itsbetterinthebahamas Archives

Good News for Bahamas Lovers! Direct Flights from Dallas!

May 17, 2016 By Tam Warner 19 Comments

The first direct flights to Grand Bahama in many years! The Vacation Express Grand Bahama Summer Program is new to Dallas, TX and is actually on a trial basis for two months, May 27th through July 31st. If the new flights are popular, they could extend the flights up to four months! The Vacation Express flights offers vacationers the opportunity to experience the ease, comfort and convenience of travelling to Grand Bahama to enjoy the awesome beauty and limitless attractions and adventures there!

The flights will be on Sunwing Airlines, and will leave Dallas Fort Worth at 8:00 am arriving Grand Bahama at 11:55 am. The flights rotate on what is called a “rolling fours” with flights rolling out after every four night trip. The package prices includes a resort stay and the non-stop flight – in the case of an all-inclusive resort, the package also includes all meals and unlimited drinks and more! This is an absolutely incredible deal!

Grand Bahama is full of history and charm, and is a complete vacation destination. There’s something for everyone on Grand Bahama Island from relaxing in the sun, romantic dinners overlooking the ocean or trying your luck at the casino. There are also the many cultural activities especially during annual festivals and local events, a limitless variety of sports and water activities, eco-tours, and shopping for great deals on duty-free merchandise. http://www.grandbahamavacations.com/. Buy one airline ticket and get one free! Hurry, scurry, before these amazing travel deals are gone!

Make Your Quick Getaway to the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival Now!

April 24, 2016 By Tam Warner 17 Comments

Nassau, Bahamas, Junkanoo — Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival in Nassau May 5-7, 2016!

Ready for a quick getaway? Head on over to Nassau, Bahamas for the Junkanoo Carnival!

What is the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival? It is a destination event for Bahamians and visitors to immerse themselves in the music and culture of The Bahamas! Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival is not a single event: it is a collection of celebrations, concerts, cultural shows and street parades that pull from all aspects of Bahamian culture and heritage, bundled together over one epic season. If you love music, dancing, festivals….this is it! You can even order your costume ahead of time by clicking this link http://bahamasjunkanoocarnival.com/.

Opening Series and Junkamania, May 5: The festivities begin at the Da Cultural Village for the Opening Ceremony, which will be followed by Junkamania – a concert of Junkanoo orchestras – and the Genesis Concert, featuring home grown Bahamian talent, Elon Moxey, Willis & the Illest and Qpid; and international performers, Kerwin Dubois, Farmer Nappy, Rupee, Fada Fox and Ricardo Dru.

Music Masters, May 5: Music Masters is not only a concert, but a journey. It starts almost a year before, when Bahamian musicians are invited to submit original songs for the Music Masters Song Competition. The top 20 songs are selected, mastered and released on the official Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival Compilation Album

Road Fever, May 6: For the party animal in you, we’ve planned a series of all-star concerts, street parades and Junkanoo parties for you to let loose on the streets of Nassau and across our islands. Road Fever is the original Bahamian masquerade street party that closes out the annual Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival. It is a costume parade incorporating a unique mix of live and recorded music with masses of people “Shaking up the Streets”.

Ready to book? With direct flights on American Airlines from DFW to Nassau, it couldn’t be easier!

Expedia.com https://www.expedia.com/g/pt/ms-dest-bahamas?langid=1033&

American Airlines https://book.aavacations.com/travel/landing_page_hotels.cfm?searchkey=Bahamasministry

Hurry up and make reservations for your quick getaway to the Bahamas! Be sure and post your photos when you are there, and use the hashtag #TravelTamStyle!

Exotic Exuma life forms!

January 15, 2014 By Tam Warner 12 Comments

The islands of the Exumas, in the Bahamas, offer so much more than swimming pigs! Though, the swimming pigs are out of this world incredible. However, we were offered the chance to swim with sharks, to snorkel, and feed iguanas. Don’t get too excited…just nurse sharks. Don’t get me wrong, I love Nurse Sharks! I just don’t consider them too dangerous. They have very small (but sharp) teeth, smallish mouths, and basically they are bottom feeders. They mostly sleep during the day. I see them diving in the Caribbean often, they are usually asleep under crevices. Nurse sharks are nocturnal, and can grow up to 4 meters (12 feet). I’ve never seen one that large, the biggest I’ve seen is probably 7 or 8 feet. These were 4 to 6 feet long, I’d guess.

