Are you ready?? Grab a rum, sit back and relax. The name of the game in Jamaica is relax. The answer to every question, every request is no problem mon. I am hoping to ride the relaxed energy for months, maybe even 2 years, that's when I would like try the all inclusive thing again and recharge my batteries for another 2 years. No problem.
Filet and the Giggle Queen came by the house to pick us up on Friday around noon. We were all packed and ready to go. Grandma Judy was off to get her sister at the airport and Marianna was in charge of the kids while we were headed out the door.
We were loading the bags in the truck for the ride to Calgary and the phone rings. I had a funny feeling in my stomach and I said to Paul, "You need to go answer that." He did not want to, but he did. It was his mom on the phone...she had just been rearended in the van on the way to the airport! She was okay and the van was not badly damaged. Off to a great start!
We had a wonderfully uneventful ride to Calgary from there, stopping once at a pub for snacks and beer. The roads were clear and the drive through the Rockies was beautiful.
The temperature dropped as low as -19C but that just made it all the better, we had no worries, we would be boarding a plane in the morning and thawing out in Jamaica by dinner time.
We arrived in Calgary and checked into our hotel around 11:00 Friday night. Saturday morning we were up bright and early to catch the plane.
It was a long travel day with the flight being delayed and we were late getting into montego Bay. Off the plane and through immigration we were greeted by our Air Canada vacation representative who sent us into the Sandals lounge right there at the airport where we could pour our own Red Stripe beer right from the tap. Our bags were immediately taken care of and we did not even see them again until they were delivered to our room at the resort.
The Bus Ride:
Once our bus was ready to hit the road (it was still a 2 hour ride to Ocho Rios) the driver turned to us and gave us the rules of the road:
In Jamaica we drive on the left side of the road, our highways are very narrow and we often pass oncoming traffic with only 6 inches to spare, my name is not Oh Jesus, or Oh Shit, don't scream unless you hear me scream first. I know you are hungry and tired, no problem, grab a few beer for the ride.
Jamaican highways are little more that dirt roads, they are narrow with ruts in them you could, well you could lose a bus in. As a matter of fact, our bus was lost into one of these ruts.
We were bouncing along the 'highway' doing 65mph and there is a loud bang and wobble in the ride, I thought we had blown a tire, but it was not quite that simple:
Say goodbye to the front axle on the this bus. No problem they would have a new bus sent out as soon as they could. Did I say bus? I am sorry, I meant pimp mobile. Oh yeah baby, red curtains, mood lighting, sound system, and wonderful musty odor, sweet.
The curtains, they were there so you could not see the road, this was the ride of my life. I couldn't watch! Filet and Paul look thrilled, I think they ran out of beer.
We did safely make it to the resort and it was an entertaining beginning to a great trip.
3 comments:
So far it sounds like your trip wasn't dull. I love the pimp mobile. It made me laugh out loud.
The pimp bus is one of those things you will always remember and always get a good belly laugh over. Those little things are the best part of trips.
Your poor van, it's had some bad luck since it became a Ouimet hasn't it? Glad everyone is okay!
Maybe the Ouiments are van jinxed! I used to hate to use anyone else's car because it would always break down when I drove it. Never mind that they didn't maintain it, I always felt responsible.
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