Lost Girl Field Trip: Andros Island-Part1

Jen: While I wouldn't trade my position as 1/3 of The Lost Girls writing team for anything in...well...the world, I recently spread my journalist wings and accepted my first solo assignment: a 9-part web series on Andros Island for the pop culture travel site, Jaunted.com. But even though I temporarily flew away from the nest, I felt compelled to bring my stories home to you, my favorite TLG readers. So enjoy my inaugural post and stay tuned each week for a new entry!

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"Big Love for Small Hope"
Every time I see one of those Corona commercials with the bare feet and beer bottles chillin’ out on a stretch of palm-fringed, powdery white sand, I always think “If I could be anywhere in the whole world right now, it’d be there.” Sitting by the ocean…a frosty cocktail in hand…completely sans shoes…Ahh! As luck would have it, I discovered just such a place during an impromptu vacation to Andros Island.

Desperate to escape the chill and gloom that had settled over Manhattan, I accepted a spontaneous invite from my friend Mark for a week of beach bumming, bungalow-side boozing and world-class scuba diving in the Bahamas. In less than a New York minute, I’d stuffed my passport, PADI card and a few bikinis in a bag and was ready to head south in pursuit of the much hotter sun. Although it’s the largest island in the Bahamas, Andros is far less inhabited and touristy than it’s Nassau neighbor, yet conveniently close in proximity (only 15 minutes by plane), making it an ideal destination for a quick trip from the States.

The day was just beginning its slow transformation to twilight, when Mark and I arrived at the Small Hope Bay Lodge, an über laid-back, all-inclusive resort we’d reserved for the week. We were greeted by office manager extraordinaire, Anastasia, who quickly got down to the most important order of business – ensuring we were happy and relaxed with an ice-cold Kalik, a popular Bahamian brew. OK, how could I work it so that I never had to leave this island?

Fortunately for us, Small Hope is a self-contained sliver of paradise, so everything from the guest cottages and main house to the ocean front hot tub and outdoor patio bar are just a few (shoes optional) paces down the beach. Since Mark and I were on the scuba diving package, which includes two tank dives in the morning and a third in the afternoon, our schedule was a bit more ‘rigorous’ but still allowed for ample hammock time. All-in-all, our days went something like this:
8:30am: Leisurely breakfast and chat with the dive masters about the morning scuba trip
9:30am-11:30am: Walk a grueling 100 feet from our cabin to the dive shop to grab our gear and board the lodge-owned dive boat. Experience two out of more than 60 spectacular recreational dives on Small Hope’s regularly scheduled menu, including colorful shallow reefs, coral gardens, wreck dives, blue holes and wall dives. Strip off our wet suits and basked in the sun during the return ride.
12pm-1:30pm: Beach-side lunch followed by a dip in the hot tub
2pm-3:30pm: Another amazing exploration of the Andros Barrier Reef
4pm-6pm: Relax in a hammock and watched the Caribbean waves roll in. Force myself to find another, shadier, hammock setting if the hot Bahamian sun started burning my pasty white Yankee complexion. If feeling extra motivated, indulge in other activities like nature walks or a bike ride to an inland blue hole for a fresh water swim
6:30pm ‘til whenever: : Take up residence at the beach bar for happy hour with my new Small Hope friends. Dine on a delightfully fresh dinner with many sinful desserts (scuba diving burns tons of calories so it’s my duty to make up for it somewhere). Join the impromptu group jam sessions with lodge-owned guitars, bass, make-shift tambourines and harmonica (Note to future guests: I was shocked to discover that I, in fact, have an uncanny harmonic gift/talent for the harmonic arts - particularly with Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry - so you’ll have a lot to live up to). Retire early for a peaceful night’s rest in one of only twenty-one, beach-facing rooms. Wake up and repeat it all again the next day.

It’s a tough life, I know. But someone has to do it!

And with no telephones, clocks or televisions to be found, it’s easy to slip off the technology radar completely, which provided a must-needed break for this overly plugged-in New Yorker. But rest assured all you Type A and ‘Crackberry addicts, there is free wi-fi in the lobby and a computer in the main office if you start to experience withdrawal shakes. Although in my opinion, that’s nothing a stiff dose of island rum can’t cure.

But whatever your getaway fantasy, it’s easy to find it here. And since Small Hope Bay Lodge is featured in "1000 Places To See Before You Die" (by Patricia Schultz listed under The Caribbean, Bahamas, and Bermuda), that only leaves you 999 other travel journeys to plan. And with any luck, they’ll also come with a flip flop free guarantee!


