Baha Mar has always produced an impressive list of numbers.
Billions of dollars are being spent on this colossal resort rising in Cable Beach. Thousands of Chinese workers will be shipped in for construction. And 14,000 Bahamians have found employment since groundbreaking, including direct employment and spin-off jobs, according to the company.
But behind the steel gates is more than a construction site.
During an exclusive tour, Guardian Business discovered an international village unlike anywhere else in the western hemisphere.
"This project is unique because of the cultural differences," said Mark Vice, the construction director for China Construction America. "There is real magnitude here. We're learning to communicate more and learning there is more than one way to accomplish something. They (the Chinese) have different methods. This collaboration has begun to show signs of benefits and will continue to do so down the line."
Our group passes through a high metal fence in the parking lot across from Wyndham Nassau Resort & Crystal Palace Casino. Several large, pre-fabricated buildings are spread out along paved streets and sidewalks.
Inside are approximately 175 administrative staff members - engineers and translators busily relaying information between management and construction crews.
Inquisitive staff poke their heads over the top of their cubicles before quickly returning to their work. It's so quiet you almost feel reluctant to speak.
"We are working in a truly multicultural environment," Robert Sands, senior vice president of administrative and external affairs for Baha Mar, said.
"I think everyone gets motivation from others."
The administrative buildings are capable of withstanding a Category 4 hurricane, he added, and will simply be folded up and shipped out when the job is done.

The Man Camp
From there, Guardian Business hops on a rugged buggy and sets off down the freshly-paved streets. Other vehicles pass by.  A Chinese worker rounds a corner balancing a large piece of scaffolding over his shoulder, more than three-times his size.
It is not long before the concrete is replaced by a bumpier road.
While the old west Bay Street has been closed for only two short weeks, the sprawling construction zone - around 550 acres - is a hive of organized chaos. Giant mounds of earth have been piled to the side. The road has been torn up. Deposits of metal, wood, concrete and other construction materials cover the gravel and dirt floor. As we watch the hundreds of Chinese workers in action, Guardian Business is first led to where they rest - the Man Camp.
"We paid attention to the comfort and needs of these workers," Sands told Guardian Business. "This is not a back of the truck kind of operation. Standards are high. Quality is high. This is an environment that is professional."
Passing through another gate we are greeted by rows of long rectangular dwellings. There are only around 360 Chinese workers on-site now, but thousands will live here in a few short months.
Signs of life are already there.
Shoes have been placed neatly on racks outside the doors. Above that, clothing dries out in the breeze.
Tens of millions will be spent on housing, feeding and entertaining the workers over the next few years, Vice told Guardian Business.
As we enter the mess hall a flatscreen hangs from the ceiling playing a Chinese television show. Signs written in Mandarin cover the walls, one of which says: "Do not waste food."
Not far away is a medical clinic with several Chinese nurses in uniform tucked behind a white screen.
Vice, the construction manager, explains that Baha Mar is "ramping up" to prepare for the big influx of Chinese workers. Every month from now on will see the population of this village rise, culminating in June until February 2013 when more than 2,000 Chinese workers will arrive in New Providence.

Building foundations
Exiting the Man Camp, we soon encounter the most significant progress to date. Since November 1, Chinese workers have been building the foundation and podium of the casino hotel and convention center. Nearly 3,000 supportive structures have been placed 35 feet in to the ground, consisting of long metal rods melded into a cylinder and filled with concrete.
According to the heads of agreement, the podium for casino hotel is a major milestone for Baha Mar and remains one of the most challenging and complex stages of development.
By July 1, it should be 100 feet above grade. And when it's completed, the 1,000-room hotel, elevated on a mound, will be 32 floors.
Not far from the casino hotel and convention center, towards the coast, is the site of the Rosewood hotel. Resting on the old west Bay Street, foundational work has also begun, as well as for the Morgan's hotel sitting west of the Nassau Beach Hotel.
Meanwhile, the 22-acre "pool and beach experience" on the coast should begin construction in March, Sands pointed out.
The Baha Mar executive said he was unsure on how much of the $2.6 billion budget has been spent thus far, explaining that "a huge amount" has already gone into construction.
"A project of this size requires so much planning that orders have been placed for three to six months from now," he said. "We're not just working on today. The planning process is far advanced. In terms of what you are seeing now, it is not a true indication of the planning and work."
The tour ends across the street from Breezes. Our buggy passes the demolished west Bay Street and lumbers back in to the outside world.
As we arrive at the parking lot once more, Vice and Sands pat our Chinese driver on the back.
"Xie Xie," they said.
"You're welcome," the driver responded.
* For more images of TNG's exclusive Baha Mar tour please check our online gallery.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian