Nassau is the destination for all Bahamas cruises. It is also part of the reason why these cruises are so popular.

Nassau is the place to shop if you want jewelry or fake designer purses (and purse can mean anything from a little money pouch to a big hand bag!) The jewelry is cheap because there are not taxes applied to diamonds or precious stones. Unfortunately, beautiful though they were, these were still not cheap enough for my budget! Instead, I satisfied myself by shopping for curiosities - and there were many.

It is hot here, like all of the Bahamas and it is crowded with both tourists and the many, many locals trying to convince you to part with your dollars. It felt colourful, dusty and cheerful but also very full. Suddenly, the distrustful South African in me (who went into hibernation three months ago) was back. I felt like I needed to watch my backpack for potential pickpockets and thieves again. This wasn't necessarily a bad feeling, just a familiar one that I had forgotten about.

In my explorations, I tried conch fritters. This was an experience that I was not all that enthusiastic about to begin with! You all know what a conch shell is right? The huge curly type shell that houses a snail like creature? They are those big shell that in theory you could blow to make a trumpeting noise. Well, conch fritters are what is made out of the sea creature that lives inside that shell. I know, this didn't sound happy to me either! But as it is a common food of the Caribbean, I thought I had better give it a try (you know, "when in Rome…" and all that.) So it was with trepidation that I took my first (small) bite. I am pleased to report that it wasn't at all as bad as I was expecting, kinda chewy, but certainly not bad.

Another staple of the Caribbean diet - or so I have learned from Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Caribbean - is rum. Every liquor store in Nassau allows you to taste the many varieties that the have in stock (this no doubt encourages buying.) So following the "when in Rome" idea, I went Rum tasting… this is the part where I should tell you that I don't remember anything after that, but unfortunately(or fortunately), the storekeepers don't let you taste quite that much rum!

Instead, I got back on the boat with that pleasantly warm feeling that comes from spending a happy day in the sun spreading throughout my body. I was happy.