My Hometown: A Quiet Life

Freeport: The Beginnings 

    Freeport is my original hometown. The Bahamas is an archipelago, meaning that it's made up of over 700 islands and cays (very small islands), but there are only 14 main islands.  Freeport is a quiet little place on the island of Grand Bahama, the most northwestern island in the Bahamas.

Map of the Bahamas

    Grand Bahama itself is the third largest island. It is 153 kilometers long and 24 kilometers wide at its widest point but it has always felt like an endless place. Outside of main settlements, the island is full of pine forests and wetlands which makes the island feel much larger than it is. 

    Freeport itself is the one of the most populated cities in the Bahamas, second only to the city of Nassau in New Providence. Nassau itself is so large and populated that the entire island is always referenced by just the city. 

    The current Freeport is quite different than recent history Freeport. In the past, Freeport used to be one of the main tourist attractions in the Bahamas. 

Tourism History of Freeport

The Original International Bazaar 

    The International Bazaar was a major tourist destination in Freeport. It was a place where a staggering amount of cultures were able to interact with each other in an open safe place. Market stalls and restaurants populated the area and the ports that offered docking services to tourists' boats and cruises thrived under this environment. 

    Port Lucaya was one of such ports. Whereas the International Bazaar was meant for cultures to coalesce, Port Lucaya had a heavy air of Bahamian culture. It was the entry point for many tourists who wanted to get a taste of the local culture. I would recommend heading to Port Lucaya as it still is a functioning monolith of tourism in the city. One of its main hallmarks was a dolphin experience where anyone could get the change to swim with and interact with dolphins. Perhaps the greatest event in the entire history of the city. Below is a google map of the location and a video from 17 years ago about the experience.   

Present-Day International Bazaar

    Quite a few years ago, the International Bazaar burned down and it was never repaired. The tourism industry in Freeport never fully recovered but it is still a strong industry. The numerous ports that relied on the Bazaar became more self-sufficient and numerous hotels and resorts were built as a pseudo-replacement for the Bazaar. While this did mark an unfortunate end to an age in Freeport, it did also mark a shift towards the modernization of the city as it steered away from more traditional architecture and means of entertainment. I would strongly recommend still checking out the Bazaar if only from a distance. While it's no longer as pretty a sight as before, it still holds the spirit of what it represented and functions as a relic of a bygone age.

    Port Lucaya, on the other hand, is still going strong. Recently, it received a new coat of paint after falling into some disrepair after the slowing of the tourism industry. 

Port Lucaya 10 years ago

Port Lucaya Present-Day

    I believe the color palette change of Port Lucaya says a lot about the changes of the tourism industry of the island. It is still bright and colorful but I believe that it lacks some of the uniqueness that it had before, but still worth checking out nonetheless. 

Unique Culture Things

    Of course, there are still some traditional culture places, experiences, things and food in Freeport. There's the local conch salad that some tourists may be wary of when travelling to Freeport. Locals love the dish. It's made from the Queen Conch (a sea snail(?)), onion, tomato, sweet peppers, orange juice, lime juice, salt, and whatever other addons might be provided or requested. One vendor even had the option of adding pineapples and hot sauce. It's a vibrant dish that can be sour, sweet and crunchy all at once. It may look weird but it's a real delicacy. 

Conch Salad

Queen Conch

    Straw markets from local businesses and shops provide various items like bags, jewelry, and souvenirs made from dyed straw and expertly embroidered. These markets sell to both locals and tourists as the durable straw bags offer quite a lot of space and are water resistant making them exceptional when going to the beach or planning long water excursions. A beautiful blend of local tradition, practical application, and ingenious enchancements.

This particular straw market is located nearby Port Lucaya

    Freeport, being so close to the water (as are all places in the Bahamas), have a large variety of maritime sports. One of my favorite things to do is to go fishing (common), and diving (common). Bahamian people mainly line fish where you pull in the fish with your hands instead of reeling in on a fishing pole which makes it much more fun and skill intensive in my humble opinion. But perhaps the most adrenaline inducing event is called tubing. This is where you're placed on a floatie that's tied onto a jet ski, and the jet ski driver does a lot of tricks and does their best to throw you off of the floatie while you hold on and try not to get thrown off. Life jackets are strongly recommended to wear but Bahamians are water-based daredevils. 

Tubing

    Junkanoo is the magnum opus of events in the whole Bahamas. It developed from African culture where persons dressed up and danced to appease the gods. However, in the Bahamas, it is solely a celebration for everyone to simply be joyous, hang out with each other, bring family and friends together, and express dancing and musical skill. Volunteers dress up in paper and cardboard costumes, and play instruments like goat skin drums, cowbells, whistles, various brass instruments, and dance throughout the streets in a parade. It mainly occurs on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas), New Year's Day, and Independence Day. It is an incredible event where vendors provide various local foods and toys and drinks to persons and everybody comes out to celebrate. These events last for a few hours where several groups present their routine and compete against each other.  

    Freeport is simultaneously a lively but quiet place. Most people keep to themselves and there are very few troublemakers in the city when though it is relatively large city. Daily life is slow but comfortable but there is always entertainment if one seeks it out. There has been a noticeable change to Freeport becoming a society that appreciates individual expression which has led to an increase in entrepreneurships and small business meaning if you ever visit Freeport you will find many "mom and pop" shops, family owned stores, or even just one person businesses.