~Pat    Virginia

With a jolt I remember how dramatic the sunrise is in Africa and we jump out of bed to fully open the drapes.  A rosy hue touches the tops of the trees and suddenly the glowing orange orb of the rising sun pushes its way into view over the horizon.  We watch fascinated as pale pastel light rapidly changes to bright colorful vibrancy.  It lights up the room, the garden and beyond in a matter of minutes.  It’s almost as if some giant Hand reaches down and plucks the sun up and then hangs it in the sky.  Time will seem to move slowly for the rest of the day – until the sun once more approaches the horizon when suddenly it will drop and darkness will fall almost instantly.

There is nothing stealthy or subtle about sunrise or sunset here in the African tropics.  The beginning and ending of every day is a dramatic enactment of life – a moment or two to pause and rejoice, a moment or two to pause and consider.  Each takes your breath away and it is a comment I hear often while traveling in this incredible continent “why is it that the sunrise/sunset here is so much more beautiful than anywhere else?”  I don’t know the answer to that – but I have to agree!

Familiar sights

Our son was there waiting for us at Harare International Airport, the plane was early, all our luggage arrived and accounted for, the immigration and customs officials polite and rather bored, the airport clean if shabby and outside the sun is shining in a blue sky.  The countryside looks lush and green with long grass and flowering trees evidence of the past season’s good rains.  It seems informal markets selling wonderful woven grass and reed goods, wooden furniture and sculptures are back in business along with the tree-cutters who advertise their wares on hand painted metal signs hammered into the trees on many a corner.  A new addition are the sellers of “air time” who rush out into the traffic at each intersection to help you keep your all-important cell phone topped up!  Incredible dodging and weaving in between vehicles who behave as if these intrepid vendors are bionic or at the very least, invisible!

Baskets and benches

Avenues of dappled shadow and hard-edge sunshine bring good memories flooding back.  Riding home from school, heading off to matches, afternoon teas and morning playgroups.  There is a smile growing inside of me.  We drop our bags in the spacious guest suite of our friend’s home and gather outside on the patio to begin the unraveling of time and stories.  We sit under the shade of a large canvas umbrella and look out over the impeccably manicured lawn, luscious tropical plantings, their swimming pool and tennis courts as we chat and exchange news and slowly the last few hectic days fade steadily away.  And then as if to complete our homecoming, at four o’clock Blessing arrives carrying the tea tray.  It’s laden with teapot and mugs for a hot cuppa and freshly baked home-made crunchies, our most favorite of biscuits.  Ahhh!  Such a civilized tradition and one we have missed!

St Martin in the Fields stands next to the English National Gallery and overlooks Trafalgar Square, with fountain and pond, huge lion statues and iconic Nelson’s Column.  It offers a wonderful spot to relax, sit a while, visit and, if you pick the time correctly, a musical treat.  The church is in fact, famous for its music.  The acoustics are special and to listen to a live performance or even a rehearsal during the noon time lunch hour, is definitely worth working into your London itinerary.  When the concert  is over, wander downstairs into the church crypt to the Café for a tasty sandwich or soup in the ancient underground of this London landmark.  It’s a good place to get warm and filled – physically and spiritually.  Both fascination and satisfaction together.  There are not many places you can get that at the same time!

I read somewhere that the reason that the famous façade of the St Martin in the Fields is so familiar to American visitors is that it is repeated hundreds of times over in churches this side of the Atlantic.  The huge portico held by Corinthian pillars, the wide flight of stairs leading up to it and the soaring white steeple piercing the sky above the church and figuratively pointing the way to God.  A comforting, beloved sight while at the same time awe inspiring and dominating.  A church has been on this site in London since the 13^th Century and this particular building of such pleasing architectural proportions was designed by James Gibb and completed in 1726.  It predates the Square itself.  It remains a bustling, working church to this day.

A 10 minute walk from the Charing Cross tube station and standing quietly overlooking Trafalgar Square, St Martin in the Fields is the place to aim for at lunch time on your next London trip.  You don’t need to book, just turn up and enjoy.  You won’t regret it.

Beach Sandals Mo Bay

We traveled with other passengers who had just flown in to the island, many of whom were returning Sandals guests, something we found not to be uncommon.  We were booked to spend the rest of the week at Sandals Royal Caribbean and as such were the last to be taken to our hotel.  We were able to get a peek into the Sandals Carlyle Inn and the Sandals Montego Bay on our way.

All of Sandals Resorts are adult-only luxury included resorts and sold as such with the emphasis on “couples in love”.  I was a little skeptical about this and not at all sure if I would find it to be a little cloying and even uncomfortable.  How wrong I was!

Ocean and beach view at RC

From the minute we arrived, the high standard of service and discretion that the staff employed was reassuring and it turned out to be one of the most relaxing and enjoyable vacations we have ever enjoyed.  Imagine no whining or screaming kids to detract, no childish demands to impinge upon your time, nobody else’s bad mannered children to irritate – just no children!

In addition, the emphasis on couples in love means that everyone is taken care of, “hooked up” or “coupled”, so you never find yourself in a position where you are being picked up, propositioned, or made to feel uncomfortable.  It’s such relief!  And makes for easy friendships and conversations whether you are in your couple or having some alone time while your partner is at the gym, or diving or whatever!

