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Day 1- Wednesday, October 30.
My day started at 3:30 in the morning. I couldn’t sleep, I was too excited. I called Angie and after a few choice words she informed me that she was going back to sleep. I think she also called me crazy. Later on she called back and said “See you in Jamaica in a little while.”
My plane gets off on time and the ride is going smoothly. I commented to myself that the pilot had executed a textbook takeoff. About one hour into the flight I hear an unfamiliar sound. As the plane began executing a 360-degree turn I noticed that we were ejecting jet fuel from the engines. This does NOT look good.
The pilot comes on the speaker and says “Well ladies and gentlemen there’s something strange going on in the skies today, we just lost one of our engines. Policy dictates that I take you folks to the nearest airport, so we are heading to Atlanta.”
ATLANTA!!!!!!!!! Oh no, this can't be Angie is going to beat me to Jamaica, and I’ll be cooling my heels in her home airport.
Well as the plane started to shudder and sputter and make god-awful noises, my priorities change. I am thinking more of not dying than I am about who gets to Jamaica first. The pilot keeps opening and closing flaps on the wings that don’t seem to be cooperating. As we near the runway I see the flashing lights of fire trucks and ambulances. They really were prepared for a crash for us!!!!!!!!!!!!
When the plane touches down there is spontaneous applause from the passengers. Then there was the mad rush for cell phones. An interesting lady behind me asked to use mine to call Jamaica, and I let her even though I know it will cost a lot of money. She turns out to be Maggie who owns Irie Vibes in Negril. What a gentle and lovely woman.
The word comes that we are to sit tight, then after some time we are taken off the plane (9:30), and told that a plane is being sent from Nashville and should arrive around 1:00 to take us to Jamaica. Maggie and I head for the nearest bar. There we find some more of the passengers from our plane. Around 1:00 we all saunter back to the gate only to learn that 1:00 is now 1:30, then 2:00, then 2:30. Now we find out that the plane they are sending for us has also broken down.
I call my friend in Jamaica who is supposed to pick me up at the airport. We were then supposed to get Angie together. He does not know her and she doesn’t know him. I tell him to have her paged to the info desk when her flight arrives. I call later and they have found each other, but I still cannot tell them when, or if I will arrive.
Around 4:30 we finally get out of Atlanta. The plane is now only half full because most people are afraid to get on a Northwest plane now. I HAVE to get to Jamaica, so I go.
This flight goes well and I get there some time after 7:00. A poor unsuspecting baggage handler becomes my first victim as I grab him and hug him so tight he could not breathe. I just had to touch something of Jamaica after all I had been through. He just smiles and enjoys the hug.
I negotiate a price of $70.00 for a ride to Ochii with a guy named Satchwell. We stop in Duncans for my first Red Stripe, now I am really home.
On the way into Ochii I see a crowd gathered by the road. A man has hit a cow and it has buckled his car like an accordion. He has a machete out butchering the cow and people are standing around buying the meat. I don’t know what to think about this. The roadside is a bloody mess.
When we arrive a Skycastles it is about 9:30. My friend runs up to the van and I leap out and into the arms I love most in this world. I just want to feel him and know that I am truly home. He tells me how wonderful I look to him and spins me around. After all this time I feel like a wilted flower, but under his gaze I blossom again.
When we reach Angie's porch everyone is waiting for me. Drinks are everywhere and a shout goes up. I get to meet Ros and Steve for the first time. All of our resolve to go out to M.ville for beach night disappears in the hours spent merrily on Angie's balcony overlooking the sea. Skycastles has put us in the A and B buildings because they wanted to keep to group together. I am seriously going to miss my K building, but there is no such thing as a bad view at Skycastles. I will show you when my pictures are ready.
The hours slip by with me talking, laughing, and yes drinking with my new friends. Angie is the consummate hostess and there is really no need to go out. How could it be much better?
I loose track of time and at some ungodly hour of the morning we all drift off to our individual rooms and let Angie get some rest. This night I find that the tree frogs are some unusually loud little creatures. I am not sure that they are not right in my room. Sleep is difficult I guess in part because I am just so excited to be here. I can hardly wait until I take my first run in the morning.
