As I typed my millionth letter to an applicant I would day dream about floating in the waves and enjoying the sunshine. I had been on my own since high school. Well, not actually alone, I lived with Judy for the first three years, but after she got married to Dan I lived on my own, and made my own decisions.
I decided it was time to go on a real vacation. I wanted to go to one of these warm sunny places. I carried the magazines with me to lunch with my friends Margaret and Sue. We would look through them, imagining a break from the Wisconsin winter weather and enjoying life on the beach.
We decided to start a "Vacation Challenge" where we would put $1 a day into a jar to save up for a trip. After about six months we decided we had enough saved and went to the agency to see what they would suggest.
This was my first time working with a travel agent, prior to this my vacations were always some place I could drive. We sat in the office and told the agent out wishes and budget. Pages were flipped, calculator buttons were pushed by a blur of fingers. The agent looked from one brochure to the next and then showed us a trip she thought we could afford. My first trip out of the United States would be.....wait for it.....Freeport, Bahamas.
I had no clue where it was, but it had white sandy beaches and blue skies. We would be able to pay in three installments to make it easier on our budget. None of us was really making high salaries so budget was a big issue. We sat at the table in the lunch room and made plans for tours and other activities. We each picked one. Margaret chose the west-end tour, Sue chose the booze cruise and I chose snorkling. We also agreed that it would be fun to go the the perfume factory, which was part of the west-end tours, but cost an extra fee.
I saved up for the trip by skimming on groceries. I lived off of canned vegetables and rice for three months leading up to our departure.
Finally the day came. I packed my suitcase, grabbed the $200 I had saved up for spending, made sure I had my birth certificate (even though Bahamas was a US territory, we still needed proof of citizenship) and climbed into Jim's van. We picked up Sue and Margaret and headed to the airport.
We were flying out of O'Hare, so Jim (my boyfriend at the time) drove us down and saw us off. I had never been so excited in my whole life. Even thought we worked with a travel agent Margaret and Sue didn't have the correct birth certificate copies, we had a slight moment of panic and then we were on our way to the gate. Now that I think of it, I really am not sure how we were able to board the plane but soon we were in the air and headed to a well deserved rest.
Freeport is a city on the Grand Bahama Islands and at the time was probably one of the cheaper areas to go. It was inland so we would have to take the city bus to the beach - but there was a bus stop just across the parking lot.
We didn't care, we were on vacation!
Our room was actually quite big for the three of us, but it wasn't the nicest. It was right above the main dining room with an outside entrance. The resort was definitely in need of repair, our screens were ripped and the carpet had worn spots. We laughed over and over about some of the problems that we discovered. I don't think any of us were expecting accommodations like the Pfister or Hyatt, but we were hoping for something a little better than Motel 6. We went to the dinner that included 'entertainment and floor show'. It was presented by the waiters - they just stopped what they were doing and started break dancing. They were good - but it still made us laugh. All of our meals were at the hotel since it was 'all inclusive', but tips were still expected.
Our West End tour was on a rickety old bus and the bus driver was obviously a disgruntled employee. He kept talking about how rich all of the government members were "he owns this, he owns that, he is a very rich man" was heard over and over. At one point we stopped by the side of the road and were able to grab conch shells from a pile that had been cleaned out. Boy did it stink and there were flies everywhere!
The perfume factory was our next stop. We exited the bus and walked through a thin RV-style trailer. They showed where the water was distilled and the fragrance added. At the end of the tour was a gift shop, I used some of my funds on a small bottle named 'sand'. It had bits of the Bahama beach in it and I thought that was neat. Sue and Margaret picked out some for themselves and their moms.
We went to the beach and tried to lay out in the sun, but the weather wasn't the nicest - we had gone during the rainy season - so much of the sunbathing was done while we were completely covered in our beach towels.
At night we sat around the 'lit' pool and drank. The pool lights had all been pulled from their sockets and were laying around the outside of the pool. It didn't stop us from using it though. It was heated by the sun so the water wasn't necessarily the warmest.
Each morning we awoke to the sound of bag pipes, courtesy of one of the guests who needed to practice. Trust me, he really did need to practice! But no one complained. We talked to him a little and were pleasant about our strange wake-up call.
When we didn't take the bus, we walked everywhere to keep costs down. We met lots of people, one pair were trapeze performers, the Wadenda's - they invited us to the show, but we never made it. One stop was the Princess Casino. It had slot machines but more importantly it had buy one, get one free "Bahama Mama's". Rum drinks that came in the largest glass I had ever seen.
Margaret was underage in Wisconsin, but not in the Bahamas! Something we found out quite surprisingly, in order to get to the Casino we walked along the blacktop bike path. Sad to say there were many young (like 10 and younger) sitting around drinking out of brown paper bags. Something we had never considered seeing on our trip.
At the casino we had maybe two drinks each (remember one was free), but that was all that was needed. We went back to the hotel and sat and talked around the pool. Then it happened. A guy - probably about 22 - was spouting off at the pool, showing off his dives and swimming style. I couldn't hold myself back. I started telling him that I was a pretty good swimmer myself. He and his friends laughed. They had no idea who they were talking about. He challenged me to a race. I can't tell you anymore what the winner got - maybe just bragging rights. Sure - I'll go with that. Anyway, I accepted the challenge, We stood at one end of the pool, Margaret, Sue and the guys friends at the other. They yelled 'GO' and we were off. I'm not sure why, maybe to show off just a bit more, but instead of swimming freestyle, I decided to do the butterfly. Did I mention yet that I was fully clothed? You see, I had been drinking and wanted to prove that I could beat my competitor - shoes and all. I know you are waiting to hear that I lost, but you would be wrong. I beat the pants off of him - he was wearing a swim suit! He sulked away and I never saw him again the rest of the trip, at least I don't think I did, I'm not certain I would be able to tell who he was - I was that drunk.
By the fourth day the sun came out and we celebrated. We splurged and took the bus to the beach. We laid out all day, before heading to the booze cruise that night. One thing we had forgotten, we were all light skinned and from WISCONSIN in the winter! Poor Margaret got too much sun, she had large blisters on her chest and back. She also had burned her corneas, it would be dark glasses for her the remainder of the trip.
The next day was snorkeling - I was the only one that could go since Margaret was in pain and almost blind, and Sue was afraid of the water. It was beautiful and I'm so glad I did. The waters were clear and I was able to see all of the beautiful fish and reef. I didn't go too far since every time I dove below the surface I heard the theme from "Jaws" Da, Dum - Da Dum- Da Dum.....which caused me to panic and surface in a gasp of water.
The final day we just relaxed in the room and packed our bags - funds were running low so we just walked around the island one last time and had a final round of Bahama Mama's. By this point we all had pretty good sun burns so taking one day easy was a good choice.
The plane ride home we were extremely anxious. Not only were we out of money, but we knew that Margaret's mom, who was picking us up at the airport, was about to find out about her sunburn. We knew she would not be happy. Poor Margaret could barely sit on the plane ride home and take off was extremely painful since it forced her back in her seat.
We made it home in record time. Margaret's mom was at the gate waiting for us, and to my surprise, so was Jim. I was never so happy to see him. Now I wouldn't have to face a mom's disappointed silence all the way home.
All in all, I think my first trip outside of the United States was a success. I have great memories and some good pictures. Although Sue, Margaret and I have drifted apart - I think about them every time I have a good coconut rum drink!
No comments:
Post a Comment