Jamaica: Day 9

When I awoke, a part of me wished I was home. I wasn’t sure how I’d spend an entire day in Montego Bay. I felt as though I'd seen the sites (to be seen) the day before. Plus, I was warned most of Downtown and Uptown would be closed in observance of Sunday. Via a quick Google search, I was still struggling to find authentic cuisine on the Hip Strip. I set out determined to allow the day to run its course. As is well documented here, this is not something I’m particularly good at.

Boyfriend and I stumbled into Chili Pepper where the menu outside displayed items we had in mind—ackee and saltfish, round two. After sitting down, our waiter handed us a menu that listed none of what drew us in. Upon asking, she was delighted to serve the “whiteys” traditional food. The plates were hefty, and we delighted her even further by finishing every last drop. On full stomachs, it only seemed logical to stake out a place for our last dinner. We accomplished that goal, then landed afterwards at Café Tastey for a cup of Blue Mountain coffee. I simply cannot drink enough of the Blue Mountain goodness.

(Note on Jamaican Coffee: Even though I already purchased coffee to bring home, through a local roaster in Treasure Beach, I was stunned by the prices of Blue Mountain Coffee here in Montego Bay. The going rate is at least $30/lb, but, as with everything, rates are negotiable.)

Ship Day

Around noon, we bought day passes to a local beach and camped out until after sunset. Just before sunset, we treated ourselves to one last round of fancy cocktails. The crowded beach, due to ‘ship day’ in Montego Bay, was mostly deserted by sunset.

From the beach, we walked straight to MoBay Proper for red snapper prepared estovietch—still no idea as to how to define this method—with fried bammy and plantains. The meal was divine, certainly our best dinner in Jamaica! And even though we were full, we hit up the Candy Shack on our walk home for ice cream cones. There is no such vacation without ice cream in my view!

I’ll likely sneak in one more meal (and walk!) before departing, but all in all, this vacation has been capped. With that, my eighth country has been explored.