Windsurfing

It is as easy to spend time just the two of you, as it is to meet new friends or even plan to go as a group of favorite friends.  It’s the perfect resort to enjoy a destination wedding with only your adult friends in attendance, or travel with your close family.

Sandals Royal Caribbean resort is spread out in such a way that there are so many different places to go and things to enjoy that you have to make a plan to meet!

Private coves at Royal Caribbean

With gorgeous landscaping all set around buildings offering different experiences from swim-up rooms, to beachside walk-out suites, there is bound to be something to appeal.

This resort is designed around a series of little coves all looking west over their private island and beyond the stunning sunsets.  It is an exclusive, intimate and very inviting place to enjoy some special time with your precious partner.

Sunset on Jamaica

The afternoon rain storms seem to have set in over the west and so we drove in the opposite direction with little other agenda than that of exploring.  We followed the coastal highway east from Mo’ Bay towards Ochos Rios.  We discovered much of the countryside to be so familiar to that of parts of Zimbabwe, that at some time I said to Keith to “pinch me!  This looks and feels like we are in Mutare!”  In so many ways it could have been -  Mutare by the sea!  Flamboyants, figs, bananas, sugar cane, bougis, even trees that looked remarkably like our acacias!

Inland roads

The road wound away from the coastline at times and through gaps cut through limestone toward the interior.  At some points we were driving with some relatively high limestone cliffs on our inland side and noticed plenty of caves and crevices reminding us of Jamaica’s pirate history.  We drove off the main road to visit the coastal town of Falmouth where a brand new cruise terminal is being constructed and will be one of the Royal Caribbean Cruise lines ports of call. It will be the only new thing in this little town which looked to all intents and purposes like a film set for Pirates of the Caribbean!

Falmouth church

Weather battened and beaten stone buildings hold solid place besides tiny wooden houses once painted bright tropical colors but now faded to pastel shades.  Buzzing shops and informal markets are alive with a sudden mass of people, cars, mini-buses and battered pick-ups all thrusting and shoving their way through the little tangle of town streets and all following their own set of rules.  We just brought our own set into the general melee!

We escaped the sudden chaos and set back onto the coastal highway heading towards Runaway Bay and whatever else we would see along the way.  The lure of the mountainous inland proved too much and we branched off towards the interior.

Traveling through the steep hills we wound our way ever upward on narrow and often pot-holed roads that twisted like some tormented serpent through the impossibly thick and lush vegetation.  Little communities clustered around make-shift church buildings, goats and chickens, evidence of farms and small-holdings with dwellings set further back and surely with the most fabulous views over the ocean far below, are carved out of this bush.  Impossibly speeding mini-buses roar around the corners honking horns to warn of their imminent arrival, send the occasional bicyclist and ubiquitous goats scattering or hugging the crumbling edge of the road.  It never fails to amaze me how one always seems to find the fastest drivers in the most laid-back cultures!  Nothing else ever seems to be in a rush or has only the vaguest awareness of time!

Fishing at sunset

It was fantastic to find ourselves high above the coastline and in the Jamaican hills.  There were views everywhere you looked.  Toward and out over the ocean, taking in the bays and coves and distant headlands, the reef showing in places with gentle surf cresting white waves against the shallow coral shelves and inland to west and east, mile upon mile of rolling hills and deep valleys all cloaked in impenetrable dark green vegetation.  As a descendant of pioneers growing up in a land dependant on agriculture, the impression of rich untapped agricultural wealth was overwhelming.  But then I suppose it could be looked at too as rich virgin nature in a world of ever increasing over development – and relished as such.  We certainly did.

Su, sadly we are back home. We had the most amazing time at Sandals La Toc and look forward to some day going back. We need to get the pictures printed and would love to share them with you. Thank you so much for all your help.

Katherine and Michael NC

View from balcony

Polkerris turned out to be the double story on the upper side of the road.  It is surrounded by lush and well maintained gardens resplendent with blooming tropical plants and shrubs such as tumbling bouganvilla, thumbergia in riotous colours and the ever-present multi-hued croton plant.  Wide double doors led into a cool foyer and up a spiral staircase to a view-to-die-for or at the very least, to happily pay-for!!  It was an expansive view over the little town, around the bay and the ocean beyond.  A Cruise Ship was in the middle distance docked at the cruise terminal for the day.  Later on that evening we had the pleasure of watching her steam out of port and head west into the sunset toward her next call.  But for now, we were greeted by our hosts and welcomed graciously to their home.

Polkerris pool

The rooms are beautifully laid out and all off a covered verandah which surrounds the house on all sides.  Our room looked out over the private swimming pool and the splashing waterfall.  Everywhere you gazed the gardens were lush and filled with contrasting shades, colors and textures leaving the eye feeling most satisfied.

“Wheat before wine” was the mantra but it was soon proven while water went stale, wine remained palatable even after many months at sea, and so more and more vineyards were planted.  The French settled predominantly in Franschoek (French Corner).  Long after the French language and accent has disappeared many of the names in that region still give testimony to their heritage today.  As do the restaurants and wines of this region.

