My vacay in JA for 2006

So, the Gods smiled on us earlier this year and we ended up with an unexpected check. Initially we thought this check would have to go to the vehicle Gods since our car needed to be put to RIP despite its relatively new status. But all went well and we deposited a rather nice check into our savings account. I immediately began to figure out how to spend this money because it was burning a hole in my pocket. The hubby and I decided on a vacation. Would we go on a cruise, Disney or back to our homeland. I spent months combing the internet and then finally settled on us going back to our homeland for a week. We decided to go to the Franklyn D Resort http://www.fdrholidays.com/days.com/. This is the best decision ever. I toyed back and forth between going to this resort in Runaway Bay, Jamaica or its sister Pebbles in Trelawney. The sister was cheaper but something told me to opt for the pricier resort. I was not disappointed.

Paul and I had been exhausted for weeks. We’d spent the previous summer in home renovations which is the true test of any union. If you can live through having no kitchen and only one bathroom for weeks on end along with infernal dust, then you can live with just about anything. Then we went immediately into my huge 35th birthday party, the holidays and then into our son’s surgery and then the discovery that he had a speech disorder. With all of that, Paul is also a full-time student with a year and half to complete his IT degree. It was never a dull moment in the last year. So the opportunity to sit around and veg out with absolutely no aim in mind seemed too good to be true. I think I officially went of vacation by the 15th of June even though the plane wasn’t due to leave until the 22nd.

I’m a huge fan of 7 and 8 am flights because in my mind it leaves you with the entire day ahead of you once you arrive at your destination. Well, this was my plan. We got up at 4 am on Thursday morning, were out of the house by 5:15, stopped for breakfast at Dunkin Donuts and were at the park and Fly lot by 6 am. The little munchkin seemed really excited about this new routine even though I’d only told him 2 days before that he’d be going on a plane. We were among the first at the airport and our check-in went wonderfully and munchkin got to ride the escalators with Daddy before we went to sit and wait for boarding. We also had some friends who were flying down with us and they were on the same flight. There was much yakking in the departure lounge. Munchkin was highly fascinated with the departure lounge and even more so with the various computer terminals located at various areas for the use of airline employees. We had to keep preventing him from pressing buttons and touching things. I kept fearing that he would do something to shut down the airline or worse the airport itself.

Finally, we board the flight and munchkin gives us the special privilege of boarding early. We got on and settle in and all is well. It is now 7:45 and I’m certain that we’ll be departing on time. Ha! We close the doors, rev engines and then the engines die down again. The Captain comes on – apparently, some indicator light is not working and they have to make sure all is well because safety for us is their number one concern. Really? I’m now amused with a touch of ire. Why you ask? Because the plane has been sitting in Ft. Lauderdale since the previous day – they didn’t know the indicator light wasn’t working before? Where the heck are the maintenance guys? Paul and Chris (that’s our friend who’s on the flight with us ) are convinced the maintenance guys are playing dominoes and waiting to give somebody a 6-Love which is why they aren’t doing what they should be doing. Anyway, at 9 am, we are finally taxing down the runway to my wonderful vacation.

We stop in Kingston and then continue on to Montego Bay. We land and then get off the plane. I’m utterly surprised because it’s set up like Disneyworld. Two planes have come in relatively closely so there are now 400+ persons to get through immigration. So we spairal round and around and I will say that they moved with alarming speed and got us out very quickly. Our bags all arrive in a bunch and we line up to get through customs. Now there are 3 of us and we have a total of 7 bags (including hand luggage). The customs officer realzing we’re Jamaican wants to quiz me about what I’m bringing for friends and family. I look at him like he’s an idiot and simply reply, that if I’d wanted to bring things for friends and family, I wouldn’t have stayed at a resort that they had to come pay to see me. That seems to shut him up and we are on our merry way.

We get onto a bus and begin our leisurely trip from Montego Bay to Runaway Bay. It’s been years since I’ve been in this neck of the woods – not since 1999 so I’m really enjoying seeing everything. I’m most excited about seeing the highway but unfortunately for me most of what I’m traveling on is backroads and only a partially constructed highway. Can’t wait to get back to see it when it’s done. I’d forgotten how picturesque my island is. I loved seeing the old buildings, the way we are so creative in our signage and everything else. I saw the most wonderful church in Trelawney and I promise myself that Paul and I will renew our vows there – it was too quaint for words. I saw one that I loved at the top of a hill, but alas it was without roof and quite a few windows, I gather from the hurricanes last year.

