RBDF

Happy Valentine's day, I think. I have not felt romantic in awhile, but Radio Nassau does its earnest to soften the mood in the hangout of Royal Bahamian Defense Force. It's all guys in here and as I am writing this, three more muscular, black and resigned to the life in service man just walked in to watch TV. They are a part of the new contingent in Warderick Wells. These boys rotate every two weeks from Nassau.

You can never tell their age. I was talking to one of the guys from the previous contingent and I was shocked to hear him saying that he's got 15 years of service behind him and 10 more to go to reach retirement. He looked like he was in his late twenties at the most, but apparently he was pushing on 40. The way RBDF works is that they recruit some local guys familiar with the islands for a two or five year contract, which gets renewed if particular individual didn't cause too much trouble for the RBDF and is not sick of the service himself. Security minded Bahamians usually pull through until retirement. They are cool, happy to talk to cruisers, and some, like Carlos, when sober, are excellent chefs, making excellent food according to recipes passed down the generations. It's a real treat to experience some local, homemade food and enjoy the flavor of Bahamian culture. It's rare and it's special. There is really more to the Bahamians and their country than honking taxis in Nassau, you know.

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