My trip to Jamaica part 1
(cross posted to my MySpace page)
Here's the start of my journal about my recent trip to Jamaica. :) I will have pictures up in a day or two as soon as I can purchase a multicard reader and photo printer. :) I went with one of my best girl-friends and I had a blast! My six days in Negril, Jamaica were not near long enough and I'm ready to go back there. This is my account of the trip as a whole so here we go. :)
Wednesday, April 25th
Our flight from Columbia to Atlanta left around 7am and we had about a three hour layover there. On the flight from Atlanta to Montego Bay, I finished reading my teammate T. White's newly published book "Understanding Richard." (T White - we gotta talk about your book, dude! LOL... Wow... A lot of that stuff you said really clicked. We'll chat about it over sushi, ok?) We landed in Montego Bay Airport in Jamaica around noon and we were ready to get off the plane. :) We went through customs and the skyhops grabbed our stuff and wisked us away on a 90 minute trip to Negril, Jamaica which is southwest of Montego Bay. We decided to go there since it's less touristy than Montego Bay and you can get a real taste of the local life in Jamaica. The bus driver gave us a little sightseeing highlights like the new hotels being built, the trees, the mountain view, little tidbits about the towns and parrishes we rode through. There was even a Tortuga Rum Cake place on the side of the mountain! (Why is rum gone? LOL) We made a halfway stop at the Golden Apple Tavern and had a real Red Stripe lager which was very refreshing. :)
We stayed in the all-inclusive Riu Tropical Bay resort which was beautiful! We dropped off our stuff and took pictures inside and outside of our hotel room. We had the gardenview room since it was really pointless having the oceanview since you literally leave your room and hang a right and BOOM, instant oceanview. :) The room was fully stock with a mini-bar (which we never touched the whole time) and bottles of WATA mountain spring water. The balcony was in an L-shape and there was a gazebo right outside where the wedding parties would take pictures. It seemed like somebody as getting married everyday we were there. :)
We checked out the times of the different restaurants, bars, and activities then we took a stroll around the place. There were three main restaurants opened at different times for meals, six different bars, and there was a pizzeria, a pool bar, beach shop, gift shop, gym, nurses stations, places to plan out excursions, etc. All the folks there were very nice and courteous. And, yes, the Jamaican men were very nice to talk to. ;-) Since both myself and my friend wear dreadlocks the Jamaican guys would show their respects and say hello. :) It was rather embarrassing at first being called "Rasta lady" or "Empress", etc. But after a while, I got used to it. *grins* And, yes, they really say things like "Ya mon, no mon, irie, no problem, full-joy (instead of end-joy), overstand (instead of under-stand) etc." Like I told my girl, Nicole, she's gonna have to teach me some Patois. hehe mooooooving on...
We decided that we'd just chill out, find food and see what mischief we could get into. So we went to the Sunset Bar to have a few cocktails. Mai Tais, 69s, and LuMumbas are my choice of cocktails from now on! The Bartenders were really nice. One Love to Sharon, Jefferson, Dr. Fitz, Chris, Christoph, and Audley of the bartending posse! Much love and respect to the Sous Chef Rohan for the delicious Beetroot juice he made for us. Lord have mercy. LOL
Thursday, April 26th
We slept in a little bit and had another chill out day. After breakfast, we hit the beach. Lord, the water was so beautiful. I started reading another book for a while. We had more cocktails from the beachside bar and watched this hilariously exaggerated "reggae dance lessons" they were giving to some of the folks there. After a while my Pisces-ness (yeah, I said that) kicked in and I wanted to go into the water. So I got my first fun swim in Jamaica's beautiful ocean. I could soooo live there. So warm and cool at the same time. There were two swim lines you can swim around safely without worrying about bumping into the reefs or sharks. I had fun soaking the beauty that is Jamaica. From the mountains, to the forests, to the shore and clear blue water. There were guys from different boating companies asking folks for glass bottom boat rides and singing Reggae songs. We got on a boat ride around the shore and saw caves and even peeked over at the Hedonism II resort. Erm, not going over there. I'm not that "free" with my body yet. :P
Another cocktail or two later and we went to the main desk and spoke with a lady to see what excursions we can buy. We decided for Friday we would go horseback riding (US$60.00). On Saturday we would go on a Sunset cruise (US$50.00). Finally Sunday we would do the Nine Miles Bob Marley tour with the Dunns River Falls excursion (US$92.00).
