| Around Town ... All About Guana Cay and Its Settlement |
For Pix (78 k) |
 |
| Around Town ... All About Guana Cay and Its Settlement |
For Pix (78 k) |
|
|
|
GUANA CAY'S ONE AND ONLY SETTLEMENT
Take a short golf cart excursion or bike ride and explore the tiny, picturesque settlement of Guana Cay and meet the friendly locals - descendants of loyalists. Great Guana Cay remains a tranquil, unspoiled hideaway known to few outsiders. Only about 100 people, most of whom make their living fishing for lobster, call this island home. Children go to school until they are 14. To continue their education, they must leave the island, but many don't.
______________________________________NO NEON - "IT'S GOODER IN GUANA"
The Cay's minuscule village is almost always quiet except when the silence is pierced by the cry of a rooster. Here a hand-lettered sign echoes the sentiments of the island's warm, welcoming residents: "It's Better in the Bahamas, but . . . it's Gooder in Guana." There are few cars along the paved paths bordered by palm trees. Laundry flutters on clotheslines between small clapboard houses with picket fences.
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GUANA'S ROADS ARE BETTER DESCRIBED AS PATHS
Walk up a path from the waterfront, and you'll come to a small graveyard with above-ground tombs decorated with flowers and colorful bows and ribbons. A tiny, weathered grave bears an inscription that reads, "Pearl Bethel, born April 23, 1920, Fell Asleep in Jesus July 2, 1920." Another path takes you across the island's narrow width, past the school with its bright mural, to the Atlantic.
______________________________________SHOPPING - SMALLER IS BETTER
Due to Guana's relatively small population, cars and cart are extraordinarily limited, so traffic won't be much of a problem. You can walk to nearby shops, but don't expect any big name stores or restaurants. The shops look like houses, and some of them are. You'll find t-shirts, snacks, drinks, limited fishing supplies and other items normally found in a convenience store. You'll also find the shop owners to be very friendly and helpful in offering advice on fishing and other useful tips.
______________________________________A DO-IT-YOURSELF KIND OF ISLAND
Varying in width from less than 200 feet to a little more than 400 yards, Guana's single settlement has a permanent population of less than 150 souls. There is no "Night Life" as such nor are there "Tourist Attractions" on Guana. The cay's one and only "townlet" is situated on picturesque Kidd's Cove, reputedly frequented by one of The Bahamas' many infamous pirate captains. As is true on many of The Abacos' Cays, the majority of Guana's population are decendents of loyalists who fled America during its Revolutionary War.
______________________________________A CENTRAL LOCATION
Located in the south-central Abacos on the north side of Man 'O War Cay, Guana has the dubious distinction as the home of one of the first major Abaconian "tourist" invasions (now, thankfully, discontinued!) via "The Big Red Boat" cruiseship and its twice-weekly visits to a "Madison Avenue" version of Treasure Island. Depending on weather conditions and the occasionally trecherous Whale Cay Passage, Guana is easily reached by small boat from Green Turtle Cay on the north (15 nautical miles) to Elbow Cay on the south (8 nautical miles). This long, skinny island is relaxing, refreshing and exciting in its uncomplicated approach to life.
______________________________________STRANGE NAME ... EXCELLENT ISLAND
This unique island takes its name from 'guana, described in the American Heritage Dictionary as a corruption of the word "Iguana", a rather large and moderately "trendy" lizard currently enjoying a limited degree of acceptance as a pet in some parts of the United States. Fortunately iguanas are a protected species in most civilized parts of the world.
