Village Squire, 1974-01, Page 25Travel
The real Nassau
is "over the hill"
Most visitors to Nassau, capital city of the Bahamas, rarely stray from the city's main thoroughfares to
go 'over the hill'. This is where the bulk of the 100,000 population lives, and the real culture of Nassau
can be found. Those people who visit restaurants and clubs 'over the hill' find a rewarding experience.
Here, a mother takes one of the Bahamas' younger citizens for a stroll.
BY PAUL VICKERS
Naussau on New Providence Island has
long been noted for night life as well as sun,
sea and sand.
Names such as Charlie Charlie's, Pino's,
Blackbeard's Tavern and the Marlborough
Arms are all well known to the visitor familiar
with this charming city of 100,000 people.
The Eagle Rock Tavern, however, is
unheard of even to people who have visited
the Bahamas several times. In fact, of over
1,500,000 visitors to the Bahamas in 1972
(110,000 of these Canadians) none visited the
Eagle Rock.
It wasn't until early last year that the first
two white tourists stepped through the front
door --myself and a business associate. Not
that whites aren't welcome at the Eagle Rock.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
The fact is, tourists stick to the night spots
around Bay Street, Nass.rrr's main thorough=
fare, or the clubs in their respective hotels.
Which, in a way, is an absolute shame. The
Eagle Rock and a similar number of night
spots are located in the district known as
"over the hill". Most of these places have
never been visited by a white tourist. They
are simple, comfortable spots frequented by
locals.
We would never have made it to the Eagle
Rock, either, if it hadn't been for two
bahamians, John Williams and Fred Miller,
who work at E.P. Taylor's plush new South
Ocean Beach Hotel on Lyford Cay. After we
had visited the hotel for dinner, Messrs.
Williams and Miller offered to drive us back
to Nassau. Both are proud Bahamians, and
feel their country, and especially the people,
have a lot more to offer tourists than just an
escape from the cold of winter.
"I can't understand," said John, "why
tourists don't visit some of our 'over the hill'
clubs. They're not fancy, but the people are
friendly. Bahamians like tourists. But
Canadians and Americans will never get to
know our people, and the way we live and
think, unless they make the effort. They're
not going to find out on Bay Street, that's tor
sure. I hope to make the Bahamas Olympic
Team for the 1976 games in Montreal. And
I'll want to meet Canadians in their own
surroundings."
Occasionally, tourists visit a few restaur-
ants 'over the hill'. For example, the Three
Queens, offering such Bahamian cuisine as
conch, turtle steak and grouper, has , ecome
familiar to some tourists. But the night spots
remain patronized by locals only. The Eagle
Rock, and a few other clubs, deserve a better
fate. After being talked into visiting the Eagle
Rock by John, we met the welterweight
boxing champion of the Bahamas, who just a
few nights before had knocked out a Canadian
boxer in one round; a baseball player toiling
for Richmond of the International League;
and several working-class Bahamians. The
conversation was light and cheerful -- and the
beer plentiful. The Eagle Rock is owned by
the food and beverage manager of the South
VILLAGE SQUIRE/JANUARY 1974, 25