Goodbye for now; our time in Jamaica - Day 8

We woke up this morning before the alarm.  I watched the pink sunrise on the water and we went out to our porch for sweet rolls.  Bruce had found a security guard the night before to get a couple of towels for swimming this morning and also found in the laundry room, a knife of questionable cleanliness.  So, after washing the knife with shampoo, this morning he was able to cut the pineapple that we picked up in Spring Garden so that we could have it for breakfast.  

After our early morning snack, we went down to the ocean to jump off the cliffs.  When we walked down onto the rocks about a dozen crabs scattered.  The water was rough and it was really neat to feel the ebb and flow of the waves.  We swam around in the ocean for a little while, then jumped in the pool to rinse the salt off in the chlorine. This is the life!

We got dressed, packed up all our stuff from the week, and drove back to the lighthouse to find the keeper to see if he would let us climb up to the top.  He was just leaving and told us to come back later. Not this trip. We’ll put that on the list for the next time. 

We drove to the beach for breakfast, said good-bye to the dog that followed us around all week who we named “Gesundheit” because he kept sniffing up the sand and then sneezing.  We said good-bye to our reggae musician friends, Vin and Leroy.  We went across the street to the mall and found Patrice and said good-bye to her, too. Then we started off for the airport.

I’ve felt a sadness since yesterday about leaving to go home.  But we know that we will be back to this beautiful country and these sweet people soon.  And I am way too excited to see what God has in store for us on this journey to waste time being sad.  I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

As we were on the plane coming home and I was looking out over the big puffy white clouds, the verse that I keep hearing from Hebrews popped into my mind: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”

Yes, run with endurance until we can get back to Jamaica and the plan God has for us.

Word to Life Church and street evangelism; our time in Jamaica - Day 7

We woke up before the sunrise this morning.  So much to think about from yesterday and the whole week.  And tomorrow we have to go home already.  Sigh....

Since there are no coffee pots in the rooms, Bruce made me a cup of coffee from the filter bags that he had brought along (yes, he has such a servant’s heart and spoils me rotten).  We sat on the balcony to eat the sweet rolls that we had bought at a local place along the way yesterday.  We watched the sun come up on the water and talked about all that the week has held.  We decided to take a quick swim in the pool before heading off on our next adventure.

We took quick showers and got dressed, packed up a bag for the day, and headed off to the beach for breakfast.  Just after we sat down, a couple of older gentlemen who told us that there names were Vin and Leroy, came up to us on the beach and starting serenading us with reggae music while we were eating.  We were thrilled!  We recorded one of their songs, took their pictures, and gave them a tip for a CD.  What a great way to start the morning on the beach in Jamaica!

After breakfast, we walked down the beach for church with Pastors Richard and Nicola that we had met on Tuesday.  They were very welcoming and we really enjoyed the service.  For the past several weeks I keep hearing the same scriptures: Hebrews 12:1 and Ephesians 6:10.  This morning, we heard those verses yet again.

At church this morning we met Marcia who is part Jamaican but born and lived in London.  She has been here for exactly a year today and hasn’t gone back because she has a heart for the street kids and wants to do...something.  Ironically, she lives right near to Spring Garden and the properties that we have been looking at.  We also met Iona and Maxine and several other wonderful members of this little church.

During the service, four Americans came in and sat down.  Doug and Debra are from Marietta, Georgia.  Their first trip to Jamaica was with a mission team 16 years ago and they have been back to Negril every year since.  This year they brought their daughter, Amanda and son-in-law Michael along with them.  They love it here and call themselves Jamaricans!  They are free spirits, adventurous, and we instantly connected with them as friends.

At the end of the service we talked for awhile with Richard and Nicola.  They were very supportive and told us that they would love to help us in any way that they can.  And then they told us that they would be going out to do street evangelism at 5:00 pm.  So, we invited ourselves to go along!

After we left church, we drove back down to the west end and to the lighthouse.  The lighthouse keeper was no where to be found.  We decided that he was likely still at church.  So, unfortunately without the key, we couldn’t climb the lighthouse, but we looked around and took some pictures. Then we jumped back in the car and followed the road further south to look for other properties along the ocean.  We found a couple with for sale signs on them, stopped the car and trekked around, wondering if we could see ourselves at this place.  We took some pictures and made notes so that we can look them up later.

