Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Charlie Neymour
SPORTFISHING
(
242-368-4297)
Andy Smith
BONEFISHING
(
242-368-4261)
Tours
The Small Hope Bay Lodge (below ) offers some great birdwatching treks with ornitholo-
gists. Check what is planned closer to the time of your visit.
Sleeping & Eating
Credit cards may not be accepted by guesthouses or some smaller lodgings; check when
booking.
BEWARE THE CHICKCHARNIES & LUSCA'S LAIR
If you're walking in the deep Androsian forest and you spot a pair of red eyes
glowing at you through the trees, chances are you've run into the dastardly
chickcharnie.
Chickcharnies are a strange hybrid of man and bird - red-eyed, three-
fingered, owl-like elves with beards and feathered scalps, who live atop cotton
or pine trees and hang by their tails. They wreak mayhem on whoever disturbs
them, screech like the damned and are quite vain despite their freaky looks.
Some say the chickcharnie legend may have actually sprung from sightings of
a real-life creature, the now-extinct Tyto pollens, a 3ft-tall barn owl that lived in
the Androsian pineyards until the 16th century.
But don't think you're safe in the water, either! The monstrous octopus Lusca
prowls the offshore blue holes of Andros, pulling boats and swimmers into her
tentacled clutches. Scuba divers have not yet discovered this vile leggy monster,
or maybe we just didn't hear them scream…
Small Hope Bay Lodge
RESORT $$$
( 242-368-2014;
www.smallhope.com
;
Calabash Bay; r $260 per person; ) This
laid-back eco resort is small enough and isolated enough that everyone gets to know each
other - stay a week, and you'll surely come away with new friends. Guests wander around
barefoot in the chalet-like main lodge, chatting with the owner or watching movies on a
