Atlantis (Photo credit: VideoVik)
I love Atlantis. Saying that, it is not for the faint of heart, or thin of wallet. It is a huge for ultra-profit enterprise, but as long as you understand that the prices are four times what you expect to pay, and are willing not to be ticked off by it, then it is a fabulous place of wonder. With over two billion invested to date, Atlantis has spared no expense to create a paradise on earth as suggested by Plato’s doomed Atlantis. I personally think that the developers are a little wacked to take a gamble building an enterprise this expensive in Hurricane alley and calling it after a civilization that ended explosively in a night and a day. But since I have also added in my small time share down payment with them, I can’t say too much without calling myself names as well.
The charm of Atlantis, after one gets accustomed to chronic price tag shock, is that one can do literally anything right there and never leave, surrounded by magnificent beauty that has to be seen to be believed. I can spend all day just watching the fish, but choosing which fish to watch, from the manta rays to the shark tubes to the turtles to the dolphins, can leave one feeling a bit overwhelmed. I have been there 5 times and have yet to do everything, or even a quarter of everything. So I am ultra excited to get back there when we go and re-submerse myself in a wide eyed state of wonder. This year we had a new layer to wide eyed wonder. I got to view Atlantis through a hurricane. And while I was unhappy to be stuck for 3 days with band on band of howling winds and stinging sand and mouthfuls of waterspray, it was the finest place to experience the wildest of storms, and I was inconvenienced in 5 star comfort. The worst part was that our time share section of Atlantis was cut off from the main section, so eating was a bit tricky. Bahamians have put all electrical/internet lines underground, so power loss is unusual, and I got to watch the US hog the Sandy weathertime and whine about the upcoming power outages, while the Bahamas proudly weathered the storm without a squeal. The East coast is not so smart, and continues to fix a dangerous outdated dinosaur instead of tunneling wires underground. When it is broke, fix it and stop whining about it.
While the hurricane was fascinating, the damage was horrifying. The roads had to be sandblasted to get through. And heavy wet sand doesn’t melt. Mounds of sand thirty feet high were collected for future beach refurbishing. Many beaches were blasted down to bedrock and completely devoid of all sand. The vegetation was brutally murdered, which I think was the saddest sight of all. The Bahamas looked whipped and wilted. But their roots are strong and those fine brave people said they would be in better shape after a month or so. No Worries, Mon! Would that I could have that outlook on life, perhaps that is really why I am drawn there……
This is a disjointed poem. I just put down images and thoughts that impacted me during my time there.
I am blessed to have a time share
(though some would not agree).
But in the amazing world of Atlantis,
a garden of Eden in beauty pampered,
a time share is where I want to be,
(as long as I am financially unhampered!)
No worries, no hurry, no hassles or cares;
I’m twenty years younger, a freshly corked wine
suspended in a bubble of memory time,
and Utopia is mine while I am there.
Each visit to that paradise by the sea,
a candy land for the discriminating eye,
renews my spirit, regenerates my “ME”.
The first sight never bores with sighs;
Majestic and Iconic, built in Baroque style,
this multibillion wonder transforms the sky
and colors it with twice hued brilliant flair.
Nature and nurture skillfully intertwined
a sea of creatures to discover and find.
Gentle ocean swells and sweetly kissed winds;
Sands like beads of silk, brilliantly white;
Waterfalls visually stunning in misty air;
Flickering diamonds on waters of light.
Sandy marred this Bahamian perfection.
Hurricane force armed for 3 days,
sand razed, wind hazed, rain dazed.
Howling, screaming bands upon bands,
surfaces slick with rain glaze.
We are now in God’s hands.
Ravenous now to see the sunrays,
“Will it ever end” our mantra phrase.
How can a storm get to this manic craze?
Atlantis’ beauty this storm outphased
Sandplows blowing roads all day
Beaches stripped to bedrock of sand
Vegetation dead, the sea god was paid
Aftermath fades too slowly away
Yet I will return, a diehard fan
RePrEsSeD ExPrEsSiOnS 