Facebook

17 July 2015

Going For A Walk: Allans Cay, Bahamas {Or, Graffiti Cruiser Style}

It's been ages since we've done a "Going for a Walk" post - those posts with lots of pictures where we take you on a little walk with us. It seems like forever since we've gone a proper hike or even a leisurely stroll. These days, the heat is just so oppressive, the last thing we want to do is go outside for a walk and melt into pools of slimy goo on the sidewalk. While we were in the Bahamas, anytime we were remotely active, it was in the water, swimming, snorkeling and trying to stay cool. But, while we were at Allans-Pensacola Cay in the Abacos, we decided to suck it up and head out for a walk to see the signing tree. 

It's pretty easy to figure out where to land your dinghy. Just look for the shack on the beach. 



Previous visitors to the island created this shack - otherwise known as the Allans-Pensacola Hilton. It's made of all sorts of crazy found stuff, like driftwood, old tires, a pizza sign and fishing nets. My favorite bit is the real estate guide box next to it - is it possible that washed up on shore? And if so, from where?



Conch is a big thing in the Bahamas. People love to eat the slimy critters. Personally, I'm not a big fan, but I do think their shells are pretty. You see them everywhere - even used as a fire ring. 



After you meander down the beach, you'll find the path which takes you to the signing tree. It isn't far and it's all flat. An easy walk, which is perfect if you're a bit out of shape and pudgy from lack of exercise and eating way too many cookies.



Within minutes, you're on the other side of the island and there it is - the signing tree!



Cruisers leave their mark on the tree to show that they've been there. It's a bit like graffiti, cruiser style.



Some signs are really creative. I like this one - I wonder where they got the paint from?



Usually, people make signs with their boat names. But, we did see a few folks advertising their blogs - like this one from S/V Shiloh. You can see all the effort they put into their sign, as well as pictures of making and hanging it here. See, their advertising totally worked - I went and checked out their blog!



Of course, we put no effort whatsoever into our sign. We just scribbled out our boat name and date on a swing someone had made. I wonder if other people have done the same thing since we were there? It would be neat to go back there in a few years and see who else has made their mark on the swing. 



Is this some sort of sunsmart bikini? You wear your bikini top over a shirt?



I grew up in Cleveland, so I was intrigued to see a sign for the Cleveland Indians baseball team. Did someone bring this with them or did it wash up on shore? We ran into Michael and Heidi from S/V Heidi Ho when we were out walking. They put a bit more effort into their sign than we did into ours. 



After checking out the main signing tree, we continued our walk along the beach. Folks have decorated other trees all along the beach. As we wandered, Heidi was looking for the perfect glass bottle to put sand from Allans-Pensacola Cay into. She collects sand from all the different places they go to and the various bottles remind them of their travels. Pretty neat. 



Heidi and Michael pointed out an old missile tracking site on the island. It was way too much effort to hack our way through the brush to get to it, so we just took their word for it and headed back along the path to our dinghy. 


If you ever find yourself on Allans-Pensacola Cay, definitely make time to go check out the signing tree. A very interesting little walk. And, I'm sure you'll be far more prepared and creative than us with your signs. Send us a picture!

If you want to see other of our "Going for a Walk" posts, just click on "Walk" under "Labels" on the right hand side of the blog. 

LOGBOOK NOTES |  Tuesday, 2 June 2015
  • Total Nautical Miles - Nil
  • Water Situation - running low, put our last five gallons of water from our jerry can in the tanks, but we still have some drinking water in jugs
  • Bread Situation - we're all out! (we've had to resort to eating pancakes for breakfast instead of French toast made with coconut bread - the horror of it all)
  • Number of People Seen at Allans Cay - 2 (Michael & Heidi)
  • Emotional State - sad, now that we've parted from our buddy boat (S/V Wild Blue)

Next time on the blog...it rains, it pours and we hunker down. Eventually, the sun comes out and we start to make our way back to the States.

Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - we'd love for you to pop by and say hi!

25 comments:

  1. It is really interesting to read about these sign boards on the tree.Seems like an exciting thing to do once visited a place,of course without making the place polluted.
    Interesting post.#wkendtravelinspiration

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was the first time I had seen anything like it. It's fun to make your sign and then fun to look at other people's signs.

      Delete
  2. There's a beach in Coffs where everyone leaves a thong (flipflop - shoe). It's bizarre but also looks good. I do wonder why tho....same with this tree. So much effort involved but also kinda cool....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The thong/flip-flop/jandals idea sounds great and so much easier than making a sign! It's a shame we weren't prepared with paints and brushes and the like. Maybe we'll just have to go back one day given how pathetic our effort was.

      Delete
  3. I love the signing tree, what a neat idea! You should have added your URL to your boat name and date!

    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know! After looking back at the pictures, I think to myself, why didn't I add in the URL?! Honestly, I was surprised I even thought to bring a marker with me and was impressed we managed to scribble down our boat name. Next time though, I'll be much better prepared -)

      Delete
  4. Love the real estate box and URL - a sign of the modern world. I guess everything washes up on a beach eventually.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You find all sorts of stuff washed up on the beaches - some is fun, but some is just sad like all of the plastic bags.

      Delete
  5. French toast made with coconut bread - life can be harsh :) A signing tree is a great idea, and I agree - you should have added your url.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Life is so harsh, especially when it has maple syrup poured all over it :-)

      Delete
  6. 'tickety boo' - Love it! I say that all the time :-) Thanks for taking us on a walk with you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We get some strange looks from people in the States when we tell them our boat name :-)

      Delete
  7. I was wondering what a signing tree was. What a great idea. I like how creative and colorful it is. If I tasked my kids with creating our contribution, I could keep them busy for hours. Great little Hilton they have there. (Hope you stock up on coconut bread soon.) Thanks for linking up with #WkendTravelInspiration

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it would be a great activity to do with kids!

      Delete
  8. What an interesting spot you have taken us too. I enjoyed going on this walk with you - especially the colorful surprises along the way. I can't help but wonder if it is really that hot, or if you just lived in New Zealand for too long that your perception is off.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Plus I lived in Scotland before NZ, not exactly one of the warmest places on earth either. Or maybe I'm a bit like Goldilocks - I don't like it when it's too hot or too cold, only when the weather is just right :-)

      Delete
  9. Thank you for linking up on Travel Tuesday. This is so eye-opening. I was so tickled to see the real estate box and people advertising their blogs on the signing tree.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The real estate box was one of my favorite items on the beach :-)

      Delete
  10. How cool, I love that some of the signs were really creative.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. People put an amazing mount of effort into their signs!

      Delete
  11. Wow very cool! Usually things that have been fabricated off of debris, etc. have a bit of a creepy look to me but this looks so fun and so colourful! There is a bit of everyone in there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was pretty cool. It's the perfect form of recycling - old stuff turned into art.

      Delete
  12. Great idea for a blog entry...I may have to steel the idea....if I can remember when we start cruising again! We didn't make it to Allan's Cay to leave our boat name, but we did leave our name/date on a t-shirt at Pete's Pub in Little Harbour and some friends found it a few weeks later! Love your writing, I hope we cross paths one day. http://sscruisingadventure.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely do - would be fun to see walks that you've done. We didn't get to Little Harbour unfortunately, Maybe next time we'll get there and we'll keep an eye out for your t-shirt :-)

      Delete

We LOVE when people leave comments. It's so much more fun hearing what you have to say. If you have a blog, make sure you leave a link and I'll be sure to pop on by.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.