Travel with me #78 : A visit to the magnificent Rose Island, Sandy Toes and snorkeling with Lion Fish!

Dear Steemit friends :

One of the best things about Bahamas is how many beautiful exotic islands there are. In fact, there are over 700 islands and islets which constitute the country that is Bahamas. Each have their own unique pedigree but I'm sure most visitors to Bahamas will agree that they are all largely unspoiled and very picturesque!

I haven't had much time to explore all the islands on this trip, but I did have the opportunity to visit the main ones like Compass Cay, Major Cay and Exuma Cays. Each had their own little surprises which are definitely worth a visit!

With so much to see and do, you might be wondering whether I had the opportunity to just enjoy the tropical weather, chill on the beach, swim in the sea and relax? The answer to that is yes!

I had the pleasure of visiting Rose Island, Sandy Toes and spend a day sipping cocktails by the beach, and swimming in the sea! Many would say that's the ideal activity for such a vacation and I must say - I agree!

The day started very early, I woke up around 7am to another gorgeous day brimming with sunshine and was ready for a lazy relaxing day at the private island known for it's pink sands!

The excursion was very easy to book, you can either book at your hotel, over the internet, or just turn up at the port where the boat leaves. Of course, I like to make sure everything is booked up in advance so I booked my excursion the very first day I arrived.

The gathering point for the boat trip is Magaritaville, a very popular restaurant and bar at the edge of Paradise Island.

Just beside Magaritaville, is the port where all of the boats are docked ready to take people all around Bahamas.

The bridge in the picture connects Nassau to Paradise Island and is quite impressive!

For this trip, a speedboat wasn't necessary because there were probably around 50 other people coming as well.
The boat gently pulls out from the dock and makes it's way at moderate speed through the harbour towards the open seas.

Only 15 minutes later, we're already arriving at Rose Island. The boat trip was short and actually very pleasant. Before docking, we drove along the long elongated island and saw very few man made buildings there. It certainly looks like a paradise waiting for me to explore!

The boat pulls over at what looks like the only dock on the island and we all disembark the boat immediately clamouring up the side of the hill ready to explore.

To my surprise, I was greeted by a bunch of free roaming chickens!

A small narrow passage connects between the landing area and the beach. It's all very natural and walking through, I felt like I was trekking through a small forest with Chickens watching my every step. How peculiar!

Amazingly, there were also quite a number of peacocks just chilling in the shade. Coming so close to them, I'm amazed by their beautiful plumage. They are even more beautiful in person than the pictures could show.

At the end of the little passage, we arrive at the beach bar and massage area which overlooks the sea and beautiful beach.

As you can imagine, i'm a little anxious to get my my feet wet!

I was really blown away by the beautiful and natural setting. All around, there are these beautiful rock formations that have been left untouched preserving their beauty.

In the distance, you can see a neighbouring island like a mirage unveiled before your eyes.

One of the best aspects about Rose Island is that it is a private island. This means there are virtually no people there and you can have so much of the beach to yourself. Exclusivity aside, the name Rose Island also comes from the fact that here, you will find the sandy beaches tinted in a slightly Rose colour. Sometimes, it's even called "Pink Sands".

The skies were absolutely amazing, whilst the sun toasted my skin and added to my already darkening skin tone, I kicked back for a moment to enjoy the neon-blue skies, threaded by heavenly white puffy clouds.

With such scenic and idyllic surroundings, it's hard to resist jumping for joy...

Before long, I felt the need to take a dip in the calm and tranquil water. Like most other islands in Bahamas, the water clarity is something to me marvelled at.

Just around this rock formation, you can see the coral reefs through the crystal clear water. It's amazing how the water blends from a yellow colour and through a gradient all the way to the tiffany blue colour you see further out.

Perfect opportunity for some on the fly photoshoots!

I really can't hold down my excitement so more jumping is due!

After some time at the beach, the hosts kindly invited us over for some impromptu island lunch.

Most people were happy to sit in the shade, but look at that view from the balcony!

After lunch, we had a couple more hours to enjoy the beach, but for more the more adventurous of us, we had the option of doing some light snorkelling around the island.

