Jamaica: Day 5

I began this day with another cup of coffee and another flavorful omelet. Lancel, a neighbor and former caretaker of our home for the week, stopped by for coffee conversation. (He also visits to eat the rest of breakfast, when there are leftovers.) If I had to guess, I would say Lancel is 80+ in age. Our conversation ranged in topics including hurricanes, American history, his family, and his favorite television show--Deadliest Catch.

We explored Treasure Beach a bit after breakfast, stopping at the Treasure Hunt Craft Shop and to pick up more roadside fruit. Then it was time to get my suntan on. I munched on heavenly frozen peanut butter stuffed chocolate covered bananas and continued reading until late in the afternoon.

When I was finally getting "schoochy" as M.R.B. would say, Boyfriend and I took a stroll along the beach. This was my favorite part of the trip! The way the shoreline is structured is one after another small bays or coves. Just when I thought I'd found the prettiest, most gorgeous, never want to leave cove, I was stunned by the next one. This goes on and on and on as far as I've walked in both directions. Because the sun was only a few hours from setting, the colors were incredible--turquoise water, green seaweeds growing on yellow, coral-ly rocks mixed with tan sands.

I will let the pictures do the rest of the talking. 

Note: Trip HIGHlight.

The walk ended just in time for us to change clothes and head next door for sunset pictures. So clearly this day was awesome! We went to Jack Sprat for dinner afterwards. I opted for the estovietch snapper. I have zero idea what estovietch is, even after consuming my meal. Once I had enough with the bones, I moved on to the delicious jerk veggies smothering Boyfriend's mountain of crab. My meal was served with bammy, a cassava flatbread. Think a dense corn tortilla. Boyfriend opted for festival, so I proceeded to steal (more of his goodness) in exchange for the less exciting bammy. His festival were the best I've had yet.

At the ripe age of 27, I have a true appreciation for how I was raised. My parents always encouraged me to try new things. The best part of traveling, for me, is the exposure to new cuisines. As I walked to the bathroom to wash my hands after filling my tummy, I was appalled by the number of people eating french fries and chicken wings in JAMAICA. To each their own, of course. But when I'm sitting at dinner overlooking the ocean (and being consumed by mosquitoes), I certainly think seafood. And this is coming from someone who formerly went on several missions with Boss Man to track down the best french fries in Northern Virginia; I love a good fry.

Lest I fail to mention the drinks accompanying my dinner. There was a piña colada, strawberry banana daiquiri, and planter's punch to sip while conversing and munching.

Dinner (and drinks!) left me in a food (i.e., sleeping) coma. Another successful island day!

Jamaica: Day 4

I began this day with a run--the way I should begin each morning, given the amount of food I've been eating. The humidity or the hills or the slick gravel road made the run a lot tougher than it needed to be. Oh well. I came back and a rain storm rolled right in, consuming a larger part of the morning.

On this lazy day, I'll include some observations on Jamaica thus far. There is rain, lots of rain, though it's said that this has been one of the driest periods in a long time, following a rainy season that lacked the normal rain. As I'm writing this with some perspective, I can say that Day 5 is the first day I saw no rain on this vacation. The rain is wonderful. It comes in fast and hard, then migrates over the hills and dries up very quickly. There hasn't been thunder or lightning with the rains, but I'm told Jamaica can produce incredible storms. Here's to hoping.

And with this rain, comes pretty rainbows!

A rainbow over the hillside on Day 2.

The rainbow on Day 4 loomed over the ocean for sometime. 

For breakfast, the cooks were off duty, so we migrated to Smurfs for some good eats. I had a callaloo omelet, which was divine. The omelet was accompanied with a side of "dumplings"--just another way of saying festival, the doughy deliciousness I described on Day 1. The only difference being the dumplings were ball shaped as opposed to the oblong form the festivals are prepared in. Regardless, breakfast went down as a big win. I also discovered PickaPeppa Sauce--YUMMY!

We meandered back to our home base after breakfast, stopping for some roadside fruit along the way. When we made it back poolside, I don't think I left the sun for a second until it set.. and left me. I read quite a bit of my book, swam happily in the pool, and even squeezed in a brief nap.

For lunch we munched on grilled cheese. Afterwards Boyfriend and I took a dip in the ocean, the water was very refreshing, but with the wind I didn't last too long; I'm growing wimpy with age.

It was time for another meal, while the sun set in front of me. A white fish of some sort was on the menu. The fish in Jamaica reminds me a lot of the fish served in Ghana. Each fish I've been served is incredibly bony. While the fish is delicious, it's a lot of work. The reward has always been worth the effort; it's certainly an activity meal though.

Things got rowdy after dinner with a game of tequila-infused Phase 10. I hit the sack past even my non-vacation bedtime.  

