The Bahamas. A country made up of over 3,000 bits and pieces of land sprinkled North of Cuba and Southeast of Florida. They’re known for many things. Things like giant starfish.
This guy was as big as a globe. He was thrown back about three minutes after this picture.
And adorably kind and funny families.
Brittany, Brandi, BJ, Bradley, and G. The life of the party right there, folks.
And in Andros, they have this little gathering once a year. A little gathering called “Crab Fest.”
Okay, so maybe it's not so little...
Remember those parts in the movie Forrest Gump when they’re talking about all the different kinds of shrimp they can make? Bubba says, “Anyway, like I was sayin’, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that’s about it.” In Andros, that’s pretty much how they see crab. And it’s all delicious.
During my visit to Crab Fest, however, one thing kept popping up in my mind. Every time I’d look around, in any direction, I saw something that made me think: OMG.
There’s a man drinking beer out of a large, empty stewed tomatos can. OMG.
This stuffed crab (literally) is delicious. OMG.
There’s a rather large woman wearing a bikini underneath an entire body suit of black lace…leaving not a whole lot to the imagination. OMG.
That is one of the most adorable babies I’ve ever seen. OMG.
People bring babies to this event? OMG.
This Bahamian music makes me want to open a beer and dance. OMG, how fun!
There are amazingly talented, half-naked male dancers on the stage. OMG.
Did those amazingly talented, half-naked male dancers really just do that?! OMG. (Those amazingly talented, half-naked male dancers looked like they were having some X-rated fun with the air.)
And so the night continued. After about 30 seconds of mentally processing one OMG moment, another one came right along after it. For a girl who grew up on a farm in the country, that’s one heck of a long night. While Crab Fest was certainly an experience I’m sure I’ll never forget, I’m thinking once in my lifetime is just about right.
I think I’ll stick with traveling to the Bahamas for all the other reasons I love going there (the people, the fresh conch salad, the Kaliks, the great fishing with great guides, the almost hot-tub-like temperatures of the crystal clear water, the fresh conch salad, the starfish as big as cookie cakes, the traffic-stopping (literally) crab-parades across the streets, the fact that they serve almost anything with grits, the children who look at my long hair as if it’s Christmas, oh, and did I mention the fresh conch salad?)…Yes, I think I’ll stick with those reasons. For all the other 361 days of the year.
