Apparently Bart, my youngest brother, thought the stories mom and I had been telling about our previous vacations sounded so good that he should join us, too. Or maybe he just didn't believe us. I'm still not sure what motivated Bart to come along on our 2012 trip, but mom and I welcomed him with open arms. I was thrilled when he told me he wanted to go with us, and we started plotting our destination in the early months of a frigid winter.
Our goals were simple - to get the first stamp in Bart's passport, for mom to pass her PADI open water test and become a certified scuba diver, and to return as the friends we were when we left. We chose Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, because it can be reached via a non-stop flight from Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. We also thought that staying in a Sheraton hotel and our proximity to the United States would mean better accessibility for me in my wheelchair. We planned to dive with Stuart Cove's and again decided that we would support a charitable organization in the Bahamas by donating books and toys to children living in a foster home. With a notable population of stray and unwanted dogs, we also took a collection of leashes, collars and small toys to give to an animal rescue organization on the island.
We arrived on New Providence island, one of more than 700 in the chain that makes up the Bahamas, on Sunday, August 5 and were promptly greeted at the airport by a costumed pirate offering to steal our watches, cameras, and other valuables. This comical character - an impostor paying homage to the legendary pirates who once roamed the Bahamas - immediately added to the sense of fun and adventure we would share during our six days together. A four man band playing island music on the front porch of a small, brightly colored house entertained the lines of travelers waiting to clear Customs and Immigration, and after finally showing our passports and collecting our luggage, we hopped into a van to be taken to the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort and Casino.
Once we were situated at the Sheraton, our days started with the breakfast buffet at the hotel (included with our room plan), and then we were picked up by the driver for Stuart Cove's. After stopping at other hotels to collect more divers, we crossed the island to Cove's dive shop, checked in and picked up our gear, boarded our boat, and headed out to the dive sites. Check-in on the first day was time consuming and chaotic, and since the three of us had different itineraries that day (Bart was in an introductory scuba class, mom was doing her first two check-out dives, and I was diving with a private instructor), I said good-bye to Bart and hoped that he would like diving as much as mom and I do. A few hours later, as I waited on the dock for Bart's boat to return, I smiled at the sight of my kid brother standing on the upper deck, giving me the thumbs up. We quickly added him to our dive boat for the next two days, happy to have another diver in the family.
Although some of the features of the Sheraton were a huge hassle (a 100 yard trek over thick carpet to get from the elevator to our room is not what I consider "accessible"), our spot on Cable Beach was spectacular. Bart became friends with a man from New York who was staying at the nearby Wyndham hotel, so they spent afternoons on the beach while mom and I hung out at one of the Sheraton's swimming pools. For all that the Sheraton lacked, it did offer disabled guests a piece of equipment that I rarely see - a beach wheelchair. A paved trail allowed me to roll my own wheelchair along the beach, but borrowing the Sheraton's beach chair meant I could actually get out onto the sand and down to the water. I was raised in a family that believes life is not a spectator sport. We want to play, not sit on the sidelines and watch. The beach wheelchair allowed me to get into the water - with help, of course, from Bart and my mom - and snorkel along the shore.
Diving with Stuart Cove's was great fun. The staff members were incredibly helpful and friendly, always upbeat and positive, and the sites we saw under water are etched in my mind forever. We dove on wrecks that had been used as sets in James Bond movies. We saw small animals (an arrowhead crab), medium sized fish (Nassau grouper) and on the last day, a stingray and a turtle. For me, sharing time and space with these majestic creatures is better than any drug. It's better than religion. None of us could muster the guts to go on the shark dive that Cove's is known for, but we all agreed that we would choose Stuart Cove's again if we returned to the Bahamas.
After diving each day we returned to the hotel and spent time on the beach or at the pool. Our favorite place to eat in the evenings was The Fish Fry at Arawak Cay - a collection of restaurants and bars, some of them not much bigger than a one-car garage, serving fresh fish, seafood and tropical beverages. One night we had dinner at The Green Parrot, and although it was a little farther away than The Fish Fry, the drive was well worth the additional cab fare. We sat at a round picnic table under a palm-thatched roof and looked across Nassau Harbor at the grandiose Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island. We had undoubtedly forsaken the luxury and amenities that accompany a stay at Atlantis, but we certainly got what we came for - great diving and great memories.
Laura Kimble, a Bahamian realtor who donates some of her proceeds to local charities and with whom we'd made contact before the trip, came to the Sheraton after our dive on Tuesday to pick up the items we'd brought along. The books and toys for kids were given to children who reside at the Children's Emergency Hostel, while the leashes, collars and dog toys were donated to the Humane Society and BAARK (Bahamas Alliance for Animal Respect and Kindness). Laura referred us to a souvenir shop (Bahama Arts and Handicrafts) on the island that sells handmade crafts and jewelery made by island residents, so we stopped there and purchased some really cool, locally-made gifts that we would have never found if we'd limited ourselves to the straw market frequented by cruise-shippers and other tourists satisfied to buy trinkets made in China.
Our vacation was not without moments of frustration, and it certainly included challenges. Mom, Bart and I hadn't lived together - even for six days - since 1983. Bart got lectured repeatedly about the importance of using sunscreen. Mom walked out of Stuart Cove's one day without paying for her diet coke. After two days of not being able to take a shower in our wheelchair accessible hotel room, I lost it and threw a fit. Our day of departure came too quickly, though, and In the kitchen at my house in Fairfax late on Friday night, we talked about where we might want to go next year. Bart got a stamp in his passport, mom passed her PADI certification dives, and we had most definitely returned as the friends we were when we left. We even have stories to prove it!