For more information on Small Hope Bay Lodge, including activities, all-inclusive packages and rates, visit Small Hope

Heading North for the Winter

HCC: The due date for the book is coming up fast, and so I decided to leave fast-paced New York City in November to move back home to Syracuse for the winter. It’s quieter here so I have more time to think.

Still, I have to discipline myself with a set schedule every day to keep from getting side tracked. So I set my alarm for 8 a.m., and then shower and dress as though I’m going into the office. I’ll make eggs and coffee before sitting down to write for four hours without stopping. I don’t allow myself to check email until after lunch, or else I’ll surely get sucked into the world wide web. An hour break for lunch gives me enough time to eat and walk my sister’s dog, before continuing to write until early evening. My biggest social interaction involves taking a spinning class at the gym. It’s been working pretty well for me so far, and I’ve discovered that writing is just as much of a craft as it is an art.

Rather than filling my nights with happy hours, public relations events, or any of the other million things that are always happening in the city, you kind of have to make your own fun here—time seems slower somehow. Last Friday night I went to my sister Sara’s house to bake Christmas cookies and have a beer. We randomly went sledding at midnight, stomachs full of sugar, flour, and chocolate chips. Sara's husband kind of looked at us like we were crazy—which we probably are—when we walked out the door with our plastic sleds. I told him Sara and I didn't have kids yet, so sometimes it's okay to still act like one!

Packing Made Simple

The holidays can be pretty hectic, so it's easy to forget to put an important item in your suitcase before hitting the road (one LG actually misplaced a typhoid vaccine enroute to South America, and has since learned to be a lot more organized). We came across this cool customized packing list of over 100 common items ranging from documents to toiletries to gear. It even lets you add your own essentials. Once you've checked the items you need, you can create your own unique list to mail to yourself and your friends, or to save to your desktop for future trips. Happy travels!

Photo credit: fredlet.wordpress.com/.../

Live from the Wienermobile: Chasing Shadows

Here's the latest on-the-road dispatch from our Weinermobile girls. You can read more about their hot dogging adventures by clicking here

We’ve already posted on how we pass the time during long drives, but sometimes the serious silliness of our job distracts us for a while. Like when we’re looking at our shadow.

Live from the Wienermobile: How to be a Hot Dogger, too.

Here's the latest on-the-road dispatch from our Weinermobile girls. You can read more about their hot dogging adventures by clicking here

Molly and Selena: The Wienermobile is our only car. That means we drive it to the store for groceries, the bank for cash, the mall for clothes. That also means everywhere we go, people ask us how we got our job.

We don’t blame them for their curiosity. In so many ways, we have a dream job. Oscar Mayer pays us (a real, grown-up salary) to drive across the country; we spend our weekdays making people smile and our weekends exploring different states.

Did we mention we don’t pay any bills? For one year, our lives are overwhelmingly great.

So, how did we land this plush gig? Kind of how you’d land any other job fresh out of college – with a strong resume, polished interview skills, and a genuine interest in the position.

Each year, Oscar Mayer hires a crew of college graduates to pilot its Wienermobile fleet. This year, seven Wienermobile vehicles traverse the country – six full-size vehicles and one scaled-down version of the icon built on a Mini Cooper. Our managers assign each Wienermobile to a region; two hotdoggers man each vehicle and are responsible for planning events, working with local media and acting as goodwill ambassadors for the company.

Most hotdoggers studied some form of communication – advertising, journalism, marketing, public relations, etc. – but all majors can apply, and Oscar Mayer specifically looks for enthusiastic, personable and trustworthy applicants (after all, they hand us the keys to the Wienermobile!).

Interested in trying out? The yearlong job is highly sought after – Oscar Mayer received at least 1,200 applications for14 spots last year – but we’ll give you our four-step path to hotdogger fame:

1. Apply now: Get your resume and application materials turned in by the end of January for the Hotdogger Class 22, which hits the roads in June 2009.
2. Study up: First built in 1936, the Wienermobile has some serious history. Click on over to Oscar Mayer’s Web site, and peruse the What’s a Wienermobile section
3. Be punny: Hotdoggers aren’t required to use hot dog puns, but we sure do think they’re franktastic. Pluck a few out of the Hotdogger Oath (http://brands.kraftfoods.com/oscarmayer/omm_hotdogoath.htm), and pepper your application materials with your favorite jokes.
4. Think positively: Check out hotdoggerblog.com — our newly launched blog chronicling the adventures of all seven teams — and envision yourself behind the wheel of a giant hot dog.