Seven ways to experience Bahamas culture

by Libby Zay on

When most people think of the Bahamas, there are only three things on their mind: sun, sand and sea. But in between dipping your toes in turquoise waters and sipping down a Bahama Mama or few, there are several ways you can get to know the local culture of the islands and some of the friendly, welcoming people who live there. Instead of bypassing the real Bahamas, here are three ways you can immerse yourself in Bahamian culture on your next trip to paradise.

People to People: Organized by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, the People to People program (pictured above) connects travelers who are interested in learning about local customs with Bahamians who are ready and willing to share. While in Nassau, a generous ambassador of the program invited several other guests – locals and travelers – into her home for traditional meal composed entirely of Bahamian-grown food and items from local vendors. “It’s food from our backyard, swimming in our ocean,” said our host ambassador Lesley as we ate dishes like plantain and conch meatballs and Bahamian-style macaroni and cheese. Even better than the food was the company, a warm and friendly group who fielded all our questions about Bahamian life and culture. If interested, the experience can also be extended to include a church service, visit to a local school, boating excursion, or tour of the island. Did I mention it’s free?Arawak Cay: Nassau residents call this collection of multicolored, seaside restaurants and bars “The Fish Fry.” Once a series of shacks where fishermen sold their catch, this is now one of the best places to sample typical Bahamian dishes such as conch salad, fried snapper, and more. Mingle casually with the locals while you knock back a Kalik, the local beer, or if you’re bold challenge one of them to a game of dominoes. Nights and weekends are the best times to drop by, but no matter when you visit this is one place that is dominated by locals and not travelers.

Graycliff Hotel: There is no better place to take in the grandeur of the “Old Bahamas” than at the Graycliff Hotel. Built in 1740 by a real pirate of the Caribbean, the pink mansion was originally the site of the first Anglican church in the Bahamas. Over the years it has been a post for the American Navy, a favored spot of Al Capone during the age of prohibition, and a private residence for royalty. Today, it is home to an elegant hotel and restaurant, an in-house cigar factory, and the third largest private wine cellar in the world (with 250,000 bottles and counting). Ask a guide to show you the “million dollar rack,” a collection of bottles totaling a million bucks, or if you’re lucky he’ll let you catch a glimpse of a single bottle worth $200,000. At night, the Graycliff lounge becomes a smoke-filled piano bar with a gangster feel that takes visitors back to another era.

Junkanoo: Bahamians will use pretty much any excuse for a celebration, but the colorful holiday of Junkanoo is the most elaborate festival of the islands. Parades of people in brightly colored costumes take to the streets on Boxing Day (December 26th) and New Year’s Day. If visiting over the winter holidays isn’t an option, visit Junkanoo’s Educulture Museum, which contains historical items from previous Junkanoo celebrations and is a great spot to get kids interested in the history of the Bahamas. There are also several Junkanoo costumes at the Bahamas Welcome Center, where stalls are set up selling authentic Bahamas souvenirs.

Rake and Scrape: Combine the beat of a sheepskin drum with the scraping noise of a carpenter’s saw and you have “Rake and Scrape,” a musical style that originated when slaves began creating instruments out of whatever was available to them. Ask the locals where you might be able to catch a band, or head to Cat Island in May when the Rake and Scrape Festival takes place and you can catch traditional dances such as the Bahamian Quadrille and the Hell and Toe Polka. Calypso, a style of Afro-Caribbean music, is also popular throughout the Bahamas.

Potter’s Cay Dock: Tucked under Nassau’s Paradise Island Bridge – quite literally in the shadow of the Atlantis mega resort – is Potter’s Cay Dock, a Bahamian food marketplace composed of rudimentary stalls. A beehive of activity, the vibe here is different from the famous Straw Market, where Bahamians cater to tourists by hawking straw hats and baskets, mugs, key chains, shirts and other souvenirs. Locals come to Potter’s Cay to buy the daily catch or pick out produce from stalls that are stacked high with fresh plantains, cassava, papaya and more. Potter’s Cay is another perfect place to test local cuisine.

History or Culture Tour: Many of the islands – especially Nassau and Grand Bahama – offer an array of tours of historical landmarks and important cultural heritage sites. Tours are offered by boat, car and foot and cover everything from the days of pirates to the emancipation of slaves and beyond. Check the official Bahamas directory for tour listings that are sanctioned by the department of tourism.

[Photos by Kirsten Alana and MissChatter/Flickr]

Discovery Adventures travel company debuts 2011’s Discovery Channel-inspired trips

by Laurel Miller on

Armchair traveler red alert! Discovery Adventures is offering eight new Discovery Channel-inspired cultural trips for 2011, including Greece, Turkey, Italy, France, Japan, and East Africa. Explore archaeological sites near Athens, visit wineries in Tuscany, safari in Kenya, or soak in hot springs in the Japanese Alps. Trips are limited to 16 people, and run from eight to 15 days. Accommodations range from boutique hotels and inns with local character to eco-lodges.

Discovery Adventures has teamed up with adventure travel industry leader Gap Adventures and non-profit Planeterra to offer travelers more opportunities to positively impact the lives of communities around the world. Each trip provides travelers with an opportunity to visit destinations (often traveling by traditional modes of transport such as rickshaw or elephant) and interact with local people in an ecologically-responsible manner. In addition to your guide, you’ll be accompanied by local historians, archaeologists, artisans, and naturalists. Time to get off that Barcalounger!

[Photo credit: Flickr user Arno & Louise Wildlife]

Cuba’s Budget-Friendly Accommodation Option: Casas Particulares

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Cuba’s casas particulares are already old hat for backpackers and other budget-minded types hailing from outside the US.

Europeans, Latin Americas, Canadians, and others have been digging the casa particular scene since the 1990s, when the Cuban government began to permit private citizens to rent out rooms in their houses to tourists.

Cuba’s privately-owned rooms generally cost between CUC$15 ($16) and CUC$50 ($52) for a double room per night, with a great number clustering in the CUC$20-25 ($21-$26) range.

The casa particular is a budget traveler’s dream: cheap and simple, with breakfast on offer for a few extra CUCs, or convertible pesos. Many casas also provide dinner at a very reasonable additional cost. Some offer private bathrooms; others provide shared facilities. Across Havana’s gorgeous Vedado and Miramar neighborhoods, many casas particulares take up space in gorgeous old mansions on romantic, tree-lined streets.

The casa particular accommodation form bears more similarity to gîtes, the French owner-occupied guesthouse accommodation model than it does to the North American bed & breakfast. The owners are on site or easily accessible, and the vibe is friendly and familiar. Guests feel as if they are staying in a home, not a hotel.

Very clearly (thankfully, even) there is also no domestic Cuban B&B industry churning out chintz and ruffled window curtains for a particular look. You can be fairly sure that your casa particular will be outfitted simply, but beyond that a unified aesthetic will be difficult to identify.

Most crucially for tourists interested in meeting locals and getting a sense of life in Cuba, casas particulares allow for extensive socializing between owners and tourists.

Casaparticularcuba, casaparticular, and cubaparticular also list rooms for rent. The Lonely Planet guide to Cuba also provides a good listing of casas particulares in Havana.