Ah, the Bahamas! Here we are living large and enjoying ourselves on this beautiful island. The beaches are the most amazing powdery white sand, the ocean is a crystal clear turquoise blue and the azure sky just caps off the entire day of bliss. We have driven as far as the road goes to the west and as far as the pavement will allow to the east. There is devastation west and well honestly nothing east but a few small communities, and by small I mean 10 houses at best. Nevertheless, it is beautiful, surrounded by the most amazing beaches and kind, wonderful people. I like it here, I would return.
This is my take but upon closer look, there is a problem here, a big one and one that needs fixing and soon. Hurricane Matthew was not kind to Grand Bahamas Island, of that there is no doubt, but neither was Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004 or the economic downturn of 2008 or the 18 percent jobless rate, according to the editor of The Tribune.
Today is February 2, 2017, and it is the height of tourist season in these warm climes, and yet Freeport is empty. Empty of tourists, empty of the cruise ships that used to frequent it's ports and empty of hope. Each resort that closes is another 1000 people out of work, and each hurricane that hits is another 10 homes that do not get built. Brett and I have seen dozens of block foundations started, some even have walls, but they are now home to a myriad of flora and fauna that have overtaken the build.
And garbage, the island is littered with garbage and not just garbage blown around by Matthew in October, but garbage that has been thrown around by people who live here and by people who visit. Litter is everywhere a sign of the apathy and lost hope.
Someone has spent a ton of money paving roads that go absolutely nowhere, subdivisions with full road systems and not a house to be seen. Sometime in the not too distant past, there was life here. People built houses, people came to visit, people lived.
It is sad to see what the recession of 2008 did to places like this, but there is still hope for Freeport and Grand Bahamas. Now would be a great time to invest here. Now would be the time to purchase property, a house or a condo or even a lot to build. Now would be the time to think of the future, and what it holds for you and the Bahamas.
Under a black sky and a brilliant Bahamian moon, there is none of the devastation, there is only bright lights and the sound of the ocean and the smell of frying fish, and the gentle music of the island. There is laughter here, there needs to be more of it.
Cheers,
Rachel
