The Bahamas- sheer paradise.

 The Bahamas- sheer paradise.

You know what it's like. You're about to take off on your Virgin Atlantic plane and you're about to head home back to Britain on the highest of highs. You're sitting comfortably when, suddenly, the cabin temperature in your plane reaches its hottest point. It's unbearable  and the sweat is pouring off you profusely. Then your capable and competent pilot, an experienced man who can always be relied upon, tells us that the plane's air conditioning system is busted and therefore your flight has to be cancelled. 

There are some things that push your patience to the limit but, after the most fabulous cruise to the Bahamas, my wife and yours truly were expecting the smoothest journey back to Heathrow airport. But complications set in almost immediately and our voyage became hellish. After what seemed a lifetime trapped and marooned in a plane that was clearly going nowhere, our pilot came back onto the microphone. Despite repeated attempts to take off, the engineers had failed to fix the problem. 

Ladies and Gentlemen were regrettably informed that they had to vacate the plane and we were to be located to who knows where back at Miami International Airport? Having now wandered almost the entire length and breadth of said plane, bewildered passengers, by now totally stressed out and agitated by events unfolding around them, gathered on the first floor and did some more milling around and traipsing about, comparing possible destinations to either Atlanta, Paris or some exotic shore where the banyan trees sway sensually in the gentle Caribbean breezes. 

By now, some of us were either panicking, scratching our heads or just looking forward to a couple more bonus days and nights in downtown Miami. Some had already booked their hotel and were just hoping that wherever they were going to sleep that night wouldn't be accompanied by unwelcome insects or dodgy sanitation. My wife and I effectively gave up when we were told that a hotel inside the airport might become available. All of those loud announcements and hundreds of holidaymakers just walking past your front door would surely have constituted a major inconvenience. 

But two days later and a surprisingly unexpected tour of Miami and the Everglades, we concluded our cruise to the beautiful Bahamas. We spent just over a week in the most delightful sunshine nudging the 80s at times and sailing serenely across the Pacific Ocean as if the world was doing something completely different to us and we didn't care one iota. We were indulging in the most luxurious experience you could have ever imagined. We were being treated like royalty and how grateful we were all. 

Our first port of call was Ocean Cay, a small parcel of islands that looked as though they'd been cocooned away in neatly drawn squares. Ocean Cay is part of a much bigger preservation project where the environment is one of sheer bliss. The trees were waving to us warmly and all you could hear were diligent construction workers drilling, sawing and hammering away at new eco systems. There were no houses and flats that we could see but you did see those colourfully co-ordinated wooden walls with pretty gabled roofs. 

Now our obliging guide took us on a whirlwind tour of Ocean Cay in his buggy. We tore around the edge of the island at a fair rate of knots, admiring innumerable beaches that looked as though they belonged exclusively in heaven. There was a flying visit to see the iguanas simply sticking to the rocks, gazing out into the middle distance with ample sun factor 35 on their skins.  There were beaches that were now being developed as we drove around at top speed. There were hidden lagoons with turquoise waters that probably looked like a mirror if you looked closely enough. There were languorous sunbathers under the shade of huge umbrellas, rum and punch sellers, pineapple cocktails with every conceivable flavour. We were told stories about Ocean Cay that would have made your hair stand on end if you were prepared to allow it to.

Our second day was spent in Nassau, the capital city of Bahamas where we now witnessed the most exquisite sight you were ever likely to see. It was both the most memorable experience of all time. Nassau is rather like most capital cities throughout the world only this one was surrounded by vast stretches of water, sea or ocean. Now we were introduced to a small community of pigs that just took the breath away. Yes pigs in the Caribbean, folks. Some of us were totally disbelieving until we saw the evidence of our eyes. A family of pigs, numbering perhaps five or six pigs, father and son, baby pigs and a select circle of the porcine population, came running over towards us.

What now followed was a joyful revelation. Two of the teenage pigs started scurrying all over the place cocky and convinced that they would be the first to be fed. So we held out our buckets with what can only be described as pork scratchings on a stick or scraps of pate. Now every single pig came surging towards us, dipping their heads into the bucket as if they hadn't eaten since Christmas. Our friendly guides couldn't have been more helpful or generous with their time. 

Our visit to San Juan in Porto Rico was rather like those street festivals that we didn't really have time to appreciate. We strolled around the back streets, moseying around clothes shops, souvenir stores, cafes, restaurants, breathing in the magical Latin atmosphere. Our ears were caressed by salsa music, rumba music and speakers blasting out stirring renditions of old Bob Marley standards. We sipped coffee and cappuccino, caught tantalising glimpses of art and graffiti on the many walls and just immersed ourselves in the Caribbean culture. 

And then there was another stunning highlight of our cruise. On Puerto Plata, we were taken to see those delightful dolphins, beautiful creatures of the sea who look permanently happy to see you. We were now ushered over to the dolphin encounter area. Sitting on the edge of the pool, we were now introduced to one of the oldest female dolphins Nasarina

 At various moments, she started flapping her fins in the most playful fashion, almost applauding herself for being so well behaved and polite. Next we were lined up together so that Nasarina, our debonair dolphin could show off again. She circled around the pool, whistling with that distinctive high pitch squeak. In an amazing show of bravado, she sneaked out into the main pool where, leaping with vast enthusiasm, she somersaulted in mid air before diving back into the water with an effortless back flip. 

We must have thought our cruise of a lifetime had now officially ended. We returned back to Miami and assumed that that was indeed our lot. We hadn't seen Don Johnson of TV's 1980s cop thriller Miami Vice but that was just a forlorn hope anyway. The technical gremlins had meant that we were given the opportunity to see the spectacular Everglades. Before, we were provided with our first sighting of America's finest crocodiles. Now of course we were told to keep a safe and respectful distance from the crocodiles because if we'd come anywhere even remotely close to them, we would be their lunch.

For the second time around, my wife and I boarded our Virgin Atlantic plane confident that lightning would not strike twice. We'd met some superb people, heard a whole audio of nationalities and accents and the cruise entertainment had once again excelled itself. We hadn't seen the sharks or the seals but we'd soaked up the heat, the effusive hospitality and, this time successfully, had gone back to London, England. Travel had indeed broadened our minds.