Sweet Spice was a small little local restaurant with nothing fancy. Not usually the place to see any tourists. In fact, there were no others until right before we left. It was full of local Jamaicans, which is always a good sign when the locals are there.

Our meal started off with a fish tea, which may sound strange, but it was very good. It was basically a fish stock. Then I ordered the fish, conch and shrimp platter, and my wife got the lobster, conch and shrimp dish. Both of them were excellent. Neither of us had ever eaten conch before, and we were both very happy that we tried it. One of the great things about vacation is trying new things and new foods.

Some people on travel review sites have said that the service at Sweet Spice was poor if you weren’t a local, but sometimes you just have to expect that; you aren’t that important everywhere you go. Also, in the US, we have definite issues with speed, we want everything as soon as possible, and it is just not the same in other countries.

I definitely would recommend going to Sweet Spice for lunch or dinner, and don’t be afraid to eat something completely new and different than what you are used to.

The rest of the day was spent at the beach.

You can see the rest of our Vacation to Jamaica.

We left very early in the morning, about 5:00 AM. It made for a very long day and trip. We also had only about 30-45 minutes in Charlotte airport to get to our second plane.

The driver fom Rondel Village (John) was at the Montego Bay Airport waiting for us when we got there. He drove very fast and passed just about everyone on the road. I was fine with that as I really wanted to get to our hotel to get to the beach.

One thing to remember, not everybody exchanges money at the same rate, so make sure you go to the airport exchange. At the airport we had a rate of 88 Jamaican dollars to every 1 US dollar. At the hotel, it was 80 Jamaican to 1 US. So we actually recieved more money at the airport than we would of at the hotel. The restaurant at the hotel also had an exchange of 90:1. So we saved some money there too. For more information, read my previous post on how to get the best exchange rate.

Once we got to the Rondel Village, we had to wait quite a while for our room. Apparently a big tour bus was in the process of checking out, so our room wasn’t clean yet. We also got there very early, so it was understandable. We ended going to the restaurant before our room because I was hungry.

The music at the restaurant was very loud, although it could have seemed louder that day because we had been traveling all morning and just wanted to relax.

We did get to the beach today, which was my whole goal in leaving so early. I wanted to make sure that I was able to get in the ocean every day of our vacation.

I also got some jerk chicken today, and it wasn’t the last time this trip.

It doesn’t help when I find a blog post from someone who is in Jamaica now. They have blogged two posts about Jamaican food. One is about jerk, and the other is about patty’s and coco bread.

It stinks when other people rub your face in the fact that they are on a beach somewhere in Jamaica, I can’t wait till it’s my turn to rub it in.

Soon…

That’s why I say, if you can afford it, this is the time to go on vacation.

That’s right. I said to go on vacation during an economic crisis. Look at that picture to the left, isn’t that what you need to take your mind off of all the problems here in America?

I know that some of you may disagree with me, but let me explain. These Caribbean countries have become almost dependent on US travel and tourism, that when we can’t go, they suffer. Their economy is based on tourism, without it, they are having a worse time than we are.

The big factor is that since they are suffering with low tourism, they want people to come even more. I have been to places where the tourism has stagnated, and the people are so grateful, and treat you so well. I know that may be a little selfish, I don’t mean it to be. I am just saying that if you like to be pampered when on vacation, there are a lot less other tourists to compete with.

This is also the low season for many countries, including Jamaica. With the low tourist season, and the economy in the tank, they are really hoping for some business.

That’s why I say again, if you can afford it, this is the time to go on a Central American or Caribbean Vacation.

I’m sure that everyone reading this understands how life can sometimes just get in the way of life. It’s times like that when slipping away to a warm beach somewhere appeals to me the most. Especially since yesterday I woke up and there was ice on the ground. I hate the cold.

I look out my window and see frost or snow, the heat is on, and i’m still a little cold. Yet when I close my eyes, I can see the sun beating down on the sand. Unfortunately, I just can’t feel it. Maybe I should buy a sun lamp. Yeah, put a sand box in the basement, with a sun lamp and a recording of some waves and seagulls. That sounds good. My own private beach, sort of.

Sorry for the rambleness of this post. It’s hard to keep writing about a place you want to be, but can’t get to. I keep saying I need to do some research for this blog on a beach in the Caribbean, but my wife keeps talking some nonsense about work and a paycheck or something.

Enjoy this picture. It’s where I want to be.

6. North Playa del Carmen – Mexico

North Playa del Carmen has fine, almost white sand. The beach is calm and so you can do watersports, diving, and much more. There is also a little reef for some snorkeling.

7. Paradise Beach – Mykonos, Greece

Obviously Greece has a lot of historical value to offer besides the beach, but hey, I want the beach anyway. Paradise Beach is known as a party beach, but don’t think that means that people party 24/7.

8. Kata Beach – Phuket Thailand

There are actually two beaches at Kata Beach. Both have everything you could want in an exotic beach, white sand, calm and clear water, and thick tropical vegetation.

9. Bondi Beach – Sydney, Australia

One of the more popular beaches in the world, Bondi Beach is definitely one to go to. Especially if you surf. Although, there are sharks and dangerous rip currents to watch out for.

