We got into Nassau at the end of a long day, just squeaking
by a cruise ship that was on the way out the pass. We anchored near town and got settled for the
night. The next day, the captain
searched for an old mooring, the best way to stay put in Nassau since the tides
run through the anchorage at a good pace.
He finally found a giant old ship’s
anchor and attached our anchor chain to it.
We were now stuck for the duration.
We got together with a couple off another cruising boat and
decided we should do a tour of the Bacardi Rum factory. We found out from the locals which bus to
take to get close, then we would have to walk up the road to the actual
factory.
We arrived about noon the next day and walked into the
welcome center. It was set up as a small
bar, with all the products displayed against a mirrored wall behind the
bar. The friendly bartender gave us a
great big smile when we asked about the tour.
We weren’t smiling when he told us that the factory was closed for
another two weeks. But, he said, have a
seat and I can serve you some of our products, whatever you want, mixed with
whatever you want. OK, then we started
smiling.
We sat there for a few hours, listening to his stories of
the island and the factory. He was the
perfect spokesman for the factory, he kept us entertained and made sure we
weren’t upset about the lack of factory tour.
We sampled quite a few of their products, and of course, bought some to
take back to the boat. Later in the afternoon, we decided it was time to wander down the road to the main road to catch our bus. He told us he was going to close up anyway, and he would take us to the bus stop so we didn’t have to walk. Good thing, I was really too relaxed at that point to think about walking very far.
No factory tour for us that trip, but we sure did have a
nice relaxing time with a good storyteller from the islands.
Betty Karl
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