Purple Travel
[April 3 2015]
Hitchhiking around Exuma in the Bahamas
The island of Exuma in the Bahamas only has one main road. The sea it seems has endless options: hundreds if not thousands of boats line the inner coastal waters, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean – an anchored flotilla baking under the Caribbean sun.
I was not one of the many with a boat. I was on foot and with my thumb out looking for a lift. Not surprisingly, it was easy to hitch a ride. When asked where I was going I just shrugged and said “I’ll let you know when.” I didn’t have a destination in mind. Usually we would drive in silence until they would ask what I’m up to. Out of my tote I would flash my camera and just say I was down here to take pictures. Then from there a conversation would strike up the rest of the ride covering all the particulars until I would exclaim “right here”, thank them graciously and hop out.
Two guys one morning who picked me up said I was welcome to ride with them if I didn’t mind stopping for a few errands along the way. I sat in the open bed of the pickup truck amongst the landscaping equipment and enjoyed the loud rap music being played as the driver sped along smoking a couple of joints during my hitch. Text and photo Johnny Knapp
