TravelStream™ news feed for member dragon762 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/dragon762 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 29 Apr 2007 23:42:26 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177814700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177814700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177814700/tpod.html Sun, 29 Apr 2007 23:42:26 -0400 Island Time - Couple Swept Away, Jamaica

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Pittsboro, North Carolina, United States

It was 5:00 and I was on the Veranda stretching and getting my mind right for flying home. The sun was rising and the light was glistening off the water. I hated to leave, but I was excited about going home also. I guess all great vacations end that way.

We had to put the bags out for pickup by 6:00 and the bus left for the airport at 7:00. There were four couples leaving on the Charlotte flight and we were riding to the airport together. We checked out and went to the restaurant for coffee while waiting for the bus. The photographers doing the swim wear shoot were already there planning their day.

On the ride to the airport I got several great pictures of the Jamaican countryside. We traveled with the coast on one side of the road and the mountains on the other. The mountains were topped with huge villas and the poor people live on the flat land. At least in this area of Jamaica there does not seem to be much of a middle class.

The trip home was long and slow. We were up shortly after 5:00 in the morning and did not get to our car at RDU into 6:05 in the afternoon. The total time the airplane was in the air was three hours and twenty-five minutes. It was another day of standing in queues, lost baggage, found baggage, and a lot of sitting and waiting.

It was good to be home, but there will be more adventures in the near future!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177727940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177727940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177727940/tpod.html Sun, 29 Apr 2007 23:16:48 -0400 Island Time - Couple Swept Away, Jamaica

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Negril, Jamaica

This was our last day of fun at Couples. We rose early and had our coffee and fruit in the room. I had finished Wednesday & Thursday's blog entries, so we went to the internet café and uploaded them before breakfast. We had breakfast at the Patio and ordered Banana stuffed French Toast. WOW ... we will have to find the recipe.

We hit the beach early and Miss Judy was talking to the lady who had sat near us on the beach all week. In the morning she would come out in a one piece bathing suit and work on her cross stitch and in the afternoon she would put on her bikini and go topless most of the afternoon. Our chairs were beside the area where they had the beach weddings. Sometimes the photographers would ask her and a few others to put on their tops while they took the wedding pictures.

Miss Judy found out the ladies cross stitch was of her Pekinese had died after she had him for 14 years. She had a picture of the dog she used for color matching and a patterned printed on the matt that was made from the photograph. She and her husband were from Los Vegas and had been coming to Swept Away for years.

There were weddings about every hour, so the grounds crew stayed busy. They would water the sand in the wedding area and then rake it smooth. Most of the couples dressed for the beach. Sarong type dresses and the guys would wear Lenin pants and white Hawaiian style shirts. Some couple wore the traditional wedding regalia, with one girl wearing her four inch heels.

The couple from Las Vegas always came to the beach early and reserved one of the palm frond topped beach umbrellas. We never got to the beach early enough to get one. The couple came over to us early in the afternoon and said they had to leave for the rest of the day, so we moved our things under the roof. It makes a real difference to be able to get out of the sun for a few minutes. Romaine would bring our drinks and we would sit in the shade for a while. We would then sit in the sun until we got hot and then swim until we were ready to start the routine over again. We found it was a really nice way to spend our last afternoon on the beach.

The sunset tonight was the best of our trip. There were a few clouds low on the horizon and they made purple and black streaks across the red setting sun. I was taking pictures from the veranda and I was able to steady the camera on the rail and get really nice shots even after the outdoor lighting was coming on to illuminate the palms.

Friday night is Beach Party night. They set up an unbelievable spread of food on the beach. Huge ice sculptures, tiki torches, and six hundred of your closest friends. The food was outstanding as it had been at every other meal. We had jerk chicken, pork, beef and sausage fresh off the grill. Tables were full of Caribbean vegetable dishes, fruits, and deserts.

We met a couple from Las Angeles who were married the past week, and a couple from Alabama who were there for the honeymoon also. The Alabama couple were both insurance adjusters who were working in Mississippi after Katrina. The guy was from Fayetteville, and happened to hear us say we were from North Carolina.

