourism and has one of the largest tourist attractions in the Caribbean, the Atlantis Resort and Casino. There is a room there that can be rented for about $25,000 per night.

From Riches to Rags

Less than 2 miles away from this Pepto-Bismol pink monolith and a few blocks from the main shopping drag of Nassau, the neighborhood streets are covered with litter and feral dogs sleep in warped wooden crates tucked into alleys between dilapidated houses. Breezes carry the scent of sweet, rotting fruit that lies abandoned near creaky roadside stands where locals go for snacks and gossip.

Rum and Sea Legs

We ventured along the typical tourist path that week. We spent a day on the Booze Cruise, a four hour boat tour that involved a little history and sightseeing and a lot of music and rum. Another boat trip took us to secluded Rose Island, where we snorkeled on a shallow reef alive with color and teeming with tropical fish before we relaxed on the white sand.

Colorful Contrasts

We walked up the tallest hill in Nassau to Fort Fincastle, built in 1793 to protect the city against possible invasions. The city was never invaded, and no shots were ever fired from the fort that is now in the center of one of the poverty-stricken neighborhoods hidden behind the glitzy shops of Bay Street. We spent a day at the Atlantis exploring the underground aquariums, taking in the stunning interior décor, and enjoying the pools and exhilarating water slides. We walked through the famous casino to pick up our complimentary day passes (a perk of my job). We each put a few quarters in the slot machines, but neither of us are gamblers.

Trapped With the Tourists

We bypassed the duty free shops downtown that many tourists flock to, especially those visitors arriving by cruise ship. Stores boasting diamonds, emeralds, liquor and designer clothing line Bay Street, and entice people inside by pumping ice cold air out of their open doors.

We did our shopping at the Straw Market, where hundreds of vendors hawk their wares and thousands of tourists shuffle through daily. The tarpaulin roof traps heat inside the market while shoppers weave in and out of the aisles and squeeze between bargainers. While the market is incredibly overwhelming, it is a staple of the Nassau tourist world, and we bought cheap t-shirts for Matt, jewelry for me and gifts for friends back home.

Local Flavor

Many of the people who live in the depressed neighborhoods hidden from view of the tourists work in the large resorts, casinos, kitschy souvenir shops and Straw Market. They are surrounded by Americans and Europeans who have more money in their wallets than some Bahamians make in a year. Locals serve drinks, deal Blackjack hands, turn down beds and cook the food. The contrast between the wealth that Bahamians are exposed to by day and the poverty that most go home to at night is drastic. Living in poverty amidst foreign wealth does not seem to affect the positive attitude of most Nassau residents. Even if they were being overly nice only because their livelihoods depend on tourist dollars, the locals were consistently friendly and endearing.

The trip to Nassau was the first vacation I’d taken in three years and the first real vacation Matt and I had taken as a couple. Overall, it was everything a vacation should be. We stayed in a beautiful place, our accommodations were five-star, we experienced all of the “must sees” of the island without spending too much money, and we took plenty of time to relax and do absolutely nothing. Throughout most of my travels I’ve tried to avoid resort towns and tourist traps, but I’ve come to believe that if the water feels good, there’s nothing wrong with diving in head first.

Week 5: Web Site Critique >>