10. Kapalua Beach – Maui, Hawaii

Kapalua Beach was the first beach ever to be named America’s Best Beach in 1991. Swimming, snorkeling, SCUBA, tropical weather, plus, it’s Hawaii.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this list, although I know that there many more beaches out there that are just as exotic, if not more so.

1. The Baths – Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

Snorkeling, caves, grotto’s and beautiful sandy beaches are what you can expect at The Baths in BVI. The giant boulders have created a type of maze to walk through.

2. Flamenco Beach – Culebra Island, Puerto Rico

Tropical forests, beaches, nature, turtles. What more could you want from an exotic island. Much of Culebra Island is protected, for wildlife, plants, and historic monuments.

3. Flic en Flac – Mauritius

Flic en Flac is a small village on the West Coast of Mauritius. Of course, it has the required white sand beaches, and it also has a blue lagoon.

4. Copacabana – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Before you start trying to sing some Barry Manilow, this isn’t the nightclub, but the beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is the opposite of a quiet village, and is one of the party capitals of the world.

5. Playa Tamarindo – Costa Rica

If you want to get away, go to Playa Tamarindo Costa Rica. The jungle looks like it comes right up to the beach. The sea turtles love it so much, they come back every year to make more sea turtles.

Come back for the next five exotic beaches on the list.

To start out with, they were at St. Kitt’s. Sugarcane was a huge crop there, until places like Brazil started to grow it in massive numbers, then St Kitt’s just couldn’t compete. Now, they have all these cane fields, but from the sound of it, most of the fields just sit there.

They ate some really good looking food. One thing was green bananas, boiled in the skin, then mashed with milk and I think she said sugar. Sounds good to me.

Alton also munched on some sugarcane, drink some bush tea made from lemongrass and soursop.

After they left St Kitt’s, they went to St Bart’s. Alton wasn’t extremely overjoyed at this, because, I believe, St Bart’s is a more upscale, and less authentic island than some other Caribbean nations.

Anyway, they went to St Bart’s and went to the original burger joint that was made famous in Jimmy Buffett’s song ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise’. How was it? Alton said (without a lot of enthusiasm) “it’s good, but…[it's still just a burger].” Some of that was added by me. I know what he’s thinking. It may be a good burger, but when you are looking for authentic Caribbean cooking, that isn’t it.

They also got to try some spiny lobster fricassee. Now the only thing I know about fricassee is that the bad guy used to always try to do that to Bugs Bunny. It is basically, meat cut into pieces and stewed in gravy. Alton asked the chef if she would like to compete on Iron Chef America.

I sure wish I could do something like this. I love food, and I love the ocean, and I love the Caribbean, I’m just not a millionaire.

Swimming Holes lists over 1,000 places to go jump in a lake. It isn’t complete by any means, but they are always adding more, and you can send your favorite place to be listed if it isn’t already.

The friend who sent this also has just started his own blog, (again, not about the beach), but it is about travel. More specifically, traveling on a motorcycle. If you are a fan of Alton Brown’s Feasting on Asphalt, you’ll want to check his blog out.

ALSO, I just saw that Alton Brown is going to do another show based on Feasting on Asphalt, but it will be called Feasting on Waves. Here is the description from Food Network;

Alton Brown goes in search of America’s culinary roots and Caribbean flavors in Feasting on Waves. He starts his journey on St. Kitts (aka St. Christopher), named by and for Christopher Columbus on his second journey to the new world. Alton, like Christopher, is traveling North and West through the Leeward Islands and on to the British Virgin Islands. Alton maintains the spirit of Feasting on Asphalt and seeks out the most authentic and traditional foods of the regions and meets the people who created them. Restaurants are the most obvious targets but Feasting is about the unexpected, so Alton also ventures to find roadside stands, street vendors, farmer’s markets, farms, spice houses and homes of local cooks who make specialties of the region.

I can’t wait.

1. Always Carry Small Bills and Change. - When you are traveling through other countries, many times they will not have the ability to make change for big bills. Also, you don’t know if they are or not since they are most likely giving you the local currency. Keep your money in small denominations, and it will save you money, headache, and attention from carrying a lot of money.

   If you start flashing around big bills, you’ll soon have a crowd around you trying to sell you things, depending on where you are of course.

1. Don’t Flush the TP – This, although it is changing, is still a good tip. It is one that I wouldn’t have thought of. Last time I was in Jamaica, I was in a building site that had a toilet, but that’s all it was, a toilet. With no plumbing at all. Flushing won’t help there.
2. Lose Track of Time – Many countries do still have this idea that time is relative. It’s hard for me, since I have this horrible affliction of always being on time, or more usually early. Relax, if you don’t get there when you want, you’ll get there when you do.

   In some cultures, it’s proper to be late. You’re on vacation, don’t worry about your watch. In fact, leave your watch at home.

3. View Each Country as Its Own Entity, As Well As Part of a Whole – This is a good tip. Many times, I see people lump the Caribbean countries together as one individual people. They aren’t. They are Jamaican, Cuban, Bahamian and more. They are Caribbean as someone from England is European.
4. Prepare Yourself for Extraordinary Generosity – Here in America, we have forgotten about loving people, and being generous and helpful to our fellow man. That isn’t the case in the Caribbean. It’s not because you are a rich American, but because you are a human being, and that is good enough.

Do you have any more tips? Let everyone know in the comments.