Wild Ride around Nassau

We got up early today and hopped on a bus, here in Nassau the buses run all day and into the evening, they are fiercely competitive for riders and will stop anywhere on the street to pick you up if you indicate that you want a ride!

Buses

The day guard told us to get on bus 19 that it goes all around the Island, so that is the one we jumped on! Sure enough, it took us all over the island and we got see so much! It was so much fun, we got off when we saw something we wanted to look at, we found a mall and a Bahamian Walmart! The second bus we got on was a ride for sure, the bus driver was a wild man, it was like a roller coaster ride that went on and on! He broke all the rules of the road..wait... in Nassau they have no rules..haha..but we made it downtown in one piece! We had found a small outdoor fruit market the other day and I wanted to go back to see if they sold breadfruit... found out that we like breadfruit! Alas.. No breadfruit! We did go by the Junkanoo beach, here is a little history of Junkanoo!

Junkanoo beach

main pass with lighthouse

walkway by the beach

everything is painted so colorful

where some bands perform 

Junkanoo is a national festival in The Bahamas, the only place where it holds such an honor. There is even a museum showcasing Junkanoo costumes, art and artifacts.

The origin of the word Junkanoo is obscure. Some say it comes from the French "L'inconnu" (meaning the unknown), in reference to the masks worn by the paraders; or "junk enoo," the Scottish settlers' reference to the parades, meaning "junk enough;" or "John Canoe," the name of an African tribal chief who demanded the right to celebrate with his people even after being brought to the West Indies in slavery. 

It is believed that this festival began during the 16th and 17th centuries. The slaves were given a special holiday at Christmas time, when they could leave the plantations to be with their family and celebrate the holidays with African dance, music and costumes. After emancipation, they continued this tradition and, today, Junkanoo has evolved from its simple origins to a formal, more organized parade with sophisticated, intricate costumes, themed music and incentive prizes. 

Christmas celebrations in The Bahamas would not be complete without Junkanoo bands.

Among the Junkanoo troupes are the "Saxons," "Valley Boys" and "Roots." Competition amongst them is fierce--thousands of dollars in prize money are at stake--and costume designs are a closely-guarded secret until they are finally unveiled. 

Each troupe selects a theme for its costumes and members are dressed in variations of that theme. It could be something as archaic as Vikings or as contemporary as astronauts. The groups short-step or merengue along the street, depending on the music they play with their goat-skin drums, cowbells, 

conchshell horns and whistles. Revelers on the sidelines cavort with the parade!

Fish Fry area

After Junkanoo beach we walked to the Fish Fry, that is were there are restaurants of all kinds, selling all sorts of food. The buildings are painted very colorful, like Junkanoo Beach!
We took another bus back to Potters Cay to see if we could find some breadfruit there. Potters Cay is under the old Paradise Island bridge.

Old Paradise Island bridge

Potters Cay

Potters Cay Stalls

stalls selling fruit, vegetables, land crabs and conch

traffic under the bridge on Potters Cay is heavy

On the way back to the boat, we spotted a very cool small left hand drive van, the cars here are so much fun to look at, this one is so cute!!

look how small it is!

cute huh?