Bye-bye Green Turtle Cay

As our month at Green Turtle Cay ticked on we found we had less and less interest in moving the boat to other little towns.  We became quite "Bahamian".  By that I mean relaxed, laid-back and just enjoying each day as it came.  We spent more time beach-combing, dinghy 'sploring and just hanging with other boaters.  It was a very pleasant head-space to be in.

But all good things must come to an end.  Eventually, our daily weather check revealed a window of light, southerly winds was forming, which would be just perfect for the three day journey back to the States.  We watched daily and it soon became apparent that this was the time to go.

This guy would swim under our boat in the marina from time to time

Girls' day out!

When we first entered the Bahamas we were granted a thirty day stay.  With the winds being so strong and northerly it soon became apparent that we would need an extension. To do that we had to take a ferry to another Cay, called Treasure Cay, and find the immigration office there near the airport.

We got directions from Grant and Cindy: Once off the ferry we had to walk along the side of the road for about a mile or so until we found a blue building with a pharmacy and a gambling place on the main floor.  (Gambling place?)  The immigration office was in a unit on the second floor.   Off we went!

The office was quite different from what we've come to expect in Canada.  It looked more like a sleazy motel out in the middle of nowhere. We found the stairs to the second level around the side of the building.  They had bars around them and a bunch of junk laying around, including an old washing machine, old tires, garbage pails etc.  Upstairs, we walked along past doors of what looked like motel rooms, with bars on windows and old stickers warning us that we were being monitored. Once we located the door that said immigration, we tentatively opened the door a crack and peeked inside.

Inside, we were greeted by a very professional and pleasant immigration agent who politely and efficiently guided us through the process of filling in the extension forms.  Whew!  We weren't sure what we were going to find behind that door but it was just another example of not judging a book by it's cover.  While the building might look a little rough around the edges, the personnel are quite formal, with impeccable uniforms, very polite and helpful.

Immigration Office

Looked scary, but actually quite pleasant
and profession once inside.

Other than that we basically just hung out and enjoyed.  There were coaster bikes, kayaks and paddle boards available for our use.  The pool, while cool, was lovely.  And there were endless beaches to explore.