There was live entertainment with a steel band, singing, dancers, contortionists, and fire breathers. Skippy and the others on the entertainment crew were dressed as pirates and really worked the crowd. It was a great way to end our days at Couples.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177597740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177597740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177597740/tpod.html Fri, 27 Apr 2007 10:38:11 -0400 Island Time - Couple Swept Away, Jamaica

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Negril, Jamaica

We arose to another beautiful sunrise. It is quiet, peaceful, and cool. We sat on the veranda and waited for our coffee to arrive. Miss Judy had a tennis lesson at 8:30, before it gets to hot. I am planning to go back to yoga at 10:00.

Shortly after 7:00 the photography crew is back on the beach and they are shooting swim suits and sports wear. The bathing suits are still very JC Penny looking. I thought they were using a vacuum cleaner for a prop at one point, but it turned out to be a small beach chair turned sideways to my view. The photographers are the prima donnas, they have people scurrying to get fresh cameras, adjust lighting, pose the model, touch up makeup, and other things I can not understand. It sounded like they are speaking German. We saw them again when we were on the beach, and they were speaking English with some accent.

We stayed in the sun for several hours today. Miss Judy missed several spots with her sun screen and now has her Jamaican sunburn. Usually I am the one that burns, but I went to the tanning salon several times before we left on our trip. It started raining about 4:00, so we came back to our room. We did a quick shower and nap so that we could prepare for dinner.

Dinner was a private affair on the beach. We had a table near the water surrounded by tiki torches. There was a private walkway lined with candles and flowers in the sand. It was a five course dinner with steak, seafood, and all the trimmings. Our private waitress was named Tamica, and she said that she was singing in the Couple talent show tonight. The food and the atmosphere were great.

The talent show had performers from all parts of the Couples staff, as well as several guests. Our friend Skippy performed as Whitney Huston and we did not know it was him until he pulled of his wig at the end of his act. Tamica sang, and she was by far the best singer. The audience called her back for an encore.

Another beautiful day in Jamaica!!!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177510500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177510500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177510500/tpod.html Fri, 27 Apr 2007 10:28:55 -0400 Island Time - Couple Swept Away, Jamaica

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Negril, Jamaica

Coffee and fruit delivered to the room again this morning. We were going to be busy in the afternoon with the Catamaran ride. On our way down the beach to eat breakfast, I noticed they were doing a swim suit photography shoot on the beach. Unfortunately I think it was for JC Penny's and not Sports Illustrated. The models were nothing special.

We went to the breakfast buffet again this morning. I had the French toast with pineapple syrup, smoked salmon, and Jamaican bacon. Miss Judy had the French toast, bacon, fruit, and some type of cold cereal somewhat like oat meal.

We returned to our room and hit the beach early. I had reserved our seats by putting towels in a couple of chairs in a prime location just outside our building. Our chairs were about 40 feet from the area on the beach where they do weddings. Sure enough, at 10:00 am there was a wedding starting. There had a short ceremony and played some slow Reggae music as they were leaving the beach. The first song ended, and the second song started. It was the first time I heard "I Shot the Sheriff" as wedding music.

The sun was blazing hot so we spent a lot of time in the water. We missed out on the iced towels, but they did bring everyone chilled fruit kabobs. There was a good wind, and the water was choppy. The jet skis, water skiers, and parasailers were getting a good ride. We kept Romaine busy bringing water and ice.

We did a late buffet for lunch. The lunch buffet includes all kinds of food and is very good. We found the food in the large restaurants better then the smaller ones that required reservations. I think some people like them just for the snob appeal of requiring reservations and having to dress up a bit.

We discovered that there was a fashion show in the restaurant while we had lunch. It was members of the entertainment staff and a few guests. They were modeling sports wear and swim suits from the gift shops. The first person on the catwalk was our friend Skippy. He seems to be at the center of almost everything. After the show he stopped by and told us it was his day off, but he came by just to do the fashion show.

I started raining as we were leaving the restaurant. We rushed back to our chairs, as we had left our books and towels there. The books survived, but the towels were soaked. Miss Judy headed for the room and I exchanged the wet towels for dry.

We took a quick shower and watched the rain. It was after 3:00 and the Catamaran ride was to start at 4:00. The rain turned into a rapid succession of thunder showers, so we decided to pass on the Catamaran ride. We saw the boat pull out from the beach a few minutes later, and it on had 6-10 people aboard. We were just as happy to take a long nap until dinner time.

We woke up refreshed and headed out to the internet café before dinner. We loaded the blog entries for the past couple of days, along with a few pictures of things we did each day. With the rain, almost every seat was full in the internet room.

