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Beach

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The beach is, for me, the best type of summer vacation. I had the opportunity to go on a last minute three day trip to the Bahamas and this is my story, which provides one example of why I prefer the ocean.

My best friend called one day and said he could get me to the Bahamas and all I would have to pay for was diving and food. Two weeks later I was sitting in the airport with my suitcase packed and ready to board a plane for a three day trip to Nassau.

Although I have been to Nassau before it was while on a cruise so I only stayed on the island for a few hours and even then it was around the tourist area close to port. I like cruises because they are a good way to sample different islands, but to really get an idea of the culture my best friend and I enjoy exploring and taking in as much as the local sights as possible. This was a short trip, but our intent was to make the most of it.

The timing could have been better. I had caught whatever bug had been going around and felt awful sitting in the airport an hour before dawn while waiting on my flight. Thankfully the trip was smooth and uneventful so I spent a few boring hours reading or dozing, hoping to feel better.

After landing and going through the process of customs and getting luggage I took a taxi to the resort. It was cheap and we thought it would be a good deal for a place that was on the beach. Instead, we were nickel and dimed with hidden charges. Nine dollars a day per person because we booked online, seven dollars a day for maid charges, and 12 dollars a day for something called "energy charges." We were less than 30 yards from the beach, but the web site failed to point out a person had to cross the main road at a busy intersection and that traffic was not kind to pedestrians. Luckily this was the worst thing to happen on the trip.

Downtown Nassau was a five minute walk away from the hotel. If a blend of local life with a growing tourism industry is more to taste then this is the place to be. The area is a mixture of colorful buildings and shops. One of the mainstays of downtown, the straw market, is what could be considered a local flea market. The isles were narrow and tchotchke's of various quality were piled haphazardly from floor to ceiling. The vendors would use long poles with hooks to grab items that looked to be at least 15 feet high. There were also clubs and restaurants within walking distance of the port. Senor Frogs, a restaurant chain found primarily

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