YEA! We made it all the way to the Bahamas and back, flying at 38,000 feet and survived. Actually it was a beautiful trip because you fly into the Bahamas at about 5,000 feet and can see the many colors in the water as you are landing. There are many difference between The Bahamas and the USA. For one, they drive on the left side of the road instead of the right. That one fact kept us from renting a motor scooter, that and the fact that they do not know where the break is on their vehicles, just the horn.
I do love the attitude of the people though. They slogan is "Don't worry, be happy" and "Everything is going to be alright". It is a beautiful country with sparkling white beaches and crystal clear water. Paradise Island is a place for the rich and famous, but Nassau is full of down-to-earth, friendly people.
We saw homes of Nicholas Cage, Oprah, and many other famous stars. But the real Bahamas is on the main island at places like the fish fry (30 restaurants of local cuisine), or taking the public bus #10 from where we stayed to the downtown area. It is places like these that you can get the real flavor of the people.
We even drove by Anna Nichol Smith's grave (I hope the island never becomes famous for that happening).
There is a strong British and Canadian presence on the island and of course a strong American influence since Florida is only 40 miles away. Cuba is a short distance also and there were a lot of Cuban tourists on the island.
There are 700 islands that make up the Bahamas and only 29 are inhabited. For a low price of 40 Million, you can own your own island. Then you get to spend more money developing the utilities and building a house. Of course a boat is a must. The second day we took a boat ride out to one of the islands and went snorkeling. All I can say is I have never experienced anything like that. You could see for miles underwater it was so clear. The water was cold though because it was the Atlantic Ocean.
Down there they eat what they call a Conk Salad every day. They eat it raw with raw tomatoes, onions and veg's. The guys say that is what puts the lead in their pencils. There are some people on the outer islands that are 104 or 105 still doing their daily chores. I guess it does something for them.
We stayed in an all-inclusive which was a nice place but when we go back, we are just going to stay in a regular hotel somewhere. All-inclusive's are OK but they are not for us, unless they are in Mexico, which we won't experience for some time.
They eat 4 times a day and drink all day long. If you don't participate you feel like you are wasting money. That is the only drawback. But it is nice to know that your food and drink is paid for in advance.
The casino's are nice but the better paying ones are away from Paradise Island. The Atlantis Casino will suck every Penny from you so don't bet there.
We loved our vacation and nowadays, that is not easy to say. I highly recommend it.

Thanks for listening

John