We had diner at the Palms. Miss Judy had the shrimp cocktail, salad and strip steak. I had the crab cakes and seared Marlin. On the salad bar I found a mixture mango and seared marlin. We ended the meal with cherry cheesecake and coffee.

After the meal, the entertainment started. Tonight's entertainment was a troop of traditional Jamaican dancers. They showed the history of Jamaican dance and how it related to their history. They were very good and delivered a high energy performance.

There was to be a bonfire on the beach at 11:00, and we left the restaurant about 10:30. There was a ring of lounge chairs around the pile of wood, and we thought we would sit and wait for the fire. The chairs and mats were soaking wet from the heavy rains earlier. We decided we did not want to stand a wait, so we went back to our room.

They canceled the Wednesday night naked shagging competition; we had been practicing for months. It is probably for the best as our costumes got soaked earlier in the day. I worked on the blog, Miss Judy read her book, and we sat on the veranda and listened to the waves. Even with the rain and no catamaran ride it was another great day.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177460940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177460940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177460940/tpod.html Wed, 25 Apr 2007 20:39:26 -0400 Island Time - Couple Swept Away, Jamaica

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Negril, Jamaica

We awake to the sounds of the surf and the chatter of the beach workers arranging the lounge chairs and raking the sand before the guests get to the beach. Our room service coffee and fruit arrive, and we plan the day. We want to try the breakfast at the Palms and see how they prepare the food. I pick the fried plantains and French toast with syrup that has fresh fruit mixed into it. Miss Judy has the French toast, fried plantain and bacon, pineapple/guava juice and of course, we both had Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. The food was delicious.

We went to yoga and tennis at 10:00. I had a great time but Miss Judy has a real ass for an instructor. We went to the sports bar for our cool down smoothie and started chatting with a couple there. They were in the military, stationed at Camp LeJeune and had just gotten married on Saturday. They were in their late thirties, she was a Navy nurse and he was a Navy doctor. They met in Iraq. While we were talking a young couple walked up and said they were from North Carolina and had been married on Saturday also. Both of them graduated from NC State in 2005. The bride was from Sanford, and actually knew where Pittsboro is located. We had been telling most people we were from Raleigh, as that is the best known NC city since it is the capital.

We lounged on the beach and it started to rain a bit. Even though it was a quick shower, we decided to stroll down to the Cabana Café for lunch. On our way we saw workers removing ferns and planting new plants at the altar on the beach where weddings are held. I had the Jerk Chicken and Miss Judy had a cheeseburger. As usual the food was outstanding.

There were intermittent showers with bits of sun, so we just lounged on the beach and enjoyed whatever was happening. It only rained hard for a few minutes, and the sun came out while it rained. There were a lot of wimps that ran for cover, but we just stood there underneath an almond tree until it eased up.

Tonight we viewed the spectacular sunset from our veranda. There is a very short window of time in which to view it, about 15 minutes, during which it goes from bright sunlight and becomes golden orange as it sinks toward the horizon. From this vantage point, we had palms in the foreground.

After a shower and a bit of rest, I typed up more of the blog and went to the internet café to call home and put in our blog entries. Since it is in the same building we went to the Patois Patio for dinner. Miss Judy had grilled Cajun chicken and walnut bread pudding. I had the grilled grouper with Sweet Potato Bacon hash. It was outstanding. I have never tasted potatoes or bacon like them before.

Tonight's entertainment was an international revue held at the Palms. Not only does Skippy arrange the entertainment, he seems to enjoy it as much as anybody else, dancing with staff and guests alike, showing them a few moves of his own, although he said he usually puts in 16 hour days. However, for a young, unattached guy, it seems to be the life!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177373640/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177373640/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177373640/tpod.html Wed, 25 Apr 2007 20:28:22 -0400 Island Time - Couple Swept Away, Jamaica

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Negril, Jamaica

Another beautiful morning in Jamaica. Blue mountain coffee, fresh fruit, and baked goods delivered to the room. They told us about the botanical tour during orientation and we plan to attend this morning.

The tour was conducted by an employee on the grounds staff by the name of Fitzroy. He was a quiet spoken young man who had incredible knowledge of the plants on the resort. He showed us most of the 72 different types of palm trees on the property, along with at least a hundred other plants ranging from ferns to Jamaican apple trees.

