Monday, April 13, 2009

Snorkeling in Crystal Clear Blue Ocean Waters and Roasting Your Own Coffee

When you stand on the beach in Jamaica you will notice that the water takes on a shade of bright blue that is akin to a jewel. Ethan always assumed that the beautiful photos of the Jamaican beaches had been Photoshoped. Now that he has seen it with his own eyes his soul is in love. Easter found them taking a tiny boat out to a teeny, tiny beach island that must not be bigger than an acre of land, perhaps 100 feet wide by 400 feet long. From here you put on your snorkeling gear and glide noiselessly into the water. At first the fish and creatures hide in, below or behind the rocks. If you are patient and quiet they will soon reemerge and show their splendor ad mist the turquoise waters. Ethan saw a few puffer fish, a bunch of lovely blue fish and others that he did not have time to describe. Later they returned to the main island and the feast of many foods continued.

Today they had planned do a bike tour of a coffee plantation. They arrived to find that the owner was too sad to do the tour. Her husband died recently. She visited with them, showed them a few of the plants and taught them to roast their own coffee beans. Ethan said it was the best cup of coffee he has ever had. They also went on a hike in the jungle and did a little shopping. He did not like how prices changed based on who you are. For example, the driver was offered strawberries for $300 Jamaican dollars. The same fruit was offered to Ethan for $1,000 Jamaican. They decided to have the driver do the purchasing. Ethan loves it there, but says he is not sure I would be so happy. "Mom," he says in a maternal tone, "you would find it beautiful and the food is amazing, but I am not sure you would be happy here. There are dogs everywhere. Most of them look terrible. You can see their ribs poking out. Most of them are skiddish, but a few are too weak to move about. That would make you sad."

Tomorrow they are off to Paradise Beach for more snorkeling. I can't wait to see the photos.

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