It was quite a rollicking ride and we traversed over white marl roads, some severe potholes and braved the drivers more daring than our tame bus driver who thought nothing of overtaking double stacked cars with oncoming traffic. The first time I saw this, I smiled. I was home. The drive took us around 2 hours because our driver stopped to allow us a drink and potty break. Along the way we passed the Ritz Carlton – hmm, maybe Paul and I will try this resort for a weekend since it’s highly unlikely we’ll be able to afford anything more. We finally got to the resort in the early afternoon and what awaited us was the yummiest fruit punch I’d tasted in a while. I drank many a glass before our porter took us to our room. Now by room, I don’t mean room or suite, I mean apartment. Now this was the way to live. Our home away from home was a one bedroom apartment complete with full bathroom, living, dining and kitchen. It must have been around 900+ square feet because it seemed to be the size of my first apartment. It was just as lovely as online and I couldn’t’ have been happier. We settled in and in minutes were changed and poolside or were we having lunch. I forget because everything blended into one long wonderfully slumberous week.

For the next few days, Paul and I wouldn’t really do very much constructive with our days. We would get up, head to breakfast then allow Tris to spend time in the pool or down by the beach having a great time. I would either hang with them or head back to the room to read and relax. Tristan wasn’t exactly fond of his nanny not because he didn’t like her but because she took him to do things like arts and crafts when he really just wanted to bask in the pool and become as black as the ace of spade – a task which he accomplished quite admirably. Late mornings to lunch and after lunch were spent by the bar. I never thought of myself as a barfly but boy I knew each and every bartender. I would begin drinking by 10 am and this would continue until at least 9 at night. Each night we slept like logs because we were not only sun drunk but also more than a mite tipsy.

Of course it was great hanging out at the Bar by the pool since this was the hub of activity at the resort. Everyone eventually had to come by the bar and so you got to know everybody or at least become familiar with the faces. I cannot say enough about Evral Brown or Miguel, our wonderful bartenders. Stacian, Annmarie and another chap weren’t bad, but those two guys made our entire vacation. You only have to tell them once what you drink and they never forget. They also introduced us to many other tropical delights which I’d never sampled. I really do think that these two guys really helped to “make” the vacation for Paul and I. We had one aim in mind which was to relax, relax and relax some more and boy did we ever.

It was also FIFA Word Cup 2006 and the Jamaica like the rest of the world had World Cup fever. It was great to see everyone rooting for their teams and to bask in the atmosphere of joviality and light hearted ribbing. Like clockwork the electricity would go off each afternoon. I’d forgotten about this – JPS (the Jamaica Power Service) engaged in something called load shedding. Quite simply power is shifted from one area to another throughout the day to help best maximize power utilization. For example, power to residential neighborhoods is shut down during the day and moved to the business areas so that they could utilize the power, it then shifted power back to residential areas at night so that people had power at home in the evenings. It’s quite a good system and one that first-world countries could benefit from. It means you get to minimize your oil consumption. Shutting down the power also had the net effect of driving everyone to the pool bar since it still had power complete with fans and television.

The meals were the best. I thought that I’d eat like a pig. Each morning I had a choice between cooked specialties, eggs made to order plus cereals, porridge, fruit and a wide assortment of pastries. I took advantage of everything. By the time the grill got cracking at 10:30 or so, I’d be nibbling on fries and then for lunch, I always stuck to meat with light salads and fruit since I knew that come dinner stuff it would be another gastronomic fest. I must admit that I was very conservative with my eating because I spent so much of the day drinking that I very often simply couldn’t stuff that much. Fortunately for munchkin, there were pastas of every variety and he just kept enjoying it day after day. Two evenings we actually sat out on the pier for dinner and it was so nice. I sat right by the waters edge and just thrilled to the sounds of the waves crashing on the rocks. One evening when my girlfriend and munchkin’s godmommy – Bridgie – came by we did go to the adult only restaurant for dinner – it was Italian night and I had lamb. I’m not normally a lamb fan, but it was quite scrumptious. I’d be lying if I said that I had any meal that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy.