The tour lasted two hours and we met a couple from the UK who talked with us during much of the hike. We ended our tour near the sports complex, so we and the other couple ordered fruit smoothies at the sports bar.

While we were at the sports complex I checked on the Yoga classes and Miss Judy signed up for a tennis lesson. The sports complex covers 10 acres and is the largest in the Caribbean. They have 5 clay courts, 5 hard courts, lap pool, squash, racquetball, exercise machines, exercise rooms, spa (with every type of message and treatment you can name), sports bar, and full sauna and steam room facilities.

We spent the early afternoon on the beach. The bar staff makes continuous rounds and bring any type of drink you want as well as water and ice. Romaine works our section of the beach and does an excellent job. They try to learn your names and do very well considering the number of people and the rapid turnover. For the first day we were Bob and Julie, but he soon had it straight.

The beach vendors roam up and down the each. They sell cigarettes, t-shirts, hats, carvings, music, etc. The resort has guards at each end of the property and in the center. It is a public beach along the water line, but up the beach is private. If anyone ventures too far from the water line or looks like they are trying to sell ganja they are encouraged to move along.

The beaches are not nude, but anything short of that is allowed and encouraged. There is a large contingent of Europeans so the topless sun bathing and thongs abound. I never know they made bathing suits that would fit into the cap from a bottle of water with room left over. Of course I have to admit that most of the women wearing these suits do not need that much material to cover their breasts and bottom.

One young American girl who was a white as a Russian (she and her husband may have been Russian for that matter) shyly removed her top and finally was comfortable enough to walk to the water and swim with her husband. They were not back on the beach later in the week and either returned home or were burned to a crisp.

The sun in Jamaica is VERY hot. Even at 7:00 it is hot. The air temperature is not bad (low to mid 80s) but the sunshine makes your skin feel like it is burning after just a few minutes. You have a drink, go for a swim, wait to feel hot again, and then start the process over again. You have to make at least half of your drinks water or you will dehydrate and pass out.

At 4:00 we went for our tennis and yoga lessons. I walked into the exercise building and the instructor was there loosening up. Soon there were 5 petite young women who joined us. I weigh about 240 pounds, and I think I accounted for almost half the weight in the room. I think I surprised the instructor when I could do all of the postures except the ones that require extreme knee flexibility. I have enough cartilage damage to make those moves impossible. She was working us very hard and I was sweating out an afternoon's worth of tequila.
Miss Judy's (as my wife is fondly known, even by an airport employee checking her passport and a staff member here) tennis lesson went well also, and we both wanted to come back the next day. We had another fruit smoothie in the sports bar, and relaxed there for a while.

Dinner was at Lemongrass, which is an authentic Thai restaurant. When they say some of the dishes are hot, you better listen. Their hot and sour onion soup is VERY hot. The waitress was actually impressed that we could eat it. The entrees were excellent, and Miss Judy even learned to use chop sticks.

Tonight's entertainment was Ultimate Chocolate playing the Blazing Piano at the Aura Lounge. Guests crowd around the bar built around the baby grand or sit in the many comfortable chairs and love seats placed around the room. We are given songbooks so that we can join in and actually know the words to sing, unlike Dueling Pianos or Rum Runners where we first enjoyed this type of entertainment. Talented guests (and a few not so talented) are encouraged to sing. One guy sang a love song to his bride, and a girl from the UK blew us all away with her voice. Many people tried to get a lovely girl from Denmark to sing, but she declined, saying she was afraid she would cry. The manager, a cute Jamaican girl, sang a little Reggae, and afterward she and Skippy danced several times. Toasts were made to newlyweds and those of us celebrating our anniversaries. We weren't the oldest ones there after all, as another couple was celebrating their 45th anniversary!

Another day in Paradise ends with us looking at the moon and listening to the ocean.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177295340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177295340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177295340/tpod.html Tue, 24 Apr 2007 22:42:41 -0400 Island Time - Couple Swept Away, Jamaica

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Negril, Jamaica

Our breakfast arrived about 7:00 Monday morning, and we had Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee and croissants on the verandah. After a leisurely meal we decided that I needed a bathing suit, flip flops and sunscreen to survive the day. There was a small shop on the beach just off the resort property. About 9:00 we walked to the shop to find the proprietor, a gentleman named Spiderman, smoking a joint and waiting for customers. I don't think most of his customers come to buy bathing suits, but he did have a few on a shelf. He wanted $20 for the suit, which was too ugly even for me. We ended up at one of the resort gift shops and bought a bathing suit, flip flops and sunscreen. They only wanted $15 for their suit, and it had the Swept Away logo.

