Amy returned on schedule and life has returned to normal on board Team Dream Catcher. My shoulder feels a little better but it's still not right. We sort of decided on waiting a few days to see how it feels before we decide whether or not to head for Nassau and an MRI or just continuing on with our cruising plans.
In the meantime, we are taking it easy and just enjoying being in the sun and watching the days roll by. Frank and Debbie returned to the harbour yesterday and I spent some time hanging out with them waiting on Amy's flight to come in. They are doing well and Deb's kids flew in for a visit today. They'll be here through the weekend and then if I am healthy enough we are all heading south together sometime the middle of next week.
In less happy news, I have to relate a bad experience we just had here in G'Town. To get from the dinghy dock to the airport requires a taxi ride. This year the ride costs $30 one way which is probably close to extortion considering that the ride takes 10 minutes and only covers 5 miles. That aside, it is what it is and we all know what it costs, so I'm not complaining.
Amy rode out with Luther on taxi 29 whom I had contacted the day before. Luther set up another fare at the same time and so he cut the fare in half for Amy and the other airport passenger ($15). The trip was uneventful and quick and Luther was fine. Amy's return trip from the airport back to me and the dinghy dock was another story.
On the trip back, her plane landed in Nassau where she changed planes and ran into KB, owner of the Chat and Chill. KB has been a friend of ours from the first year we came down and he greeted Amy warmly. They sat together on the flight back to G'Town and at some point KB said he'd give Amy a lift down to town in is van.
When they got off the plane and cleared customs Amy was stopped by Clifford, another taxi driver. Clifford couldn't come up with Amy's name but he swore up and down that her husband (me) had contacted him to pick Amy up. He then proceeded to get into a shouting match with KB when he learned that Amy was going to ride into town with him. He made a big enough scene that KB apologized to Amy and said he couldn't give her a lift.
Amy, now stranded, had no choice but to accept the ride from Clifford. On the way into town he told her that he had called me an hour earlier and told me the flight was delayed and gave me an ETA for meeting Amy at the dock. Over the course of the ride Amy became skeptical and started asking questions. Clifford couldn't come up with the answers to "What boat did you call?" or what is my husbands name and Amy realized she had been had.
Clifford dropped her off at the dinghy dock, where of course I wasn't there because he had never spoke to me and I had never made any arrangements through him. He tried to take right off after Amy paid the fare and actually got indignant when Amy asked to use his in car VHF to call me on the boat. Once she got me, I headed in and she related what had happened. It turns out he even got mad at her for not tipping him.
I was definitely pissed and I wanted to get on the radio and call him out but Amy talked me into waiting a day when I was less angry and eventually I saw the wisdom of her decision. Don't get me wrong, I know that the taxis are hurting in this economy just like everyone else, but taking advantage of someone like this is inexcusable.
The next day I went into town and called Clifford, but when I told him I wanted to see him to find out if there was some legitimate reason that I couldn't come up with for his behavior, he wouldn't come meet me. Consequently, Clifford and his taxi will be the first Bahamian business to make the wall of shame.
It's not the $30 dollars as much as the fact that he scammed a tourist that pisses me off. In the end, he's just screwing himself because this is a small community and only the tourists use taxis, so word of this will definitely spread.
For the record, taxi Clifford too can eat Milo's ass with a spoon.
Anyhow, that brings you up to speed. This weekend is the Bahamian music festival, so we may go in and see some of the acts as we hopefully gear up to head out island. More to follow, end of line.