No adventurous trips happened the year after the Miami trip, just the usual
flying to see friends and family, in other words, status quo. At this point I
decided I had gotten my feet wet by traveling alone to Miami and not getting
murdered, so I believed I was ready to venture outside the US all on my own, if
no one could join me.
That year started with me knowing that I
needed changes in my life. I was stressed out big time because I was hating my
job with a white-hot passion and desperately needing to get another one, so I made a plan to do so. It took
a few months of hard work and determination, but I did it. Yay!!
After months of job searching and dealing with the
headaches of my current job, I was so stressed out I almost couldn't bear it,
so I knew I needed a stress free reprieve. I decided a beach vacation was
called for. Since it was short notice no friends were available to travel with
me so heck I had done Miami alone, I could do this.
I went to a travel agent and booked a trip to Jamaica. I
figured I have been there before, so there was no need to explore and see the island as I had already done that. So I picked Negril as my destination because when last in Jamaica we had taken a day trip there, and
I remembered it as being beautiful and relaxing. I don't remember much about
the getting there, I just remember arriving and thinking this is just what I
needed, a beautiful stretch of beach, a pool and a decent room. I felt myself
exhale as all the stress seemed to seep out of my body.
However the stress did return with a vengeance that night because
as I was about to fall asleep the power went out. I couldn't believe it, my
first time alone in a foreign country and the lights go out. I looked out my
window and saw nothing but darkness; I could not even see my hand in front of
my face. That's when I got scared, but I gathered myself mentally and decided
there was nothing I could do about the situation but worry, so I decided to go
to sleep instead, no use worrying about something I could not change. So that's what I did. When I woke up the next morning, the
power had returned and all was right in my world. I found out from the wait staff when I went down
for breakfast, the blackout had occurred all over the island for a few hours, so
I was really glad I had decided to sleep through it.
I settled into a routine that lasted the entire trip. Breakfast
at one of the restaurants by the hotel, then a stroll along the beach, and then
I'd return to a spot I have found the first morning, which was a hammock strung
between two palm trees that were shaded all day and directly faced the ocean.
That was my spot. I settled there everyday right after breakfast
with a good book (I had plenty) and my music. It was awesome. When I would get
tired of reading, I would look up to glance at the ocean and just be. My soul
was happy and oh so relaxed. By mid afternoon each day I would leave my hammock and
wander around in the vicinity. One day I sat and watched the beach “Dexters”
try to pick up the female tourists. It was very amusing. If you don't know what
a Dexter is, check out this clip from YouTube of Eddie Murphy's RAW standup
show from back in the day. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIRYRykypKA)
I also received attention from a few of the Dexters, but my
policy when traveling alone is to smile sweetly, maybe exchange some
conversation and JUST SAY NO to anything else. I was not trying to be on
someone’s newscast as one of the missing. Better to be safe than sorry, I
always say.
I also spent time swimming in the pool. (Let me clarify, I
don't swim in the ocean because there are creatures in there). While at the
pool I did meet a friendly black couple who was very nice, which was a pleasant
surprise. I say surprise because up to this point I had been getting weird
looks from other black couples I had seen. My people would give me the kind of looks
that made me want to do a quick mirror check, because I would've thought I had suddenly
sprouted horns. It was weird until I figured it out, here was the tell all clue,
strange looks from both members of the couple immediately followed by the
female possessively pulling her man closer. Now I get it “ woman traveling solo”, is on the prowl wanting to steal your
man. Uhhh no... That happened quite a bit.
That's why I was so surprised by the pool couple. I spent a few hours just
chatting with them because I was just so happy they wanted to talk to
me.
Other evenings I would sit on my terrace and read, during one
of those evenings I met a nice mother and daughter duo who stopped to chat with
me. They invited me to dinner and I ended up spending the last couple of days in
their company. I also made friends with the hotel groundskeepers, who ended up
helping me with some herbal medicinal advice when I was attacked by fruit flies one
night while sleeping in my room. Just thinking about that makes me shudder all
over again.
Overall my first international trip was great. It was
everything I hoped it would be and it opened my eyes to something I would
experience again and again on my solo travels.
