In the middle of January and I cracked.
We’d been riding the crypto roller-coaster for over a year ourselves. Then, we started teaching others what we’d learned. Some folks easily embraced the world of crypto-currency and made the digital leap along with us, while others continue to struggle in complete frustration and skepticism.
It’s One Thing To Make Your Own Financial Decisions But Once You Start Coaching Others, It Adds Another Layer Of Stress And Responsibility To The Equation
If you’ve gone through this process yourself (of learning how to buy, hold and sell your own coins ) then you’ll have a personal appreciation for how stressful and riddled with roadblocks the process can be. You’ll also be aware of the ever changing exchange authorization processes related to on-line security. This has continued to rapidly evolve over the last 12 months and has added an extra layer of frustration as people try to get their accounts activated and funded.
For the record, this last part (creating an active account on any of the most popular exchanges) has gone from being almost instant to taking weeks just to get set up.
We’d also been experiencing an exceptionally cold winter with lots of snow. To keep our sanity, we just needed a break from our day to day routines (in order to recharge) so we decided that it was time to take a holiday.
Over the years, we’ve moved away from “all inclusive” resort vacations because we hardly drink alcohol anymore. Our tastes have changed (we both prefer the benefits of fine herb, instead) and we’re really selective about the food we eat.
As a direct result, most all inclusive food and beverage packages are wasted on us, so we consulted with very good friends (who we consider to be well travelled).
Specifically For recommendations for the “ultimate chill holiday”
Harbour Island Bahamas Topped The List
We made our decision and at the beginning of January, we rented a house on the island and booked our flights for a mid-February arrival. (This date range was also recommended as it skirts around spring breaks for school kids and because the weather is consistently warm and sunny.)
The Bahamas are actually a collection of 700 islands
They extend 760 miles from the coast of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean to the north-west, almost to Hati to the south-east. Of the 700 islands, only 30 are inhabited by people. There is also approximately 2400 coral reefs which also make up the Bahamas.
Exactly What Two Frozen People Require Who Feel Like They Haven’t Seen The Light Of Day Or Double Digit Temperatures Above Freezing In Months
We got ourselves on an early morning plane and flew from Toronto (Canada) to Nassau, Bahamas.
Once in Nassau we took a taxi to a hanger that was home to a small charter airline called LeAir. We’d reserved a 5 seater plane complete with pilot to take us as far as the island of Eleuthera because there isn’t a landing strip on Harbour Island.
It was the first time that I had flown on a plane this small. has been in every manner of plane before, so it wasn’t as big a deal for him, as it was for me.
When you fly on a plane this small, you must pack lightly because there is limited luggage space and weight restrictions. All the luggage gets loaded in the nose of the plane and the pilot decides where everyone sits so that weight is evenly distributed.
Once the luggage is stowed, boarding begins one passenger at a time. This was interesting because we each had to crawl across the wing to get into the cabin of the plane. If you ever decide to do this, you’ll want to make sure that the clothing you are wearing will accommodate some agility. (Ladies, read: running or walking shoes as opposed to heels or flip flops with minimal traction or support. It’s a hike up onto the wing and you’ll want to be sure of your foot placement.) You’ll also want to layer your clothing so that you can keep yourself comfortable. There is no air conditioning other than to prop the door of the plane open while you wait for your plane’s turn to use the runway and take-off.
I sat right beside Mr. Bullard, who was our pilot. sat behind me and kept the door held open with his foot until it was time for the plane to start barreling down the runway. (I’m not joking. It was an adventure, to say the least.)
Our Plane Queued-Up For Its Turn
I had my own yoke (or steering control in the co-pilot’s seat) but I didn’t dare touch it...even though I was tempted.
I also had access to foot pedals (which controlled the rudder and brakes) but again I showed great restraint and didn’t touch them either. (Much to ’s relief, I’m sure. LOL!)
There were lots of gauges and switches to look at and Mr. Bullard was friendly but didn’t really want to engage in too much conversation. This meant that not only did I need to restrain my urge to start flipping switches and turning dials but I also had to bite my tongue and not ask him too many questions. (For those of you who have gotten to know me over the last year, you will know that I love to ask questions, so that part was actually trickier for me to manage than not touching anything. LOL!)
We only had to wait for about 10 minutes before we took off and were airborne.
The flight was smooth and we only experienced a little bit of turbulence.
Our flight from Nassau to Eleuthera took 25 minutes.
There are many small charter companies that you can book with. Alternatively, you can ferry-hop from Nassau to Eleuthera, but it’s basically the mail-run and takes the better part of a full day to reach Harbour Island.
Booking a small charter flight costs approximately $1200 USD return.
The plane we booked could hold 5 passengers. It’s a great option for small groups or families who don’t want to spend the whole day schlepping their luggage from one boat to another.
Once we arrived on the island of Eleuthera, we took a taxi from the landing strip to the harbour. This took less than 10 minutes by car.
We then caught a water taxi which took us to Harbour Island.
This is a 15 minute boat ride between islands. The water taxis are plentiful and cost $5 USD per person, one way. Most taxis can hold about 20 people at a time.
Many locals live on different islands than where they work. This makes traveling between islands on water taxis very common and relatively easy to do.
Once we arrived on Harbour Island, we rented a golf-cart for the week. Golf-carts cost approximately $25 USD a day to rent. Most people who live on the island own their own carts and use them instead of cars.
Some golf carts are kept plain and some have full body-kits and are pretty sweet rides.
Most carts that you can rent are heavily governed back. The locals’ carts are not so be prepared to be over-taken frequently because the top speed on a rental is the equivalency of a fast jog with the wind at your back.
Driving is on the left-hand side of the road. This was an adjustment for us and whenever we used a cart, we had to be mindful of insections and making right hand turns.
Well, I got us all to this little island in one piece. In my subsequent posts, I will show you around so that you can #walkwithme and #seewhatisee.
I took all these photos with my apple 8+ cell phone.
I welcome your comments and I invite you to follow me on my journey...buckle up.