Images from the Bahamas

by | Jan 7, 2018 | Christmas, holidays, photography, vacations, winter | 22 comments

It snowed this year in Seattle for Christmas … or so I’ve been told. I wasn’t here. I escaped to the Bahamas.

I’m back home now, grateful for my week in the sun with my family and hoping you’ll enjoy seeing a few pictures from the beautiful country we visited.

We stayed at the Hotel Melia Nassau Beach, where the sand was as fine as powdered sugar and the sea was calm and warm (once you got used to it). I was charmed by the silvery sheen the water took on in the late afternoon.

It was the time of year for Junkanoo, and the hotel provided its own little Junkanoo parade. The beat and energy were irresistible.

On Christmas day, Santa arrived in a horse-drawn cart. But with all the kids crowding around, I couldn’t get a good shot of him.

After water aerobics, I sat on the side of the pool with a piña colada. Mmm. Love piña coladas.

An unusual dark cloud that soon blew away.

In this year of destructive hurricanes, the Bahamas was mainly spared. The country has 700 islands. Inevitably, a few of the small, largely uninhabited islands were hit. The capital of Nassau on the main island of New Providence was missed, though.

In 1492 Columbus’s first landfall in the New World was the Bahamas. The Spanish never colonized it, but they enslaved the local people, the Lucayans, and sent them away to Hispaniola. According to our taxi driver, the Lucayans eventually disappeared from the face of the earth.

The Bahamas is a terrifically popular destination for tourists from North America and Europe. One reason: good weather. In December, the average high temperature is 79.2° and, on average, there are only eight days of rain.

Afternoon shadows and warm, shallow water protected by coral reefs.

Kayaking was one of the water sports our family enjoyed.

We also had plenty of time to read a favorite book …

… and sample a variety of desserts … every single day.

If you think people would have left their cell phones at home, you’d be wrong.

Back home now, I can’t complain. No snow, and the temperature is in the mid 40s. Not bad for winter.

Happy New Year.

22 Comments

  1. evelyneholingue

    I had missed this post, so thank you for the link from your latest post. Wow! This blue water…
    Dreamy. Glad you enjoyed and had a great time with family and piña coladas too 🙂
    The desserts would have been my favorites!

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      The water was beautiful. The Bahamas is perfect at Christmastime–plenty of sunshine, no hurricanes, and not too hot yet. The food was good too.

      Reply
  2. nrhatch

    I like the sound of that pina colada poolside ~> a pina colada + sunny skies = perfect together!

    Sounds like a wonderful trip!

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      Yes, it was a wonderful trip, Nancy. It was a good location for providing activities that suited everyone, including my nine-year-old grandson, my twenty-something grandchildren, all the forty-somethings, and me.

      Reply
  3. Marta

    Happy new year, Nicki! I would kill for a bit of sun, warmth and blue sky, haha!

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      Happy new year, Marta. Stay warm.

      Reply
  4. Annika Perry

    Nicki, a very Happy New Year to you!! 😀😀. Thank you so for sharing these wonderful photos from your holiday…it’s looks so warm, beautiful and the ocean is so welcoming. As for the desserts…yummy! Glad the weather is okay for you at home. Wishing you a special 2018!

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      Happy New Year, Annika. I’m glad you enjoyed my photos. One of the best thing about a sunny spot is all the cheerful colors. Visiting Mexico, you get the same color boost, not only from the blue sky but also from the murals and colorful decor. Here, we seem to think it’s in good taste to paint your house gray or brown or beige. I painted my house blue, but I was careful to choose a grayed-down blue. I guess it goes better with the cloudy skies. Best wishes for 2018, for your writing and everything else.

      Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      These rainy days do help us appreciate the sunshine. I wouldn’t mind another getaway in a couple of months.

      Reply
  5. autumnashbough

    It looks glorious! Did you miss being home at all?

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      I didn’t miss home a bit. Although, strangely enough, it’s always good to get back to the old routine.

      Reply
  6. Kate Crimmins

    We’re in single digits this morning. Bahamas is looking good and the sound of a pina collada on a sunny day sounds marvelous!

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      Single digits!! Brr! Their pina coladas were scrumptious … and a little too strong to have very often.

      Reply
      • Kate Crimmins

        The older I get the weaker I like them! 🙂

        Reply
        • Nicki Chen

          I liked the taste, but afterwards I felt weak myself.

          Reply
  7. L. Marie

    How lovely, Nicki! I agree with Jill. It’s 14 degrees here. So nice to see warm sand and blue, non-frozen water. 😀 😁 🌞

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      Those emogis are either smiling big smiles or their teeth are chattering. Hmm. I guess it depends on where they are. Your teeth must really be chattering at 14 degrees. I hope you don’t have to go out in it too much. And I hope my sunny photos helped warm you up.

      Reply
  8. Jill Weatherholt

    On this 20 degree morning, your post was a warm surprise, Nicki. I’m so happy you escaped the cold and snow and were able to spend time with your family. Thank you for sharing your beautiful photographs. Happy New Year to you and your family.

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      Usually I stay here all winter, and by the time February rolls around, I’m more than ready for colorful scenes and warm weather. This trip really was a nice break from gray skies and rain. Happy New Year, Jill.

      Reply
  9. Mabel Kwong

    Happy New Year, Nicki. It looked like every bit the warm and lovely trip to the Bahamas. Can just imagine how busy it might be for the Bahamas this time of the year, what with that lovely weather it has. Looked very relaxing for you in the water and under the sun 🙂 Desserts every single day, how lucky. With amazing views all round, wouldn’t be hard to go for a walk after those desserts 🙂

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      The Bahamas does have lovely weather this time of year, Mabel. It was hot enough for swimming and sunbathing in the middle of the day and then it cooled down enough for a sweater.

      With all those delicious desserts to choose from, I found that I didn’t want to overeat. They were small servings and I knew they’d be there again the next day, so I concentrated on choosing the most delicious one … or two.

      Reply

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