Exploring

This weekend was Easter – a well needed break from reality and the office. I decided against staying out of town for the weekend, too much things going on in my life that I had to stay in town for. However, I compromised with day trips.

Friday was a girl’s trip to Portland. I would show the pictures from that day but I might get killed by my friends. So instead, these are from my trip to Portland the previous week – the first is Blue Lagoon which I hadn’t been to in years. It’s been shut for ages but now Micheal Lee Chin has bought it so who knows what will happen there…  The second is of the Errol Flynn Marina in Port Antonio, I love that place – I just need to win the lotto so I can have a boat there!

And then on Monday, I decided to drag the man on an adventure in the hills. Someone had told me that supposedly Chincona gardens are very nice. And that you can get there without too much difficulty. Well, he has a 4-whell drive so off we went. We turned off the main road (the road with bits missing on a steep hillside) and onto a less major road (one without tarmac) and then onto one that really is a track… 

 

And eventually we reached the gardens without too many scratches on his car… And the gardens were beautiful otherwise I’d have been in big trouble. And I proved my domesticity by making us a lovely picnic to eat there!

 

 And then we had fun on the way from the gardens as the roads didn’t get any better. We’d decided to attempt a circular route as we were aiming for a guest house to spend the night in. Things got very interesting when we met a car going the other way

 

I laughed a lot after we had finally reversed far enough so that they could pass us on the small patch of flat land we foudn and we saw that the car had in a guy and his girlfriend. Obviously she and I had had the same plan – take our men out for a nice day – without really knowing what we were getting into.  All I have to say is that my man obviously loves me to follow me in my mad schemes and I guess her man is the same!

But it was a very pretty day, and reminded me how lucky we are to live in a country with so much variety – I love the hills.

 

At the end of the day, we made it to our destination – Star Light Chalets and it was definitely worth it. The place was so quiet and peaceful that we spent the evening listening to the river with a bottle of wine. Only an hour from Kingston on the ‘direct’ route, but a different world.

 

Highly recommended for anyone in need of a break!

Unloved

Due to circumstances beyond my control (such as excess work and lack of internet), I haven’t posted in nearly 2 weeks. And I am now feeling very unloved. Not one person asked me how I was during that time or when I would be back. I could have been dying and you all wouldn’t have noticed. Not nice!

But anyway, on a completely different note, some people in the real world do love me. I went to a wedding at the weekend of a girl who I was good friends with in Prep School. Which means that I have known here for nearly 25 years! Life has taken us in opposite directions recently but it was nice to be there and see her get married.

And as is tradition, she threw her bouquet at the end of the evening, and all us ‘unmarried’ had to go out and try to catch it. I tried to avoid going up, but the people I was sitting with wouldn’t let that happen. So I stood at the back of the group, thinking “I’ve known her from the days that there were 16 girls in our class, which meant 2 netball teams and me and her sat on the side chatting. She couldn’t thrown then, she won’t be able to throw now.” But I was wrong. She gave it one hell of a throw, all the way round to the back and I automatically put up my hands to prevent it hitting my face and caught it.

So now I have a question for you – does it actually happen that the person who catches it marries next or is that just a tale?! As if it’s true, then I’d better sit down the man and have a talk with him!

On another completely different note, this is the point to stop reading if you are like Gela. I’m off to Jazz tomorrow!! I am flying down as soon as work finishes to meet the man down there and to have a fab weekend. I know the line up doesn’t look amazing, but that’s irrelevant to me – I just love any live music and the atmosphere at Jazz is always brilliant. I’m just hoping that it goes better than last year… otherwise there will be no chance of the bouquet prophecy coming true!

Tuesday blues

I’m slightly tired this morning. Yesterday was the birthday of one of my friends and hence celebrations were in order, in the form of a meal with lots of laughter and cake. The weekend wasn’t overly restful either so put the two together and there is one tired Kingston Girl sat at her desk. Added to which, I feel like I’m coming down with a nasty cold.

When I sat at my desk, I opened my emails and found a lovely long email from one of my friends who has just got back from 2 weeks in India (by got back, I mean she is now back at her UN post in some war-torn country…), complete with photos of the Taj Mahal etc. And next in line was an email from my brother who is currently on holiday in Brazil. Grrr, I’m jealous now. I’m sat here feeling bad and get to hear about your fabulous trips? Good for you – but please take me with you next time!

Well, I suppose I’ll just have to daydream about my next planned trip out of Kingston – Jazz and Blues is coming up at the end of this month! I’ve got a room sorted, tickets lined up and a flight down booked. And my skin is looking forward to sleeping in some sun in the days.

 So – who else is going? Do we need to prefect our secret handshake plan before then?!

Negril

Well, I went to Negril at the weekend but only used my camera for boring work photos (I had to be there for a church service on the Sunday morning – so that was used as a good excuse to get the man to take me for the whole weekend to Negril). But as you all sounded so excited about Negril (I can’t belive how many of the Jamaicans commenting haven’t been there in ages), I dug up some photos from the last time I was there this summer for your enjoyment!

