The long way home...

From Tonto Basin to Phoenix to Costa Rica via Jamaica. Guess it's not exactly the most direct route, but, after all, my nephew was getting married in Jamaica. So off we went on the 5 AM SuperShuttle to Phoenix Sky Harbor. The flight was uneventful and food-less so by the time we hit Miami International we were HUNGRY. Since we were also facing a 5-hour layover in Miami, it just made sense to leave the airport to eat and explore. On the advice of an airport “info” person, we headed to an area called Bayside. There found numerous cafes featuring every type of seafood imaginable, but nothing on the menu that would appeal to my vegan traveling companion until we spotted a Chili's Restaurant with outside dining on the second floor overlooking the marina. Good food, great views. And judging from the size of the fish the boats were unloading, this is a top notch area for sport fishing. After lunch we still had a little time to explore the numerous shops around Bayside, and decided that the Miami area would make a great destination point for some future trip. Good thing we made this decision before getting back to the airport just in time for a 2-hour delay. Getting to paradise can sometimes be a struggle.

Hanging out in history...

Hanging out in history...
Our first two nights in Jamaica were strictly a family affair. The bride, groom, parents of each, siblings, aunt and cousin. Ten of us total in a luxurious 5-bedroom villa in Montego Bay. A little background on Villa Monzon: it's in a private community of seven homes and was formerly part of the Royal Windsor Family of England's Plantation. This property was presented to Sir Winston Churchill in 1946, after the end of World War II. Historically, the original "Content" estate was 300 plus acres. Later, Winston Churchill's niece, Lady Sarah sold off parts of the estate which now comprises this seven home community. The original Content/Churchill estate is on 16 acres next to Monzon and on the other side is the "Drambuie" estate on 75 acres.

Our first day there we hit a local beach with the largest starfish I have ever see. Warm, clear water, just the way I like it. We then stopped by a small local thatch-roof restaurant for some soup (shrimp or conch soup) and cold Red Stripes – the local beer which was actually quite good. But nothing could surpass the outstanding lobster dinner we had that evening back at the Villa – an end to our introduction to Jamaica. Yum. And to think some people live like this all the time!!!