Greetings from one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, Negril, Jamaica!
Where the sky is blue, the water is even bluer, and the mojitos pour free. ;)
Ben and I have only been here for a full day and a half (at the time of this typing!) but have already fallen into somewhat of an island routine. :)
We lazily sleep in, then check out the scene at the pool.
Pass through the lobby to smell the fresh flowers.
(I wish I knew what kind of flowers these are! They’re so beautiful and exotic!)
Then head out for a long walk on the beach.
Our hotel sits at the end of a long cove so we walk about 10 feet into the crystal clear water which is warmer than BATH WATER, and head all the way towards the other end of the cove before turning around and coming back.
The marine life we’ve come across on our walks is a hoot. I bought an underwater camera so I’ll share the pics when I get them developed.
We see all kinds of fish though – short and fat, long and skinny, plus starfish, and even sea urchins!
Once we make it back from our walk, it’s usually time for cocktail hour(s)!!! Ben and I are staying at an all inclusive resort, which means all our meals, and drinks are included in the price of the hotel.
This comes in handy for Ben’s fondness for red stripe, and my obsession with mojitos. ;) Actually, it seems I ran the resort out of fresh mint on the first day, so I had to sample a few margaritas on the second day. Whoops!
The food here is fresh, and plentiful. We’ve eaten everything from seafood, to the BEST jerk chicken,
braised oxtail (which I actually loved!)
and tons of exotic and unknown fruits. I still haven’t figured out what this avocado/oyster looking fruit is…
but jack fruit is my new favorite thing on earth!
Apparently it’s as big as a watermelon, and covered with these hedge hog looking spikes on the outside.
The inside is pitted with almond-looking pits that you pop out, then eat the flesh that peels back in layers like an artichoke. It’s WILD, and tastes like a mix between a banana, coconut, and pineapple. Mmmm, so yummy. :)
Well, back to the sun and fun I go! We’ve got an island excursion planned for tomorrow, and today we’re heading towards the famous 7 mile beach to watch and, fingers crossed, participate in some cliff jumping! Whee!
Hope you’re having a great week! :)
Just poppin over to your blog to check out some recipes and saw your post on jerk chicken. The photos looked so similar to our photos of Negril that I had to read your other posts from your trip to Jamaica just to be sure and sure enough, we stayed at this exact resort last summer! We had a fantastic time and yes, this jerk chicken is amazing!!!
I live in Jamaica and I am happy that you came here for your vacay. That oyster looking fruit is called a starapple. Its quite delicious and I hope you enjoyed it!!!
The flowers are called ginger lilies. Lovely, aren’t they?
I’m not sure what the fruit with the shiny, almond-shaped seeds and the sweet insides is called, but if you ever go back, you really ought to try a soft, ripe naseberry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naseberry). It’s as sweet as honey, but very refreshing.
the fruit in the tropics can’t be beat. Buy pineapples, mangoes, plums, star apples and sweetsops from a roadside fruit stand, and indulge in the taste of real plant-ripened fruit. It’s utterly amazing, and the difference between that and store-bought fruit is like night and day.