i got back late last night and coworkers are already teasing me and asking if my feet are touching the ground yet. i had a wonderful time in spite of the rain and more rain and even more rain that fell over the weekend. i didn't realize it until the night before i left, but i was visiting jamaica during a national holiday. lucky me because this is the second time i booked a flight without realizing that there'd be an event i'd enjoy.

i arrive at 2pm and for the first time, i did not see any whitecaps on the carribean sea. that should've been my first indicator that this trip would be a little different. sure enough, just the the plane pulls to the gate, a downpour begins. when i get my suitcase, it's really wet and i worry about the motherload of children's books that i'd brought to donate. as soon as i put some credit on my phone, i call jamaica miss and she comes to get me. i had to leave my house at 4:30am and i'm famished so once we get to her yard, she feeds me some yummy stew chicken, yams, boiled dumplings, callaloo, and green banana. i have a horrid headache and the food is just what i needed.

jamaica miss' yard is coming along great! every time i visit the house it keeps getting better. she's got some lovely plants along the side of the driveway and the grass is really filling in. when i visit i can't help but feel comfortable.

And I KNOW you're not ending your story there. I already got the private story in my email so I'm satisfied. Plus I'll be calling you so I get the hidden goods too...LOL.

Can't wait to see your pics chickie.

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Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.

i spend my first day with jamaica miss at her yard. her main squeeze is in negril and will be back later on that evening and my main squeeze said that he'd be too busy to be able to come see me on the first day. he promises to come visit early in the morning before work. of course my anticipation was building up so when he says he can't come over, i'm really let down and a bit upset...okay pissed might be the better word. but i wanna stay positive so i try not to let it bother me. that evening i'm sitting at the table grading papers (i bet you're wondering why i'd even bring papers to grade while on vacation huh? lol) and my baby calls and asks for jamaica miss' street name because he's on his way. you guys should've seen my excitement! all jamaica miss says is "i knew he was gonna come". the 4 of us spend the evening chatting. i feel the effects of the long day and i'm ready for bed before 10pm. that night, a storm comes in over the hills and it rained hard all night long. it sounded wonderful. but then the thunderclaps get so loud that it sets off car alarms and it jolts me awake from time to time. shoot, i'm so happy that i'm here that i don't even care. the next morning, my plantar faciiitis stricken feet get some much needed tlc with a lovely foot massage. it was feelin so good that i had to take a picture of it. my baby has some magic in his fingers!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...5/Mvc-002f.jpg

LOL I can't help laughing at that picture! Heeheeheehee.....that'll be me in less than 3 weeks! I can't believe you took a picture! Imma do it too.

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Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.

oh jc you gotta know that i'm putting lots of detail in this report. when you call, make sure you ask about the carcinoma. it won't make any sense until i explain it but you're gonna die laughing.

day 2
my baby and i just veg out and enjoy the long awaited cuddle time. as afternoon approaches he gets ready for work and heads out. ted, jamaica miss, and i head out to negril for the day. we plan on meeting up with friends and i wanna buy some things from ted's shop at the craft market. we stop at roadside shack so i can get some long awaited coconut jelly. the woman remembers me from last time. she chops a hole into the coconut and it's so full of water that some of it splatters on me. when she hands it off to me, i see that it is just full to the brim with water. after i guzzle it down i hand it back to her and she hacks it open with her machete. this coconut was also full of meat! there was so much jelly inside and it was the bomb! one of the best i've ever had. i love how fruit hangs from the ceiling.

jamaica miss goes whizzing by the countryside. i got lucky and caught the speed limit sign in the pic. i love how the rain can green up the scenery.



this pregnant goat was tied to a concrete block to keep her from eating the ornamental plants by the house. i guess the block wasn't all that effective because she'd just drag it behind her and eat away. isn't she cute?

we met up with friends and decide to eat at an establishment with "errol" in the title. maybe it was "errol's restaurant", i don't remember. it did take forever and a day for us to get our food though. we all ordered ackee and it was mediocre. especially for the amount of time we had to wait. ted's ackee is much better. i've heard raving reviews about miss sonia's patties and i decided that if i ever go to negril, i'd have to try some. we chat for awhile and read through miss sonia's guestbook. i ordered one shrimp patty and one veggie patty. ted and jamaica miss also go for the veggie patties. we could smell it cooking and it was divine! but the sand fleas were biting at our toes and we were a little uncomfortable. this guy that helps miss sonia out saw our suffering and put a fan on us. when that didn't help he said, "all right, it's time to get the destroyers out". we laughed as he pulled out the mosquito coils and set it near our feet. he was a really nice guy...an american who lives part of the year in jamaica. we have a lovely afternoon in negril and head back to mobay before it gets too dark.

