Strawberry Fields Together

Leaving the city we took a "bus" that looked more like a long van. We squeezed passed all the occupants to the very back seat where Joel, Maria, and I sat in a row with two other people. Joel thought the back seat would be the best for Maria's carsickness. It was stifling, but as soon as we started driving up the mountains it cooled immediately. The bus had a driver, a guy to collect money, and loud Jamaican and international music. It rained during the drive, and the driver raced around the hilly curves. After I reminded myself that I had survived many faster, more dangerous bus rides I was able to relax and enjoy the ride.

When we arrived in St. Marys we were immediately hounded by numerous taxi drivers. Chad watched our backpacks as Maria, Joel, and I went to the local Chinese grocery. One of Joel's "friends" from a previous visit helped us pick out groceries. Maria and I had to convince the two of them that you can't eat tomato paste with spaghetti. We also chatted with the mother of the grocery's owner, who lived upstairs as well as in Miami, and wouldn't stop talking to us. We boxed up all our food, which was more than anyone in the store was buying and got in the taxi to drive to Strawberry Fields.

At Strawberry Fields we met the owner, an American who had been living there for twenty or so years. She had lots of goats living on her porch and occupying the seats that we had dinner in a few nights later. We settled into our beach home and ran to the ocean.

The resort had two beaches and we were the only occupants for most of our stay. We spent the days relaxing on the beach and the evenings cooking our dinner in our cottage's kitchen and listening to the waves. I had a slight mishap with a mysterious sea creature in which my arm felt like it was on fire and became swollen with welts.

On Sunday Joel took Maria and I on a hike to old colonial ruins, a waterfall, and a deserted beach. We lost track of time while enjoying the deserted beach at sunset and almost didn't make it back to the resort and Chad. After we found the right trail we hiked in darkness for two hours. A donkey jumped out of the shadows and scared Maria, and when we got back to Strawberry Fields some locals asked us if we were "hiking after sunset."