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Bermuda
I stood there on the bow of the cruise ship with my family as we sailed into the Bermuda port. Palm trees surrounded us on both sides. I leaned over the railing of the ship and stared down into the clear blue water, watching fish dart everywhere as the ship came slicing through the bay. It was paradise on earth. As the ship docked and we flocked from the enormous cruise ship I couldn't help but stare in amazement at the world that I saw in front of me. There’s so much to do and so little time to do it. If you are interested in, or intend on visiting this island, it is important for you to leave with a few pieces of advice on what to do on your vacation.
If you were to ask the natives of Bermuda what the biggest danger to tourists were, what do you think they would say: theft, drowning, maybe shark attacks? No, they would tell you mopeds. In Bermuda every household is only allowed to own one vehicle because of the small roads. Consequently, everyone, including tourists, rides around on motorized scooters. It is from these motorized scooters that most of Bermuda’s injuries and deaths come from. In fact, around four hundred people die each year from these scooters, and the cruise line even advises against renting them. It wasn’t long before my family and I found out why.
Despite the warning against using them we decided to rent a few scooters for an afternoon, which turned out to be a big mistake. Not only do tourists have to get used to driving on the left hand side of Bermuda’s small winding roads, but they have to become accustomed to driving a moped quickly. This proved to be a challenge for my sister, who had not one, but two accidents on her moped. With the way everyone down there drove, I’m surprised there are only four hundred deaths a year on those bikes.
After making the decision to turn in our scooters a few hours early we managed to salvage the rest of the day and have a pretty great time. The rest of the day was spent snorkeling along a small reef just a few feet off one of Bermudas most popular beaches, Tobacco Bay. Snorkeling is a Bermudan pastime that I recommend one hundred percent. It is the experience of a life time that can only be done if you’re in water as clear and warm as Bermuda’s. The great thing about snorkeling in Bermuda is that you don’t have to get used to the water, you just dive into the 78 degree tropical ocean and begin snorkeling. This was probably the highlight of my trip, since snorkeling in Bermuda is like diving into a salt water fish tank. The water is teaming with fish darting in and out of under water caverns. There are fish of colors you can’t begin to imagine and they’re all just inches away from your face. Most of that day was spent chasing some of the larger, more colorful fish, in and out of the under water caves with my water proof camera. I could have spent days just snorkeling. If you’re afraid of getting in the water for fear of a shark attack, more people die in a month from bee stings than die in a year from shark attacks in Bermuda.
Another way to enjoy Bermuda’s dream- like coast is on jet ski. Jet skis are available for rent just about everywhere on the island. On jet skis you can spend an entire day cruising Bermuda’s coasts and bay’s or take it out into the open ocean. The are also small hidden beaches that can only be accessed by jet ski and are absolutely beautiful. One of the beaches that my family managed to find while on jet skis was covered with Bermuda’s trademark rich pink sand. While on the jet skis we also ran into a group of Portuguese man-of-war, and a few harbor seal which were some interesting wild life that you could only find in Bermuda. (this isn’t true, because there are other places you could find them..) perhaps: which are some wildlife that are rarely seen by people outside of an aquarium. It was much more exciting for us to have encountered them in their natural habitat.
Bermuda is one of the most fantastic places I have ever seen. The sights are breathtaking, the people are friendly, and there is certainly no place like it on earth. It’s a place that you have to experience with your own eyes, ears, and nose. No Discovery Channel special could ever do this island the justice that it truly deserves. No matter what time of year you go or which towns you decide to visit you will always take home an experience that you’d swear had to be a dream. And in the worlds of the great Mark Twain, “You go to heaven if you want; I'll stay in Bermuda.”
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