Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/776538
in the 18 th century by slaves on their three days off a year, Junkanoo has become a cel- ebration of everything Bahamian. Locals love reaching out to visitors on a personal level. The decades-old People-To- People Experience gives volunteers an opportunity to connect with guests by becoming island "ambassadors." The free program pairs hundreds of ambassadors with tourists interested in exploring the culture and lifestyle beyond the hotels and resorts. My Nassau ambassador was Yvette Johnson, a banker who in the off hours hosts dinners at her home and takes guests on insider tours of local highlights. She reported that the program gives her and her husband an enjoyable social activity to do together, and that it has yielded many international friends. Visi- tors can register for the program at their hotel tour desk, any tourist office or online at bahamas.com/people-to-people. Each island also has a unique person- ality, and from my cushy home base on "The Level" at Meliã Nassau Beach Resort, I took day trips to Grand Bahama Island and Harbour Island, located off the north- east coast of Eleuthera. GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND (GBI) A 45-minute flight from Nassau, GBI offers everything from a 1,858-square-metre Las Vegas-style casino to one of the world's longest systems of underwater limestone caves in Lucayan National Park, framed by the vast expanse of Gold Rock Beach. The popular filming and photography location provided backdrops for scenes in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. After filming, Pirates star Johnny Depp bought the 18-hectare Little Hall's Pond Cay. On my drive along the sparsely popu- lated "outlying settlements" on the eastern coast, I stopped in Mather Town for drinks and conversation at the beachfront Mar- garita Villa Sand Bar. According to patrons perched on bar stools, the area was a hideout for rumrunners during Prohibi- tion, and centuries ago a favourite spot for pirates who lured ships onto the nearby reef and plundered them. A highlight of my GBI visit was a "dol- phin encounter" at the UNEXSO facility, which houses the adorable mammals and offers a range of experiences. Sitting on a dock splashing my feet in shallow water, I watched the dolphins cavort, kiss the WINTER/SPRING 2017 DREAMSCAPES 55 such as panny cake. A regular at Smith's Point Fish Fry on Grand Bahama is a pony- tailed expatriate Montréal kitesurfer who comes to socialize, listen to music, drink Sands beer—and dine on Terry Edden's fresh conch salad. Every venue boasts conch-salad maestros whose loyal fans come for signature versions of this flavourful ceviche-like dish. Originally a random Bahamas-wide street festival, Junkanoo Carnival is now an annual spring event that attracts thousands of participants and onlookers. It is noted for wildly artistic costumes crafted from colourful crêpe paper—and yes, rain on parade days does pose a problem. Launched