Holidays

The first thing that struck me about the Bahamas was the transparency of the water. Despite being in depths of thirty feet, I was still able to see the seabed from the boat. Occasionally I saw tropical fish swimming alongside the boat. In the Atlantic on the way to Bimini the waves were ten feet high. My shift happened to be duringthe Gulf Stream when the waves are at the highest. After reaching the calm flats of the Bahamas I could see a thin film of salt covering the boat. On the helm there were several flying fish washed up on deck. The flats were a welcome change from the stormy Atlantic and we all made the most of the serenity by sunbathing on the flying bridge. It didn't take long for then guys to become bored, so they passed the time fishing. But they cought nothing.

When we reached Bimini, after docking the boat we immediately filled the water tank so we could take our showers. As soon as I jumped into the shower the hot water ran out, after being used up by another girl who had to conditione her hair twice in case the salt ruined it. After hygiene was taken care of, we strolled around the one-mile-wide island. It was a soft texture that felt like hair. Underneath, the ground was so springy it was like a trampoline. On our way back to the boat we came across Ernest Hemingway's old home. Inside, there were pictures and excerpts from OLD MAN AND THE SEA. I wasted no time in sitting in his chair, hoping to receive some of his talent through osmosis. Later that evening I got to sit in the chair again, when the Hemingway home turned into a bar. I drank Bahama Mamas while walking around Hemingway"s dinning room, and danced the Dollar dance in his kitchen.

We ventured to the beach around noon the next day still recovering from our over-indulgence in tropical drinks. The waves were very high and the ocean was rough, but I was more afraid of having fish swim around me than of being sucked into the rip current. After being hurled several