With notes written Wednesday Jan 23
I liked my new morning routine. I liked it A LOT. I could get used to having a leisurely breakfast on a terrace everyday, followed by a swim and a couple peaceful hours spent reading and starting up at the sky.
I’ve read back what I wrote here so far, and it probably appears as though I’m travelling all alone. This is not the case! While I was enjoying quiet swims in the company of mourning doves, my co-traveller, Kristina, had to work. (This was the whole reason behind this trip.) We’d get up in the morning, have breakfast together, and part ways around 7:30… meeting meeting again later for dinner. BUT don’t feel too sorry for her. She’s going back to Jamaica in May.
On Wednesday I decided to venture further into the commercial district I had started to explore the other day. There was a basket maker (see pic) on the way. The strip itself consisted of a row of strip malls, punctuated by the odd KFC, Texaco or Juici Patti.
I loved watching the school children. That was probably the highlight. (Here’s my only pic of them.)
My goals today were:
a)Â to find a bank
b)Â to find a little something for the girls
c)Â to eat/or find a grocery store
I checked out a few shops, including a Home Depot kind of place. Nothing caught my fancy, but I wasn’t really here to buy stuff anyway.
The sun beat down relentlessly. The heat, combined with the stink of the exhaust, was beginning to get to me. That’s when I saw the bank. I ducked in, grateful for some A/C.
I waiting in a short line designated for foreign transactions. I noticed another special line just for seniors too (which I later realized was typical), which I thought it was a great idea.
As I waited I noticed a couple of uniformed men coming into the bank. One was holding a package, a third brought up the rear. He held an enormous rifle in his arms and looked totally ready to use it. This was security, I guess, but it was weird to me… I am someone who isn’t used to seeing anyone so clearly armed like that.
I waited a long time. Finally, it was my turn at the wicket. I asked the teller if I could exchange some travellers cheques. She said I could, then asked me to wait, which I did, for another 10 minutes. As I stood there I started to feel nauseous and mildly dizzy. It was past 1:00 and I hadn’t eaten. I took a long swig of water and counted off ten deep breaths. I wondered if I looked suspicious: this sweaty, thirsty, deep-breathing white woman clutching her wallet and looking frazzled.
She finally returned, and explained that she couldn’t help me because some website was down, and she needed this website in order to process the cheques. Frig. Note to self: don’t bother with traveller’s cheques!
I ducked in two other banks but the lineups were so long I couldn’t bear it.
I stopped at the Juici Patti to pick up some lunch. It was packed. I approached the counter and placed my order. The lady mumbled my order number back to me.
“Four ninety?” I asked.
“TWO HUNDRED AND NINE,” she said, enunciating every syl-la-ble and slightly raising her voice. I recognized the look in her eyes. I’d seen it before, not just here in Jamaica, but everwhere I’ve travelled. It’s a look I can only explain as bemused pity, mixed with an equal amount of kindness and good humour.
Take pity on the hungry traveller!
I took my patties and left. They were too hot to eat anyway. I started back to the hotel. It had suddenly clouded over. It was the mountain, it dictates things around here. I’d only been here a short while, but I couldn’t help but notice its ever-changing face. It was now was sending us rain.
I didn’t mind. It was a warm rain, and I welcomed anything that would wash away the smell of the hot garbage and dampen the dust and heat of the day. Unfortunately, I was cursed with an inability to cross the road where I wanted to. I found out later that despite the seemingly crazy behaviour of the drivers, pedestrians that rule the roads. Kristina’s colleague informed me that I just had to walk about into the street and that the drivers would accommodate. Ha. Like I wanted to try that. The traffic is totally unpredictable, and I was keenly aware that whenever I stepped out into the street I was taking my life into my own hands.
Clutching my bag of patties, I walked aways until I reached a safe(r) place to cross. I hurried home, only to pause a moment to snap a photo of one of the many homeless dogs (see pic) that I’d seen. I retired to my room to eat my lunch.
I wasn’t sure what time Kristina was due back, so I changed my clothes and decided to check out the hotel gym. I hadn’t actually planned on going to the gym, but I had an empty hour and thought it might be fun to hop on a bike and prevent the muscle atrophy that was happening while I lounged by the pool every day.
I met Kristina as I walked out the door. She (wisely) didn’t come with me.
The gym – ugh – it was so bloody hot in there I thought I was going to die. It must have been at least 40 degrees in there. It was in a separate building behind the pool. I could not figure out how to turn on the fans. There was no visible switch. Trust me, I looked and looked. I sat on a bike, figuring that if people could do yoga in extreme heat, I could bike. I did that for about 15 minutes before I gave out.
I lifted a few weights and decided I should get out of there before I passed out. The air outside felt like air conditioning in comparison. I made my way back to our room and collapsed on the bed… a sweaty, woozy mess. I didn’t feel better until I’d had a cold shower and a jug of cherry juice.
Dinner was light – smoked marlin salad. I couldn’t stomach eating much more than that.
After dinner, Kristina and I went to the hotel casino. We each exchanged $20 USD for a bucket of tokens valued at a quarter each. Mine was spent in about 15 minutes. I even spent my winnings: $1.50. Kristina was more successful. She won $650! …
(Haha, in Jamaican dollars, which actually amounts to less than $10.00, but we got a lot of mileage out of that joke.)Â We called it a night and back to our room. I had to laugh. We’re so, like, in our 30s. :)
Kristina had a copy of the show 30 Days on her iPod, so we watched that. I really enjoyed it. We don’t get that show here in Canada, which is too bad because it’s pretty interesting.Â
[tomorrow: am I cut out for a life of leisure?]