Nassau Day 4
We took the
#7 bus to the Straw Market which is located not far from the cruise ship
dock. The fare was $1.25. The bus ride was interesting as the route
took us through parts of Nassau usually not seen by tourists. A significant percentage of the population
lives in poverty. Many of the houses are
about the size of a one or two car garage back in the States. Most houses and nearly all businesses have
bars over the windows and doors. Having
to be “buzzed in” to gain access to a business is quite common. Private security guards are present in many
businesses. Yet, it is safe to travel in
most parts of the city’s business and
tourist district during daylight hours.
Police presence near the cruise ship dock is very heavy. Paradise Island which is the main resort area
is across the bay and requires transportation to cross the bridges to get there.
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| Nassau Police |
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| Nassau Jitney Bus Route #7 |
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| Houses in Nassau |
The Straw
Market occupies a large open market building.
It is filled with mostly women sitting in small stalls all of which are
selling essentially the same items. Some
of the women are at work sewing together straw baskets. A very few are actually weaving straw into
strips from which the baskets are made.
Straw hats are also available.
Numerous men are at work in an adjacent pedestrian walkway creating some
wonderful works of art from wood. The
skill of these wood carvers varies greatly as do the objects created. Prices vary from a few dollars to several
hundred. Everything is negotiable. Carla bought a nice carving of a young black
woman with a guitar which was constructed of carvings from various types of
wood to provide contrasting colors.
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Straw Market Stall
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Carla's Purchase
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| Nassau Woodcarvers |
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| Woodcarvings |
Not far from
the Straw Market are the principal buildings of government. The Parliament and Supreme Court buildings
are perhaps a hundred yards apart. The
national war memorial is in a square between them. The old Nassau jail is now a library and
museum. Law offices line the streets on
either side of the government square.
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| Bahamian Supreme Court Building |
We ended our
tour with a Happy Hour special and tapas at one of the bars catering to the
cruise ship tourists. Carla bought some
nice jewelry at EFFY’s which is a jewelry store chain with shops at most cruise
ship destinations. Our bus ride back to
the marina was a short one.
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