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| TRAVELS WITH MY DINOSAUR 05 June - 05 August 2003 |
| Tuesday 10th June. Hello from the Bahamas! I woke up early this morning and spent the last few hours before my flight visiting the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach. At the reception desk, I asked how long the walk would take - not a very helpful conversation... There are a few things I�m learning quickly about travel in the USA. Firstly, everyone assumes I have a car - even people who are standing opposite me whilst I have my white stick in hand!!! Secondly, hardly anyone knows how long it takes to walk from A to B because so few people walk here. If they do offer an estimate, it is invariably the driving time, and that isn�t much of an indicator because driving can be slow due to the ridiculous amount of traffic on the roads. I booked my airport shuttle for 12:15pm and set to find the memorial, which is located near a synagogue on Meridian Avenue at the northern end of Miami Beach. The walk was simple enough and took about 30 minutes. Kenneth treister designed this moving tribute to the six million victims of Nazi death camps during World War II. At the centre of a reflective lily pool stands the statue carved from Jerusalem Stone and marble. A hand dramatically reaches for the sky, and life-sized sculptures of anguished concentration camp prisoners desperately try to climb it - up to freedom. To the left of the lily pool, a corridor curves slowly abound the water�s edge, its polished granite wall displaying a shocking photographic account of the terror inflicted on innocent people. A freedom hymn of the holocaust ends the display, and as the bright sun impeded the use of my telescope, a fellow visitor read the words aloud - until he was overcome with emotion and his friend concluded. We stood in silence for a few moments before moving on, each with our own private thoughts. I cannot understand how human beings can inflict such trauma on each other. What evil drove the Nazis to these despicable extremes? However, for me, the most striking and memorable aspect of the memorial was not the graphic photographs of the gas chambers, dead bodies and terrified children, but the reflection of calm, gentle greens and blues from the statue and pool onto the horrific black and white images of almost indescribable human suffering. Such a paradox, but an expression that there is still hope for us - if we remember and learn from the past, we may still protect our future. En route back to SoBe, I bought a citrus crush from Starbucks - not a special drink, but truly divine in the heat of the day. My ride arrived late by 20 minutes, but I had deliberately booked it early so that I wouldn�t worry if it was running behind schedule. Shuttle services pick up a number of passengers from different hotels, so it is difficult for them to judge an exact pick-up time. We collected two more passengers before heading to the airport, but the van took me directly to the BahamasAir check in, so I didn�t lose any time at the other end. After checking in, I went in search of a post office. I have decided that, rather than collecting extra papers and such along the way to NY, I will periodically send things home. The clerk was extremely impressed with my organisation of pre-printed address labels, but as he required 4 (four??) for just one envelope, I�m not sure how long my supply will last. Natasha had warned me to be prepared for delays with the national carrier of the Bahamas. However, we were all on the plane and ready to depart on schedule. Unfortunately, a security alert delayed our departure by almost one hour, but there was little grumbling to be heard. Without O2 this time, I was not looking forward to the flight. I tried to encourage myself with the knowledge that we were just half an hour from Nassau, and that the short flight would mean a lower cruising altitude - 21,000 feet to be precise. In the event, the headache was not too kind, but it could have been much worse, and the reward of the Bahamas was worth the pain. From the air, New Providence looked so inviting - clear blue sea, white sandy beaches and an extensive pine forest interior. The island is just 21 miles long and 7 miles wide, and we touched down in Nassau, the Bahamas� capital city, moments after catching our first glimpse from high above. Two young sisters travelled on our Boeing 747 plane - I would guess about 4 and 7 years of age. They were met by the same man who guided me through Customs, and he appeared to know them well. The girls had been visiting their parents and older sister - in Miami for medical treatment at MCH. I noticed the girls eyeing Dino, and on hearing that he too had been to MCH, the eldest girl became extremely excited, wanting to know if we had met her sister. Natasha was sitting her final law degree exam this afternoon, so her sister, Alexandria, met me at Arrivals. She is a biology teacher at Government High, a school in the grips of graduation preparation and Prom fever. She was resigned when she told me it is now a requitrement to belt up when driving - a recently introduced law which doesn�t appear to have enthralled the Bahamian populous. I couldn�t imagine getting into the front seat of anyone�s car without pulling on my seatbelt. Moments before we drove out of the airport, Andria spotted one of her former students, and offered to drive him part-way home. So we wound our way along the roads towards home. Bahamian roads are crowded to say the least. There are something like 117,000 caqrs for a pop;ulation of 250,000 people. That�s just cars - vans, buses, lorries and other vehicles add to the pressure. My Beiritz guide book warned of the constant blight on the roads. Complaining about it is a national pass time, as much as we Brits like to talk about the weather. As we drove along, Andria told us that this would be her last year in the classroom for a time - after 10 years of saying so, she has finally arranged to study for a Masters degree in education at the University of London. One of her colleagues came over from England to teach after seeing a recruitment ad in the Times Ed Supplement. I wonder how she will find her first Graduation Ceremony tomorrow night, and the Prom on Friday. Andria spent most of this evening working on the decorative sign for Graduation - a blue and silver banner, proudly announcing the Class of 2003. Natasha and her family live in an area colloquially known as Rock Crusher because of the presence of an old rock crushing plant nearby. It isn�t the sort of area people would necessarily move into, she told me later, but it has a strong and established community spirit. Natasha and Andria have their own apartments across from the family house in which they grew up. As both Shirley and Addison are visiting relatives in Long Island this week, Natasha has kindly offered me her apartment whilst she sleeps at the main house. Natasha arrived soon after I finished settling in. How lovely to see an old friend from college days. Natasha burst into my life during my first weekend living in college. She had the room opposite me on our staircase, and was enthusiastically investigating rooms when she mistook my own door as leading to another public space. She was really embarrassed, but we became good friends in the days afterwards. We celebrated the end of her exams with a meal cooked by Mama Lil, her mother�s bubbly sister. Wow, what a delight to the taste buds - Mama Lil has real culinary expertise. She used to cook for Peter Graham, one of the famous Bay Street Boys. Bay Street is a busy thoroughfare in Downtown Nassau, and the Bay Street Boys were a group of lawyers, financiers and entrepreneurs who exerted great influence over the developments of the modern city and political advancement. The food was delicious - juicy spare ribs with rice and peas, and a tasty coconut pie for dessert. Natasha told me that Mama Lil had big plans to cook Sunday Lunch for us all in honour of my visit. How lucky I am - though I suspect I will need to diet after I leave! During dinner, we were joined by Natasha�s brother, Shabi, and his wife, Candace. Shabi�s proper name is Shezzazzebar )hope I spelt that right), �Shabi� has been his nickname since he was a baby and his long name confounded his sisters. Natasha has to return to work tomorrow at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but has planned quite a schedule for me: Atlantis, Blue Lagoon, Downtown and a visit to the Family Islands at the weekend. I am going to bed wishing it were morning already! Go well, Abbey. |