Jamaica day by day
      by James

       
 Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 11:59 PM

As was indicated in my previous rant I recently went on a trip to Jamaica and of course Jay insisted that I write about it so here it is:

Monday:  We, my parents and best friend, started the day at 7 in the morning and left the quiet and uneventful town of Paris, TX to drive to DFW.  We we arrived we found that our flight time had been moved back and there was much complaining about lost sleep. All being said and done we arrived in Jamaica at 7 that evening.  I wasn't 10 minutes in the country when already I had been asked if I wanted to by some weed.  For those of you who don't know me this is not the typical type of request that I receive and it was not to be the last offer made to me.  Three hours and one crazy bus ride later we came to the resort that was to be our home for the next week.  I call it a crazy bus ride because over there the left side is the proper side to drive on and Jamaican drivers could give New York cab divers lessons on reckless driving.

Tuesday: This was my first full day in Jamaica and it started with a tour of the resort. After this Quinten, my friend that was with us, and I took a two-man kayak out into the sea and proceeded to enjoy the waves. After a lunch of jerk chicken we spent the rest of the afternoon in the resorts game room playing other guest at games of pool, darts, and ping-pong.  Later that evening there was a street casino where there where black jack and poker tables set up around the resort.  To top off the night we went to a toga party and much fun was had.

Wednesday: This day was spent tubing down the white river.  This river is in the parish of St. Ann, said to be the most beautiful parish in Jamaica, and is more specifically in the Fern Gully Rain forest.  The bus ride to get to the top of the river was full of beautiful scenery and was only a prelude to the lush vegetation to be found on the river itself.  The water of the white river is what the locals call cool runnings.  It comes from melted snow and was a pleasant 57 degrees.  The river was composed of several rapids and I must admit that it was something of a challenge to stay in the inner tube and the way down. Dinner that night was at the beach party.  The local bands and perfumers, such as fire-twirlers and fortune tellers, put on a good show and made a nice end to a relaxed day.

Thursday:  Went to scuba class and learned the basics of scuba diving.  Unfortunately after the class the instructor informed all involved that the weather was to bad to take a beginner class out for a dive. Little else happened on this day.

Friday:  We went to the starfish resort in Trelawney on Friday.  This resort was a short trip form our resort but unlike ours it offered Para-sailing. Para-sailing is an experience that I would like to recommend that everyone try someday. It is truly an amazing site to be floating 150 ft. above the water on a clear and warm day. When we returned to our resort the evenings entertainment consisted of crab races and live bands.

Saturday:  On this day Quinten and I went out on an atv trip.  We went up Murphy's Hill which over looks the town of Ochoa Rios at about 1800 ft. above sea level.  The path up was a drive through dense woods and breathtaking country side.  The ride down took us to the Dunn's River Falls.  At the falls you start your tip at the bottom of the falls and climb you way to the top.  The entire climb takes about 45 minutes to complete and comes full of entertainment as you get to watch people fall a lot. Later at the Piano Lounge at our resort I had a conversation with the other patrons about food products you never see.  The leaders of the list were Mayonnaise flavored coffee " the best part of waking up is mayo in your cup", vegetable toothpaste, and ranch scented deodorant.

Sunday:  The only thing of worth to mention about Sunday is the trip to Dolphin cove.  Here we actually swam with two dolphins. I found the dolphins to smart and incredibly playful creatures and had a great time playing with them.

Monday: This day was spent in transit from Jamaica back to Dallas. It marked the end of a great trip to a fun place.

Well thats it I have no more to say so I'm stopping here.         

 "The Mick" - Despite what she tells you Brenna is a pink goth princess