It was mid-afternoon by this point so we headed back to find something to eat.  At church this morning, Doug and Debra had recommended that we try the restaurant Sweet Spice, the local favorite, in downtown Negril.  We found the place and had the most wonderful chicken peppered steak.  After lunch, we headed back to the hotel for a nap.  We had been up and going since 5:30 am!

We took a quick 10 minute nap, re-grouped and changed, and headed back out the door to the beach for a quick swim in the ocean.  I’m getting in all my last chances while I can and making every minute count.  We floated around in the blue water for about 15 or 20 minutes, took a shower, changed clothes and headed off toward the church to meet Pastors Richard and Nicola for some street evangelism.

When we got to the place to meet them, our new friends Doug and Debra from Georgia were there,

too. Nine of us took off to walk the streets of Negril. We talked to the folks that stopped about Jesus and invited them to church. At one place that we stopped, we found our friend, Patrice, from the shopping center a few days before! I knew that I felt like we would see her again. We talked with her and her friends for a little while, prayed with lots of people, made a few new friends, and answered their questions. Several people gave their lives to Christ during the hour and a half that we were out.  It was really fun to talk with so many people and exciting to see how God is moving.  The harvest is ripe in Jamaica, for sure.

It was starting to get dark and the mosquitoes were biting so I pried Bruce away from the conversation that he and the other guys were having.  A couple others walked with us back to our car and we took off for Rick’s Café.

The parking lot at Rick’s was packed!  As we walked in we could hear the reggae band playing and saw people dancing, singing, and swimming.  What a fun atmosphere.  We danced on the sand dance floor in front of the stage, had some Jamaican beef patties and a huge brownie sundae, and watched as several guys jumped off the 30 foot high cliffs into the water.  Some even did back flips and acrobatics!  The lights were on the rocks and shining into the water and we could see several huge tuna circling around in the swimming area. If only we would have had a fishing pole and a net!

We hung out at Rick’s for a little while before we drove the short distance back to our hotel for an evening swim and to pack to leave the next day.

Roaring River and Blue Hole; our time in Jamaica - Day 6

We got up early this morning to go look at properties, hopeful that the real estate agent would come this morning like she told us yesterday.  There was no water, and I mean not even a drop, coming out of the faucets.  I guess sometimes water is an issue in Jamaica.  Welcome to a third world country.  So, we went down and skimmed off a few hundred of the thousands of mosquitoes that were floating on top of the water in the swimming and took a quick dip instead.  Bruce carried a couple of buckets inside so that we could flush the toilet.  It's really nice to have an smart and ingenuitive husband.  After getting dressed and packing up our things, we had a quick bite to eat, and waited for the real estate agent.  She was right on time and we couldn't have been more thrilled.


She wanted to show us a couple houses in the neighborhood and then headed off to see a small hotel that is for sale outside of town.  Nah. It just didn’t feel right.  So, next we went about a half hour west to look at a retreat center up in the mountains.  We fell in love instantly.  It is in a pretty remote location and very beautiful.  Multiple cottages, a large gazebo, a spa, a conference room and office, and so much more, all finished with bamboo, stone, seashells.  So cute!  Modern yet simple. Nine acres with water and electricity all the way up to the top of the mountain. The owner, a French lady named Beatrice, was there and showed us all around. She gave us some lemon grass tea that she has made and a cold peppermint compress to wash our faces with and put on our necks in the heat. Luxurious! She walked with us all the way up to the to the tippy top of the mountain where she had built a tree house. Wow, what a view.

From there we drove just a short distance to the little village of Roaring River and Blue Hole Mineral Springs.  We were planning on coming here this afternoon, but were probably less than a mile from this town when we were at the retreat center.  Luckily, our real estate agent/human GPS (thank you, Lord) brought us all the way out here. I doubt that we would have ever found this remote location without a lot of turning around and asking for directions since signs for this were very scarce until we were right in front of it.  We paid a small fee which we weren’t really sure was on the up and up, changed into swim suits behind an empty abandoned concrete building, um....okaaay....it's all part of the adventure, right?....and then we found a guide who told us his name was Lazarus.  He took us around the grounds a little, showed us the rushing and roaring river, the springs, and told us about some of the vegetation.  He knew all about the plants and flowers, and what to chew, boil or cook for what ails you.  He was really very knowledgeable.

After walking around outside for a little bit, we then went down into the caves where he told us about each rock, the bats, the stalactites and stalagmites.  We got to swim around in the mineral springs and saw where they were coming up from the ground.  Lazarus told us that a diver once tried to find the source, went down 160 feet, got scared and gave up.  They have never determined how deep the hole is.  In one place in the cave the water was rushing so fast that it almost swept me away.  It was very cold, but felt great on our sore muscles, mosquito bites, scrapes and cuts from trekking around off the beaten paths.  Bruce says I’m taking home a lot more souvenirs than most people.  It will probably be awhile before I wear a skirt to church!

After we left the cave, our guide gave us a long tour around the village.  We talked to a few people on the street, and we asked him all kinds of questions, too.  This was a part of the tour that not just anybody would get.  We saw many children and extreme poverty here, but everyone was so friendly

and I never felt unsafe, even way back in the remote areas with nothing but my swimsuit on.  We really liked Colin Lazarus and Roaring River.  We think that this is a place that we will probably be back to....I have a dream of a big playground and park here...

After leaving that area, we drove about 45 minutes to look at another property on the ocean.  It is a former resort and has 7 or 8 buildings on it, needs some work, but is right on the ocean cliffs and we are absolutely in love with it!  It would be a great small retreat center, a resort, or a family compound.  

The real estate agent tried to show us a couple other properties, but they ended up being way too far from where we want to be.  We were getting tired, hungry and frustrated, so we turned around and took the long way back to Negril just to see another view of things.  We had a nice dinner on the ocean just down from our hotel at Rockhouse Restaurant, did a little window shopping at the shops along the street and walked back to our room for bed.  So many things swirling through my mind, but after more than 12 hours of non-stop go, go, go, I’m sure that listening to the waves crashing on the cliffs, sleep won’t be a problem tonight.

Beaches and the Black River; our time in Jamaica - Day 5

I woke up this morning in the jungle surrounded by mosquito netting. We got to sleep in the Queen's Room at Linda's house. Monique had gotten us coco bread made with coconut milk for breakfast. Yum! Miss Sadie, a Jamaican lady who works closely with Linda and Jesus for Jamaica, was here at 5:30 am to meet us but we weren’t up yet (imagine that...) She came back at about 8:30 and had

devotions with us on the deck, then took us in to town. We met a neighbor and friend of Linda's, Miss Johnson, in the driveway this morning, too, before we left. Miss Sadie took us back to the grocery store that we were at the day before with Monique to change some money. While we were there, we met her friend, Wiegand. She said that was her first friend and prayer partner. Those two ladies were so cute that I asked them if I could take their picture together.

We went to the Digicel store to get a Jamaican phone but since they didn’t have an inexpensive one in stock, we decided that maybe we didn’t need one after all. We walked around town with Miss Sadie while she did some shopping. She knows everyone in town. It was fun and we felt safe with her there with us. We dropped Miss Sadie off at her house and talked to her husband, Markee, for a little while. We left the relief kits, shoes, and toys that we had brought along with them knowing that Miss Sadie will find a good home for them.


We got back at about 10:30 am, ate a quick bowl of cereal and got ready for the real estate agent to come over to show us some different properties. When 11:30 rolled around and she didn’t show up, we asked Monique for help trying to contact her - since we didn’t buy a phone this morning and don’t have any way to get ahold of her. The agent told us that she was in Montego Bay so wouldn’t be coming. After sitting around waiting for her for an hour and a half, we grabbed our stuff and headed off for Black River to take a safari cruise.

We had a great guide who called himself Captain C. We saw lots of crocodiles, birds, purple hibiscus, and huge mangrove trees. We held a baby croc at the end of the trip and bought some wood carvings from a man at the gate. Then we took off toward Treasure Beach. By some great miracle, without a GPS or even a street sign, we pulled right in to the beach. We walked on the beach, took pictures, and finally decided that we were actually at Calabash Bay Beach. We practically had the whole beach to ourselves. It was beautiful.

Then we got back in the car and found a little place called Jake’s.  It is a resort with cottages on the beach and the cutest little restaurant and bar. I had a jerk burger and Bruce had a shrimp and black bean quesadilla. It was wonderful. We were the only ones there and sat in a little thatched hut right on the ocean. At one point as Bruce walked through a doorway, a penny dropped on to the ground right in front of him. Kind of like it just fell from out of a tree or right from the sky.  Really?  So crazy.

After lunch we headed toward Frenchman’s Bay Beach. This beach, too, was almost empty, and was beautiful. We took a long walk on the beach and soaked in all the scenery. Cute little colorful fishing boats bouncing around on the waves, houses dotting the beach, and empty little huts perched on the sand. So picturesque! This was the eighth beach that we've visited so far on this trip.

