Flight from JFK was a breeze but getting through airport security at JFK was a nightmare. We arrived at the airport at 5:00 am for our 7:00 Jet Blue flight. Checked in, checked our bags in no time and then…….one hour in the security line. I had a tough time going with the complete lack of flow. I finally got to the whole body scanner. It seems I neglected to remove the cloth valuables pouch I always travel with under my shirt with our passports and cash – nothing that ever sets off the usual scanner. This created a great deal of consternation. I was pulled aside to wait for an official body search. It was 6:00 in the morning, I’d been up since 3:30 and I was trying hard to stay cool. I knew in a few hours I’d be in Jamaica, but I kept thinking that there had to be a better way. Finally, I was free to rush to the duty free to stock up on supplies to start off the trip.

My favorite flight in the world is the flight to Jamaica. It’s direct, less than 4 hours, and you arrive in Jamaica! The immigration line was almost empty. We zipped through, although we had a short detour back to the health desk. We found out why the immigration form requires that you list the countries you have traveled to in the prior months. It seems that parts of Guatemala are on the malaria list so we needed to get a stamp to confirm, by looking at us, that we posed no risk. The process took 5 minutes and we were on our way but it be could have been painful if immigration were packed.

We burst out of customs and there was Gary waiting for us with his usual smile. We met Garfield “Gary “ Watt (876 792-1270) 20 or so years ago by complete happenstance. We were leaving the airport trying to negotiate the “usual” price with the local JUTA guys and Gary was right there. We’ve seen him almost every year since. You’re in good hands with Gary. He’s got a great sense of humor, knows a lot about Jamaican history, geography, culture….. and is a careful driver. It’s the highpoint of the year for us.

We told Gary we were headed to Idlers Rest in Black River without reservations. No problem Mon. We left the road to Negril in outside of MoBay and headed up into the hills through Anchovy, Montpelier and Bethel Towns, on to New Market and down to Black River. The winding road was hypnotic and we could relax with Gary driving. Just a beautiful drive with spectacular scenery – actually a shorter distance than MoBay to Negril but a slightly longer drive through the mountains.

When we got to Black River, we crossed the bridge next to the safari spot and headed down Parottee Road – the same road that leads to the launch for Pelican Bar. The road was quiet and rural. A number of private villas have sprung up along Black River Bay but there only a couple hotels and tourist spots. There is still open scrub forest along the shore. After a couple miles we pulled into Idler’s Rest. Gary looked at us quizzically….”I’ll wait while you check it out.”

The place had a cool, colorful look. There was a central garden with rich vegetation and Spanish moss hanging down from the trees. I went to the front desk and confirmed that they had a room available. We seemed to be the only guests. They have 4 prime ocean front rooms, but we were told they were reserved for a birding group coming in the next day. So we were given the top floor of one of their circular rooms. We checked the room out and told Gary we would be fine and he headed back to MoBay. We arranged for him to pick us up Super Sunday for the drive to Negril -- a more expensive option but I like to give Gary the business.

A few observations about Idler’s Rest. First, the American-Jamaican who built the place has to be a big dreamer. He bought an old restaurant/bar on the water and then made a substantial investment to build out the rooms, even though it appears that there are few tourists in the area. Then, across the street he built a huge conference center/wedding hall, large enough to accommodate 400 people, with another 30 plus rooms rising massively out of empty scrub land. Completely incongruous. There are all kinds of distinctive touches; antique cars (an old model A, an ancient Citroen etc.); African and Jamaican Masks; quirky signs. And big empty rooms with a minimalist look.

Black River Bay is bordered by a long (10 mile), narrow beach with very fine sand and silt from the river. The beach is completely deserted except for the fishermen who are plying the flat, calm water. Not a beach chair or beach stand in sight. Dolphins were swimming along the shore. We took along walk and didn’t see a soul. It was dead quiet; the only sounds were the birds feeding close to shore. While deserted beaches have a certain appeal, I like some diversions when I’m toasting on the beach.

Our hotel seemed somewhat unprepared for guests. No hot water, no key to the safe. But the staff was trying hard. Phillip, the owner’s son from California, and the manager, Mac, were very attentive. Wesley Thomas, the night watchman/handyman, was very engaging. Wesley took off towards Mandeville the next day to buy a new element for the hot water heater which started to work the day we left. For some unknowable reason, the owner thought it made sense to have birds housed throughout the interior gardens. It added a nice ambience but housing two roosters in the courtyard made for an early wake up call for the hotel guests.

After our walk, we made arrangements to have dinner at Cloggys, an open air fish spot a couple miles down the beach. Cloggys was started by Cloggy (his Jamaican kid nickname), a 54 year young rasta and former soccer player. The restaurant seemed to follow the Jamaican convention of fish cook shops. A woman took our drink order and then we went down into the open air kitchen where we picked our fish fresh from the cooler (choice of Snapper or Parrot fish) and selected how we wanted it prepared (fried, jerked, steamed etc). We had snapper and fresh river shrimp and I’m pleased to report that it was one of the better dinners we’ve ever had in Jamaica (or anywhere else). Highly recommended. We made arrangements with our driver, Crampy, for a big tour the next day and headed off to bed.

We can report that the bed at Idler’s had a mosquito net and it was a good thing. Now we know why all the buildings around here are heavily screened. And the roosters in Jamaica seem to wake up well before dawn.

Breakfast was included in the room rate. The first morning, after trying to get in synch with the roosters crowing, we went down to the dining area for breakfast. We waited patiently for the dining room to “open “ at 8:00. The cook/waitress/housekeeper told us that she only had a bit of callaloo and saltfish for breakfast. No ackee. No eggs. No “real” coffee. So it goes. No matter, we were off on an adventure around St. Elizabeth Parish.