{"id":400,"date":"2008-05-07T13:17:10","date_gmt":"2008-05-07T18:17:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/05\/head-back-to-school-on-a-bahamas-vacation\/"},"modified":"2016-12-17T20:43:48","modified_gmt":"2016-12-18T02:43:48","slug":"head-back-to-school-on-a-bahamas-vacation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/05\/head-back-to-school-on-a-bahamas-vacation\/","title":{"rendered":"Head ‘back to school’ on a Bahamas vacation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bahamasblog\"<\/a>By Lena Katz<\/em><\/p>\n

When I was in elementary school I loved summer sessions: They were known as "enrichment courses," and they were fun. Then, when I was in high school, I hated them. They were known as "punishment for not paying attention during trigonometry," and they
\nwere brutal.<\/p>\n

\nPossibly I’m regressing, because I just got a memo themed around "summer school": educational vacations in the Bahamas<\/strong><\/a>, and it was pretty
\nappealing. Don’t get me wrong; when I travel<\/strong><\/a>, I love lying around on beach loungers,
\ndrinking daiquiries and reading trashy novels. However, you can’t
\nreally experience a destination from in front of the hotel pool. You
\nhave to get out and learn local lessons, and have adventures with local
\npeople, in order to get that "sense of place" that will stick in your
\nmemory long after the summer tan has disappeared.<\/p>\n

\nWith that in mind, check out the summer course list in the Bahamas and
\nsee if there’s an enrichment course that suits you. In case the isles
\nare too far away, I\u2019ve listed a few alternative places to try each
\nactivity.<\/p>\n


\nKITE-SURFING<\/strong><\/p>\n

Similar to windsurfing, this ocean sport takes place in the shallows.
\nWhile harnessed to a giant "kite," you stand on a kneeboard\/surfboard
\nhybrid and coast along the surf. Advanced kite-surfers can jump, flip
\nor even "fly" many yards through the air.<\/p>\n

\nWith its good, steady winds and surreally blue shallow water, Exuma is
\nperfectly suited to kite-surfing, climate-wise. It’s not crowded, so
\nit’s a good place to learn. Exuma Kite-Surfing School<\/strong> teaches 3-day
\nquick courses or 5-day comprehensive ones.<\/p>\n

\nOther places to kite-surf: Fort Lauderdale, Florida<\/strong><\/a>; Los Barriles, Baja del Sur, Mexico<\/strong><\/p>\n


\nSCUBA DIVING<\/strong><\/p>\n

This ocean sport has its fair share of fanatics, but if you haven’t
\ndone it before, it can be intimidating. Between the breathing
\napparatus, the wetsuit and the 100 pounds of equipment you drag along,
\nit feels very foreign at first. Therefore, experts recommend that
\nbeginners do as much pre-trip training as possible. Classroom work,
\nvideo watching and pool practice can all take place at home, so when
\nyou finally make it to your scuba destination, you\u2019ll be ready to
\nexplore the peaceful, remarkable underwater world.<\/p>\n

\nMany areas in the Bahamas have great scuba diving, but the Abacos<\/strong> are
\ndistinct because of their amazingly clear water and beautiful reef, as
\nwell as their wreck and cave diving. Sea life near the reef is so
\nclose to tame that some fish will swim right up to the diving
\ninstructors and nuzzle for attention, just like pets on land.<\/p>\n

\nOther places to dive: Cayman Islands<\/strong><\/a>; Kona, Hawaii<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\nNATIVE NASSAU<\/strong><\/p>\n

Though it can be absolutely overrun with tourists touring high season,
\nNassau actually has history and cultural heritage that lend it much
\nmore character than you’d first think. The best time to see it is
\nduring Junkanoo<\/strong><\/a>, but the second-best (and much easiest) is during the
\nJunkanoo summer festival<\/strong>. This happens weekly starting in June, on
\nNassau, Exuma, the Abacos and Grand Bahama Island. With ‘Rush Out’
\neverybody comes running outside, making as much noise as possible.
\nThere’s local music, a parade through the streets, and various other
\ncolorful traditions.\"Bonefishinginthebahamas\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\nLess frenetic cultural lessons include the "changing of the guard
\nceremony" and Educulture’s narrated walking tours of colonial
\narchitecture and historic sites. The islands are also promoting their "people-to-people experience," which gives visitors opportunity to
\ninteract with Bahamian families.<\/p>\n

Other cultural hot spots: Victoria, Canada<\/strong>; Savannah, Georgia<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

BONEFISHING<\/strong><\/p>\n

People tend to compare bone fishing to hunting more than to regular
\nfishing — reason being, you have to first find, then stalk the fish.
\nEnticing the fish to take the bait is a strategy game, and once
\nsnagged, a bonefish will put up more fight per poundthan any other
\nfish. It’s all about the challenge, too, because bonefish are strictly
\ncatch-and-release. According to those in the know, they’re not even
\ntasty.<\/p>\n

\nBonefishing lodges in remote parts of Andros and Exuma host dedicated
\nfishermen for a week or more at a time. However, the largest bonefish
\nare caught right off Grand Bahama Island<\/strong> — the most developed Bahamian
\nisland after Nassau, and one with a whole spectrum of lodging options.
\nIt’s nice — though a bit surprising — to realize that bonefishing doesn’t
\nhave to involve summertime sleepover camp if you don’t want it to.<\/p>\n

\nOther places to bonefish: Caicos Banks, Turks & Caicos<\/strong>; Florida Keys, Florida<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Related Orbitz resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n