We decided to take another way home simply because of where we were in relation to where we came from. This road, like many we've traveled, isn’t on any map. I'm pretty sure it’s just a goat trail. We dodged pothole after pothole, goats, cows and donkeys, dogs and cats. We've had this little rental car up and down mountains, on beaches, way back in the jungle, through the mud and in and out of more potholes and puddles than I can count. I wouldn't be surprised if they make us buy it at the end of the week!

We found our way back to Whitehouse and then found a road side stand to get some fresh watermelon. We came back to the house and checked our computers to find a message from our sister-in-law, Michelle.

It turns out that Bruce's son Andrew’s blood sugar had gotten high and he had to be hospitalized today while at camp.  He hadn’t rechecked his blood sugar after dinner and desert the night before. His blood sugar was way too high, then just got higher during the night until he was sick and weak. They said that they tried to call us this morning, but we didn’t have any cell phone signal on our US Verizon phone here in this part of the island and hadn’t bought a phone this morning. Oh boy. Poor Andrew. He was fine when we talked to him later, but Bruce spent the rest of the night feeling guilty about going away and not being able to be reached. This is the first episode that Andrew has had in the four years since he was diagnosed with diabetes and we travel all the time. It's too bad that this had to happen while he was at camp and we were away.

After talking with Andrew, we took a walk to try to see the sunset, but there were too many clouds.  We took a swim to cool off, had our watermelon and went to bed.

Human GPS; our time in Jamaica - Day 4

We got up early and drove down to the beach for breakfast.  After we finished our coffee we went across the street to the duty free mall. We really wanted to pick up a map and exchange some more money, but we ended up bargaining for some bracelets and other things. The two gals who we had the most fun talking with were Jennifer and Patrice. I’m sure we will see them again.

From the mall we went to fill the car up with gas. We’ve done a lot of driving on only half a tank of gas, but we don’t want to end up stranded in the middle of nowhere. So, we stopped at the Texaco on the edge of town. The gas stations in Jamaica are still full service. It feels a little strange but it's kind of nice, really. As Bruce went inside to pay, a Jamaican was standing next to me and we struck up a conversation. He said his name was Kevin. He was telling me about the mineral springs and how to get there.  We had a nice “likkle” chat.

When Bruce got back in the car, we decided that maybe we should go see the other property at Spring Garden that Jennifer was telling us about yesterday. If we don’t, I’ll always wonder about it.  And I can’t see it from Indiana. So, we headed down the road toward Sheffield, turned at the corner with the bike taxis to go to Ketto, went past the huge garden and the spring, past Ms. Lolly’s shop and the 7th Day Adventist Church, and then turned at the blue and yellow shack to pass through the hidden cane field valley to Spring Garden.

When we got there, we weren’t sure quite where to go.  The only thing that we could see was our new friend, Tracy’s house with Lynette’s house next door, and the 6 acres of property that we had looked at the day before. So, we decided to drive up to see if Tracy or Lynette were home to ask them.

Lynette came out when she saw us pulling up the driveway. She didn’t remember ever telling her
friend Jennifer about any property and certainly hadn’t taken her to see it.

Hmm.... But as we talked, she figured out that it must be Rick’s place next door. Conveniently, Tracy has the key to the gate at Rick’s and one of the workers that is building her house, Shorty, is staying there since it’s been “abandoned”. (I'm really not quite sure how you can you tell if property in Jamaica has been abandoned?)

Lynette asked Shorty if he would mind showing us around.  So Shorty met us over there.  This property is directly across the lane and adjoining to the flat parcel of land that we looked at yesterday, the untouched and very usable part that we really liked.  The first thing that I noticed was the gate leading down the lane.  It says “Jah’s Rest”.  Jah is the shortened form of Yahweh, or in the Hebrew YHWH (thanks, Laurette - how much I have learned from you!)

So, we drove down the lane and the first things that I saw were bright red hibiscus, climbing purple

garlic, a giant mango tree with fruit hanging off of it, and several big full coconut trees. Off to the right was a little house with a hammock on the front porch. Following Shorty, we walked around inside in the dark since there is no electricity. There is a bedroom in the front, a large bathroom, and a small kitchen. There is also a large covered space outside almost as big as the entire building. It runs along the side and across the back with a table and an outdoor kitchen. The place was somewhat small inside and a mess with junk all around, but the building was solid and seemed to be in good condition.