I also loved whipping out my resort wear. I spent many a day in my beach cover up (which Paul hates and I love). Then in the evenings I’d wear strappy numbers and slippers with long skirts, it was quite nice. For the final evening, we did attend the cocktail party put on by management and I made sure to scrub up real good. Whipped out my long ponytail and wore a black halter number. I was looking quite sophisticated if I say so myself. Munchkin again spent the night with his nanny but we rescued him early and he was only too glad to leave. I have no idea what the nightlife is like at the resort because I was usually asleep between 9 and 10. I’ve woken up a few nights to hear people singing, laughing and dancing the night away but I could think of nothing better than curling up with both my guys and going to sleep. I’d not felt that relaxed in ages.

Paul had asked me before we arrived at FDR, if they had a spa and I’d told him no, I didn’t think so. Clearly I was mistaken because they very much did have one and what a spa it was. Most people when they think of going to spa think of a huge glass and marble establishment with impersonal staff who do their job and you waltz away. The Sea Grape spa has a small office behind the gift shop where they do manicures, pedicures, hair and other functions. However, if you take a step outside and stroll down a pier, you’ll then end up at their massage and body scrub facility. WOW! It’s a small room with a bed and a full view of the ocean bathed in an ocean breeze. You strip, lie on the bed and cover at which point you are slathered in lavender oil and treated to the world’s best massage. My masseuse has hands of God. She was wonderful. Paul did have a full body massage at the Sea Grape Spa but I only did one for the neck, back and shoulders. You also have the joy of seeing the nude beach for the Breezes Resort. Not bad at all. FDR guests are allowed to use that beach if they’d like.

I had another friend come to visit me and we sat and chatted for hours – she told me as she hugged me when she was leaving that she missed me already – I knew the feeling. Sometimes you just meet and connect with someone and you don’t know why. She is so like me it’s alarming. I look at her and see myself at a younger age. Not as I was when I was her age, just who I am now, just younger. Yeah, I know it’s confusing, but hey, it is what it is. We are married to men who are so similar it is scary. But because I have some years on her, we handle them differently – both of us with varying levels of success and failure. I’ve had two people say that they think she’s bossy and she is; but I understand why she has to be. There are phases in your life when sometimes you simply need to take up the reigns and push forward. She’s a pusher, a fighter, a survivor and a woman who has a clear knowledge of who she is, what she’s about and what she needs to do. I love women like that. Her success in life will never be in question. I’m sure that she’ll mellow with time as we all do.

The 5 days passed all too quickly and I couldn’t believe when I began packing up to return. On Sunday, instead of attending church like a good little island girl, I was once again esconced by the pool with a glass in hand. I did end up doing some swimming with munchkin which led to us coming in second to the only pool game we participated in – Name that Tune. We won a bottle of Coconut Rum which will go wonderfully with anything I plan to put it with. We’d spent the Monday shopping at the gift shop which though small did have quite a few selections that I liked. Munchkin got many t-shirts and I got many candles – my favorite being the Ride Natty Ride candle which is sandalwood. Simply divine.

It would be remiss of me however to end my blog without saying something about the horrific accident that happened in Kingston a few days after we arrived. Bridgie lost a friend in the accident and it seems like a senseless waste of two lives. We are guaranteed nothing on this earth and we must all take responsibility for our actions and live each day to the fullest and with our best heart and soul and intensions forward. I feel sorry that his wife will no longer be able to hold him and that he will never hold the child he left at a mere 5 days old. I also grieve for the other young man who lost his life. But the person I grieve most for is Ian’s mother since she not only lost a son but must forever carry the burden that her son was the instrument of someone else’s son’s death. As a mother I can think of no greater sorrow or guilt. I’m sure knowing of the many blogs, message boards and pictures that are circulating of the accident and casting blame cannot help to stem the flow of grief. May God be with them all as they take the journey of mourning hopefully to exit with a stronger soul on the other side.

Yet on the flipside of all this, Bridgie got to witness the depth of human feeling as she came down to visit me. A huge accident meant that she had to take a detour which she knew nothing of. God put two angels in her path. One a bicycle man who found someone she could follow into Runaway Bay – a man who was considerate of her grief and her need to pee. We must always be grateful when we realize that not all people have lost their humanity.

