Jamaica, mon! (de 76tt tings!)
OK, this morning started out pretty uneventful - I got up a few minutes before the alarm and got ready for my departure from Barbados. I didn't really have time for breakfast at the hotel, so I figured, I'd just grab something at the airport with my leftover BD$... Luckily the coffee stand at the airport had Soy Milk - yay! my first Latte in like a week! :)
I was there super early (like 2 hours before the flight) and the airport was dead... apparently the US and European flights leave mid-day so it was rather quiet when I was there. I wandered about and spent the last of my money on hot sauce before availing myself of some of the complimentary internet. If I would have known how fast it was, I would have had breakfast!
Anyhow, got on the plane and it was off to Antigua (pronounced An-tee-gah - pardon my Spanish pronunciation!) for a short layover without leaving the plane (so thus it doesn't count) and then the additional 2 hours to Kingston.
We got to Kingston right on time but they had very few immigration officers so it took almost 90 minutes to get through before grabbing my checked bag (didn't mind it being checked this time!). I'm hoping tomorrow I won't get forced into checking the bag - I have about 90 mins scheduled in Atlanta, but today's flight left an hour late (I'm guessing due to new "pat down" requirements and they really can't board early since the plane doesn't get here...
Anyhow, I got a cab to the hotel and dropped off my stuff before heading downtown to check out the sites.
Like the majority of the few days down here, it was a STEAM ROOM outside. It was almost unbearably hot. I don't know how I ever did it when I was growing up in Florida... my blood has TOTALLY thinned I guess. I went first to the coin museum and then to the National Gallery (since both closed a few hours later). After both of those wonderful air conditioned adventures, I headed up to the central square and the parade. It was utter chaos - with a dash of hot.
People everywhere, crazy shops with bars (you talked to the clerk through bars, passed money through bars and got your stuff through the bars- - FUN!) and pirate DVDs and lots of bras for sale on the street. Bras were huge. DVDs were a strange mix of sorta first run movies (3 months old or so) and Japanese porn - go figure!
Anyhow, I walked around the square and pretty much exhausted any sites of historical significance (like it's northern neighbor, Florida, it appears Jamaica likes to tear down anything over 40 years old (i.e., pre-independence)).
I got a cab back up to Emancipation Park (near the hotel) and wandered around a bit before grabbing a jerk chicken and red strip dinner and heading back to the hotel to pack and get ready to leave. I am pondering going to Port Royal in the AM before my flight - depends on when I get up and when I get ready...I am going to get up early and workout - so if I can be totally set by 9am, then I have time - otherwise, I need to hang here until 10:30 or so and then head to the airport direct.
It has been unseasonably warm at home (upper 40s) and I apparently missed most of the sunshine, but kinda looking forward to getting back and then having a few more days off before heading back to work in earnest (can't believe I've worked 6 days in the last 6 weeks!)
I was there super early (like 2 hours before the flight) and the airport was dead... apparently the US and European flights leave mid-day so it was rather quiet when I was there. I wandered about and spent the last of my money on hot sauce before availing myself of some of the complimentary internet. If I would have known how fast it was, I would have had breakfast!
Anyhow, got on the plane and it was off to Antigua (pronounced An-tee-gah - pardon my Spanish pronunciation!) for a short layover without leaving the plane (so thus it doesn't count) and then the additional 2 hours to Kingston.
We got to Kingston right on time but they had very few immigration officers so it took almost 90 minutes to get through before grabbing my checked bag (didn't mind it being checked this time!). I'm hoping tomorrow I won't get forced into checking the bag - I have about 90 mins scheduled in Atlanta, but today's flight left an hour late (I'm guessing due to new "pat down" requirements and they really can't board early since the plane doesn't get here...
Anyhow, I got a cab to the hotel and dropped off my stuff before heading downtown to check out the sites.
Like the majority of the few days down here, it was a STEAM ROOM outside. It was almost unbearably hot. I don't know how I ever did it when I was growing up in Florida... my blood has TOTALLY thinned I guess. I went first to the coin museum and then to the National Gallery (since both closed a few hours later). After both of those wonderful air conditioned adventures, I headed up to the central square and the parade. It was utter chaos - with a dash of hot.
People everywhere, crazy shops with bars (you talked to the clerk through bars, passed money through bars and got your stuff through the bars- - FUN!) and pirate DVDs and lots of bras for sale on the street. Bras were huge. DVDs were a strange mix of sorta first run movies (3 months old or so) and Japanese porn - go figure!
Anyhow, I walked around the square and pretty much exhausted any sites of historical significance (like it's northern neighbor, Florida, it appears Jamaica likes to tear down anything over 40 years old (i.e., pre-independence)).
I got a cab back up to Emancipation Park (near the hotel) and wandered around a bit before grabbing a jerk chicken and red strip dinner and heading back to the hotel to pack and get ready to leave. I am pondering going to Port Royal in the AM before my flight - depends on when I get up and when I get ready...I am going to get up early and workout - so if I can be totally set by 9am, then I have time - otherwise, I need to hang here until 10:30 or so and then head to the airport direct.
It has been unseasonably warm at home (upper 40s) and I apparently missed most of the sunshine, but kinda looking forward to getting back and then having a few more days off before heading back to work in earnest (can't believe I've worked 6 days in the last 6 weeks!)