day 3
it's still raining y'all. we're watching the news and hear about a huge tropical depression (wilma) to the south of jamaica. doesn't look like the rain will be letting up any time soon. the roads have flooded something awful on the east side of the island. later on that afternoon jamaica miss takes me to the gloriana hotel where i'll finish out my stay. i give ted a hug and jamaica miss a kiss on the cheek and i thank them for their wonderful hospitality. when i check in, i tell the receptionist that it is absolutely necessary that i stay in a quiet section of the hotel. the room i had in july was nice, but the traffic kept me up all night. she has a guest attendant take me to the room so i could check it out and decide if it meet my standards. thankfully, it's a spacious AND QUIET room lol.

i go out front and chat with 2 gloriana employees for awhile. i want a ride to the super plus so i can get some groceries to take back with me. it's sunday and many businesses close early. and the next day is a holiday and most places will be closed. it's looking like i'm outta luck. and when the driver says that it'd be $30 US i say that i'll have to find alternative arrangements. they are very sweet and make it known that they think i'm pretty. one of them is an old man who talks with the young one (the guest attendant who showed me the room) about how nice it be to walk in the market holding hands with a girl like me. they end up making me blush with all the compliments. i take it easy tonight and order room service for dinner.

the next morning i head next door to dolly's cafe. i loved her food the last time i was there and i enjoyed the chats. i'm shocked to see that yellowed newspaper covers the storefront. i walk back over to chat with the sweet old man who drives for the gloriana and he suggests that i go to the pelican for breakfast. i've been there before and that's what i decide to do. of course, i'm not gonna pay the hotel 5 bucks for a ride down the hip strip when $50J will do the same thing. i decide on the morning special: mackerel. after eating, i catch another cab back towards the gloriana and i ask the driver how i'd go about taking cabs to get to the super plus. getting cab transfers downtown is still very confusing to me. the guys says, "i think super plus is closed today for the holiday, but there are some shops downtown where you can get what you need". he offers to take me there and back. "i give you a jamaican price man" is what he says. he says he'll do it for $600J and i remember how the hotel wanted three times that amount for the same trip so i gladly agree. we end up visiting several stores in order to get the things i needed. at one shop, i offer to buy him a drink but the drink i'm craving wasn't there. he asked what i wanted and of course i say "coconut water" (just about the only thing i drink when i'm in jamaica). he says, "well i know where you can get a fresh one" and he takes me to the market. now this place is deserted due to the holiday but we find a nice big truckload of coconuts.

i don't know why i'm so fascinated by handcarts. this was at the market. my cab drivers says that on any given day the streets are lined with vendors and it's jammed with people. hero's day kept everyone away.

now let me tell you about this driver. his name is horace but he goes by bigga. he was such a nice guy and was really easy to chat with. i told him about my love for jamaica and he told me about his family. he recently became a new grandfather and i could see that he was just beaming with joy. while running errands, his wife keeps phoning him saying that they need diapers and formula for the baby. we go into one shop for diapers and bless his heart, he's never bought them before. he has no idea what size to get. i poke a lil fun at him saying that it's a good thing he has a woman with him who can help in out in that department. after i help him pick out diapers and we finish up our shopping, he suggests that i check out rose hall great house. i didn't plan on meeting up with my man until later on that afternoon so i decided to take him up on the offer. it just so happens that his community (flankers) is on the way to rose hall great house so i tell him to go on and take the stuff to the house for the baby and then we'll head out.

we pull up to his yard and he has me sit on the verandah while he takes the stuff in the house. then he comes back out holding this adorable baby and proudly says, "this is my grandson". i wasn't expecting him to, but he put that baby right in my arms! i was honored that he thought me worthy to hold his grandbaby. then he calls the rest of the family out to meet me. they are very nice. i ask the baby's mother if she has any pictures of the baby and she says she's got only one. so i begin snapping away and i told mrs. bigga that i'll gladly send copies of the pics to her so that they can have more pictures. they seemed to be really glad that i'd do this for them and grab a sheet of paper to write down their address.


me holding this precious angel. he's such a good baby and seems to be very content.


grand-daddy bigga with his pride and joy. i just love this pic!

Awesome so far, keep it coming!!!

my friend Lyn just got back from Ja too and she said it did nothing but rain! the holiday was hero day??? never heard of that one. I only have you beat by one trip,....this will be my 8th!!!! and 4th new years in a row!

ps you look like me when I'm in Jamaica, " GLOWING!"

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My anti-depressant: JAMAICA!!!

thanks dwell. it's easy to glow when you're in jamaica.

now if you don't know the story about annie palmer (the white witch) then check out this link. this mansion was built in the late 1700s and it was a sugar plantation that had 2,000 slaves. there's plenty of sex and scandal in this allegedly haunted house and it makes for an interesting read.
www.scaryplace.com/Jamaica.html

some inside photos:

more inside photos

one of the rooms where the murders took place.