Jamaican Me Crazy.

July Escape: Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Water. Sand. Sunshine. Flowers. Tropics. Cool Runnings.

For three days I enjoyed the offerings of an all-inclusive resort my friend Jacqui and I found online, The Riu - Montego Bay. Or as the locals call the area, MoBay. And as my Grandma Saladis always said, "Make sure to use the facilities." We did just that.

With an early morning flight to Atlanta then Montego Bay, we got to Jamaica passports in hand and customs form filled out with anticipation, excitement, yet anxiety for the unknown. Paying for a taxi (which turned out to be our own private bus with a driver singing "Welcome to Jamaica, Jacqui and Monica" - no joke, I really enjoyed the singing to create the atmosphere) at $20 a piece was a bit steep for my liking, but we got to our resort no problem and with a small tour along the way.

Walking into our resort, this was the entrance, I was shocked we were at such a nice place. For $99 per person a night, I wasn't sure what to expect. Neither one of us has been to an All Inclusive (AI) resort before and just two days prior we didn't know which one to go with. Our choice proved successful. A nice bell-hop gentleman took our bags and placed them in the middle of the lobby area with a ton of other people's luggage while we waited for the 3 p.m. check-in time. Later, we learned this 3 p.m. check-in wasn't a done-deal time, nor was getting to our first room and learning people were still in it. As well, next time instead of waiting a half hour for our luggage to magically appear, I'll wheel my bag with me. But, nevertheless, we were in Jamaica. Island time begins.

The resort was painted a somewhat bright lavender color. When we first pulled up we both just turned to each other and made a somewhat surprised look, a purple palace, alrightie then. No idea why they chose purple, but hey, the place was decent so why not purple?

The sand was indeed sandy white, mixed with the occasional rocks and shells, that I collected on day two. The water was refreshing with the sun shining, yet not overly warm, because once the sun went down (at an early 7 p.m.) I sure got chilled quickly. Not a fish in sight (nor shark for that matter), the only activity in the water were the Jamaican guys on their kayaks trying to sell you necklaces and shells inside the beached zone. But when the resort staff began walking their way down the beach, those kayaks were gone pretty quickly.

The room, was just that, a room. Our two double beds were pushed so close together we practically shared a king bed. We both determined that since our job has created semi-high standards for hotels, this room did not meet our expectations, but we enjoyed the outdoors, and even though our room never got that cool, our beds weren't soft, and the pillows were lumpy, we still enjoyed our time. I mean, we were in Jamaica.

I am proud to say I did not get sunburned throughout the entire three days. With the Caribbean Sea in sight at all times on the island, this was definitely an island escape. And that water behind me? That's where I went kayaking on our last day at 9 a.m. The perfect way to wake up, if I could that everyday I would. Nothing but open blue water behind you and bright blue waters beneath you.

There's something about sunsets that get me. Whether it be the time in Puerto Rico with my mom, or now this escape, watching the sunset or rise in an unfamiliar place is just amazing. And with a late night tour around the resort on the first night, there were plenty of stars to watch, all you had to do was look up while making footprints in the sand.

With Jamaica being only 600 miles south of Miami, I was taken to a whole different culture, and obviously, a whole different country. This world seems so huge so many days, but so small at the same time. Only a couple hour plane ride landed us here. To this exotic, yet beautiful country. We only had time to explore the one parish (Jamaica has 14 parishes) and were on the complete opposite side from the capital, Kingston, but I got a little taste of the island life. Where Bob Marley played continuously, and Margaritaville was just a boat ride away.

Day Two brought us our only full day in Jamaica. We filled the day with zip-lining. Jacqui wanted to go zip-lining through a forest for her birthday, so that's exactly what we did. For $90 (worth it, since the adventure lasted over three hours), we got on a bus from our hotel, enjoyed the sights our bus driver/tour guide pointed out and became Jamaicans for the day. No longer could we say 'yes' to anything, only 'yah mon' would be acceptable. After any statement he made, our bus driver would say, "You understand?" to which the entire bus blurted back, "Ya, Mon." If we ever had to say 'no' to anything, only 'ee-ee' would be acceptable. Our bus driver said, 'ee-ee' resembles the noise a dolphin makes, so of course, we all practiced, "ee-ee." The bus ride was truly, a portion of the fun this day and trip held.

We arrived at the mountains. To which, to the right of these in the picture, Johnny Cash owned a home. If you look at the highest peaked mountain in the picture, the small overlapping mountain below it is where our zip-lining adventure would begin.

Aspiring to be a chef, one of our guides (now I can't remember his name unfortunately!), graciously chatted with us after the tour. I asked him how long he has been a tour guide, to which he said a couple years. He recently moved to MoBay and has an apartment. His intentions we finally realized was to meet up with us at Margaritaville to dance that night, however, we of course "didn't know what we were doing yet." Nevertheless, a great group of staff members, full of energy, very polite, and made our experience so much fun. (Highly recommend Chukka adventures to anyone in the future!)

Our bus ride down the mountain drove us through a residential area, one of the richest neighborhoods in the area, we saw many gated, huge, island homes. The road here gave us a great view of the water, and the houses in the mountains were gorgeous. However, I'd want a beachfront property, but maybe that's just me.



Our trip ended with a first class departure back to Atlanta and we got home no problem. From the pina coladas, margaritas, and rum-punch to buffet style meals full of fresh fruit, plenty of vegetarian options (including ratatouille!), friendly people, and great weather (yes, we did sweat practically the whole time), I would go back in a heartbeat. Thanks, Jamaica for a great three days. (Oh, and my job? Why yes, I still love it.)

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