The weather was initially miserable: windy and pouring rain. I had booked the "Zip Line" adventure for 11 a.m. and trudged through ankle-deep puddles until it was certain that the action could take place. Then, however, my turn came earlier than booked, a special harness was put on me and after watching the instruction video I was allowed to climb the first wooden tower. After I was appropriately secured, I was allowed to fly off. At a brisk pace we went along the rope across the site to tower number 2. After two more flights the fun ended.

Adventure makes you hungry: I had to wait a little longer before the fast food restaurants opened and you could pick up sandwiches, burgers, beans and rice. Not exactly fine dining, but sufficient for lunch.

Then I returned to the ship.

At 3 p.m. the on-board cinema showed a film about Baja California.

An event for solo travelers was held at 5 p.m. It was pretty funny, but there wasn't a dream woman there.

After an excellent dinner, I let the Acappela group "Mo5aic" sing me a few lullabies and then fell tired into bed.

Since the Bahamas are just a stone's throw from Miami, we decided to go on a 5 day cruise. (Yes, we don't exactly know the environmentally friendly option and not backpacker-friendly either🙃) So we set off on November 4th with the ship Celebrity Summit from the port of Miami. The feeling when the ship left the harbor in the surreal setting of Miami was simply indescribable and one we will probably never forget.

First port Nassau Bahamas:

Unfortunately, we didn't get enough information about Nassau and the possibilities for excursion activities. The only thing we really wanted to do was swim with pigs 😅which the Bahamas is famous for. We became aware in advance of the mass tourism that comes with cruise ships. Nassau was completely overcrowded. Tens of cruise ships docked in Nassau. Thousands of people streamed off the ship.

Back to our goal of swimming with pigs. Most of the tours were already fully booked, so we walked along the harbor in Nassau and were approached by several men with signs "swimming with the pics". They promised us a boat ride to the pigs, snorkeling, soft drinks, snacks and alcoholic drinks included. Everything sounds great at first, of course we found out about the prices of the other excursions on offer and compared them with each other. Finally we were in business.

The trip started in a small boat, reassuringly with another couple. We went to the opposite island just a few meters away from the cruise ships, which seemed strange to us 🙈we couldn't imagine that swimming pigs lived here🐷 so we were excited and cooled off in the sea. Suddenly about 6 pigs came running and were lured into the sea with the help of ham. They were more interested in our bags and looked for food on the beach. With every hour that passed we realized that we had fallen for "scammers". The promised snorkeling wasn't kept either and we just wanted to leave as quickly as possible. We tried to cheer up our mood with coconut rum (at least it was included in the excursion, it tastes delicious 🤤 we bought 2 more bottles at the harbor 😅)

After what felt like an eternity, the “guides” took us back to the port in Nassau. We strolled through the colorful alleys and on the beach in Nassau and experienced the cool vibes of the Bahamas: loud music, beach bars and Bahama Mamas, a relaxed atmosphere.

One disadvantage of a cruise is that you only have a limited amount of time to explore a place. We should be back on the ship at 3:30 p.m.

👉🏼By the way, the swimming pigs live on the Exuma, a good distance from Nassau.

Sea day 1

The day on the ship went by quickly, we played cards, relaxed in the pool, sunbathed on the deck and enjoyed the view of the open sea.

Arriving in Nassau, we first took an expensive taxi ride to our Airbnb. The big disadvantage of the Bahamas is that the local currency is linked to the U.S. dollar (equivalent to the euro) and therefore the price level is comparable to a vacation in Switzerland. In short: extremely expensive. Of course, the island of Nassau was also much larger than we had thought, so no walk from our accommodation to the beach or to the city was possible. However, as a student, you know your ways to get around cheaply, but more on that later.

Our accommodation was breathtaking. The pictures had not promised too much. A private pool and well air-conditioned rooms made the stay perfect. While we started the day with mimosas by the pool in the morning, a little sports session followed at noon, followed by a barbecue in the afternoon and a cozy bonfire or night out in the evening. Just a side note, palm leaves burn like charcoal starters.

And now what are these Studitips you were talking about?

1) Smile and wave/Thumb out (Hitchhiking)

Since our Airbnb was located on one of the main traffic arteries in the east of the island, we were able to make good use of our friendly nature. Since the Bahamians are all very friendly, it took no more than 10 minutes for the first person to stop and give us a ride to the city. Trips to Paradise Island were a bit more complicated, as it also involved crossing the bridge and a $2 fee. Nevertheless, by juggling between hitchhiking, local buses, and taxis, we managed to reduce the travel costs to a minimum.

2) It's all about connections!

What could help you better than having contact with a local? In our case, Brandon, the son of our Airbnb host family. As a half-Canadian, half-Bahamian, he not only knew the island very well, but also understood why we escaped the Canadian winter. He also organized a one-day boat trip for us at a comparable cheap price. The best part was that he also edited an aftermovie for us! You can find the result on the link below.

During the boat tour, we not only experienced the Caribbean flair with turtles, crystal clear water, and lonely islands. Our skipper Ryan also gave us a little history tour and, of course, knew all about the homes of the stars. The magnificent mansions speak for themselves, but the customs of the stars sometimes make you wonder. For example, golf star Tiger Woods not only owns a house in the Bahamas, but also an undeveloped plot of land. Why? So that he has a view of the sea on both sides (see picture). His neighbor to the left, Oprah Winfrey, naturally thanks him for that, as she can land her helicopter on the open space. So even the stars have something like a good neighborly relationship.

Link to the Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPBxFqKjq0g&list=RDEPBxFqKjq0g&start_radio=1

Afterwards, we boarded the tiny American Airlines plane - anyone over 1.80 m would have had to duck their head (see photos!). Our plane took off for Eleuthera at 10:44 am. The flight lasted only 40 minutes and the landing was... let's just say a bit abrupt 😂.
At the equally tiny airport, the friendly taxi driver was waiting for us, who provided us with some information about the island during the ride, such as the length and width of the island, the fact that there are three airports, or that Lenny Kravitz's property is on the way to the hotel... Along the way, we admired the many trees and the fact that there was simply NOTHING for miles. So peaceful!
When we arrived at the resort, the driver rolled down the window and a security employee greeted us also very friendly and suggested that he would order a cocktail called Bahama Mama for us at the lobby. We were welcomed by the concierge about 200 meters further, who loaded our luggage onto a cart and led us to the reception. There we received the aforementioned cocktails. What a welcome! The receptionist was also soooooo friendly and cheerful, called me a 'Superhero' because I teach teenagers and immediately shared the information: 'She's a High School Teacher!' 😀

Afterwards, the concierge drove us through the resort, showing us the beaches, the pool, the gym, and our room. Later, we thought that this tour with the cart was actually a bit unnecessary, as everything is about 100 meters away. But it doesn't matter. That's the Ami lifestyle, they don't take a step more than necessary 😂
In any case, I was impressed by this welcome, I felt like a queen 😊

The room is also nice, not particularly large, but cozy, it even has a Nespresso machine and huge bottles of shower gel and shampoo, which is great for a week's stay! But for now, we didn't stay in the room for long and spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach and at the pool. These locations also impressed: everything is in good condition, clean, and surprisingly few people, there were a maximum of four other people at the pool at the same time...
The sea temperature is also pleasant, it feels like body temperature - I haven't been in the water this quickly in a long time!
We then had something to eat at the hotel restaurant and relaxed by the pool. That's the life! We'll be spending the next week here until Friday, definitely renting bikes and checking out the supermarket in the neighboring village. And otherwise, it's all about relaxing. I'm excited!!! 😀😀