Our bellies full, we headed back to our beach for a sub and a cocktail. Before I could believe it, the sun was setting and we there catch it in all its glory.
I love being in a place where the only thing I have on my calendar is watching the sun set.
We decided on pizza for dinner that night and turned right down the road and wandered to the Italian cafe. The dining room was like a giant screened gazebo and had pretty paper lantern like lights suspended from the ceiling. It had a really nice vibe to it.
I have been to Italy and have also spent some time leaving in communities with a big Italian presence. In my experience, pizza at an Italian restaurant is generally an individual sized affair, especially if the pizza only comes one size. It wasn't expensive, so I assumed that would be the case. So we each pick our pizza and order up. When they arrive, each is the size my local dominos would call a large. It was a thin crust, but still it was huge! There were going to be leftovers. It was delicious and though I don't recall how much it was, it felt like great value.
I am sorry for the lack of photos in this report. I am only guessing, but I think that I must have 250 pictures of the sun setting and 40 of the rest of the trip. I think I was too busy trying to figure out what I was doing to think to take a picture.
However, I do have a small problem with intoxication and bathroom photos. I have bathroom pictures from most everywhere I have been in the world. In the days of print film, it was more limited, but in the digital age, it is a free-for-all. You could lay odds after I have had a few beverages and I head to the loo, as to whether I will come back with a photo...or two...or three. The Italian Cafe was no different. Pretty sure I was fascinated by the bamboo and thatch construction. I think we had wine with dinner; I'm going to blame it.
Second day into our trip and walking along the beach road is starting not to feel so intimidating. We are starting to slow down our pace and just enjoy the sights and sounds. There are still lot of folks eager to sell their wares, but it is feeling less oppressive.
The one thing I haven't yet figured out is the language. Now I am not talking about the patois. I had no expectation of understanding that. I am talking about the accent to the English. This isn't at all intended as a knock at all on the Jamaicans; it is my issue not theirs.
The single biggest challenge we both had on our trip was a total inability to understand what people were saying to us. It might as well have been in Greek. In fact, if it had been Greek, it would have been easier, as at least I wouldn't have been supposed to understand. As it was, I was having a heck of a time communicating. Everyone had to repeat everything and I was feeling like a bit of idiot.
If you recall in various Peanuts/Charlie Brown TV specials, when every an adult spoke, all we heard was "wah wah wah woh wah wah woh." This is what I was hearing in Jamaica.
A clip to jog your memory. No one is putting me to sleep, but it wasn't an easy clip to find.
I see Shamrock's on our way back and we pop in to check it out. I had heard somewhere about Shamrock's magic orange juice and I wanted to give it a try. Add to that list a few cold Red Stripe for the room and snacks should we find ourselves with the munchies. We discovered Rough Top Coconut Drops the day before and the first bag is already history. Sunshine is exploring the cookies; I am all over the chips and cheesy snacks.
I love exploring the snack food aisle in foreign places. I am always interested in what kinds of things other people see as snack flavors. The Jamaicans seem to have my number. In this paradise I am also in heaven.
All our goodies selected, it's time to cash out. I say hello to the fellow behind the till. "Wah wah wah woh wah" he replies. Gosh I hope that wasn't important. I pass over my goods; he rings them in to the till.
"Wah wah woh wah."
Hmmm, he is probably telling me how much this all is, I'll just give him a big bill. Ok, now he's giving me change that is a good sign.
"Have a good evening," I say.
"Wah woh wah," he replies
He's turned to the next customer, doesn't seem to be waiting for anything. I'm outta here.
I added up the change when we got back to the room, and I was pleasantly surprised. If you stick to the local fare and skip the American imports, you can stretch you snack dollar a long way.
Bellies full and Red Stripe in hand, we head down to the beach to enjoy a sub. I can hear the party getting underway at Alfred's. There was a point in the planning process where I really thought I would want to go, but the beach is so chill and tranquil. I couldn't imagine anyplace I would want to be other than here with my honey. I like chilling with him and I don't need to spend the money or go through the hassle.
In my younger days, if there was a party, you could pretty much count on me being there. A new club opening up, I was there the first week. As I got a bit older, I really lost interest in doing these things. I would much rather sit with a smaller group around a table, bar, campfire, etc, enjoying random conversation than get dressed up and go spinning about the clubs. A lot of the time, I would rather pour myself a drink and curl up with Sunshine at home. I have been rather hard on myself about that change. Rather than taking it as a sign of changing interests, I chalked it up to some character flaw.
Sitting on that beach in Jamaica, enjoying the evening my way, I seemed to find peace with that fact. I am no less of a person for not wanting to join the party at Alfred's. I also reserve the right to change my mind. If next time I want to go, that is ok too. The important thing is I need to not beat myself up about it.
Now my recollection of this evening is all warm and fuzzy, but Sunshine seems to remember things a bit differently. Apparently that evening, there was a hustler out on the beach that was well past when he should have been home and much hollering ensued. I do recall security yelling at some dude, but it really didn't mark my evening. For Sunshine however, things really clouded over.
This is really great, please keep it coming! 
