Eleuthera: A Prop Plane, Potholes & Peace

#5

Finding my inner power and the true voice of myself has been the key to being able to create this dream lifestyle that I wanted to bring forward that fits me. Many of you know me as being an advocate for “doing the work” in order to manifest with Life. Years of clearing and diving into the dark spaces of myself is the payoff for being able to live the life I choose.

We all have different ideas around what would work for our lives. Many people would never want to be on the road like I did and will continue to do. But traveling the world right now with a beautiful man while we still have our health, freedom and time is too much fun and exactly what we want. That’s the amazing thing, though, about being in your own power. You get to create with Life exactly what works for you in what will give you joy and freedom. From here we live the cliched term of our best life.

Life is not perfect, and it never will be. Being human has its messiness and is our opportunity to become better. But in order to have more joyous and harmonious moments, taking time to listen to our innate wisdom is what will allow all of us to create ripple effects of grace and ease in our lives and ultimately to others as well.

And so we flew from Nassau, Bahamas to an out-island of the Bahamas called Eleuthera. I had heard about this island a year back on my travels to Hawaii, and after doing some research, it ticked off many boxes of what we were hoping to experience. Very small in population (about 30,000 full-time residents), not so touristy, remote.

As I was looking for a place to stay, I ended up finding a site that was local and worked with individual owners. They had their properties listed on the usual high-profile sites, but I was hoping to bypass those fees and work directly with them in order to skip the add-ons. In the summer before we left, I was able to negotiate a 6 week stay at a cottage that was literally right on the Caribbean side of the island. It had 2 separate spaces which was going to be good for working, and I booked it for that long of a time as I needed to not be moving around for my job. As you now know, working for this company was no longer happening, but we had already signed and paid for the home. It was going to be nice to land in a place for a longer amount of time instead of jumping around every ten days to two weeks. The price was still fairly expensive, but we were able to negotiate a bit of a discount for a longer term stay.

Because this island is so remote, they do not have the usual rental car companies, and I was given some names of people we could rent a car from while we were there. Ouch! A 6 week rental would cost us over $3k. We decided to rent a car here and there and not for the entire length of time as we were a mile into town so we could walk there when we needed.

Our first sunset at the cottage!

At the airport in Nassau, we take a very small prop plane to get to Eleuthera. Even though I have traveled pretty much my entire life, I had never taken a plane like that before and neither had Tim. I found it to be quite exciting! That is what I love about travel - getting to experience people, places and experiences you might never have. We are literally 5 feet from the pilots in this tiny plane with 10 other people crammed into small seats. Looking out the window at the most miraculous turquoise water and tiny other islands on the 20 minute flight touched my soul. Pure bliss and happiness.

At the tiny airport when we landed, we met our local contact who owned his own car rental company. There were many men who had businesses like this - I spoke with at least 5 of them when finding which one to book - and he was very kind and professional. He kept mentioning that there were potholes everywhere on the one road that ran through the island so be careful as you’ll blow out your tire if you hit one. Ummm, okay. But really, how bad can it be? There must be some exaggeration happening here.

Yeah, turns out the road was really that bad. It was a 20 minute drive from the airport to the cottage, and we needed to pass through one of the 3 main towns on our way there. It was like playing a video game where you had to weave and dodge holes in the road and also watch out for the oncoming traffic. There was no dividing line or shoulder on the road, so you just tried to keep your wits about you when a car came in the other direction. Driving was Tim’s responsibility and thank goodness for that. I probably would have gone 15 mph the entire time we were there.

The owner of the home we were renting from didn’t live on the island, and it was managed by a local family who lived down the street. I was told the doors were open so just go on in when we got there! We drove down a short, dirt lane off the main road and ended up at the cottage. There is one house a short distance away, but otherwise, we are completely alone with no other homes around. Talk about paradise! Tim is giddy with excitement at the wooden dock that takes us from the house to the ocean where we have a 180 degree view of water all around. There is no beach, but there is a ladder that we can climb down from the rocks that is only a few feet down. We can easily dive in if we want to!

We drop off our few bags and head into town to stock up on groceries and beverages. Sticker shock again! If we thought Nassau was pricey for food, Eleuthera is even more outrageous. Come to find out, items are shipped from the States to Nassau and then takes another boat to get to Eleuthera. A small jar of peanut butter is no longer $5 but a nice price of $8.

We were given some places to shop from the owners, and one was a lovely organic farm where we could get fresh bread, but those prices were still quite steep as well and required a car to get there. For this first grocery run where we needed basics for the 6 weeks, we spent well over $350. Because we have a full kitchen, we plan to eat in most meals and make them ourselves. And guess what else they have here that we got addicted to in Nassau - more rum cake! It’s nice they don’t mark this product up outrageously - probably because it is made locally on Nassau.

Once we get back to the cottage with all our supplies, we meet one person from the family who helps take care of the cottage. They are fishermen and let us know we can buy lobster tails, crab claws and conch from them if we’d like. How fun to be able to interact with them in this way and support the local economy. We put in a small order and look forward to eating some of that while we’re here.

And so ends the first day of us landing in Eleuthera. We’ve found we need a good day or so of recuperation after a day of travel, so tomorrow we will relax and enjoy the back deck and ocean. It’s the beginning of November now and not missing the grey and rain at all back in the Northwest. I keep placing my intention of grace, ease and money flow and to release anything within myself that prevents me from receiving my deepest desires with the highest and best outcome for all involved.

As we settle into our new space, I’m reminded that home isn’t just where we land — it’s what we choose to anchor within ourselves. In this moment, with turquoise water at my feet and breath in my body, I know I am exactly where I need to be.

Next time - discovering Eleuthera, remote beaches and drama on the island with the locals?

To your highest and best,

Dianna

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