Home is said to be,” where your heart is,” and for most
people this goes along with the place they sleep, keep their belongings, have
pets, raise their children and build their life. For Duncan and I the meaning
is a bit more literal, with home being where our hearts, as physical organs,
happen to be. We spend most of the
year on the road and have, without even realizing it, become accustom to defining
wherever we are as home. It is not home by most definitions, but it works for
us. We even say we are heading home when leaving a restaurant or pub in some
strange city rather than saying we are going back to the hotel. It just seems
natural and happens without us realizing it, although we usually have a giggle
about it. Sometimes we even get to unpack our suitcases and put clothes into
drawers. It is strange and aside from their week vacation, the idea probably
terrifies most people, but we have made it our life.
This uncanny ability flows with us across the globe,
invisibly packed in our checked luggage, never costing us overage, only
bringing us a sense of comfort wherever we are. I am sure being a working
couple, traveling together, also aides in the process. There are, however, some
places that really feel like home in the more traditional sense of the word and
the islands of Bimini are one of those places for us. Bimini is located
approximately 50 miles from the east coast of Florida and has a rich history of
fishing, rum and mystery. Hemingway and the Rat Pack were regulars in their hay
day, rumrunners used the island during prohibition and the road to Atlantis is
thought to lie just off shore. The
islands are also home to the world-renowned Bimini Biological Field Station (Sharklab)
and the ocean is teaming with a diverse population of sharks.
Continental has a larger plane that flies to the island, but
the standard planes are 8-10 passenger because the runway is fairly small. The great thing about small planes is
the view of the island as you approach and a unique feeling of being closer to
everything as you take off and land. On large planes you can get lost in the
mass of people and may not even be able to see out a window. There is no bad
seat on a tiny plane, well unless your head is hitting the ceiling. You might
also have a big screen television or other home appliance buckled into the seat
next to you. We have buckled in camera housings and Pelican cases before. The
journey is really the start of the island experience.
When I wrenched myself out of the tiny seat at the back of
the plane and unfolded my legs hoping they would work, I breathed in the island
air. The islands run on a different schedule and it takes a minute to get into
that groove. We flew Pioneer Air for the first time and arrived at a warehouse
in Fort Lauderdale’s Executive Airport that was shut up and looked abandoned.
Their agent assured us over the phone that we were in the right place, but they
were running a little late. And so it starts. We corralled our luggage around
the door and waited. I am drafting an email to my friends, who will be flying
over for our wedding in a month, regarding the less than strict flight schedule
they may encounter. We checked in
for our 12 o’clock flight at 11:30 and Duncan helped the pilot load luggage
onto the plane.
Duncan and I had 10 bags with us including 2 computers, hard
drives, 2 full scuba kits, 2 underwater camera housings, 3 cameras, wedding
favors, 3 wedding dresses, a kilt and a few other clothing items. Shenae and Craig were great and managed
to get all but 3 of our bags on our flight. They assured us that they would
arrive on the 4 pm flight. No worries.
Probably seems bizarre to people reading this that we would just leave
our luggage, but if you think about it you leave your luggage with less caring
strangers every single time you fly! We had a full house of 8 on the plane and although I wanted
to fly as co pilot, I opted to stay in the back on hold gear along with Duncan.
The plane seats 10 with the pilot, having one seat in the cockpit next to him.
There is no lengthy safety briefing, no beverages or peanuts
are served and there is no toilet. You reach altitude and begin your descent
with the total flight time being approximately 20 minutes. We lucked out with a
clear day and could see the island from quite a distance. There is a shade of
blue that I have only ever seen in the ocean around Bimini and it is always a
magical sight that makes my heart happy.
The tight quarters of the plane make for an easy
conversation starter and we chatted with 2 girls that had just traveled to the
states from Australia. I always get excited chatting about Australia. One was
American now living in Australia, bringing her friend to see the island. We
chatted about Aus and things to do on the island and pretty soon the landing
gear was going down. Dunk helped
unload the luggage again, as it seems a bit unfair that the pilot has to not
only fly the plane, but also deal with everyone’s luggage. I fought with 3
dresses and headed to customs. We waited our turn before heading in. The typical
questions of “why you are here,” and, “ how long do you want to stay,” were
asked as the customs agent stamped my passport. I could feel myself glowing as
I answered that I was here to get married in a month! We got our visas and loaded
the gear into Nasty’s cab. A nice
new carrier van has replaced his old passenger van. Nasty is one of the regular
drivers on the island and his megawatt smile is anything but nasty.
The air, the water and the people wrap around you like a
massive hug and I immediately felt a sense of ease and comfort. Getting all the
gear over and moving it all around was a bit stressful, but all of that melted
away. For us, Bimini is like slipping into your favorite pair of comfy pants;
all seems right in the world and your entire being settles into a state of
relaxation. They might be a bit
ratty or frayed, but you cannot get rid of them.
We settled into our home for next 6 weeks at the Bimini
Sands before hitting the Petite Conch for lunch. We headed for the beach after
lunch to take a walk and test the temperature of that Bimini blue water. This
is home for me, the salt air, the sand between my toes and the gorgeous sea
surrounding us. These are my white picket fence and well-manicured yard in a
safe neighborhood. I made several
trips to Bimini before making it my home in 2009. Duncan managed the Sharklab
before we both took a job working on a dolphin boat. We have a big family on
the island and love hitching rides in golf carts, pot cakes, the water taxi,
Saturday morning souse at the Beach Club and all the little nooks and crannies
of the underwater world. We are
greeted with massive smiles and hugs that make you feel like you are visiting a
favorite uncle.
The South Island of Bimini is about 6 miles long and is
where we stay when we are on the rock. There are very few cars with golf carts
being a more sensible option. You can easily walk everywhere, but most people
offer you a lift when they pass by. It’s fun to jump on the back and make new
friends or catch up with old ones. Pot cakes are the stray dogs, “ a little bit
of everything in the pot,” that roam the island. Souse is a traditional island
dish that is anything (meat or fish) boiled down in the juice of fresh limes, lemons or
sour oranges. Other ingredients include diced celery, carrot, potato, sliced
onions, green peppers, black pepper, Bahamian red peppers and a touch of
garlic. The water taxi is a five-minute boat ride between the north and
south islands that costs $2.00. All little treasures of this gem floating in
the Gulf Stream.
