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| Abaco's Hole In The Wall |
ABACO
PINE FOREST
You’ll love the Abacos! The calm,
gin-colored waters, talcum-powder sand beaches, ocean breezes and laid-back
atmosphere make this 120-mile–long chain of islands paradise. From
the high-end, plush golf courses in Treasure Cay to the charming colonial towns
on Green Turtle and Elbow Cays, it offers experiences that will make you want
to return. It’s also where the PENUMBRA DATABASE spy thriller takes place. But
first, here’s my story on this Bahamian out island that was given the odd name
of Abaco, and why you should put it on your “To Visit” bucket list:
In 1988, I volunteered to help save the
Bahama Parrot in the pine barrens south of Marsh Harbor, the capital. I worked
with the New York Zoological Society, live-trapping feral cats that were
decimating the parrot population. The Bahama Parrot actually nests underground
in limestone fissures. There is now a 20,000 acre preserve for them south
of Marsh Harbor that's designated a national forest, a beautiful forest for you
to hike in and explore. Chances are, you will run into the endangered Bahama
Parrot.
Whenever I return to Abaco, I rent a car
in Marsh Harbor and journey south on the Great Abaco Highway and hike into the
preserve with binoculars and camera. In Episode 1 of the PENUMBRA
DATABASE, a young CIA agent is slain near the 20,000 acre parrot preserve
in the Abaco National Park, in a most brutal manner.
If you want a real adventure on Abaco, here’s
an idea for your next vacation. Fly to Abaco and tour the Abaco National Park,
which is southeast of Marsh Harbor off the Great Abaco Highway. You’ll come
upon an unpaved road to Abaco's other Lighthouse at "Hole in the
Wall" (above photo). Unfortunately, hurricane Sandy devastated the lighthouse, but
the journey there is still worth it. It is 15 miles off the Great Abaco Highway,
in the middle of nowhere, and touring the Abaco National Park and journeying
to "Hole in the Wall" would make for an adventure all in
itself.
There are less than 3,000 Bahama Parrots
left and they're protected by the Wild Bird (Protection) Act. Forget
about harming or trying to capture them- the Fox Hill prison in Nassau is not a
fun place to be! Because of their ground-nesting behavior, they are
vulnerable to predation by feral cats, wild boars, crabs, and snakes.
Heavy rains during the nesting period can flood parrot nest holes, killing
young chicks.
I hope you enjoy your adventuresome
journey to see Abaco Island, exploring the endangered Abaco Parrot
sanctuary in the Abaco National Park, and making it to "Hole in the
Wall"!
Here's a passage from the PENUMBRA DATABASE, where a kidnapped CIA operative faces a gruesome death in Abaco's Parrot Preserve:
The SUV passed the side road to Cherokee Sound, a small fishing village, and continued south for thirteen miles. They entered the secluded Bahamian Parrot Preserve, 20,000 acres of mature pine and palmetto palm forest in southern Abaco. Tougas braked and turned brusquely off the Grand Abaco Highway onto a hidden pathway which ran for several hundred feet before abruptly ending on the Sea of Abaco. An endangered Abaco Parrot was eating the fruits and seeds in a thick grove of Madeira and Caribbean pine trees. The colorful bird rarely saw or heard human activity in his remote forest sanctuary. It retreated further into the treetop canopy upon hearing the approaching SUV scrape through the palmetto palm, wild guava and poisonwood saplings lining the hidden trail.
Tougas
and Cherestal jumped out of the SUV, pulled their prisoner out, and mounted a video
cam atop a tripod to record the pending horror. They viciously punched and kicked
him to the ground, tied a chain to his ankles and dragged him onto a wooden dock
jutting out into the Sea of Abaco. Cherestal sat on the dock, his Beretta still
stuck in the hostage’s gut.
Tougas
dragged parts of a small mobile crane from the SUV and quickly assembled it. Then,
he fetched a bucket of chicken parts and a jar of chicken blood from the vehicle
and poured the contents slowly into the water.
“You
'bout to meet our friend, Dagger Mouth,” Tougas said with a grin. He checked to
make sure the video cam was recording, for Virgilio Cesar Sandoval enjoyed watching
and listening to the screams of his helpless victims.
~ ~ ~
Want to take an exciting vacation and hike through Abaco's pine forests? Here's a video of researchers hiking through the Abaco pine forests while studying the Bahama Parrot. Nice shots of the beautiful Caribbean pines and undergrowth.
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