Jamaica: Day 3

This day started much like the previous day--and hopefully what will become the morning trend for the next mornings. We lazily lounged while reading, drinking coffee, and pondering our next meal--breakfast. Like all that had come before, the food did not disappoint. There was fruit, pancakes, cheesy eggs, fish sausage, and the always favorite fried plantains. I definitely overate.

After breakfast, we hurried around collecting our belongings for our day at sea. Our captain, Terrbit, picked us up and we were on our way to the Black River. Having no idea what to expect, I was stunned by the river's beauty. First, before even making it to the Black River, we rode along the coastline admiring coastline homes and private beaches while riding on turquoise water. I was--shocking--most interested in how much the shoreline has moved following the hurricane damage, namely Ivan in 2004.

The Black River is very dark in color, in a way that is hard to describe. The sides are lined with a variety of green vegetation, from tall grasses to mangroves. I am not sure if it is this vegetation or a result of the bluest skies that causes this dark--but not dirty--coloration. There were several species of birds and enough crocodiles along the banks of the river to keep the journey interesting. At our turnaround point we stopped a Rudy's, a local bar, for swimming, drinks, and rope swings. Our captain promised me I was not going to be consumed by crocodiles because they don't like white meat. He also thought my concern with becoming crocodile meat was humorous, after he pointed one after another out on our trip upstream. The humor was lost on me.

When it was finally time to say goodbye, we migrated to the Pelican Bar--an "in the water" bar built on a sandbar off shore. Has this been done before?! All bars should have such perspective! We had white fish for lunch with a yummy, almost Chinese-like sauce served with white rice. The fish, as most seem to be here, was very bony, providing a slow-paced savory meal. When we were through with lunch, we took one last dip at the Pelican Bar and then headed to our vacation home, where the rest of the afternoon passed lazily by.

The chefs prepared yet another delicious meal as we watched the sunset. Boyfriend and I strolled the beach for a short while after dinner, and I nearly dozed off--around 7:00 pm--in a lounge chair immediately after. For the record, I made it until 8:00 pm before officially calling the day over. 

Jamaica: Day 2

The second day was a slow one, after a long day of travel, I think we all needed it. I started the morning with freshly brewed coffee and a short walk on the beach. As our wonderful cooks prepared breakfast, I was able to read in an Adirondack chair overlooking the ocean. I'm still marveling in Jamaica's beauty. The colors and foliage are so pleasing on the eyes.

Lyric: Home for the Week

A breakfast of over easy eggs, toast, fruit, fried bacon, and fresh squeezed orange juice was served, and the meal in its entirety was delicious. I'm not hard to please at breakfast. And following breakfast, we got our lounge on in chairs by the pool, the soundtrack of the ocean playing in the background. I nearly wrapped up Amy Poehler's Yes Please as the day passed before me. An afternoon rain rolled in and we took the time to munch on lunch and play cards. Afterwards we strolled through the town, winding up at Jake's for fancy drinks. My piña colada--topped with a cherry--was heavenly. Figuring I had started, I spent the rest of the afternoon sipping M.R.B.'s sangria and anticipating our lobster dinner. The meal did not disappoint.

This is sort of a dream vacation, in that I'm generously being treated to a trip I would have otherwise overlooked. It's dreamy in that I'm outside from the moment I wake until I call it a day, living for good food and sunsets. I've been rising shortly before 7:00 am and find myself heading to bed some thirteen hours later, happy and at ease.  

Jamaica: Day 1

I was up at 4:45 am for a shower, and Boyfriend and I were out the door by 5:15 am. We arrived at Reagan National via Uber and were in Jamaica a short four hours later, with a layover in Charlotte, North Carolina where we met Boyfriend's younger brother, D.M.B. Tiffany, our Mobay Greeter, welcomed us to Montego Bay after we deplaned and expedited us through Immigration and Customs. Boyfriend's parents were waiting for us at the Mobay Club. After a quick drink, we met our driver Kevin and were on our way southeast. We made several stops along the way, including one at Border Jerk for delicious jerk pork and chicken and festival. Festival is a wonderfully delicious dough ball, comparable to hush puppies. Hello, carbohydrate delights! We hopped back on the road to continue to Treasure Beach.

Jamaica surprised me! I am clearly unaware of my Caribbean geography. The country is lush, colorful, and full of character; dotted throughout were houses and stands to keep us company. Our drive traversed winding roads through jungle-esque groves, climbed up over a mountain, followed along  the coastline, and then down through valleys.  

The winding road got the best of me, and with about 30 minutes left in our drive I was feeling the effects of the road. We arrived just before 5:00 pm, and then I proceeded to empty the contents of my stomach all over the property.

When I restored myself to decent health, we further explored the house and property. After enjoying the sunset, we gobbled down a delicious dinner and we shortly off to bed--at the wild hour of half past seven.