When we walked off the porch, we saw another bigger building in front of us, just on the other side of our car.  It was camouflaged by vines and overgrown trees and hidden from our view when we first drove in.  It had really neat lattice work on the front and side, and when we walked in, we could see that it had the same on the back. There were some stained glass windows inside and really neat stone work up the walls about halfway. This building, too, was partially full of junk laying around and needed to have a couple of walls finished and doors hung, but otherwise was solid and seemed to be in good condition. The bathroom was not finished, but the shower was all stone to match the walls and did appear to be finished. There was also a matching stone outdoor bathroom.

The grounds were a mess and overgrown, but as I wandered around I saw an avocado tree, a pineapple plant, banana trees, many large coconut trees, a couple of mango trees, a big full ackee tree, and a tree with several big jackfruit hanging off of it. We didn’t walk the whole property, just a small portion of the 2 acres. Who knows what else could be there?

I took about a million pictures and didn’t want to leave, but we had on shorts and t-shirts and the mosquitoes were eating us alive. As were leaving we talked about the possibilities that this piece of property with all it’s lush fruit trees, flat open stretches for a garden and a spring right down the road could offer. We talked about how to turn the larger of the two buildings into a children’s home, and the small one into the directors home with a large outdoor kitchen and space for everyone to eat together. We talked about how great it would be to have a friend, Lynette, right next door, what a coincidence it was that Lynette knows Jennifer, that Jennifer told us about this piece of property yet Lynette said that she couldn’t remember showing it to her, that Tracy had the key to the gate, that Shorty was staying there, that he works for our new friends Tracy and Lynette, and that we already knew our way out to Spring Garden. Wow.

From Spring Garden we started off to go to Whitehouse and we wanted to stop at Bluefields Bay Beach along the way. When we got as far as Sav-La-Mar about 30 minutes away, we were trying to follow the signs, but at many intersections, there just aren’t any. All of the sudden, we came to a dead-end. We must have missed a turn off somewhere. As we were turning around, my friend from back at the gas station in Negril appeared in the window. Kevin could see that we were lost so he led us back to the main road and to the turn off to go toward Whitehouse. Wow! No working GPS in Jamaica, but God has provided so many people to show us the way.

We pulled off when we saw the sign for Bluefields Bay Beach.  We had decided that this was the trip to see as many beaches as we can. So far this is our fourth. It’s a cute little beach with shops and vendors across the street. We took a short walk along with beach, took a quick swim, then had curried conch and garlic lobster with festival for lunch. Our chef, Pearl, made us a fantastic meal and we were stuffed.

We hopped back in the car to go on towards Whitehouse and our friend, Linda’s, house. We followed Linda’s directions and found her house. But not before we drove around for at least a half hour, close, but lost. I must have missed writing one step down. Nonetheless, we found the house and rang the bell. Monique, Linda’s house help, was expecting us, but she wasn’t here. She went down the road just before we came and then it started to pour down rain. We sat in Linda’s driveway for a good hour and talked, listened to the rain and let it wash off our dusty rental car, and even got in a short nap. Finally, we decided to go look for Monique by asking the security guard at the gated entrance to the subdivision. Just as we got to the corner, a big white truck pulled up and Monique stuck her head out. She had found a ride back home and was coming to let us in.

We opened the gate and were just stunned by the beauty of this tropical oasis. Linda’s whole yard is a big jungle garden with trees and flowers everywhere you look. We wandered around and got our bearings, unpacked our car, and then Monique took us up the mountain to McAlpine to see the clinic, school and ranch house that Linda has built with Jesus for Jamaica. Wow. First of all, what a ride up that big hill. Secondly, what a view from the top. And third, we can see how much work has gone into this little village. Many houses are new or newer. And we have learned from Linda that they just got running water up here on the mountain within the last month. Can you imagine? But we could also see the poverty in the men living underneath the clinic and saw evidence of them sleeping in the ranch. They just have no other place else to go.

We got into the clinic and walked around, imagining the possibilities for the orphanage that Linda is hoping to start soon with Jesus for Jamaica. We went back to the car and Bruce got his tape measure and I got a piece of paper.  Bruce drew the building out and I wrote down the measurements. He wants to be able to draw it out for Linda so that they can get the best use out of the space. We are so excited to be able to help with this vision in this way!

