Rescued from a Hammock

by Dhipa Stoltenberg (Malaysia)

Making a local connection Bahamas

On the day I booked my flight to the faraway islands that made up the Bahamas, I did not have the slightest clue of the sweet and sour surprise awaiting my arrival. I had planned to spend my 32nd birthday in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, famous for its pirate relics and the Atlantis mega resort. After browsing through accommodation options, I chose to rent a hammock- yes, a humble hammock due to my restricted travel budget. As I read mixed reviews on the Airbnb profile of the Nassau native who offered the hammock for rental, I started romanticising my time at the beach, visualising quiet nights sleeping under the stars while watching the nightly ocean waves. I'm an optimist when it comes to travel. I developed a sinus issue a week before leaving for my trip followed by intermittent fever episodes. I consulted a doctor before my departure and I was given nasal sprays to help relieve sinus pressure during the 10-hour flight from London. I shivered from brutal chills throughout the whole journey. "There is no way I can sleep on a hammock when I get to my destination," I thought. Arriving at the airport around 3pm, I discovered that the currency exchange kiosk has been shut for many months, an update which was not mentioned on the airport's website, and to make matters worse, my Austrian debit card failed to dispense cash from the local Scotiabank cashpoint. No longer the optimist, I felt a blanket of hopelessness swaddling me. Luckily, a kind woman at one of the tour package counters accompanied me and helped me out with the nitty-gritty, while calming me in the anxiety-stricken situation. I eventually called up my bank in Austria, midnight in local time, to inform them of my Bahamian troubles and it all worked out! Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, I took my freshly-withdrawn Bahamian bills outside to get a cab to my Airbnb. Arriving at the Airbnb, my self-partnered romantic Bahamian dream shattered as I glanced over at my reserved hammock. It was set up on the porch of the host's house! Not at the nearby beach which was described in the details of the booking. Tired, and not wanting to exacerbate my exhaustion any further, I tried to go to sleep as I climbed into the hammock. Nope, not a wink. The noise of dogs barking from afar, the fact that I was sleeping on an open porch with no access to the bathroom at night and knowing that my luggage was left sprawled all over the floor underneath me, did not grant me the peace of mind necessary for one to fall asleep. The next day, I met up with a few people through the popular travel website and app, Couchsurfing. Despite the severe deprivation of sleep in the past 48 hours, a full blown sinus infection and no guarantee of my belongings being there when I return, I still decided to seize the day. I went down to the nearby Montague beach and frolicked on the rocks in the ocean by my playful self, pricking my big toe in the process (yes, ouch!). As I told a young Bahamian I met up later in the day about my plight of sleeping on a hammock while feeling unwell, he offered to host me in his home. "Yes, please!" I accepted in a heartbeat. I was now in a huge bungalow with an actual bed, a room to myself and friendly Bahamians for company including a Shitzu-mix named Bailey, who slept under my bed at night. My luck seemed to be picking up rather nicely. I spent the next five days socialising at a local watering hole- the one owned by my young local host. I made dozens of new acquaintances, garnered curious admirers and fostered life-long friendships, all in under a week. For my birthday, we snuck into the world-famous Atlantis theme park at midnight, sipped on wine while gazing at the stars from a hidden grotto jacuzzi. The energy in this Caribbean nation is otherworldly. I've now learned that going places with zero expectations can leave you with the best experiences!