Our goals were simple - to get the first stamp in Bart's passport, for mom to pass her PADI open water test and become a certified scuba diver, and to return as the friends we were when we left. We chose Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, because it can be reached via a non-stop flight from Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. We also thought that staying in a Sheraton hotel and our proximity to the United States would mean better accessibility for me in my wheelchair. We planned to dive with Stuart Cove's and again decided that we would support a charitable organization in the Bahamas by donating books and toys to children living in a foster home. With a notable population of stray and unwanted dogs, we also took a collection of leashes, collars and small toys to give to an animal rescue organization on the island.
We arrived on New Providence island, one of more than 700 in the chain that makes up the Bahamas, on Sunday, August 5 and were promptly greeted at the airport by a costumed pirate offering to steal our watches, cameras, and other valuables. This comical character - an impostor paying homage to the legendary pirates who once roamed the Bahamas - immediately added to the sense of fun and adventure we would share during our six days together. A four man band playing island music on the front porch of a small, brightly colored house entertained the lines of travelers waiting to clear Customs and Immigration, and after finally showing our passports and collecting our luggage, we hopped into a van to be taken to the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort and Casino.
Once we were situated at the Sheraton, our days started with the breakfast buffet at the hotel (included with our room plan), and then we were picked up by the driver for Stuart Cove's. After stopping at other hotels to collect more divers, we crossed the island to Cove's dive shop, checked in and picked up our gear, boarded our boat, and headed out to the dive sites. Check-in on the first day was time consuming and chaotic, and since the three of us had different itineraries that day (Bart was in an introductory scuba class, mom was doing her first two check-out dives, and I was diving with a private instructor), I said good-bye to Bart and hoped that he would like diving as much as mom and I do. A few hours later, as I waited on the dock for Bart's boat to return, I smiled at the sight of my kid brother standing on the upper deck, giving me the thumbs up. We quickly added him to our dive boat for the next two days, happy to have another diver in the family.
Although some of the features of the Sheraton were a huge hassle (a 100 yard trek over thick carpet to get from the elevator to our room is not what I consider "accessible"), our spot on Cable Beach was spectacular. Bart became friends with a man from New York who was staying at the nearby Wyndham hotel, so they spent afternoons on the beach while mom and I hung out at one of the Sheraton's swimming pools. For all that the Sheraton lacked, it did offer disabled guests a piece of equipment that I rarely see - a beach wheelchair. A paved trail allowed me to roll my own wheelchair along the beach, but borrowing the Sheraton's beach chair meant I could actually get out onto the sand and down to the water. I was raised in a family that believes life is not a spectator sport. We want to play, not sit on the sidelines and watch. The beach wheelchair allowed me to get into the water - with help, of course, from Bart and my mom - and snorkel along the shore.
Diving with Stuart Cove's was great fun. The staff members were incredibly helpful and friendly, always upbeat and positive, and the sites we saw under water are etched in my mind forever. We dove on wrecks that had been used as sets in James Bond movies. We saw small animals (an arrowhead crab), medium sized fish (Nassau grouper) and on the last day, a stingray and a turtle. For me, sharing time and space with these majestic creatures is better than any drug. It's better than religion. None of us could muster the guts to go on the shark dive that Cove's is known for, but we all agreed that we would choose Stuart Cove's again if we returned to the Bahamas.
After diving each day we returned to the hotel and spent time on the beach or at the pool. Our favorite place to eat in the evenings was The Fish Fry at Arawak Cay - a collection of restaurants and bars, some of them not much bigger than a one-car garage, serving fresh fish, seafood and tropical beverages. One night we had dinner at The Green Parrot, and although it was a little farther away than The Fish Fry, the drive was well worth the additional cab fare. We sat at a round picnic table under a palm-thatched roof and looked across Nassau Harbor at the grandiose Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island. We had undoubtedly forsaken the luxury and amenities that accompany a stay at Atlantis, but we certainly got what we came for - great diving and great memories.
Laura Kimble, a Bahamian realtor who donates some of her proceeds to local charities and with whom we'd made contact before the trip, came to the Sheraton after our dive on Tuesday to pick up the items we'd brought along. The books and toys for kids were given to children who reside at the Children's Emergency Hostel, while the leashes, collars and dog toys were donated to the Humane Society and BAARK (Bahamas Alliance for Animal Respect and Kindness). Laura referred us to a souvenir shop (Bahama Arts and Handicrafts) on the island that sells handmade crafts and jewelery made by island residents, so we stopped there and purchased some really cool, locally-made gifts that we would have never found if we'd limited ourselves to the straw market frequented by cruise-shippers and other tourists satisfied to buy trinkets made in China.
Our vacation was not without moments of frustration, and it certainly included challenges. Mom, Bart and I hadn't lived together - even for six days - since 1983. Bart got lectured repeatedly about the importance of using sunscreen. Mom walked out of Stuart Cove's one day without paying for her diet coke. After two days of not being able to take a shower in our wheelchair accessible hotel room, I lost it and threw a fit. Our day of departure came too quickly, though, and In the kitchen at my house in Fairfax late on Friday night, we talked about where we might want to go next year. Bart got a stamp in his passport, mom passed her PADI certification dives, and we had most definitely returned as the friends we were when we left. We even have stories to prove it!
