Jamaican Breeze

This year for Thanksgiving I went to Jamaica for 10 days - you know, the weather in the Keys can get very unbearable in the fall and I really needed a tropical break. I managed to score a great deal on skyauction and stayed at Breezes Runaway Bay, an all-inclusive resort on the north coast just a
few miles west of Ocho Rios. Great beach, good food and drinks, friendly people, great vacation.

My favorite day on the island was when I took a tour high up into the Blue Mountains. The drive took nearly 3 hours, winding through several towns before climbing thousands of feet into the foggy mountains. Once there, we were treated to some of the best views Jamaica has to offer, and given our mountain bikes for the trip back down. We did experience some rain while zig-zagging our way down, but that comes with the territory (rain forest/jungle) and the tour company was ready with ponchos. All told it was a day well spent, and a full day it was - we left the resort at 7:15 AM and got back at 7:30 PM.


My only complaint was that I would have loved to have been able to take the challenge at my own speed instead of being confined to the slower pace of the entire group. It reminded me of how much I love skiing down the slope at breakneck speed, trying to dodge slower skiers while narrowly avoiding a violent death. Man I miss skiing. Anyway, speed and danger would have helped but it was still a great day on the mountain.