It is the Bahamas and different from the US. You expect high prices and marginal services but that is par for the course. However, today I reached a tipping point. I guess it is because I had high expectations and they were not met at any level.
Even though we are staying at the Green Turtle club resort we have only eaten one meal out -- a breakfast. Today being Christmas Eve we thought let's splurge and go out for lunch. We went over to the Bluff House Marina and down to their Beach Bar restaurant. The main facility is not open for the season yet.
There were maybe a dozen folks there. We sat down and the bar maid/waitress/server presented us menus. Karen ordered a big ol cheeseburger and sweet potatoes fries and I ordered the Christmas Eve lunch special -- sweet and sour chicken rice, cole slaw. I also had the house specialty rum punch drink -- a Tranquil Turtle.
Well the food didn't show up for an hour -- maybe longer. My chicken dish had three chicken wings and a partial drum stick all with the skin on. Maybe a cup of rice and 2 tablespoonfuls of cole slaw -- that was 3 fork full's. Karen's Cheeseburger ordered as well done was served medium rare. All this for $43. That includes the mandatory 15% gratuity and 7.5% VAT tax.
Karen observed that there was a local guy who came from the back with a plateful of food and sat down and had is lunch at the bar chatting with other locals and the bar maid. She noted that while he was there no food came out of the back. She thinks he was the cook and it was time for him to have his lunch -- ahhh the Bahamas.
To add insult to injury I tried to pay with a credit card but it kept failing -- incomplete entry. The bar maid apologized and said it was these credit card kids who write so small on the cards that it was difficult to read and she was NOT going to wear glasses. After 3 attempts I told her to give me back the card and I paid cash. I'm worried now that she may have compromised my card and it is shut down. Not a big problem in the states but a real hassle over here.
Ohh well I vented and now I'm going to enjoy watching a Christmas Story tonight and dream of sugar plums.
Merry Christmas All.
Saturday, December 24, 2016
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Swimming with the pigs
Today we joined the crew of YOLO and took a long dinghy ride to No Name Cay near Green Turtle Cay. The water was pretty flat so it was a nice ride.
We saw the fabled swimming pigs there. They are on the beach nearest GTC. Volunteers have set up a watering station and signs requesting visitors bring food and water. Naturally there is little to sustain the pigs there but the generous handouts from strangers is just sustaining them fine. I saw no skinny pigs. A large number of very cute piglets.
GTC has been very quiet for the holiday season. Only today does it look like there is an influx of visitors. Good thing -- the locals really need the commerce. Unless something happens there will probably be no Cruisers Xmas party this year -- no one is attempting to organize one and then there have been only a few boats in the anchorage and only 5 boats here at the Green Turtle Club and 3 over at the Bluff House. All the moorings are full in Black Sound and 99% are flying Canadian flags.
Yesterday I cooked a local lobster -- ohhh boy was it good. I'll do more soon. They are cheaper than steak.
The day before we visited town and the library. The book exchange at the library was pretty poor. The village is overall run down from our last visit -- really sad but if you want to buy a new home here you are looking at close to a million dollars -- just crazy.
We stopped at the Sundowner's club about Sundown with the crew of Endless -- Mike and Nina. We had the signature drink there called a Sundowner (rum punch) and free appetizers -- it was a soda cracker with a meat product sliced and a piece of cheddar cheese. Check Karen's Facebook page for the picture -- ahhh very quaint, but it's the Bahamas Mon! The high point there was a large stingray in the water just below the floor there. Really Cool.
There is a book exchange here at the marina but the other night when I was looking for it an obviously local lady came in the with a canvas bag and just filled it with books leaving few to choose from -- Oh well I guess she is just being enterprising and books are the resource.
Today for the first time I heard the drums beating in town at 5am. It is a custom to bang drums through the streets from about 5am till dawn to "welcome the Christmas Spirit". It's quaint but I like listening.
The rest of the time is spent with long walks to different beaches and swimming in either the ocean or Sea of Abaco depending on conditions.
Oh and on this first day of winter -- we had a high of 78 and a low of 72. Tomorrow will be colder with a high of 77 and a low of 70. Got to love it.
We saw the fabled swimming pigs there. They are on the beach nearest GTC. Volunteers have set up a watering station and signs requesting visitors bring food and water. Naturally there is little to sustain the pigs there but the generous handouts from strangers is just sustaining them fine. I saw no skinny pigs. A large number of very cute piglets.
GTC has been very quiet for the holiday season. Only today does it look like there is an influx of visitors. Good thing -- the locals really need the commerce. Unless something happens there will probably be no Cruisers Xmas party this year -- no one is attempting to organize one and then there have been only a few boats in the anchorage and only 5 boats here at the Green Turtle Club and 3 over at the Bluff House. All the moorings are full in Black Sound and 99% are flying Canadian flags.
Yesterday I cooked a local lobster -- ohhh boy was it good. I'll do more soon. They are cheaper than steak.
The day before we visited town and the library. The book exchange at the library was pretty poor. The village is overall run down from our last visit -- really sad but if you want to buy a new home here you are looking at close to a million dollars -- just crazy.
We stopped at the Sundowner's club about Sundown with the crew of Endless -- Mike and Nina. We had the signature drink there called a Sundowner (rum punch) and free appetizers -- it was a soda cracker with a meat product sliced and a piece of cheddar cheese. Check Karen's Facebook page for the picture -- ahhh very quaint, but it's the Bahamas Mon! The high point there was a large stingray in the water just below the floor there. Really Cool.
There is a book exchange here at the marina but the other night when I was looking for it an obviously local lady came in the with a canvas bag and just filled it with books leaving few to choose from -- Oh well I guess she is just being enterprising and books are the resource.
Today for the first time I heard the drums beating in town at 5am. It is a custom to bang drums through the streets from about 5am till dawn to "welcome the Christmas Spirit". It's quaint but I like listening.
The rest of the time is spent with long walks to different beaches and swimming in either the ocean or Sea of Abaco depending on conditions.
Oh and on this first day of winter -- we had a high of 78 and a low of 72. Tomorrow will be colder with a high of 77 and a low of 70. Got to love it.
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