Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Write a Travelogue (11/06/14)
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TITLE: Ahh Jamaica | Previous Challenge Entry
By Verna Cole Mitchell
11/11/14 -
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We traveled up a bumpy hill to a palatial gated villa, where we were greeted by a guard and two friendly German shepherds. As we entered the luxurious foyer, a tall butler, white teeth shining, and the housekeeper, a soft-spoken ebony-hued lady, welcomed us.
Almost immediately, we heard the clang of the dinner bell (a harbinger of deliciousness we came to look forward to) calling us to dinner. We walked on gleaming parquet floors into the dining room to be seated at a long table, dressed in white, in shadowed candlelight. Here the butler served us crisp fried chicken, followed by an array of fresh vegetables and fruits, all delicately spiced and cooked to perfection and crowned with delectable banana cream pie
We drifted into the living room, lavish in color, furniture, and decoration, with the great doors open to the verandah. This would be our meeting place for sharing memories of long-ago days and reviewing the sights of each day.
As my husband and I sank into the mattress in our bedroom, we were lulled to sleep by the beating of drums, then awakened in the morning by a donkey’s bray and birds, speaking in a patois almost as different as that of the natives.
With the aroma of bacon frying, we explored. The flowers surrounding the villa brought to mind the Garden of Eden. Even in December, the lush backyard was a palate splashed with lavenders, yellows, greens, pinks, crimsons, whites, and golds. We anticipated swimming in the shimmering pool, framed by bougainvilla.
Breakfast was served on the white marbled veranda, where fresh flowers graced the table. On the other side of the long porch, lounge chairs with cushions in varying blues and greens beckoned us to sit and rest.
Towering above the roof, tall trees and shrubs with one giant philodendron watched over pastel blossoms, dancing in place. Later from the bedroom balconies, we looked over the town to the ocean, where cruise ships arrived and departed.
Our driver took us many amazing places. At Coyoba Park more exotic flowers rested among gigantic trees beside whispering streams. In Shaw Gardens natural falls glittered in the sun, and a Ficus tree dominated flora and fauna. Dunn’s River Falls boasted slippery rocks, where some of the more daring climbed— but not me!
We visited rainforest, Fern Gulley, and on a guided tour of Prospect Plantation, we admired Jamaica’s national flower, purple vitae, and a plethora of trees, including banyan, spice, lime, banana, lemon, and orange. Here we watched a man shimmy up a coconut tree.
We did not find a view more awesome anywhere than the one at Firefly, the home of Noel Coward. And we laughed at unadvertised attractions, like the man who wore the top half of a desiccated Christmas tree atop his head, and another in a craft center who shouted, “Blue light special!”
We lunched at the Jamaican Grand Hotel and dined superbly at glamorous restaurants under the stars. We took in a dinner show, where the costumes were bright beyond bright, and the rhythmical music was louder than loud.
We experienced shopping of all kinds, from hawkers who stopped us with their homemade wares, to shops for jewelry and everything else imaginable, where we were expected to haggle over the price. The vast difference between the rich and poor here was never more evident than when, amid all the wealth, we saw people searching for food in dumpsters. This sang a sad song to me.
On Sunday we attended a little church and worshipped alongside dressed-up dark families. A wheezy organ provided the instrumental music for a small choir. The pastor, with an obvious heart for his people, preached with fervor that Jesus came for those in every culture.
Though we left this paradise of sunshine and flowers many years ago, not one of the hundreds of photos we took is clearer to me than my memory of Hibiscus pink petals, trailing off the edge of the veranda.
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Well written and appropriate view into the flavor of many of the Caribbean Islands.
God bless~