TRIP REPORT – SOUTH COAST – DEC. 2010

This trip to Jamaica, 11 months in the planning, included my mother returning with me for her 2nd trip to the island. Mom had really enjoyed going to Jamaica 3 years ago & the Jamaicans really loved her, underscoring their respect for the elderly. Another thing that was to make this trip a special one is that it was to be my first foray into the South Coast, which I’d been dying to see for several years. The months & weeks leading up to this trip was unparalleled in my delightful anticipation of what was to come!!

Our flight left Northwest Arkansas on Dec. 18th on-time, after we arose at 3:20 am to make our 6:30 flight. Don, my husband, drove us to the airport, where we jovially handed over our one checked bag apiece with plenty to time to spare before the plane would take off. Going through the TSA security was a breeze; it helps if you’re all prepared with the documentation at the ready. At this security check-point, and every other one on this trip, I received extra scrutiny due to my wearing an insulin pump, which I guess scares them enough to give me the extra pat-down. But I met them with a laid-back, highly cooperative attitude about it & joked around with the TSA Agent, & things went very smoothly. Mom waltzed through unabated & had to wait for me to go through the extra pat-downs & swabbing on my pump. Still, even with this extra scrutiny, we’d gotten there early enough to be totally unstressed about it. We waited at the gate & began boarding the plane early, taking advantage of that pre-boarding offer for “people requiring a bit of extra time to board.” One of the Delta representatives even carefully escorted my mom down through the cavernous hallway while I handled both of our carry-on bags & personal items. Once on the plane, it was de-iced a bit & we were on our way!

Our short layover & connecting flight in Memphis was a breeze (LOVE that Memphis connection!) & on-time. The Delta crew was handing out extra snacks to anyone that wanted them. Half-way through the flight to MoBay, mom & I changed into our shorts, anticipating the wonderfully warm temperatures awaiting us. Then, there’s nothing like that approach to Sangster, you’re coming in from the northwest, turning more & more easterly, hugging the coast; seeing the green mountains (as opposed to the dead, brown vegetation back home), the sun shining (instead of the dreary, cloudy days you left) & the waves kissing the beach shoreline (instead of land-locked Arkansas). . .ah, anticipation!

We landed, taxied up to the gate immediately & got off the plane in record time, everyting goin’ irie! Just like last time, there was a nice airport employee with a wheelchair awaiting mom at the end of the jet way. She sat down for the ride & I handled our 2 carry-ons through the new maze of hallways to Immigration. He wheeled mom & I right up to a waiting Immigrations Officer, who quickly & agreeably stamped us through (even without the benefit of a wheelchair, I noticed that our fellow passengers were moving rapidly through their lines). Collecting our luggage was such a far cry from my 1st few trips to Sangster; it’s none of that “free-for-all Keystone Cops” thing; the flights are listed on a digital display so you know which of the conveyor belts to wait at. Definitely a much less stressful event, arriving pon de island now. I tried 2 times to call dad to let him know we’d arrived safely, but kept getting the voicemail of a Jamaican person. Our luggage arrived in probably about 15 minutes (this takes longer at our little regional airport in Northwest Arkansas!), I hitched both of our carryons onto each larger piece of luggage so that I could easily handle all 4 pieces & off to Customs we went. Again, mom was wheeled up to some kind of special counter for wheel-chaired people & we had a very quick & uneventful experience. Some things are just betta when they are low-key, huh?! As we emerged into the front of the arrival section, the warm, delicious air enveloped us, resulting in an immediate relaxation in my entire body; ahhh – there’s nothing like those soft breezes! We only had to go a few paces until we found our driver for the afternoon, Matt’s friend, Gary Brooks, from the South Coast (although we’d never met, he held a sign with his name, so it was very easy to find him). As Gary went to retrieve the car, the wheelchair attendant wheeled mom up to the curb, he got a great tip for his vital assistance & he left us there. Gary soon pulled up & we were on our way!

It was really great to finally meet Gary, a fine person & excellent & safe driver. He is a farmer along the South Coast, growing cabbage, tomatoes & cantaloupe, among other crops. He first went exactly where I asked him to, the Fairview Shopping Centre in Bogue, a southeast “suburb” of MoBay. There, we traded money at the brand-new FX Trader in the TruValue Hardware Store & then bought groceries at the neighboring HiLo. . .one-stop shopping. In & out; easy, easy. We were then quickly on the road out of MoBay, heading toward Anchovy on Highway B8. As we rose into the hills and veered off southeast on to Highway B6, mom & I were both overtaken by the green & flowering landscape; tropical remnants were everywhere! Rising higher & higher into the Cockpit Mountain range (Mi No Sen, You No Come”), we rose steadily for, I’d reckon, about 10 long miles. I finally found out that, on the phone call I’d been trying to make to my dad, I should’ve first dialed a “1”. So when Gary crossed the road & pulled over to the right side to get a bite to eat, I found my perfect chance. 1 + Area Code + Phone number worked & Dad was appeased. And that was while standing outside of the car on the top of a high Cockpit mountain top, where the air & the air space was wide open. I could hear dad like he was next door; it was that crystal-clear. On the southern side of the mountain range, we started the long descent to the South Coast. I don’t remember a whole lot of that other than the sun setting, and that was spectacular! Finally arriving in the coastal community of Treasure Beach, at about the first 1/3 of the west side of Jamaica, we were really happy to pull into Sunset Resort & Villas. The place had come highly recommended to me by, why, yes, you’re right, it was Matt again (yes, he is building a house nearby). He told no lie; this place was definitely, as it designates itself, A Little Piece of Heaven! The sunset there is not rivaled anywhere in the world, I’d say – nothing like seeing the entire trajectory of the sun throughout the day facing south in the winter north of the Tropic of Capricorn. I’ll take a break here & leave you with a picture of it right now:

This is absolutely lovely Jenny. I look forward to reading more. And what a blessing to share this experience with your mom.

Thanks for the report. Enjoying it - can't wait for the next chapter. I always mean to write one - but....oh well.