HOLY QUEEN CONCH!

We enjoyed a down day yesterday and did not leave the airbnb. I woke up before anyone else and enjoyed a cup of coffee while watching the tide go out, exposing a massive tidal flat sandbar. I watched an American oystercatcher hunting and wished I had my Nikon to zoom in on him. I also watched some local fisherman walk across to the flat, clearly timing it perfectly to spend all day flats fishing the entire perimeter. Later in the day, I got mom on a double kayak with me and Cam went solo on a paddle board before the flat went underwater again. I was proud of Cam for paddling on her own, a first! It was nice to have a lazy day just enjoying the scenery and good company.

This morning, we went to Brown's Marine, only a few minutes from our airbnb, and rented a boat to explore Elizabeth Harbour. Our first stop was Man O War Cay Sandbar where we looked for critters and enjoyed the scenery.

I love this photo of Cam... mask in hand and footprints in the soft, beautiful sand.

Next up was Sand Dollar Beach. We were told at our boat rental check in that if a sand dollar is white that means they are no longer alive and they can be kept. We only found live ones and they were pretty abundant and easy to find. They seemed to vary significantly in color - mostly a brown gray color but one was spotted and some had a green hue. We saw our first mature queen conch here, determined by the size and length of the lip. The Bahamian queen conch fishery is iconic and a major centerpiece to the culture here. The shells on these beauties are just stunning!

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Our next stop was Chat n Chill - only accessible by boat and a favorite stop for food, drinks, and fresh conch salad. I immediately gravitated to a GIANT pile of queen conch where a local was cleaning conch to order. I could not believe the heap of beautiful shells! Cam and I started picking through and the locals hanging out there loved our excitement and encouraged us to take whatever we wanted. The empty shells were tied together to keep them from dispersing so I asked to borrow a cleaning knife because Cam had her heart set on a very specific beautiful shell. We wound up taking a few and will have to be creative in packing them. We only brought carryons but will have to check our luggage to get them home - they are considered potential weapons by airport security.

I ordered a tropical conch salad which consisted of mango, pineapple, onion, green pepper, tomato, fresh squeezed lemon, and a dash of salt. All of this was chopped fresh with conch meat that I watched Ronaldo clean straight from the water. The method was fascinating...he used a hammer to knock a hole near the spire horn and then used a knife to detach and pull the meat out. I was enthralled so he explained all of the anatomy to me as he very skillfully cleaned away scraps from meat. Another local came over and ate the pistol and explained that it is found in both males and females and considered "Bahamian viagra" and has to be eaten raw during the cleaning process. They told me the conch were harvested free diving this morning in about 30 feet of water. Chat n Chill is also well known by the stingrays looking for a free meal....I was happy to oblige with the scraps <3 and yes, the conch salad was incredible. Salty, sweet, and incredibly fresh!

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Our final stop for the day was Cam's favorite, Starfish Beach. I snorkeled the beach line looking for starfish and didn't find any. A local who was at Chat n Chill told us that when it's hot out, they move out into much deeper water. He then proceeded to hop on his jet ski to find us some and came back with two giant, brillianty colored, beautiful starfish! He told us it is okay to touch them carefully and advised to not take them out of the water for more than 30 seconds or so.

Everyone we have met here seems very kind and it seems to be rooted in happiness....they seem genuinely happy and proud of where they live and the natural resources they depend on. I share their enthusiasm for this paradise and really love how much they seem to enjoy sharing it with others.

Oh, and have I mentioned that water color?!

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