At 10:00 we attended the orientation that we missed the day before. When we arrived,
a few minutes early (we thought), we were told that they had already left but maybe if we hurried we could catch up. Seeing our reaction, and that of the other people who arrived after we did, we realized this was our introduction to Skippy, the Activities Director, and that orientation would not be dull. He showed us the restaurants, where activities such as Blazing Pianos, Margarita Mixology, the Botanical Tour, tie dying, history of Jamaica, etc. would be held and endeared himself to us. We would find that he is a major player with a great sense of humor.

After shopping we went to Seagrapes for lunch, it is the veggie bar on the beach. We had sweet potato chips with pumpkin jalapeño dip and black bean hummus. I also ordered the grilled snapper with veggies. It was the only meat on the menu, but they to try to accommodate even us carnivores.

The beach is special. It is seven miles of sand about the color and consistency of sugar. We really enjoyed the beach. You could wade out about 50 yards and still be only waist deep, the waves were smaller than the boat wakes, and there is little tidal change.

When we came in from the beach, there was a message from American Express saying that my bag had been found and was on its way from the airport to the hotel. American Express really handled this whole problem very well for me.

We ate dinner at the Palms restaurant. My wife had the jerk chicken and I had the nut encrusted grouper. We finished the meal with orange Tiramusu and Jamaican coffee. On the way back to our building we met a couple from the UK and were discussing our meal. They had eaten at Lemongrass, which is the Thai restaurant, and at Feathers, the continental restaurant. These two restaurants require reservations, which we made the night of our arrival (pays to read the message board, as they book up days ahead). They said Feathers was a bit stuffy and the food was overcooked, so we cancelled our reservation for Feathers.

We went by the lobby to check on my missing bag, and it was sitting beside the desk. They were going to have it taken to my room, but I told them I could get it there myself. After all, I had to lug it to the airport.

We went to the internet café to use our laptop and Skype to call home. They have ten PCs for public use and provide wireless in that building. I did not want to put any personal information on their PCs so I opted for the wireless.

Overall, life is good. We are losing ourselves in Paradise and my prodigal bag has returned.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177461240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177461240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/couplessa-2007/1177461240/tpod.html Tue, 24 Apr 2007 22:29:40 -0400 Island Time - Couple Swept Away, Jamaica

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Negril, Jamaica

Island Time, that is how our adventure to celebrate our 35th anniversary in Jamaica started. Our anniversary is actually April 15th, but we took our time and started our trip on April 21st. Our flight was not until 9:00, but we arose at 4:45, drank coffee, showered, dressed and left for the airport at 6:00 AM.

At 7:00AM we were standing at the check-in and getting our boarding passes and checking our three bags (remember the number of bags, it will be important later). The printer spit out three baggage tags and two boarding passes. The two boarding passes were for the two legs of our flight, and only for me, and none for my wife. When he corrected the error 10 or 12 boarding passes printed. He sorted through them and stuffed them into a folder and herded us toward the security check.

The first person in the security gauntlet said that I had boarding passes for Raleigh to Charlotte and from there to Montego Bay, but my wife only had a boarding pass for Charlotte to Montego Bay. We scurry back to the US Airways check-in, shove ourselves to the front of the line and directly in front of the man who printed our boarding passes. He printed out another hand full of boarding passes, sorted through them, ripping several in half, and put FOUR into our folder.

Our flight to Charlotte was over sold, and they bribed two people to stay behind and wait for the next flight. We finally boarded the plane, took off, spent 20 minutes in the air, another fifteen minutes taxiing to gate and we were allowed to disembark into an active construction site some distance from the terminal. A gentleman in an orange vest led us through a maze of concrete, steel bars, orange cones, and ultimately though a door marked "DO NOT ENTER". We are standing in the far corner of a communal seating area for all of the commuter flights in Charlotte. Our connecting flight takes off from a gate almost a mile away. Although our itinerary said we were scheduled to fly United, the flight turned out to be a US Air flight.

We endured a three hour flight with children who screamed for most of the flight, a row of old ladies talking simultaneously at the top of their lungs, and some other annoying people.

