Bitter Guana Cay

wpid-wpid-IMG_0892.JPG-2010-03-24-18-50-2010-03-24-18-501.jpgToday we stopped at the most stunning island. The cliffs of sand stone seem to tower above the crystal blue water, at least by Bahamian standards. This is a change from the average scenery not because of the water but rather the height of the land.

Here the land is low and what trees there are struggle against poor soil condition, low rainfall and the intermittent hurricanes. Often islands have a profile of just 10s of feet above sea level including the tree line so this island was a lovely change of venue for us.

Our trip from Piggy Beach to Bitter Guana was short and uneventful. In fact before we left we went snorkeling and we still had the anchor down and the dinghy in before 3pm at Bitter Gauna.

wpid-wpid-IMG_0915.JPG-2010-03-24-18-50-2010-03-24-18-501.jpgWe were eager to see the 3 ft iguanas that reside on Bitter Guana and I’d even saved some additional food scraps. The iguana’s, we’d been warned, were not as friendly as the pigs (imagine that) and one boater had even told us that an iguana had bitten his son so we were somewhat cautious about our approach.

The iguanas were so big and plentiful that we could see them moving around the beach from the anchorage before we even got into the dinghy. Unlike the pigs there is no legal thinning of the iguanas so with no natural predators they rule the island.

When we beached the dinghy and were approached by the many iguanas it was a bit like stepping back into a forgotten time and place. I know that iguanas live through out the world even now, but it seemed as though they were some prehistoric beast. If you’ve ever seen and iguana close up I’m sure you’ll agree). Even Boyd commented that he felt as though he should expect a pterodactyl to fly overhead at any moment. The setting, with it’s perfect undisturbed water, the land with it’s complete lack of any manmade structures and the leathery lizards at our feet all contributed to the feeling of being thrust a thousand years into the past.

wpid-wpid-IMG_0885.JPG-2010-03-24-18-50-2010-03-24-18-501.jpgTrue to the promises the iguanas were less “warm and fuzzy” than the pigs, in just about every way. They looked less warm and fuzzy and they surely acted less warm and fuzzy. They were, however happy to take our food scraps and were less fussy than the pigs who, perhaps not surprisingly, wouldn’t eat onions, celery or citrus but loved our leftover cake.

The iguanas would not sit when told to and if you walked towards them or made some gesture that might be interpreted as threatening they stood their ground. The iguanas had a primal type of pecking order and if that order was breached there was heck to pay. More than once when we were doling out the food one of the iguanas stepped out of the preordained hierarchy and attempted to get it’s share before it’s turn. When that happened the dominant iguana would attach the lesser iguana. The dominant iguana would begin chasing the lesser iguana around the beach and when it caught the smaller iguana vigorously bite the back of the offending iguana with such strength and tenacity that I was glad for their leathery skin.

wpid-wpid-IMG_0884.JPG-2010-03-24-18-50-2010-03-24-18-501.jpgThe iguanas were amazing wild creatures who astounded us with their raw nature and sometimes violent ways. They were untouched by the human impact with no signs of any civilization in sight. We entered their world only briefly and passed from each others influence without so much as a scratch. Okay maybe just a small scratch. I did get a bit too close to the stern end of a rather defiant iguana who, decided that I should be taught that on Bitter Guana the lizards are king. He whipped me with his tail before I could hop out of the way. Bugger!

After feeding the iguanas the kids skipped rocks, played on the beach and tried their luck at water skiing. Claudia was a pro and was even able to ski mono, with one ski. Nicole on the other hand, having never done it before drank a fair amount of water. She was a good sport and tried valiantly but never managed to get up on the skis and eventually decided she’d had her sodium intake for the day.

Paul also decided he’d give it a try and while his attempts were more skilled than Nicole’s his results were pretty much the same. Not due to the effort or the lack thereof Paul was unable to get up on the water skis due to the lack of horsepower in the outboard. It was very disappointing for him as he’s always so incredibly agile with any type of new sporting challenge but it was just not to be and eventually he too reached maximum sodium saturation and admitted that there was nothing to be done but get a bigger outboard.