Post #56: Welcome to Bimini

 Saturday, January 23 to Monday, January 26, 2021

We’ve spent the past few days exploring North Bimini, meeting fellow cruisers, trying to sort out a data and phone plan for the next month, and swimming in the azure sea.

There are two main roads on the island, Kings Highway on the eastern shore and Queen’s Highway along the bluffs of the western shore. They are actually cement roads one-and-a-half car widths wide with no sidewalks.  Most residents ride around in electric or gasoline-powered golf carts as everything is no more than 3 miles away. There are small bodegas, two bakeries, conch shacks, bars, a hardware store, town offices, and a craft centre (closed at this time).  There’s a Hilton resort and small casino that has changed hands 3 times in the past 15 years and still is a mess of a construction site at the northern end of the island.  It’s the kind of laid back atmosphere where all the residents know each other (and many are related) yet they’re friendly to visitors, giving a nod or a bit of directional advice.

We were in search of a Bahamian SIM card for a phone and a router for data needs.  We were told to see Loreen at Dolphin Electronics, about a half hour walk from the marina, after the big curve in the road.  We asked 3 residents along the way if we were on the right track and they all looked at us blankly.  They’d never heard of Dolphin Electronics. (We later found out that the store goes by a different name to locals.) Anyway, by the time we got there, the last router was sold (more coming on Wednesday) and we’d need to come back at 1:30 for a SIM card. So our short shopping trip turned into a most-of-the-day excursion.  We’re on island time now, folks.

So we headed to Stuart Conch Stand, heralded for the best conch salad in The Bahamas and enjoyed the view over Porgy Bay. 

With SIM card in hand, we walked up to the Queen’s Highway for a walk on the beach. Be forewarned, family and friends in New England, our daughter declares these photos are “evil.”