School Zone: Lily Parker shares vacation in Bahamas

My family and I spent a week in Harbour Island, Bahamas to celebrate my 12th birthday.

The first thing that happens when you get there is to go through the airport customs and have your passport checked, collect your luggage, and head outside to find yourself a taxi. The taxi brings you over to Three Island Dock, here you’ll board a water taxi and head to the island where you will spend your vacation. The only way to get to Harbour Island is by riding a boat over, and the ride is as short as five minutes. Once on the island, you will be met by another taxi to bring you to your hotel. From there you can venture into town, enjoy the beach or have a meal at one of the many restaurants. 

While there are many different activities to do during your stay, the pink beaches of Harbour Island are the most breathtaking sight to see. Not all of the Bahamas have this special pink sand. Only Harbour Island has this color of sand. 

The color comes from Foraminifera. The Foraminifera are a protista. Protista means they are not an animal, plant or fungi, but they are living. They also are one-celled organisms. Foraminifera are also known as coral insects that are microscopic. The insects have red or pink shells with many holes in them.

The pink sand is more visible when wet rather than dry. When the waves crash into the sand at the shoreline, the waves turn into a coral color pink.

Beyond the pink sands of Harbour Island, there are a lot of different things to do. You can stay in one of their many hotels on the beach or venture out to visit the different shops and marinas. There are so many different activities to do on the beach or in the water. You could snorkel at their beautiful coral reefs and find animals of all different kinds, like conch, sea stars and sand dollars. You also can paddle board over their clear water, boogie board in the waves or jet ski around. You’ll also find horses available if you would like a ride down the beach. Boat excursions are also available if you would to explore isolated beaches, interact with marine life or go deep-sea fishing. 

If you wanted to stay on shore, there are beach chairs to sit on and restaurants at the hotels that overlook the beach. 

One of the many things that the Bahamas are known for are the conch shells found in their shallow, clear blue, iridescent waters. Almost all the restaurants that you can find have this tasty mollusk on their menu. They also have many other fish, shellfish and crustaceans, such as lobster, grouper, sea bass, wahoo and kingfish.