Ark Valley News - Heil on life

Heil on life
By Matt Heilman
Last Updated: July 24, 2014

Good to be back following break of plunges

It's nice to be back from a week of plunges. On July 12, I took the plunge and got married. I spent the following week in the Bahamas where I took my first plunge into the Atlantic Ocean and saw some of the most beautiful marine wildlife our world has to offer.

I had a great nine or so days away from the small town news circuit, but it's good to be back. By the end of our honeymoon my wife and I agreed we were looking forward to coming home where we could sleep in a comfortable bed and get dry towels without having to tip somebody for their service.

As a travel novice who hadn't ventured outside the United States, the hidden fees associated with an international tourist destination hit me like a Mac truck. I had been warned of such things as "energy surcharges" and automatic gratuities added on to checks in places like the Bahamas, but I was still caught off guard by just how much added cost there was. It was probably no big deal to the suits at our hotel who seemed to enjoy mixing business with pleasure in a breathtaking part of the world.

During a taxi ride to lunch on the final day of our stay in Nassau — the historic colorful capital of the Bahamas — our driver summed up the nation's tourist-centric economy best.

"You da factory," the driver said.

What he meant is that without the tourism dollars, his nation would be broke.

I understand it and I can appreciate how hard many of the native Bahamians work. But after being harassed by countless vendors in the straw market and offered knock-off Cuban cigars and weed in the streets, I was ready to abandon tourist mode. The colorful costumes and celebratory, percussion-heavy music in the Junkanoo festival parade in downtown Nassau was a fun way to wrap up the final night on our trip on July 18.

Especially during the harshest winter days, it's hard not to think about how it would be to live where the temperature rarely dips below 80 degrees and the teal blue ocean is a short walk away. But there's something to be said for living in a part of the world where we get all four seasons and affordable costs of living.

The excursion to the former playground of pirates was enjoyable, but it's good to be back to the flat lands.

Matt Heilman is a reporter for The Ark Valley News. Reach him at matt@arkvalleynews.com or 755-0821.