Mariah Laine Moyle - ESCAPE TO THE BAHAMAS: A Guide to Relocating to and Living in the Bahamas

Escape to the Bahamas

A Guide to Relocating to and Living in the Bahamas

Mariah Laine Moyle

Copyright 2020 Mariah Laine Moyle

All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
ISBN-13: 9781234567890
ISBN-10: 1477123456
Cover design by: David Berens
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309
Printed in the United States of America
Mariah Laine Moyle
Out Island Life
www.outislandlifebahamas.com

This book is dedicated to Grandma Ruth McCausland, who taught me that when you love something, write about it.
And to the Bahamian people, for opening their arms and their hearts and showing me that the beauty of this country goes much deeper than the natural landscape.

Contents

About the Author

Mariah Laine Moyle has been living and traveling among the islands of the Bahamas for nearly ten years. She is the author of Moon Bahamas travel guidebook and shares combined knowledge of the islands through the brand Out Island Life, a collection of information and articles for those interested in visiting, buying property, or relocating to the Bahamas.

When shes not traveling or writing, youll find her in and on the water; kiteboarding, boating, diving, and living island life to its fullest.

Map of the Bahamas

Foreword

I stood one day on a breezy bay

watching the ships go by,

when an old tar said, with the shake of his head

I wish I could tell a lie!

Ive seen some sights that could jigger yer lights

as theyve jiggered me own, in sooth

but I aint worth a darn at spinnin a yarn

what wanders away from the truth

- The Rhyme of the Nancy Stark

As I sit at my writing desk, my attention preoccupied with the blustery activity outside my window, an element of uncertainty lingers in the midst. The air is steeped in heaviness as the looming threat of a hurricane permeates my surroundings. The storm crawls slowly and anxiously on a northwest track through the islands of the Bahamas. It is a Category 1 storm, and the eye drifts about 100 miles to the west of me. I am thankful that Im not in its direct path, but its presence is acknowledged, nonetheless.

Our little cottage is tucked within the native gumalami trees on the leeward side of the island, away from the brisk winds that churn up the ocean and pound waves onto the beach. Within our modest-yet-protected spot on the harbour, we feel safe from Mother Natures fury. The rains drift by, hammering angrily on the roof at times, as water makes its way in through the vaulted ceiling and drips onto the tile floor, signaling the weak points of our rustic island rental cottage. The traces of a raging storm somewhere in the distance cast a reminder of the destruction that could be.

But eventually the rain passes, the sky clears, and nature reemerges, marching onward in its familiar rhythm. Cicadas buzz with the sounds of summer, and yellow and black banana-quits sing their songbird songs. The doves coo, money bats flit outside my window, in the distance roosters cock-a-doodle-doo all the signature signs of a peaceful island existence.

There is one thing you can guarantee in the islands change is constant. As humans, we often lock ourselves within boxes of sameness and predictability, hoping to protect ourselves from the great unknowingness of change. We have come to view change as something to avoid, or even fear. In the islands, you must learn to let go.

Nature moves, and we either move with its cadence or we resist. When we resist, swimming against the current and tide, its as if we are resisting life altogether. The island simply says, Move with me, or prepare to face challenges.

I knew a girl a long time ago who moved to Hawaii. She said, The island either accepts you or it doesnt. If your heart and your intentions are pure, itll give you everything you need. I believe thats true. An island is an entity all to itself; it has its own energy. Its easy to tap into the rhythm of the tides, the moon cycle, the direction of the summer and winter winds... if youre paying attention. Certain salty souls become so in-tuned that they notice the sensations of the barometric pressure dropping with an impending storm. But if you fight with the island, resist it or attempt to move in your own direction, you may feel like the odds are against you. Its ever so subtle, this life-force energy, or prana, of the island.

As island life ebbs and flows through times of crisis and times of tranquility, there is also an element of sameness that bisects and spans the realm of this reality. I might not visit one sleepy island for years, but when I return, its like nothing has changed. I meet with old friends and we resume conversation as if we had only been chatting yesterday. There is comfort in knowing that around here, its never goodbye, its just see you next time.

These days I dont leave my house from one day to the next, and Im content with that. Perhaps I slip into the harbour for an evening swim, drifting along the limestone shoreline, under brambles of bush that hang carelessly over the waters edge, finding secrets nooks of nature. Like a child, I relish in these quiet pockets, hidden from everyone except for the birds and the spiders that weave intricate webs among the trees high above.

Life is simple here. But its not perfect.

We are scarred from Hurricane Dorian that ripped its way, ruthlessly, through these beautiful islands nearly one year ago. The Abacos and Grand Bahama were utterly devastated. Lives torn apart or taken. We are shell-shocked and gun-shy. We were all left wondering, Why? Then 2020 began and we are facing even more uncertainty.

This book has been a work in progress since early 2019. It was due to be released in November of 2019, but when Hurricane Dorian hit, it just didnt seem like the right timing. Now, the events of 2020 seem to have halted everyones lives. But when is the right time? I suppose there is no better time than now. And perhaps, like so many people, this year has helped you to reevaluate your priorities, and reconsider what you want, and where you wish to root your feet into the earth.

I hope that this book found its way into your hands exactly when it was meant to, and that you find these words encouraging and inspiring as you work towards dreaming your dreams into reality. We cant say what our world will look like tomorrow, next month or next year, so its more important than ever to live now . Because really and truly, its the only moment we have.

Mariah Laine Moyle

Harbour Island

August 1, 2020

PART I: GETTING STARTED

Introduction

Quit your job

Buy a ticket

Get a tan

Fall in love

Never return

- Island Company

I am extremely fortunate to be living such a serendipitous life that, in some form of strange fate, I hopped on a sailboat, washed ashore on a remote island, and against all rationale, met the love of my life. My story is far from conventional, but we all arrive in our own unique ways and we each have a different story about how we fell in love with the Bahamas. Fast forward nine-and-a-half years, and here I am sharing all of the relevant information that I wish I had when I made my move.

This book is an unofficial guide to escaping to a tropical island, specifically a group of 700 islands that are really, really close to Mainland U.S.A. This book includes anecdotes and personal experiences to give you an insiders look on the quirks, -isms, and oftentimes ass-backward bureaucracy that is typical of island life. This is all neatly packaged and presented to you from the general vantage point of someone who has drifted in from the ease of first-world living, and re-situated herself deep within the depths of island-madness. Youll soon come to find out, if you do the same, that paradise has its fair share of ups and downs.