Day 3

Last night I decided to take a run at about 9pm. My little apartment is located out in a safe "upper-middle class" neighborhood, but it nevertheless took a little courage to run through the shadowy empty streets. I got out onto the main road and ran down to the beach. The giant bridge that leads to Paradise Island arched before me, and I decided to go explore. I ran across the bridge in solitude except for a few limousines and taxis speeding back across into Nassau. In about 5 minutes I was on the other side and felt like I had entered another world.

I found myself in the "Atlantis Village". Hundreds of wealthy tourists from all over the world where milling about listening to the live Caribbean music, sipping on Starbucks iced coffees, taking pictures with their families, shopping at the dozens of upscale retail stores, and people watching. I felt like a deer in the headlights walking though this other worldly scene in my jogging shorts and my sweaty t-shirt. Everyone seemed happy...or at least everyone was making a jolly good effort. Quite a strange contrast to the low income neighborhoods I had been earlier in the day!

Today I had the day off, so I slept in and talked with my friend Kurt on gchat for a while. I made some Starbucks coffee with the french press that was in the cupboard, and had a couple bowls of Raisin Bran that Marleen got for me (with a price tag of $6.95).

I put on my walking shoes and jumped the wall next to my house. The neighborhood on the other side of the wall felt like places I had been in Africa. Old concrete houses, children playing in the street, tropical trees, beat up dogs limping around, etc. I zig zagged my way down to the waterfront and walked along a busy thoroughfare for another 15 minutes until I got to the

closest beach to my house.

The water was warm and clear. I found a palm tree to camp under and read my book for a while and drank a coconut drink. Not too bad.

When the breeze changed directions, the beach smelled awful, and there was some garbage and seaweed around...so I think I'm going to head for the tourist beach on Paradise Island next time I want to go to the beach.

I started walking back to my apartment and stopped at a few places and looked for a reasonably priced hat, but to no avail. My face got a little burned being out in the sun for a few hours--worse things could happen.

I dropped by the Anglican church and peered inside the windows. A little bowl of holy water

stood next to the door, old wooden pews lined the sanctuary, a high preaching podium and alter stood in the front, and a large statue of Jesus was on the wall. "These guys must be pretty HIGH Anglicans out here!" I can probably expect a lot of 'smells and bells'! I have a few reservations about it, but on the whole I enjoy worship in anglo-catholic services. So we'll see how things go on Sunday!

By the time I got back to my apartment, I was literally wiping up the sweat that was dripping off my face I was so hot. A nice cold shower and a nap under the air conditioner helped get me functioning.