My day started at 3:30 in the morning. I couldn’t sleep, I was too excited. I called Angie and after a few choice words she informed me that she was going back to sleep. I think she also called me crazy. Later on she called back and said “See you in Jamaica in a little while.”
My plane gets off on time and the ride is going smoothly. I commented to myself that the pilot had executed a textbook takeoff. About one hour into the flight I hear an unfamiliar sound. As the plane began executing a 360-degree turn I noticed that we were ejecting jet fuel from the engines. This does NOT look good.
The pilot comes on the speaker and says “Well ladies and gentlemen there’s something strange going on in the skies today, we just lost one of our engines. Policy dictates that I take you folks to the nearest airport, so we are heading to Atlanta.”
ATLANTA!!!!!!!!! Oh no, this can't be Angie is going to beat me to Jamaica, and I’ll be cooling my heels in her home airport.
Well as the plane started to shudder and sputter and make god-awful noises, my priorities change. I am thinking more of not dying than I am about who gets to Jamaica first. The pilot keeps opening and closing flaps on the wings that don’t seem to be cooperating. As we near the runway I see the flashing lights of fire trucks and ambulances. They really were prepared for a crash for us!!!!!!!!!!!!
When the plane touches down there is spontaneous applause from the passengers. Then there was the mad rush for cell phones. An interesting lady behind me asked to use mine to call Jamaica, and I let her even though I know it will cost a lot of money. She turns out to be Maggie who owns Irie Vibes in Negril. What a gentle and lovely woman.
The word comes that we are to sit tight, then after some time we are taken off the plane (9:30), and told that a plane is being sent from Nashville and should arrive around 1:00 to take us to Jamaica. Maggie and I head for the nearest bar. There we find some more of the passengers from our plane. Around 1:00 we all saunter back to the gate only to learn that 1:00 is now 1:30, then 2:00, then 2:30. Now we find out that the plane they are sending for us has also broken down.
I call my friend in Jamaica who is supposed to pick me up at the airport. We were then supposed to get Angie together. He does not know her and she doesn’t know him. I tell him to have her paged to the info desk when her flight arrives. I call later and they have found each other, but I still cannot tell them when, or if I will arrive.
Around 4:30 we finally get out of Atlanta. The plane is now only half full because most people are afraid to get on a Northwest plane now. I HAVE to get to Jamaica, so I go.
This flight goes well and I get there some time after 7:00. A poor unsuspecting baggage handler becomes my first victim as I grab him and hug him so tight he could not breathe. I just had to touch something of Jamaica after all I had been through. He just smiles and enjoys the hug.
I negotiate a price of $70.00 for a ride to Ochii with a guy named Satchwell. We stop in Duncans for my first Red Stripe, now I am really home.
On the way into Ochii I see a crowd gathered by the road. A man has hit a cow and it has buckled his car like an accordion. He has a machete out butchering the cow and people are standing around buying the meat. I don’t know what to think about this. The roadside is a bloody mess.
When we arrive a Skycastles it is about 9:30. My friend runs up to the van and I leap out and into the arms I love most in this world. I just want to feel him and know that I am truly home. He tells me how wonderful I look to him and spins me around. After all this time I feel like a wilted flower, but under his gaze I blossom again.
When we reach Angie's porch everyone is waiting for me. Drinks are everywhere and a shout goes up. I get to meet Ros and Steve for the first time. All of our resolve to go out to M.ville for beach night disappears in the hours spent merrily on Angie's balcony overlooking the sea. Skycastles has put us in the A and B buildings because they wanted to keep to group together. I am seriously going to miss my K building, but there is no such thing as a bad view at Skycastles. I will show you when my pictures are ready.
The hours slip by with me talking, laughing, and yes drinking with my new friends. Angie is the consummate hostess and there is really no need to go out. How could it be much better?
I loose track of time and at some ungodly hour of the morning we all drift off to our individual rooms and let Angie get some rest. This night I find that the tree frogs are some unusually loud little creatures. I am not sure that they are not right in my room. Sleep is difficult I guess in part because I am just so excited to be here. I can hardly wait until I take my first run in the morning.
This one is slightly obstructed by building corners and trees, but still it is beautiful. If I had never been in K building and didn’t know any better I would love it.
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