Nurse sharks gathering for their feast! — Nurse sharks gathering for their feast at Staniel Cay

bahamas, exumas, travels — Tough, pebbly skin and pretty white eyes.

Off of Staniel Cay Yacht Club is a largish population of nurse sharks and they feed them squid and other tasty snacks. I had my camera out and was in the water long before anyone else on the tour got in. The word “shark” evokes terrible fear, but once you learn about them and see them in the wild, you begin to understand they are not waiting for a human to eat. Nurse sharks are pretty. They have white eyes, and their skin is very tough and pebbly. I think they have an elegant silhouette as they swim. After a while, several of the tour members finally got in the water with them, a great opportunity to conquer a few fears and gain knowledge!

exuma, bahamas, travels with tam — Hanging out in Thunderball Grotto

bahamas, exumas — Entrance to Thunderball Grotto

Also on the agenda were giant iguanas! I’ve seen pretty big ones, but these are monstrosities! They are huge! And hungry, of course. We fed them grapes. I used a stick to spear the grape, then feed the iguana. Kathy, my cousin, and I were lucky on the second tour, and one of the largest ones had a photo session with us. He must have posed for 10 minutes, and he would have stayed there, I am sure. The minute the boat pulls up to the beach, out they come!

Kathy photographing, and my foot! — Kathy photographing

Obviously, they are used to people and being fed by them. As you can see, Exuma Water Sports provided Animal Palooza, and I loved every second of it!

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Why are there swimming pigs in the Exumas, Bahamas???

January 13, 2014 By Tam Warner 14 Comments

swimming pigs, exumas, bahamas — Swim, pigs, swim!

These swimming pigs are causing a sensation, and it is easy to see why! PIGS are not supposed to be swimming in the ocean…are they? Have YOU ever seen such a thing? Or heard about it? A couple of months ago I saw a video on youtube with the swimming pigs of the Exumas, and I was so amazed (and laughing so hard) I decided I had to come and see this for myself! It must have been meant, because a few weeks later I had the opportunity to come to the Exumas (outer islands of the Bahamas). I checked to see where these swimming pigs were, and when I found out they were in the Exumas, I booked a ticket!

On arrival, I asked how I could get to the pigs. It turns out there are unbelievable animal encounters here in the Exumas! I booked with Exuma Water Sports, not just to see the pigs, but to see huge Iguanas (and feed them!), swim with nurse sharks, and snorkel Thunderball Grotto (where 007 movies Thunderball and Never say Never were filmed). There are over 300 cays (pronounced keys), small islands, throughout the Exumas. The only way to really check it out is to do it by boat. In comes Exuma Water Sports, owned by Ray and Phillipa Lightbourn. The Lightbourn family has been in the Bahamas since 1735, and it doesn’t appear that they plan to go anywhere! Be glad, because their tours are top notch. I went the first day for a full day tour on board the 007 by myself as my cousin, who planned to go with me, was ill. What an incredible day! Great people, it was lovely to chat with Ray and his son, Justin, and the highlights were so incredible I don’t want to rush them all into one blog. SO. Pigs first! I already published a photo blog of the bigger piggies here, so please check them out. These are the pictures of the second day, when we did the half day tour!

As I understand it, one of the cays had a pig farm on it, and the pig farmer was not only tired of farming, but tired of complaints about the odor of his pig farm. I cannot remember if he just turned them loose, or if he relocated them (I think the latter because they seem to have their own island), but when boats would stop to look at them, they began to swim out to the boats for food! And so, the swimming pigs of Exuma were born.

Exuma Water Sports sees those pigs on their full day tour, but they are too far for half day tours. So what did they do? They brought their own pigs to a small cay and taught them to swim and come for food! They are now a year and a half old, and cute as they can be. I was lucky enough to see both sets of piggies, I loved the full tour so much, I took my cousin back for the half day tour!

I am rather accident prone, and Exuma Water Sports helped me stay on my feet instead of tripping around the boat, they figured out the first day that falling on flat surfaces seems to be quite natural for me…though I did fall off the boat ladder once, too. Just call me Grace.

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Swimming pigs need to be on your bucket list, folks! Want to see them in action? Check them out on YouTube!

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