After paying for that, we had lunch then went back to the Sunset Bar for more cocktails. One of the bartenders, Dr. Fitz asked us to go clubbing with him and some of his friends. We told him we would go. After dinner, we went back (yup) to the Sunset Bar again and had fun watching the nightly show at the dance area which was next to the Sunset & Reggae bars. We had all the intention of going to the reggae clubs that night, but we were tired and crashed early. Needless to say, Dr. Fitz teased about it that next day.
Friday, April 27th
We went on the Country Western horseback riding excursion which involved riding down from the mountains onto the beach and taking the horse out for a swim. My friend and I have never been on a horse before but our guide Rudy (nickname "Tarzan") was very patient and after a while, I felt at ease with my horse. :) My horse's name was Red Star and my friend's horse was named Jackie Chan. LOL I learned a lot from Rudy about Jamaican culture. Despite the struggles, these beautiful people have been through, their spirit is ever strong and I admire that. Rudy's half Jamaican from his dad and his mom's Chinese/Native American mix. He and I had a lot of fun things in common. After a short while on Red Star, I wanted to try a trot but wanted to start off slow. I think Red Star picked up on it and he would sporadically trot a bit then slow down. After the initial "whoa dude!" reflex, I felt more confident. Rudy teased and was like "hey, since you have the Native in you, you got this riding bond naturally with Red Star and we should follow you!" That cracked me up.
Once we got to the beach, we went over to a stable and dismounted. He grabbed a jelly coconut and prepped it for us to drink and eat from as a snack while he put the water saddles on the horses. A jelly coconut is an unripened coconut. A ripe cocount has firm meat inside and coconut milk. A jelly coconut has coconut water instead of coconut milk and it has a softer meat inside. So yummy!!!! *squee* After our lil break, we took off our covers and wore our swimsuits to mount the horses to go into the ocean. We didn't geet to stay in there as long as I wished because my friend got a little uncomfortable with the depth of the water. These horses are bred to swim. Red Star and I had fun. After Rudy took some pictures and guided us back to shore, we rinsed off and rode back up the mountain path to the main stables. I took a picture with Rudy and we bought some woodwork from Mr. Campbell who was making beautiful woodwork outside the stable. I bought a Patoo which a Jamaican Owl.
Then back to the resort to chill out at the bar for cocktails and food. :)
Sorry y'all. I had a long day. I'm getting a sinus headache and my eyes grow heavy. Will pick up with the second half of the trip tomorrow! I will also include some useful tidbits for whenever you travel to an island like Jamaica. :) Good night everyone! *hugs*
Here's the start of my journal about my recent trip to Jamaica. :) I will have pictures up in a day or two as soon as I can purchase a multicard reader and photo printer. :) I went with one of my best girl-friends and I had a blast! My six days in Negril, Jamaica were not near long enough and I'm ready to go back there. This is my account of the trip as a whole so here we go. :)
Wednesday, April 25th
Our flight from Columbia to Atlanta left around 7am and we had about a three hour layover there. On the flight from Atlanta to Montego Bay, I finished reading my teammate T. White's newly published book "Understanding Richard." (T White - we gotta talk about your book, dude! LOL... Wow... A lot of that stuff you said really clicked. We'll chat about it over sushi, ok?) We landed in Montego Bay Airport in Jamaica around noon and we were ready to get off the plane. :) We went through customs and the skyhops grabbed our stuff and wisked us away on a 90 minute trip to Negril, Jamaica which is southwest of Montego Bay. We decided to go there since it's less touristy than Montego Bay and you can get a real taste of the local life in Jamaica. The bus driver gave us a little sightseeing highlights like the new hotels being built, the trees, the mountain view, little tidbits about the towns and parrishes we rode through. There was even a Tortuga Rum Cake place on the side of the mountain! (Why is rum gone? LOL) We made a halfway stop at the Golden Apple Tavern and had a real Red Stripe lager which was very refreshing. :)
We stayed in the all-inclusive Riu Tropical Bay resort which was beautiful! We dropped off our stuff and took pictures inside and outside of our hotel room. We had the gardenview room since it was really pointless having the oceanview since you literally leave your room and hang a right and BOOM, instant oceanview. :) The room was fully stock with a mini-bar (which we never touched the whole time) and bottles of WATA mountain spring water. The balcony was in an L-shape and there was a gazebo right outside where the wedding parties would take pictures. It seemed like somebody as getting married everyday we were there. :)
We checked out the times of the different restaurants, bars, and activities then we took a stroll around the place. There were three main restaurants opened at different times for meals, six different bars, and there was a pizzeria, a pool bar, beach shop, gift shop, gym, nurses stations, places to plan out excursions, etc. All the folks there were very nice and courteous. And, yes, the Jamaican men were very nice to talk to. ;-) Since both myself and my friend wear dreadlocks the Jamaican guys would show their respects and say hello. :) It was rather embarrassing at first being called "Rasta lady" or "Empress", etc. But after a while, I got used to it. *grins* And, yes, they really say things like "Ya mon, no mon, irie, no problem, full-joy (instead of end-joy), overstand (instead of under-stand) etc." Like I told my girl, Nicole, she's gonna have to teach me some Patois. hehe mooooooving on...
