Most of the dwellings in Harbour Island also have names, such as Blue Sticks, Oleander, Sandy Hill, Gumelemi Bluff, Loyalist Cottage (built in 1871), Barton Beach, Dunmore Cottage (once owned by Lord Dunmore), Rosebud and Beside the Point - bringing to life the history and culture of the Bahama island paradise.

We also drove through Gaol (pronounced "jail") Lane, home of the island's Magistrate's Court.

Across from the Water and Sewerage Corporation is Fisherman's Dock, or, as it is called by natives , PLP's Dock. According to some locals, Harbour Island is the place where "food and rum sells."

Unlike the usual basketball courts found in every nook and cranny in New Providence, in Harbour Island, there is also a public tennis court for the young people on the island to hone their skills.

And, just between the Sip Sip Restaurant and the Ocean view Club, between the cracks of a bushy sandy pathway, a breathtaking view of the ocean with its deeply coloured blue-green hues arrested me to bask in its beauty for a while.

Although it is visited by mostly Europeans, the island beckons to Bahamians to also reclaim the feeling of paradise - without leaving Bahamian waters.

On the way back on the Bo Hengy, I kept thinking that I have to come back - and find my own quiet nest where I can write my poetry or songs, or sing and meet more of the "friendly people" that call Harbour Island home, or, maybe I just need to get away some weekends. It's a place to which you return to find yourself.

On the ride back to Nassau, I had had such a long day doing interviews with the Courage Band, The Brilanders, and the nation's very first Miss Bahamas Brenda Major-Barry, plus touring the island, that I slept all the way. So much for a girl who's scared of boats!!!!!

By Vanessa C. Roller, Guardian Staff Reporter