Jamaican Vacation

All-inclusive resort. Wow! I’ve never been to such a place, as I normally travel on the cheap. Free drinks, free food, scheduled activities, stage shows, and a staff that caters to your every whim is the surreal lifestyle to which I had to adjust. I can only imagine that this is what a cruise ship or camp is like. (Neither of which I have experienced.) I likened my trip to a Jamaican vacation camp for adults.

Not a single picture of food was taken while I was away. (It’s a vacation, after all.)

My favorite luxury was a 24-hour, self-serve, soft ice cream machine. Yes, dreams do come true! Amazingly, I only hit it up twice the entire week – not because I wasn’t ecstatic about free ice cream all the time, but because I was constantly bloated from all the other food and drinks.

My favorite food was steamed cabbage. Yeah, not too exciting, but…I had forgotten past encounters with cabbage for breakfast in the Caribbean, and was beaming when I saw steamed cabbage on the breakfast buffet. I pouted when I saw steamed callaloo or bok choy substituting for cabbage. I forget how much I love cabbage until it is presented to me, and I excitedly inhale all the thick, leathery-leaf goodness.

My favorite drink was the Hummingbird – a “girly drink”, as described by the bartender, but the boys were sucking down the smoothie-like concoction made from bananas, milk, rum cream liquor, coffee liquor, strawberry syrup, and ice just as fast as the girls.

I felt unnaturally lazy from all the eating, drinking, and wading in the water with nothing pressing to do. While it was fun and indulgent, I am that annoying person that is glad to be back at work. What can I say? I enjoy my job.