 

 The cliffs. You can just see Ricks Cafe in the distance, which has been completely redone since Ivan and now looks like a Margueritaville. Don’t believe the hype, there are lots better places on the cliffs to have your drink while the sun sets.

The beach. Perfect as usual. This time I didn’t stay at my usual place on the main beach but stayed at the new Riu on what used to be Bloody Bay. It was kinda sad as I remember Bloody Bay from the days when it was all open to anyone and was a kinda overgrown wonderland. Now it is all-inclusive paradise (or hell – depends on your viewpoint!).  However, the hotel was nice, well designed etc. But I know why it is at the cheaper end of the all-inclusives… no room service, real rock instead of red stripe beer and the worst wine I’ve had in ages!

I can just about manage the transition back to Kingston, although work on Monday morning was hard. But the transition is made easier as this weekend I’m going for a girls weekend in Ochi – bring it on!!!

Why did I have to come back?

I woke up this morning, still hoping to be in Treasure Beach. I opened my eyes and couldn’t see the sea through windows that covering most of the bedroom walls. There was no smell of coffee in the air and I couldn’t hear the pelicans hitting the water as they dived for their breakfast. I was back.

And to make it worse, the school year begins this week which means that traffic was back on the road. And that cold that had disappeared in the fresh air and sunshine? It was back as well.

But at least I have some good memories of my weekend. A gorgeous villa, complete with a private beach and a veranda with a fabulous view of deserted coast line. Good company – we’ve managed to come out of our first weekend away together feeling happy. Excellent food.

But the good weekend does mean that I now have to do some serious thinking – can I really picture my life with a man 18 years older than me?? If so, then I suppose I’d better upgrade him and find him a new name!

Why is it that…

… I am going away for the weekend to Treasure Beach and I wake up this morning with a bad cold?

Grrrrr

I’ve had some medicine, am drinking lots of green tea and orange juice and hoping that lying in the sun will cure it quickly!

Weekend Break

Sorry I haven’t posted – I’ve been away from computers. I’ve been in Negril. Well, I suppose there are computers in Negril, I just choose not to use them!

Negril was busy this weekend as it was a public holiday, Monday was Independence Day. and to celebrate this great occassion, a group of young entrepreneurs comes together to thrown 10 parties in 4 days, occasions for rich kids to drink all they want, make lots of noise and party in their bikins! I restrained myself and didn’t go to a single party – I was too busy sleeping in the sun in the days to go anywhere and too busy sleeping after the sun in the evenings to move. And when I did feel energetic, I had my new camera to play with… results of which playing are shown above!

However, after three days of sunsets and rum punches with three happily married couples looking cozy and me saton my own, I need reminding of the joys of being unmarried! So any ideas on this subject would be gratefully received…

More hours in the day

Negril was excellent. Slept, ate, sunbathed and walked up and down the beach. And that was about it. Just what was needed.

So now am back in Kingston and am counting down desperately to the end of the school term. I must be getting old – I used to dislike the start of the summer holidays as I got so envious, I wanted 2 months off.

Now, I look forward to it with great joy. For it means 2 months of hardly any traffic on the road. I gain an extra hour a day as that is how much my commute is cut by. I can’t wait!

Now all I have to do is decide what to do with that extra hour – any suggestions?

A quick post…

Just to say that I am off to Negril for the weekend!!! A quiet weekend (with the parents!) on an excellent beach with good food …. just what I need right now.

And one of my collegues just gave me two perfect looking mangos so i can take them down with me and eat them in the sea – excellent.

anyway, better go – have a (very small and slightly dodgy) plane to catch.

Have a good weekend!

Brief summaries

Life has been busy – that tends to be the case when I am not posting. It also means that lots of things have been going on which would make intersting stories, but unfortunately all I have time for now is some very brief highlights!! I went on a Jamaica Geographical Society trip the other week to the Goat Islands. It actually was more of an ‘expedition’, complete with ancient ruins, smuggling routes, getting lost in a forest, finding our way out with GPS and being rescued by boats. Excellent time was had by all, with the day ending in a fish place with well earnt cold red stripes. Was on retreat this weekend with a group of young people. It was at an all-inclusive hotel complete with ‘authentic jamaican entertainment’, i.e. Peter the Fire Man. Hmmm, always amusing and our young peopel joined in the fun! We also had a session on HIV / AIDS awareness, complete with a fake vagina – never seen one of those before. Next week I’m off to the Bahamas for work which would be great aside from the amount of crap we have to do to get ready for it – I hate paperwork so if I see another claim form for a per diem, I am going to scream. So I had better go and rescue myself from a pile of paper which is attacking me… if you don’t hear from me for a while, it’s because I’ve drowned!