Dreaming of Jamaica

This morning I woke to a wonderful temperature of 18 degrees, a sure sign that old man winter is well on his way or in some cases already here and quite settled in.  It is a far cry from the recent vacation we took before Thanksgiving.  Vincent and I spent a wonderful 7 days in Jamaica.  It was a wonderful birthday present as well as a wonderful way to relax before all the wackiness of the holiday season.  It was the first time either of us had been to Jamaica so we were not sure what to expect.

 

  Touching down in Montego Bay the sun was just beginning to set.  Our resort was on the other side of the island so we had an hour and a half drive to our destination. We sat back to enjoy the ride.  The roads are narrow in Jamaica and we had to drive over the mountain.  The manner of driving was a bit different than what we were used to.  First they drive on the other side of the road which really was not all that bad.  The other thing was the way they would swerve to miss either pot holes or people walking along the road. Many times it appeared that we were driving straight towards an oncoming car, only to have one of us swerve out of the others way just before impact.  It was a bumpy ride at times and a bit scary but we eventually made it.

 

  Our room was facing the ocean and right on the beach.  After a quick supper we spent the rest of the evening just sitting on our deck watching the waves and enjoying the warm weather. Our early flight that morning and the bottle of wine we shared led us to an early bed time. 

 

Because we arrived after dark it was difficult to see much of the country side.   The next morning our view was much clearer.  We were served breakfast on our balcony.  What a wonderful way to wake up each day.  A beautiful sunrise and wonderful weather.  I have to say that it definitely did spoil me. Because of the time difference we were up by 6am each day.  Early maybe but the sun set earlier as well so we did not want to miss any of the wonderful sunshine.

 

We did not do much extra while there.  It was an all inclusive which I think is the only way to go if you can.  Our days consisted of breakfast than down to our place on the beach.  It was set up and ready each day with towels and a wonderful ice chest full of Red Stripe, water, and ginger ale.   We ate our lunch each day on the beach as well.  Jamaican Jerk was our mainstay for lunch.  I grew to love the spicy flavors as well as the variety of items served.  I am not much of a banana lover but I grew to love fried  plantains.

 

  Our afternoons were either on the beach or in the pool.  It would usually cloud up a bit as the day neared late afternoon.  It would then rain for a bit then let up before evening came.  A couple times while it rained we indulged ourselves and had couple massages.  Afterwards we would walk back to our rooms in the rain.  It has been years since I walked in the rain and splashed in the puddles it made.  (Something I used to love to do)  These walks as well as the many mojitos we had were my favorite part of the afternoon. 

 

Then off to the room for a brief rest and then supper. A wonderful way to end the day.  A relaxing supper and maybe a little time listening to the local musicians.  I do not know how it  could be any better.   Yea I know it doesn’t sound very exciting but it was the most wonderfully relaxing vacation I have ever had.  In fact, we decided from now on if possible we will do a similar vacation each year.  The dates fall just perfectly around our anniversary (Oct 30th) , my birthday (Nov 19th), and Vincent’s birthday (Dec. 8th).  It is a wonderful way to celebrate all three as well as give oneself a bit of a breather before the holiday season gets in full swing.   A different island each year should be something nice to look forward to. 

 

We did not get to see many gorgeous sunsets as it would cloud up and shower a bit each afternoon.  I did manage to capture this one though.