Caribbean

Colors of the Caribbean

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My flip flops, bright pink and turquoise clicked against the dull stone road. It was raining, slippery. Each step took concentration to avoid a slip.

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“Look mommy, a rainbow!” My five year old exclaimed with joy.

I looked up and caught a glimpse of a pale rainbow stretched across the silver sky. The color, though faint, dazzled. It was a breath of fresh air against the otherwise dull and gloomy sky. It was a promise of something amazing yet to come.

Two weeks ago, I was in the sunny, errrrr…. rainy, Caribbean. Specifically, I was in Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas. It rained pretty much the entire time, but it was fine.

I didn’t have the brilliance of the sun, but I was definitely able to count on the brilliance of the many colors and contrasts of the buildings around me.

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Bright yellow houses, brushed shoulders with royal blue houses and neon pink shops. Visually stunning, the colors of the Caribbean are so uplifting. I couldn’t help but smile surrounded by this vibrant energy.

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While in the Turks and Caicos, I heard a compelling story about the colorful buildings. Apparently, color was not always en vogue. Colonial buildings in the Caribbean were originally painted bright white, until the British governor of Curacao, who also happened to own a paint shop, complained that the sun was blinding, the way it reflected off the white buildings and ordered everyone to paint their homes and businesses. Curacao became swathed in color and was admired for its beauty. Island after island followed suit, until colorful buildings became the standard throughout most of the Caribbean.

Though the motivation was manipulative, I must admit, I do enjoy the end result!

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Now you can find every color found in nature and all that’s in between!

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Bumming around the Bahammas

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We let our noses and stomachs lead the way. Having been to the Bahamas before, there was nothing touristy that we needed to do. So, we rented a motor bike and created our own excursion.

After biking a loop around the scenic periphery  of Nassau, we needed food, but not just any food, something unique, something local. Sustainable tourism tip: Eat local whenever you can!

We were in Nassau, heading into the touristy area of Atlantis. Under the bridge that will bring you to Atlantis, is an amazing array of locally owned restaurants. Featured at most of these establishments was the shining culinary jewel of the  Bahamas- conch. We were knew we had to try the conch.

Our meal was delicious. The conch was sweet and tender.  The service was super friendly and surprisingly quick. One of the restaurant owners even brought us wine and joined us for a drink and chat. It was fantastic: great food, cultural exchange, money pumped back into the hands of the locals and not some fancy foreign owned restaurant with an overpriced menu.

And memories...