It is vaguely reminiscent of Sonoma Wine country in California but the mountains are bigger, greyer and somehow more forbidding.  We stopped at Boschendaal along the way – it is a magnificent estate and enormous.  Here it is possible to enjoy wine-tasting, picnics and distinctive gift shopping as well as history.  They have a gorgeous old French Huguenot Manor House preserved and available to self-tour which is easy to do as it is only five rooms!  Fascinating and well worth the $2 fee to get in.

Once again the gardens surrounding the manor are beautiful and in this perfect weather an outside amble is just compulsory.  The little gardener responded to my greeting with a toothless grin and some word that sounded like “Oily” and indicated the old oak tree that he was sitting under.  I looked up to see this gorgeous owl just sitting there as calm as can be and patiently observing me as if he was waiting for acknowledgement!  Wonderful!

We explored the little town of Franschoek and a special place called the La Quartier Francais which is world renowned for its food and accommodation – and it was impressive – and then I did a side trip to the Huguenot museum.  Most interesting and I just wish I had written down the names of those Huguenot ancestors that we have from the 1700’s.  I learnt a lot in a short time.

It was getting late then and we still hadn’t had lunch so we decided to put lunch and dinner together and we drove out of Franschoek up the mountain to a beautiful vineyard with fantastic restaurant called La Petit Ferme.  The view from the restaurant was expansive back over the villages and towards the southwest and watching the light change over the valleys as we lingered over late lunch brought back some long-forgotten memories of our time in the Cape while at university.

I enjoyed the most mouth-watering lamb wrapped in aubergine on rosemary potato gratin with yogurt sauce drizzled over all …. it was melt-in the mouth tender and SOOO delicious!  La Petit Ferme grow most of their wines to sell in their restaurant and so it’s almost the only place you can enjoy their wine – had the most refreshing and delicious Sauvignon Blanc Fume full of green grass and melons!  My sommelier daughter would be proud of me!

Jamaica from the air

So it was with more than the normal curiosity that we embarked upon our latest adventure and traveled to the  island of Jamaica in the Caribbean ocean.  Most of our trip was to be spent in the luxurious environs of a five-star Luxury  Sandals Resort, but we had also decided to take an extra couple days and explore on our own.  It is not something that many of the thousands of tourists that visit Jamaica each year do.  Many arrive and are met by their Resort Representatives and escorted to one of several all-inclusive resorts catering to almost every type of person or vacation imaginable.  Most hardly ever feel the need to leave their beach-side retreat.  And for many this is probably the best way to do things.  However, if you are at all adventurous or class yourself a seasoned traveler, Jamaica is a treat waiting to be savored!

As I began to research this destination before our arrival I found more and more of fascination and interest in this island.  It was one of many “discovered” during Christopher Columbus’ epic sailings.  It was later fought over between the British and the Spanish and when the British took control in the 1600’s they turned it into a pirate haven.  They allowed pirates to wreak havoc upon Spanish galleons for some pirate return and to British gain.  Later still it became a place of plantations and wealthy gentry while there was still a fortune to be made in sugar.  Runaway and freed slaves formed their own communities in hide-a-way and hard to find places on the island. Sailors, soldiers and others generally seduced by island life have continued over the centuries to add to the exotic mix of peoples.  During Manley’s government rule it became synonymous with the free-wheeling lifestyle of the 60′s and 70′s and Jamaicans were known for liberal attitudes towards anything amoral.

Forgotten sugar mill aqueduct

While there will always be some around to hold to this image, they seemed no easier to find on the north coast of Jamaica than they would be on the east coast of America!  Instead we were delighted to be met with a friendly, enthusiastic welcome from a people genuinely pleased to have us visit their “eyeland” who, upon discovering that we intended to explore a little on our own, bent over backwards to ensure our stay was better than expected.  Take the Avis car Hire people.  Big smiles and thorough service with advice and time to converse with us while upgrading our modest rental to a more rugged 4×4 so that we would not feel any discomfort on their inland roads.  Which were, as they warned, in a patchy state of repair!  With almost every afternoon in summer seeing short but torrential downpours and the island covered in steep mountains, it was not surprising.  However, in contrast, the coastal road, was mainly a four lane, well-maintained highway with clear sign-posts and very easy to navigate.

In fact, all the Jamaicans employed in the service industries seemed to us to be highly motivated, friendly, hard-working people and to enjoy their employment.  Remarkable to us too was the healthy condition of the population.  The fit and strong Jamaican athlete appears not to be the exception but instead it seems that most of the people we saw must spend a considerable amount of time working out!  We hardly saw a fat Jamaican or a very skinny one and this despite the great disparity between rich and poor as one so often finds in a third world country.

The island is a lush and fertile land with soft white sand beaches in coves with natural harbors, hills that climb quickly to misty mountains, an abundance of fresh water springs and streams  and a climate that encourages any number of tropical fruits and crops, all surrounded by changing hues of aqua blue Caribbean.  The sea provides another bountiful harvest, and all this is gleefully offered to the visitor providing Jamaica with one of their most profitable sources of income, that of tourism.