We landed in Paradise. Everything was good. A friendly airport worker pointed us to immigration and we started walking down a ramp. Montego Bay airport is not large, so I was expecting a short walk. My wife needed to use the restroom, and there had to be one nearby. We walked down several corridors more than 100 yards long, always ending with a sharp turn and a sign with an arrow pointing to immigration. At least ½ of the airport is a corridor that leads to immigration. Near the end is a pair of bathrooms with a large group of men leaning against the wall. I soon discovered why there was a group of men. The ladies bathroom had a line that backed up out the door. With only three or four seats in the restroom, this was going to take a while. One of the ladies was the troublemaker we had seen in Charlotte. She had refused to stand in the proper line or do anything the gate workers asked. She finally had to submit and follow the rules, justice prevailed. Justice still prevailed; she would have to wait in the same bathroom line with the commoners. Her family (6-7 people) has to lean against the walls and pillars. I looked back down the corridor and another plane load of people were approaching. More ladies join the line; but several refused to wait and hurried around the next corner.

Large murals of Jamaica appeared on the walls and sets of steps led upward. Throngs of people were funneled into the opening and there was a mass of humanity trying to sort itself into another queue. We finally arrived at the top, and there stood two immigration workers. They turned out to be checking to see if your form was filled out correctly. They were sending about 10% of the queue to stand at the wall and correct their forms. My wife and I ended up against the wall. We had neglected to fill out the part of the form that you were to detach and bring for your return flight.

We finally completed our forms and entered a room with mazes to the left and right for international passengers and an aisle down the center for local citizens. We took the queue away from the still crying child and waited at the tail of the queue near a yellowed sign saying that the airport apologized for the broken air conditioning. When we finally got to the desk, I found out why it was important to fill out all parts of the form. Each section required the stamp and signature of the immigration officer.

We went down the step to baggage claim. We saw people from our plane and they seemed to be standing and looking at the conveyer and very few people were finding their bags. The bags were from our flight, so the owners of the bags must still be waiting in the immigration queue. After several minutes of not seeing our bags, I notice a LARGE pile of bags at the far end of the conveyer. There is only one conveyer and if you do not claim you bag within a couple of circuits it is removed and put in the pile.

I went to look for our bags in the giant pile, along with several other passengers. Two of our bags were black (like 95% of all the other bags) and one was red. We had red yarn tied to the bags, so I searched for red yarn or a red bag. I found the large black bag quickly. It was my wife's clothes. A few minutes later I found the small black bag. That held my wife's shoes. After several circuits of the pile there was no red duffle to be seen. This was the bag with all of MY clothes, shoes, and our snorkel gear.

I went to the US Air lost baggage desk and waited to fill out the form while my wife searched one last time for the missing bag. She returned without a bag, but she had spotted the still crying child and his parents. They had enough baggage for a family of 12 and were queued in the customs line, where they could amuse a new group of people with their serenade.

After filling out the form and much typing on the computer, the airline worker printed a certificate of delayed baggage. I had to go clear customs with the two bags that arrived, have them stamp the claim form for the missing bag, and return the stamped form to the airlines. Once everyone who possessed a stamp had stamped every piece of paper in sight, we were allowed through customs.

As we stepped through the door, the Couples lounge was in sight. They took our bags, let us use the bathroom, offered us a drink, and told us to relax and have a seat. Two minutes later the bus was ready to take us to Swept Away. The bus only had two empty seats, which we gladly occupied. They threw our bags through a window in the rear of the bus and we were on our way.

The driver tried to tell us about the areas we were passing, but no one was listening. We asked the driver a few questions, but the other passengers just talked among themselves. After 45 minutes one of the girls wanted to know when the driver was stopping for more Red Stripe and take a pee break. (You need to remember we are heading for an all inclusive resort, and you are handed a drink when you arrive.) These were some thirsty people.

We were warmly greeted when we arrived, given a glass of champagne, checked into the resort, and were shown to our room. It is even more beautiful than the pictures in their ads. Every type of tropical plant you can imagine is somewhere on the grounds. The white stucco buildings have red terra cotta tile roofs and floors and are nestled in the palms and almond trees along the shore.

There had been no chance to eat all day, so we went in search of food. We had a map of the property, which is nearly ½ a mile long. There was a restaurant a few buildings to our south, so we started walking down the beach. On the beach is a bamboo bar with a thatched roof, we stopped and ordered mango margaritas. Next we found the Cabana Grill and had a Snapper sandwich and conch fritters to hold us until the main restaurants opened for dinner.

