Friendly guides introduce visitors to Nassau’s historic sites and indigenous species
WHAT-TO-DO – NASSAU, CABLE BEACH & PARADISE ISLAND – JAN 2007 EDITION
A storied past, subtropical weather, gin-clear water, abundant sea life, powder beaches, colourful flora and, to top it off, friendly people who are happy and proud to share their paradise. Is it any wonder that visitors flock to The Bahamas?
Tourism is the main engine of the Bahamian economy. According to the Ministry of Tourism, a record five million visitors arrived in 2005 and they spent about $2 billion here.
One of the reasons we’re so successful at tourism is the people who man the front lines. An army of guides keep tourism interesting by promoting everything the country has to offer.
RICH IN HISTORY
One of those ambassadors is William Basten, a tour guide at Fort Charlotte. Born and raised in Nassau, Basten grew up with an early interest in history, especially the history of Nassau’s colonial forts.
Before he became a tour guide at Fort Charlotte in 2005, Basten spent most of his years showing tourists around Fort Fincastle. “I spent most of my life at Fort Fincastle,” he says with a smile, adding that he learned about the fort’s history from the older guides.
Fort Fincastle sits high atop Bennett’s Hill, off Elizabeth Ave at the base of the water tower, a landmark in downtown Nassau. One way to get to the fort is by climbing the steep Queen’s Staircase. Once there, you’ll learn from a tour guide that the fort was built in 1793 by Lord Dunmore, a former Governor of The Bahamas.
Shaped like a paddle-wheel steamer, Fort Fincastle (named after Lord Dunmore’s second title, Viscount Fincastle) bristled with cannons, ready to protect Nassau town and harbour against French and Spanish warships. Despite its impressive design and strategic hilltop location, though, no shot was ever fired from the fort in anger.
Fort Charlotte, another fort built by Lord Dunmore, was finished in 1789, says Basten. It sits above the cricket grounds at Haynes Oval, overlooking Arawak Cay, where Bahamians and locals go for an authentic Bahamian meal. The hilltop complex is actually three forts in one: Fort Charlotte, Fort Stanley and Fort D’Arcy.
Basten says visitors come to Fort Charlotte from all over the world and he loves sharing the fortification’s history with them. “Most tourists are very friendly and polite and they ask a lot of questions,” he says.
Before each 15-minute tour, Basten greets his group with a “Good morning (or afternoon). Please watch your step. Welcome to The Commonwealth of The Bahamas.” While he guides his group around the mounted cannons, souterrains and a bomb shelter, he provides a running, detailed account of how the forts worked more than two centuries ago.
Basten says he also often fields personal questions about his life and experiences and what it’s like to live in The Bahamas. “I’m proud of everything here,” he says. “Plenty of tourists say they would like to come back or even buy homes here – it’s just a lovely place.”
INDIGENOUS SPECIES
Another attraction near Fort Charlotte is Ardastra Gardens, Zoo & Conservation Centre. Home to more than 300 exotic birds, reptiles and mammals, with a staff of about 20, Ardastra Gardens is a wonderful place to take photographs.
“We have about 60,000 visitors a year,” says Shelley Cant, Ardastra’s Bahamian-born education officer. “Most tourists come from the US, off the cruise ships, but we’re seeing a lot of Japanese guests, a few Canadians, many Europeans and I expect we will see more Chinese visitors.”
Cant explains that although Ardastra Gardens is a relatively small zoo, compared to major zoos around the world, its five acres offer a lot of interactivity between its guests and its furry, feathery and scaly inhabitants. “People love the hands-on interaction,” says Cant, adding that Ardastra “is unique in that people can walk around freely” among the animal enclosures.
For example, you can hand-feed colourful lory parrots at designated times and get up close and personal with Ardastra’s world-famous marching flamingos, which walk freely about the property. Twice a day they march to the orders of a human drill sergeant. “The flamingo show is the only one of its kind anywhere,” says Cant.
She is especially proud to point out The Bahamas’ indigenous species, including the Bahama parrot, San Salvador rock iguana, white-crowned pigeon, Bahamian barn owl and pin-tailed duck, to name only five. “I’m absolutely proud of The Bahamas,” she says. “I’m fascinated by Bahamian wildlife that is unique to the islands.”
An outdoor enthusiast at heart, Cant says The Bahamas has much to offer those who appreciate nature. She hopes that, with the expansion of tourism in the years ahead, more people will take part in ecotourism activities. “We have 700 islands and there is so much to see and explore,” she says.
There are plenty of ways to do that, from scuba diving and snorkelling, exploring the straw market and visiting the interesting shops and boutiques that line Bay St and its side streets, to such activities as swimming with dolphins, sailing off to a picnic lunch on the beach or taking a high-speed boat trip to a deserted cay in the Exuma islands.
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