The ideal snorkelling spot is just around that rock where the corals and reefs are.

If you don't have your own gear, then they are happy to provide you with it for a small deposit.

Be sure to check out my video of my snorkelling adventure! Look out for the Lion Fish!

I made sure to leave a mark on the island before I left!

And that wraps up my day at Rose Island, Sandy Toes! After travelling around all over Bahamas, this one day mini escape to a private island was a much needed time to relax. I can't stress how beautiful the island is with it's roaming chickens, peacocks and myriad of natural fish swimming around the surrounding corals. If or when you visit Bahamas, I highly recommend taking one day to enjoy this little gem of an island for a truly memorable day of pure relaxation!

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旅行中总有几个难以忘怀的瞬间，遇见美好，再挥别美好，期待下一次重逢。1492年哥伦布登陆巴哈马，把这个人间天堂带到了世界的眼前。有着人间伊甸园之称的巴哈马，总共有700的岛屿，每一个都有它独一无二的特色，这里拥有大约26万平方公里世界上最清澈的海域，水下能见度可达到61米。我相信只要是来过这些岛的人，一定不会否认他们每一个都美到落泪。这一次旅行中，我虽然没有机会走遍这大大小小的岛屿，但是我也很幸运去到了Allen Cay喂了漂亮的小蜥蜴，去了Big Major Cay和会游泳的小猪一起玩水，最后还去到了Compass Cay和水里的猛兽鲨鱼来了此彻彻底底的亲密接触。

其实我知道巴哈马的招牌活动，除了和小猪一起游泳，另一个不得不去的就是粉色沙滩了。全世界唯一一片粉红色的沙滩，是因为海水冲刷红珊瑚而形成的，这里是度假天堂，也是拍照圣地。这片传说中的人间仙境位于巴哈马的Harbour Island东边，它有一个浪漫的不得了的名字——Rose Island玫瑰岛。这个保护这个地球上的粉色珍珠海滩，当地旅游公司实行了限制登岛流量的政策，每天只有50个人左右可以登上这个岛。所以我几乎提前一周，就预约了去岛上玩。今天我们就坐着小船，去探索一下最美丽的粉色沙滩吧，我已经兴奋的按捺不住了。今天我们要去玫瑰岛上的Sandy Toes沙滩的脚尖，这个名字是不是太有创意了。在船上，可以看到两岸一排排富人的别墅小洋房，白色，粉色的真漂亮，这25座色彩斑斓的小别墅融合了摩洛哥，印度和印尼巴厘岛等多种风格。船上放着欢快的音乐，游客们不自觉地跟着舞蹈起来，不一会就到了玫瑰岛。让我意料之外的是，岛上除了有最美颜色的沙滩，原来还有小鸡和孔雀，我赶紧过去和它们照相，孔雀的羽毛在阳光下闪闪发光。岛上的人们为了欢迎我们，还准备的欢迎的饮料，芒果味的鸡尾酒喝下去身体真清凉。顺着岛上各种形态的椰子树，就走到了海滩，海滩边还有一个酒吧，我们买了无限畅饮票的还可以一直喝饮料和酒水，真的太清凉了。这片粉色沙滩长约3英里，真正的粉色沙砾成了它的最大特点。再看看海水的颜色，在阳光下不停变换着它的颜色。到了中午用餐的时间，岛上的工作人员端来大盆的沙拉，热狗，还有烤鸡肉当作自助餐，坐在这样的美景前面，彻底陶醉了，都快要忘记吃饭了。

这片岛除了是拍照圣地，还是浮浅的天堂。现在大家就跟随我的脚步，跳进海里，看看海底世界吧，希望大家喜欢我做的视频，别忘了看看我在水下拍摄的狮子鱼，这是我第一次有机会这么近距离看到这种鱼，它主要分布在东北部大西洋区，别看它长得美到像一朵盛开的菊花，它可是是吃肉的，以甲壳类为主要食物，如果不是它看到我过来，赶快沉到海底，我好像伸手过去摸摸它。希望大家很享受今天带大家体验的粉色沙滩之旅，之后还有更多有趣的美景和故事要分享给大家。