Our first leg of the journey was a flight into Dallas, arriving 15 minutes early. We balanced the early with a flight 15 minutes late into MBJ. Customs moved quickly enough for the mass of people that were there. I miss the good ol' days, used to be land, taxi, grab bags and go. The dear Kingsley was there waiting with a smile. Thank you to all who have sung his praises. He did not dissappoint. Unfortunately, our late arrival was delaying him on his next pick-up which were 6 guests at Samsara heading back to the airport, but for that reason, he quickly and expertly got us to Negril despite heavy traffic. Arrived at our first home away from home with a loaner cell from Kingsley and bid him farewell for now. It was just after 4:30. We checked in, got the wi-fi password, dropped the bags, and footed it to Shamrock for supplies and phone credit. Our first Jamaican cell phone. Never really had a need on other trips but it has already come in handy this time. Bags in hand, we headed back to the room, filled the frig with all the goodies (mmmmm....rum creme....), and got the phone working. By then it was already near 6:00. A bit early for the trip to SeaStar, but if the shuttle was going to be in the area, I didn't want to miss it, so I gave them a call. Henry was within a block of the hotel when I called, so out the door we went.

Off to SeaStar. What a fabulous time and at a great price. The band was lively and fun and Crystal and Sonya were fabulous singers and great performers as well. Sonya called me out, trying to coax me out to dance. I'm sure my face was as red as my hair, possibly more so. I.DON'T.DANCE. I danced the second half of a song at a lounge with SharkHunter about 2 years ago and one slow dance in the sand on our last visit to JA. Oh, and once at our wedding. The only three times I have ever danced. I'm EXTREMELY self conscious when it comes to dancing. I have no moves, no rhythm, no skills whatsoever. I could live with that, but SharkHunter LOVES to dance. Probably the only place where we aren't a perfect match. Anyway, had a good laugh but fortunately Sonya didn't come off the stage and drag me out. I have to admit, I was singing (and possibly moving) as I showered..."Cent, 5 cent, 10 cent, dollar."Those of you who participated in the webcast last night know what I'm talking about. And when Sonya said "Why not? You'll fall? You won't fall!!!" yes, that was me she was talking to. So next came the drummers and dancers. What a treat!!! I told SharkHunter that should be my new workout. I'd be skinny in no time. That, or dead of a heart attack! Those girls wore me out just watching them. So in to the van with Henry, beep beep, vroom vroom, all the way home. Fell into bed happy and exhausted. We had been up for almost 24 hours at that point. A deep, refreshing sleep followed.

And that brings us to today. Here I sit, a belly full of saltfish and callaloo, coffee and rum creme, acclimating to the climate. It's about 10 degrees cooler here than at home right now, and I'm no stranger to humidity, but I'm definitely "glistening."By tomorrow or the next day, I should be used to it, but I'm definitely taking it easy today. I'm so content to just sit on the porch, hear the birds chirp, watch this beautiful yellow and black butterfly flit from flower to flower just a few feet in front of me. As I typed that, a hummingbird took his place. I love hummingbirds. We hang feeders at home but only get to see them for a few months before they move on. Their colors aren't as vibrant as the ones here. So emrald and brilliant. *sigh* Paradise.