Accents
Longing for Boracay in Nassau
“Frolic in the pristine waters and dance in the brilliant white sand.” Every word a touristy come-on for us who had chosen the 3-hour sojourn to Nassau’s Blackbeard Beach. Rather than remain in the cruise ship SENSATION (for more bingo, music, scavenger hunt, faces trivia, etc.), we chose to have a dip in Nassau waters, afternoon of Saturday, April 18.
SENSATION distributed a Nassau Shopping Guide and had on board a Destination Shopping Specialist (wow, position title in caps for emphasis) who will guide customers to all the gemologists and master jewelers with their array of “international designer brands,” “award-winning designs,” “fantastic range of jewelry,” “international guarantee of authenticity,” blah, blah, blah. Ads to the nth degree did not deter us from the lure of the publicized “pristine waters” and “brilliant white sand” of Blackbeard Beach, its legendary aura made famous by the pirate Blackbeard and his cache of hidden treasures.
From the Nassau harbor, we boarded a motor-powered catamaran to Blackbeard Beach, one of Nassau’s surrounding islands. It was a 25-minute voyage through gentle waves, gentle sea breeze, and bright sky—much like the ride from Caticlan to Boracay on a summer day. Ah, Boracay of the crystal-clear water and powdery white sand.
We stepped out of the catamaran rich with expectations only to be let-down. The sand was far from brilliant white as advertised. I would call it light brown. And the water is far from pristine. Bits of debris were present. Dr-r-r-a-t, talk of truth in packaging. There might be varying shades of white brilliance in other Nassau shores, for all I know, but definitely, this one I was confronted with fell disappointingly short from what I had imagined. Rudy, Randy, and David who’ve all enjoyed Boracay were just as disappointed.
Grandkid Danika, like the rest of the kids in the contingent, showed much pleasure. Distinctions don’t really bother children. They frolicked all they could in the water. Some adults took to beach volleyball. Others just relaxed in lounging chairs for lack of anything else to do.
Coming from a family of swimming aficionados, I did a few laps of freestyle strokes. Just couldn’t resist taking a dip. When we were young, Sundays were a day in the beach with our father teaching all of us sons and daughters to be good swimmers. (Let me indulge in a bit of history: My father, the late Simplicio Carreon, Sr., was a survivor of the boat that sank in Manila Bay in World War II, thanks to his being an expert swimmer.)
The sea has always held a special fascination for me—kind of a sea fever. Thus in high school, I took to memorizing lines from John Masefield’s poem, Sea Fever: “I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky/And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by…/ I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide/ Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied…”
The call of Nassau waters cannot be denied, pristine or not. You know, been there, done that. Otherwise, vacation would be so incomplete. Experience enriches the memory. Certainly adds spice to moments when you want to look back. So, unwind to the nth degree and beat the advertisers of their superlatives.
There’s one cozy gift shop managed by a charming lady named Tiffany, and one refreshment parlor in the island. You hanker for freshly scooped young coconut meat and buko juice, well, get that when you do Boracay one more time and many times thereafter. Over here, you can have your fill of burgers.
A vendor had a table full of shells and corals. Should we buy one? Buying will encourage native divers to forage into the Bahamas’ coral reefs to the destruction of the environment. Walking back to the catamaran, we were tempted to pick up a keepsake. A stone beautifully encrusted with oyster shells was enticing for a souvenir, but we left it to dry on the shore. Remember the oft-repeated rule: Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.
(Email: lagoc@hargray.com)