So at the end of my vacation, I began to get depressed as I contemplated my return to reality because paradise is so much better. Apparently everything was going to be designed to bring me back to a state of tension as quickly as possible. Our flight was at 11:30 so we were told to be ready to head out of the resort by 7:30 – the bus didn’t arrive until 8. But the driver was quite hospitable and drove us quite briskly to where we needed to be including a stop for drinks and a potty break. Here I experienced price gouging at it’s best. We paid $12 for 3 sodas and 3 bags of chips and yes that would be in US. But hey, we’re at the end of our vacation so who’s counting.

Along the way a truck carrying marl and stones has turned over blocking the entrance to a resort. It’s all part of the lure of the islands. We get to the airport and join the never ending line for Air Jamaica. With the volume of people waiting, they should have had double the staff working. But hey, I’m in Jamaica when are these things ever what they should be. So we wait and take our time moving our bags in the spiral line once again a la Disney. An announcement is made and Paul goes to ask one of the Air Jamaica staff members what was said since it’s so muffled. She mumbles her response with her back to him. Paul stalks off pissed because he can’t figure out why she’s having so much trouble doing her job. I remind him once again that we are back in JA. The porter who carried our bags is now yelling that Air Jamaica is the worst airline ever since they don’t seem to be providing very much service to the over 200 patrons standing in line.

Finally someone pulls us out the line because we have a young ‘un and checks us in at the now empty First class check in area. I’m checking on 5 pieces. Each piece weights between 10 and 35 lbs. One piece is 56 lbs, I’m told that I need to pay for the 6lbs overweight. Feeling very annoyed about this piece of stupidity, I hand her the credit card and then realize that as much as I love my island home, I can no longer live here. Customer service is non existent. We get to Customs and the idiot there is scrutinizing our passport like he works for Interpol. He’s studying my face and then Paul’s. He then asks me to pick up Tristan so he could see his face and I really wanted to tell his scrawny ass to get up and look over because he is a poor excuse for Inspector Gadget; but I hold my tongue and lift up Tris and plonk him back down. He looks at me like he couldn’t see his face and I calmly told him that my child weights close to 50lbs and I don’t plan to hold him endlessly while he peruses his face. I think he got my message loud and clear because he quickly stamped our passports and I was on my way. I just hate these government types who think they are some superior being because somebody put epallets on their shirts.

We stopped and purchased our liquor looking in vain for a Jamaica themed swimsuit for our neice. We then went upstairs and calmly waited for our flight to board. This again was another fiasco. I really need the Florida Air J staff to go and train the staff in Montego Bay because there is no need for this level of disorganization. After much pushing and shoving by idiotic travllers, we finally board the plane…not only are we in Row 34 – which is the back of the plane, but we have a munchkin so we are among the first to board. Sitting in front of us is Mr. Lothario and his Spanish girlfriend. He’s distraught because Tristan is kicking him in his back and actually asked me to have him stop – I wanted to ask him if he’d taken a plane at 3 and probably kicked somebody in the back too and that he should just build a bridge and get over it. His girlfriend I believe was looking at him like the idiot I believed him to be and all the other older folk are looking at him like – “buddy, get real, he’s a baby and that’s what babies do”, but hey, he’s entitled. I’ve been kicked several times when children sit behind me – it’s the nature of the game, but hey he was having issues so I voiced that I was going to ask the flight attendant to move him to the seat across the aisle that had no children behind him. He moved himself without my having to ask. Thank God.

I knew I was returning to reality when instead of getting a lovely meal on the plane as I had had on my way to Jamaica, I instead received a cup of soda and a bag of cheddar crackers. The return to reality was really too sudden. But we exited the airport relatively easily, picked up our bags and headed to my in-laws to pick up Paul’s textbooks which he’d had shipped there. We then continued home after having dinner of Boston Market. Bad idea. The next day Paul and I spent a horrendous 15 hours with food poisoning and have vowed never to grace Boston Market again. My return to reality is now complete.

I’m now looking at our budget and trying to figure out how to do this all over again next year. Can’t wait!