Sad to say I’m back in Toronto! Despite heading out there at the start of the rainy season the weather was 1000xs better than it was here. Not that it didn’t rain, but that only happened in the early to late evenings a few nights. The rest of the time it was sunny and nice and HOT.
After this bitterly cold, dark, gross, extended winter in TO I happily spent my time in/around the water and frolicking in the sunshine to get my fill of vitamin D. And a really dark tan that my coworkers are all jealous of. They really shouldn’t be though, 80% of my tan is genetics (sorry dudes, haha). I applied SPF like it was my job and probably spent more time in the shade than most people at the resort where we stayed. And here’s a tip for you, because I’m nice like that: apply aloe to your skin before bed every night for a little extra hydration, even if you’re not sunburnt. It helps your tan last longer and fights the post-trip dry skin flakes you sometimes get after spending a lot of time in the sun. I like to apply mine after a shower because it’s extra cooling, which I def needed when things started to get humid after the evening rain.
Aside from relaxing by the beach and making friends at the swim-up bar in the pool I didn’t do much else. It was GLORIOUS. Here’s a peek at what I got up to on my vacation:
Arrival at Sangster International is always a good time. Things are a little more lax in Jamaica so it’s not unheard of to find a bar like this basically in the parking lot where tourists waiting for a shuttle can have a Red Stripe or piña colada. Or two. Or more. The locals run on Island Time (I overheard one tour operator telling an irate tourist that the bus “will get ‘ere when it get ‘ere”) so you may as well drink up. You’ll be waiting a while!
We stayed at the Iberostar Rose Hall Beach resort in Montego Bay. Pretty standard as far as resorts go — but you will find some of the friendliest people there. I made a comment about popcorn the first night we went to the bar and every night we came back they brought a bowl to our table. Sweet.
… or you risk blinding yourself. Lesson learned that I now share with you (I know, I know, I’m nice like that).
Jamaicans aren’t really known for their desserts, so when I was craving something sweet after dinner (*cough*oranyothertimeforthatmatter*cough*) I indulged in some rum cream. Think Baileys but made with rum instead of whiskey.
For those who’ve never heard of bammy, it’s essentially a flat “bread” made of cassava that’s soaked in coconut milk then fried. Sometimes they’re toasted in an oven, or even boiled, but the fried one’s are much tastier IMHO. Yeah, yeah they’re fried, but if you’re on vacation try them! They’re gluten-free so maybe use that as your justification.
Yep, amazing weather even on cloudy days. The clouds never stayed long anyway.
We took a day trip to Negril and stopped at Rick’s Cafe to watch the cliff jumpers, because that is the thing to do in Negril, apparently. Sadly only one person did it while we were there and I couldn’t get the camera fast enough.
Where I spent most of my time. Napping, reading and sipping drinks. I will definitely be back some day.
Anyone headed off on a vacation any time soon?
-C
