Sunrise ... Sunset. Is there any place better that I could get? Trip Report

[bjritz]

A deep inhalation of sea air and the light creeping in around the dark wood of my Xtabi home gave my eyelids the kiss of Jamaica and a wake up! A light morning breeze, just a breath really caresses my corpus as I ramble in for an outdoor shower. What a delight sun risen light and warm water splashing me to full conscientiousness and my first full day in Jamaica.

Coffee, ackee, salt fish, callaloo and the best little rolls on the planet give me the morning bump for a day of exploration. Take it slow and easy, mon. No rush. One of my favorite experiences while in Jamaica was having the waiter (in this case Omar) come by and say, “All good, mon?” I reply, “Yah, mon.” Then he would say very slow and with an amazing smile, “All....good....mon!” It was the little stuff that adds up. I felt cared for, pampered just a bit, mon.

At breakfast there were a man and his early-teen daughter jumping off the cliff. They worked up their nerve and then did it!



As he walked back by us on the way to the room he let us know that the beach entrance from the cave was a great way to go into the cove snorkeling. So, that’s what my friend Ed, and I did. First trip of many down the winding stair to, well nirvana!



The fish were amazing the coral and fans incredible. I didn’t bring or buy an underwater camera, perhaps on next reach. Lion fish, Needle fish, multicolored you name its in abundance. Two things stick out from the first time in the cove. One little moray eel that would be about sixteen inches long and an inch thick was sticking out of a hole in a rock. Most fish swam away from us, but this little guy did the Jack Nicholson eyes from “The Shining” looked straight at me crazy like, and then showed me his little rows of teeth. I just started laughing in my snorkel he was so cute. I didn’t dive down and challenge that turf he was so fierce about. The other amazing thing was a school of inch and a half long silvery fish that swam along the cliff front rocks. The school had hundreds of these fish and would stretch out many feet. They moved in concert with that amazing synchronicity of a school. I was trying to get into the group. I’d dive down to them, sneak up on them, and try to keep up with them to no avail. But such beauty!



Every day I spent several trips down into the cove to see what was new.
Since I’m doing this at work, I’ll end here for now. This recapping is fun!