We decided that we'd just chill out, find food and see what mischief we could get into. So we went to the Sunset Bar to have a few cocktails. Mai Tais, 69s, and LuMumbas are my choice of cocktails from now on! The Bartenders were really nice. One Love to Sharon, Jefferson, Dr. Fitz, Chris, Christoph, and Audley of the bartending posse! Much love and respect to the Sous Chef Rohan for the delicious Beetroot juice he made for us. Lord have mercy. LOL
Thursday, April 26th
We slept in a little bit and had another chill out day. After breakfast, we hit the beach. Lord, the water was so beautiful. I started reading another book for a while. We had more cocktails from the beachside bar and watched this hilariously exaggerated "reggae dance lessons" they were giving to some of the folks there. After a while my Pisces-ness (yeah, I said that) kicked in and I wanted to go into the water. So I got my first fun swim in Jamaica's beautiful ocean. I could soooo live there. So warm and cool at the same time. There were two swim lines you can swim around safely without worrying about bumping into the reefs or sharks. I had fun soaking the beauty that is Jamaica. From the mountains, to the forests, to the shore and clear blue water. There were guys from different boating companies asking folks for glass bottom boat rides and singing Reggae songs. We got on a boat ride around the shore and saw caves and even peeked over at the Hedonism II resort. Erm, not going over there. I'm not that "free" with my body yet. :P
Another cocktail or two later and we went to the main desk and spoke with a lady to see what excursions we can buy. We decided for Friday we would go horseback riding (US$60.00). On Saturday we would go on a Sunset cruise (US$50.00). Finally Sunday we would do the Nine Miles Bob Marley tour with the Dunns River Falls excursion (US$92.00).
After paying for that, we had lunch then went back to the Sunset Bar for more cocktails. One of the bartenders, Dr. Fitz asked us to go clubbing with him and some of his friends. We told him we would go. After dinner, we went back (yup) to the Sunset Bar again and had fun watching the nightly show at the dance area which was next to the Sunset & Reggae bars. We had all the intention of going to the reggae clubs that night, but we were tired and crashed early. Needless to say, Dr. Fitz teased about it that next day.
Friday, April 27th
We went on the Country Western horseback riding excursion which involved riding down from the mountains onto the beach and taking the horse out for a swim. My friend and I have never been on a horse before but our guide Rudy (nickname "Tarzan") was very patient and after a while, I felt at ease with my horse. :) My horse's name was Red Star and my friend's horse was named Jackie Chan. LOL I learned a lot from Rudy about Jamaican culture. Despite the struggles, these beautiful people have been through, their spirit is ever strong and I admire that. Rudy's half Jamaican from his dad and his mom's Chinese/Native American mix. He and I had a lot of fun things in common. After a short while on Red Star, I wanted to try a trot but wanted to start off slow. I think Red Star picked up on it and he would sporadically trot a bit then slow down. After the initial "whoa dude!" reflex, I felt more confident. Rudy teased and was like "hey, since you have the Native in you, you got this riding bond naturally with Red Star and we should follow you!" That cracked me up.
Once we got to the beach, we went over to a stable and dismounted. He grabbed a jelly coconut and prepped it for us to drink and eat from as a snack while he put the water saddles on the horses. A jelly coconut is an unripened coconut. A ripe cocount has firm meat inside and coconut milk. A jelly coconut has coconut water instead of coconut milk and it has a softer meat inside. So yummy!!!! *squee* After our lil break, we took off our covers and wore our swimsuits to mount the horses to go into the ocean. We didn't geet to stay in there as long as I wished because my friend got a little uncomfortable with the depth of the water. These horses are bred to swim. Red Star and I had fun. After Rudy took some pictures and guided us back to shore, we rinsed off and rode back up the mountain path to the main stables. I took a picture with Rudy and we bought some woodwork from Mr. Campbell who was making beautiful woodwork outside the stable. I bought a Patoo which a Jamaican Owl.
Then back to the resort to chill out at the bar for cocktails and food. :)
Sorry y'all. I had a long day. I'm getting a sinus headache and my eyes grow heavy. Will pick up with the second half of the trip tomorrow! I will also include some useful tidbits for whenever you travel to an island like Jamaica. :) Good night everyone! *hugs*