As we were walking around we made a friend. His name was Andre and he was about 8 years old. Smart little stinker, and so sweet. He walked all over with us and stayed right by our sides asking us questions and showing us things. We wanted to give him a toy or a sucker or something when we got back to the car, but at some point while we were finishing up, he disappeared. Good bye, Andre.

We headed back down the mountain with Monique and then went to the grocery store in Whitehouse. It was good to have a local with us. We got a few things and then headed back to the house where we met Monique’s daughter, Jessina. She is 3 years old, totally cute and smart!  Oh my 
goodness, the things that came out of her mouth!  I would probably take her home if I could. (Bruce said that Monique would tell me no way....) Bruce and I walked out to the ocean, walked around on the beach and the rocks, took lots of pictures, and watched the sunset. Then we went back to Linda’s house and went for a swim in the pool, took a shower, made some toast with guava jelly, and headed off for bed. It was a full and eventful day.

Get Lost; our time in Jamaica - Day 3

We slept in a little later today, exhausted from all that happened yesterday.  As we sat down for breakfast and were looking out at the ocean, Rachel came walking down the beach in her floppy green sun hat, accompanied by a couple of Jamaican friends. We motioned for her to come over and join us. She had a few words with the ladies that were walking with her, and then came up the beach and sat down at our table.

Rachel told us that every Wednesday there is a Farmer’s Market in Negril just a little ways down the beach. She was going to pick out her fruits and vegetables for the week and the friends that were with her, evidently the ladies who we had talked to the day before, help take care of her and cook for her.

We thought that a Farmer’s Market would be fun thing to see on our way south to Broughton to the property that we were going to look at this morning.  So, after breakfast, we headed off to find it.

We found the parking lot where all the sellers had set up their goods. Wow. It was quite a sight. I think every kind of fruit and vegetable on the island was represented there, along with a couple other things like jams and honey. We walked around for just a minute when I saw Lynette, the American lady who we had met yesterday at her house in Spring Garden! She turned around and recognized us. We talked for a couple minutes and then, just sort of out of the blue she asked, “You aren’t going to Broughton to see Lost Beach tomorrow, are you?” (Where did that come from?) No, I told her, actually we are going to see it today, right now from here! She gave us directions, which is a good thing because our GPS doesn’t work and I didn’t really know where we were going. As it turns out, Lynette worked at Lost Beach as the bookkeeper and assistant manager for a couple of years and has remained close friends with the manager there.

When we pulled in to Lost Beach we were met by the property manager Jennifer, Ception, the head housekeeper, Lisa, the server and bartender, and Beanie, the groundskeeper. We told Jennifer that we had met a friend of hers, Lynette, yesterday at her house and had just run into her again at the Farmer’s Market on our way here. Jennifer asked if we had looked at property in Spring Garden. (Now why would she ask us that?) Then she described the property next to Lynette, which is not the piece of property that we looked at yesterday but is right next to it! She told us a little bit about it, that the owner was American, that he had 8 children, and that he had just passed away. She said that she had looked at it and thought it was beautiful.

Jennifer showed us all around Lost Beach Resort. We fell in love with the beach and can see how wonderful this place was before it was closed more than 2 years ago.  It is in disrepair and needs a lot of TLC, but could be great for what we want it for. And it’s only about a 20 minute drive from Spring Garden. Maybe?

From Broughton we found our way back to Negril.  We were hungry so we headed straight to 3 Dives Jerk Center. I had seen this place on the way to our hotel and knew that I wanted to eat there. We had wonderful jerk chicken with callaloo and rice and peas. 3 Dives is just down the street from our hotel so we went back to put on swim suits and call Captain Moses.

We met Captain Moses on the beach yesterday and he gave me his business card. I liked him and felt
comfortable with him. So we called him and he came and picked us up. His son who calls himself Captain Papa, took us snorkeling on the reef in Bloody Bay, getting it’s name from the pirates that camped out there in the 1800s and the whalers who butchered their catch there in the 1900s. We saw lots of fish, sting rays, an eel, and an elusive turtle, along with a huge big anchor and a cannon on the bottom of the ocean. We were the only two on this trip so had the whole boat to ourselves. We swam until it was almost dark and watched the sunset on our way back.

When we got back to the hotel we walked across the street to Tony’s One Stop Fruit and Vegetable Stand. Tony peeled a mango and a papaya for us, and cut in half the largest avocado I’ve ever seen. This was our dinner. We took a quick swim in the hotel pool, then had our fruit for dinner on the deck. It seems as if we are the only guests at this hotel and have the whole place to ourselves.