Hello, again, Gentle Reader! We, Stacy Lyn’s Traveling Socks, were offered the opportunity to take a break from unusually frigid temperatures in the Bayou State by hopping the Caribbean Sea to the island city of Nassau. Yes, please!

As soon as we landed, Stacy Lyn doffed the cashmere shawl and corduroy jeans and was immediately taken by the beauty of the turquoise water along the shoreline. The din of traffic and the towering resorts could not mar the natural beauty of the coastline.

That first evening, we headed for the Fish Fry – two of Stacy Lyn’s favorite words – an area of town with a plethora of restaurants, souvenir shops, and tiki bars. Our taxi driver (no such thing as ride share in Nassau) recommended a local favorite called Oh Andros, and oh boy, how glad we were that he did, thank you very much. Stacy Lyn chose the snapper, peas and rice, and picklez (no, not a typographical error). All were vaguely familiar dishes to a Louisiana girl, but had a Caribbean flair. On the way back to the hotel, the next taxi driver affirmed Stacy Lyn’s suspicions – the fish was seasoned and marinated overnight which infused the fish with a tangy flavor making the need for sauce unnecessary. The peas and rice were reminiscent of Cajun jambalaya (spicy delicious), and the picklez (pronounced pickle-ease) was a delicious coleslaw slaw-like salad in a vinaigrette dressing. After a few suppers in Naussau, Stacy Lyn determined that this was her favorite meal. Yes, the conch fritters, lobster “boil in a foil” and sushi (yes, sushi) were top notch, but the fried snapper at Oh Andros was the finest local cuisine, for sure.

A stroll along the downtown area starting at Junkanoo Beach and continuing down Bay Street revealed annoying ostensibly non-Bahamian buskers trying to sell beauty products, cheesy souvenirs, and expensive jewelry. But Stacy Lyn avoided all that noise by making a bee-line for the Straw Market where one can still find local Bahamian vendors selling unique goods handcrafted in the Bahamas. Stacy Lyn preferred to poke around there so that local people could earn an honest wage to feed their families and not get pushed out of their own homes by greed. A beautiful woman sold her two conch shells for Granddaughter and Baby Sister so that they would have a direct line to the ocean no matter where they find themselves in the world.

Junkanoo Beach was all decked out in Christmas lights and played host to a Christmas carnival. There was a marching band playing music in their handmade costumes and reminded Stacy Lyn of the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indians. One of our taxi drivers encouraged us to return with the grandchildren so that they could experience the wonder and magic of their Bahamian tropical Christmas. That sounded like a good plan to Stacy Lyn.

And after a few days and many encounters with the locals, she found that the most enchanting thing about Nassau was the people themselves. They are welcoming, convivial, informative, helpful, and incredibly proud of their island nation, as well they should be.

We were thanked for coming back to the Bahamas after decades, and we were encouraged to return one day. Not so that they could make a buck off of us, but so that we could enjoy the beauty that is their country.

Merry Christmas, Gentle Reader! May the rest of your December be as warm and pleasant in your hearts as the weather and people are in Nassau.