A Food Experience To Remember

by Ashley Jones (United States of America)

A leap into the unknown Jamaica

Always wanting to travel the world and experience different places and cultures I was able to do just that. My life had been on a slow track for majority of my twenties after having my third child. I became a full time mom and put my traveling plans on hold. But May 2017 that had all changed when I was invited on an a girls trip to visit Jamaica. My mother and two cousins planned an extraordinary trip for the four of us. To say I was excited would be modest. I was elated to get from under my babies for just a few days and enjoy some adult time. I love my children dearly but I needed a taste of adventure and a little peace. So, I accepted the offer and paid my dues to take the trip. The day had came faster than Christmas to a woman who put her life on hold. My stomach turned flips all night and I don't remember getting a wink of sleep. I wasn't going to be sleeping until I stepped off that plane into the kissing sun of Jamaica. And that's what I did with a wide smile. I just knew this wasn't the same sun I'd been seeing back home in the states. It felt different, it looked different, but most of all I wanted it to be different. Once we arrived we took a shuttle bus to our hotel not far from the airport in Kingston. On the way I seen some of the most beautiful people in the humblest conditions one could ever imagine. Yet, the smell of Caribbean cuisine filled the hot air. I had only ate a breakfast bagel sandwich from the airport before our flight. So I was a bit starved by the time we arrived and the smell only confirmed it. The shuttle driver was pleasant he told us some of the places to visit while we were there. And he gave us a few street food vendors to go to for a good meal. After settling into the hotel we hurried right back out to experience the first thing on our agenda. Food! We got a ride from a local cab and he took us to a little food at Fort Clarence. It was right by the beach and the smell of hot grease, fish, and the crystal blue water. I hurried to the line as it was a bit long to order. I grabbed a snapper fish dinner and a lobster tail with some rice. The other ladies chose something called Parrot Fish. After we received our food we went to a spot near the water and admired the view. The food was hot and we decided to share with one another so everyone could have a taste of the best. It was different from what we had experienced back home. It was authentic Jamaican food. We finished our food a while later and took a few more minutes sitting and putting our feet into the water. With sweat running down my back and bust I regretted putting on any type of oil or lotion. But I didn't let that stop me from visiting the one place I always wanted to go and that was to the Bob Marley Museum. I had chosen that as one of our places to visit. We got another cab and he took us to the Museum as we got to see more people riding bikes, walking, some standing in their doorways enjoying the weather I would guess. As we arrived to the museum we noticed it was Bob Marley's home and it was crowded with tourist just like us. Once inside people were snapping pictures touching everything and the guide was giving us a story of Marley's life with his music playing faintly in the background. I shedded tears as I listened to both the music and the story. It seemed we only knew what we heard of Bob Marley since he had passed before I was even born. But I didn't expect my experience of his hometown to be so humbling. My week there was better than any other vacation thus far. Trails and waterfalls.