The flight to Jamaica was uneventful. Since I arose at 3:00, I slept through most of it. There was only a minor delay in getting through customs. After retrieving my luggage, I went to the tour operator, who directed me to the ground transportation. I was the first to arrive in the people mover, so I had a long wait until it was full. The last two boys to arrive had a Red Stripe in each hand. The driver made a stop for stretch break and Red Stripe refill. It took several hours to drive from Montego Bay to Negril but Scott was tour guide as well as driver.
After I checked in, I went to lunch with my friend. Then it was to the beach. The water was shallow and the waves were small. The beach was in a sheltered bay. After traveling, the beach was a place to unwind. I took a tour of the resort as I headed back to the room. The Riu Tropical reminded me of an old Victorian restort. It possesed old charm with modern ammenities. It sat on the beach. There were two small swimming pools, mostly for cooling off with built in lounge chairs. One pool had a bar. There was an open courtyard, three sides contained restaurants and bars, plus a stage, while the fourth was the pools.
A routine was established the first day. Predinner cocktails at one of the three bars, dinner and postprandial drinks at the bar by the stage. There was some form of nightly enterntainment. It was mostly resort employees or a local band.
Our first night, we imbibed too much at the bar and were slightly hungover. After breakfast, we went to the beach to recupperate. On the beach, they served jerk chicken. I went to get lunch for us. I pulled my lounge chair under a palm tree. I was sitting on the lounge chair, when I heard a crashing thud and felt wet. A coconut fell from the tree and smashed into my chair spewing coconut water on me. It would have hit my had had I been laying down. The life guard suggested that I move my chair. I would have been more helpful if the warning came a few minutes before but I would have lost the memory. Later on I purchased two CDs from a vendor plying his wares on the beach.
The next day, my friend and I went for a tour. The majority of the tour was spent in transit. Scott, the tour guide, told me he was a PHD - pot hole dodger. The pot holes were larger than compact cars. I saw a good deal of goats grazing on the side of the roads, even in the towns. We took a pontoon boat up the Black River to see the crocodiles. We went through mangroves and the mountains filled the horizon. After lunch by the river, I purchased a mask and a turtle from the local vendor. I was able to get a good bargain and still support the locals. We went to YS Falls. On the way to the falls, it began to rain but had stopped as we arrived. I still went swimming in the river. I swung out on a rope and made the plunge into the cold river. I was impressed that students were uniforms to school. As I saw large groups of students walking home I saw unity and not division as I see in America.
I took a walk along the beach today. I began with a walk down the beach past several other resorts. There was a nude beach with the chairs discretely set back from the beach. I would not have noticed it if there were not signs. I am not sure were the topless women in the sea was staying. I walked up the beach and stumbled into the "vendor's village". I did not mind people hawking their wares because it was their space. I could have turned back. One man offered to give me a tour on his boat. I was offered drugs, and reggae music. I turned them all down.
The Riu Tropical had buffet dining in the main dining room. They had theme dinner nights, my favorite was Jamaica night. I enjoyed the jerk chicken and curry goat. The waitstaff were very attentive. My glass was never less than half full without someone asking if I would like more. In addition, there were restaurants that served Japanese, Italian, Fusion and a steakhouse. We dined at the Japanese and Italian restaurants. The food and service were well done.
A week of lying in the sun, swimming in the sea and drinking all night went by quickly. Departing the island was a dreadfully long process. The line to go through screening process was an hour. Then there was another line for customs. Finally, I was patted down before boarding the airplane. My week in the tropics had come to an end.
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