"The beauty of these islands surpasses that of any other land as much as the day surpasses the night in splendor", said Christopher Columbus and most visitors do come to frolic on the beautiful beaches of the Bahamas. However, they also come to gamble in the casinos (Merv Griffith owns one on Paradise Island), to shop in duty-free shops and to meet the warm and friendly Bahamians. (On one of my visits, the bus driver backed up his bus to pick me up when he saw me running).

The Bahamas is a family of seven hundred coral and limestone islands that begin 50 miles from the southeastern coast of Florida and arc 750 miles to the northern coast of Haiti.

Comprised of flat to gentle rolling lands and covered with scrubby thick pine forests, the Bahamas' unique beauty lies not its topography, but rather in its startling visions of blue/green water lapping at miles and miles of white powder/pink sand shores.

If visitor's time it right (December 26 (boxing day) or January 1 (New Years Day) from 2:00 am until 8:00 am), they also get to participate in Junkanoo, a colorful festival that includes dancing to a cacophony of copper bells, whistles and goombay drums and wearing crepe paper costumes in the brightest and boldest colors imaginable. This unique celebration was started when slaves were given a day off from duties during Christmas holidays.