While we were eating, we saw our first sunset from Swept Away. They are incredible to watch. For about 15 minutes the sun paints everything in reds, oranges, and purple. Everyone gathers on the beach or their verandas to watch and take pictures.

At 6:30, just after sunset (Jamaica does not use daylight savings time), the main restaurants opened for dinner. We ate at Patois Patio, which is an elegant open air restaurant that seats about 150 people. The staff is incredible. Everyone is friendly and helps you with anything you need. They make an effort to learn everyone's name and want you to call them by their name or nickname. We had rack of lamb and jerked pork loin. We shared a baked peach with ice cream.

When we retuned to our room I called American Express. They have emergency travel assistance, and would help me get my missing bag. They give you a collect number to use from outside the US. Once they had the information they needed they started their tracking (which means they call the airline at regular intervals during the day and check the status of their search). They would call me and keep me informed of progress and issued a lost luggage claim number in case it was declared lost.

We prepared for bed and opened the veranda door and sat on the veranda and talked for a while. It had been a long tiring day, but we really were in Paradise. We left the doors open and listened to the gentle waves on the beach about 100 feet from our room.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/abaco-2005/1114782780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/abaco-2005/1114782780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/abaco-2005/1114782780/tpod.html Mon, 09 May 2005 07:23:29 -0400 Abaco Adventure .... Island Paradise

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Manjack Cay, Bahamas

Today we started on our 3 day travel though the less inhabited areas of the Bahamas to ultimately reach Freeport on Sunday. We on traveled for about two hours and reached Manjack Cay (pronounced munjack). Ted had spotted it on his charts, and said it looked like the best anchorage in the area and was suppose to be a nice beach. Wow was he right! Beautiful beach, no wind, and a small coral area for snorkeling; it is a great adventure. We played on the beach and in the water all afternoon. Time for the "usuals" arrived and we fixed a great meal on the boat. After a fun day in the water and a great meal, everyone was sleepy and we turned in about 10 pm.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/abaco-2005/1115356080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/abaco-2005/1115356080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dragon762/abaco-2005/1115356080/tpod.html Mon, 09 May 2005 00:17:21 -0400 Abaco Adventure .... Island Paradise

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Raleigh, North Carolina, United States

We rise early, have coffee and head for the airport. Captain Ted has already checked the route and drives us to the terminal with no problem. Palm Beach International is a beautiful airport. There is a comfortable seating area and free 54MB WiFi service that covers the whole complex. We had no Internet access in the WPB marina, which is a bit odd since even the smallest marina in the out islands of the Bahamas have Wifi service.
I am making entries in our web log, and Judy strikes up a conversation with the young girl seated next to her. You have to realize that Judy is one of those people who can learn a total stranger's entire life history while they are taking a quick pee in adjacent stalls in the women's restroom. She seems to have a sign that says "Tell Judy" imprinted on her forehead.

Judy quickly discovers that the girls favorite place is Abaco, and the girl think we are pretty cool for old folks since Pete's Pub and Nippers are our favorite haunts in the Abacos. Judy tells her about our rough Atlantic crossing, and the girl says that she has a better story. She, her boyfriend and their dog were caught in 10-12 foot seas on a crossing from Florida and there engine died. The Coast Guard was dispatched to look for "potential survivors" and located them 6 hours later. They were able to help them get the boat to port. A few days later they decide to take the boat out again, like getting back on a horse after being thrown. The girl is nervous, but decided to give it a try. When they arrive at the marina and start walking to the boats, the dog spots he boat and runs back to the truck. He will have no part of the boat!!!!!

Our new friend tells us that although E. D. Bradley's is cool, the Tiki Bar at Rivera Beach is far cooler and we missed out on a great time by judging it by the tacky exterior.
All of our flights are on time, and our daughter drives up at the door of baggage claim just as I pull the bags off the conveyer (we were talking via cell phone).

We have diner with the kids, deliver the tee shirts and refrigerator magnets and return to normal life. I am sitting here tying this listening to http://www.radiomargaritaville.com on the PC. It helps to keep you in an Island frame of mind.

As Captain Ted said, it is all bout the memories we create!!!! We certainly created some great ones on the trip and I can hardly wait for the next adventure to begin.
]]>