After seven beautiful days, the day finally arrived when we had to pack up the shorts and tshirts and summer dresses and bathing suits and sunscreen and prepare ourselves to head back to our cold March in Hamilton, Ontario (that's about an hour outside of Toronto, for my international readers,)
We woke up, got dressed, smoked the last of the joints we had on that beautiful balcony.
Me
Husband Dave
...and ate our last amazing breakfast at the Blue Hole Mineral Springs.
(See my previous Jamaica posts and the review for more on the Blue Hole.)
Visit the OFFICIAL Blue Hole Mineral Springs and Hotel page by clicking HERE
We said our goodbyes to the awesome staff and family members of the owners who had treated us so well and welcomed us into their family. We took pictures together and hugged and promised that somehow we would all see each other again someday,
The business group that had travelled together posed for a last picture in the outdoor dining room.
And a group pic with our hosts
In the van on the way back to the airport
I had been hoping we would have a little time to explore the city but it didn't look like that was going to be the case. Oh well. Just another reason to make sure we get back for another visit!
Just as we were getting ready to leave, Leo comes running up the hill with a giant cone joint and a big smile. Normally he didn't get to the Blue Hole that early, but he knew we were leaving and he wanted to bring us his goodbye present. This was the same Rasta Elder who is nicknamed me Mama fire earlier in the week. Oops I'm sorry, he corrected me when I said nickname he said it is not a nickname. "It has been revealed to you," he said.
This was the present :
Last #joint in #Jamaica - fine #cannabis grown with #naturalmineralspringwater in #OrangeHill - a parting gift from the #rasta named Leo who named me “Mama Fire”
Anyway we said our goodbyes hugged everybody and regretfully piled into the van. But we still had a few more Jamaica experiences in store before we got on the plane.
Soon we were driving back through Jamaica the way we had come 7 days earlier with our driver Lion skillfully driving at the wheel.
We drove by the warning sign "slow down" painted on a piece of a car door we had passed in every crazy drive down the mountains.
And the little stores
And all of us taking pictures and video out the car window of every town and village that we passed.
Many people who I knew who had been to Jamaica before me, I told me not to miss the jerk chicken by the side of the road. And that was something I had not yet experienced. Thankfully, lying already had it all planned out. About an hour into our journey to Montego Bay, watching the time, we stopped at a traditional shocked by the side of the road in ordered a giant plate of jerk chicken each.
Cooking up some famous Jamaican Jerk Chicken by the side of the road
Even though I only got about a third of the way through it in the time that we had and no real way to take it away flaked,- I love the bites that I tried, sitting by the roadside Shack in Jamaica at the picnic table, with the cat walking around looking for leftovers.
There was a shock a little further on that sold ice cream which Cassidy my son had his eye on but it appeared to be close. Oh well. We enjoyed our jerk chicken and ting well Cassidy didn't he's a vegetarian, a quintessential Jamaica experience, smoke that last join the rest of mine had given it to the blue hole, and then regretfully got back into the van. After all we couldn't miss our plane.
More driving, more video, more pictures of the car window.
And way sooner than we wanted to be, we had arrived at the airport in Montego Bay.
Unfortunately with no time at all to check out the city.
We did however take the opportunity to take photos around the brightly covered Montego Bay letters.
Does every city have these? I seen them in Toronto,I've seen them in Hamilton...
I'm sure those aren't the only places...
Anyway that was pretty much it our last moments in Jamaica our last moments breathing the air our last moments seeing the sights there in the parking lot in Montego Bay...
It was time to say goodbye to Lion so we thanked him for taking such good care of us through the trip enough we went into the airport on our way back to Canada.
We board the plane. 
Husband Dave prepared for his second flight ever :
Obligatory flying in the clouds travel pic
Sigh. You know your week away is over when the stewardesses hand out the Canada Border Services declaration card as you feel the airplane descending ... #almosthome #dammit
CLICK HERE to watch Video as the airplane descends back down to Toronto, Canada
and...Back at Toronto airport!
The very first #Canadian who speaks to me at the #airport has a heavy #Jamaican accent and tells me he likes my (#onelove , #BobMarley) #T-shirt - lol.
And to enjoy later...
Like I said on my social media later that day :
"You can’t bring home the fine #jamaican #cannabis but you can bring home the 63 percent #overproof #rum @wrayrum #whiterum #jamaicanrum from #kingston bought on our one day in #touristy #Negril on a day trip to the #beach from @bluehole_mineral_spring #BlueHoleMineralSprings in #Brighton #westmoreland"
And in the end....
What did I feel about it all?
I said it on socials!
"Thoughts : Oh my god Jamaica was an amazing incredible experience !!!!! I saw seven towns and cities, the mountains, a traditional ganja farm, an art museum, stayed in a Rasta community as well as seeing the tourist traps and the beach - I feel soooooo sorry - legit - for people who just go to some gated American resort...That’s cool if you wanna hang out with Americans and Europeans all day. I will take my Jamaican village way up in the mountains full of real people. I spoke with incredibly wise people who can build a house with their hands, create a park full of amazing sculptures, make the best meals you ever ate and talk about life and philosophies all day - but who can’t tell me how to spell their name at 60 because they had to leave school to help do all these things for their families - proud people, excellent craftsmanship, compelling artists, old Christian ladies and Rasta elders and young kids - all who were kind and will treat you like family if you treat them with respect. Day one - everyone nice. By day three everyone real. By day five we are literally feeling like members of the community. The day we leave on day seven we are family with the people who originally saw us as tourists to sell things to coming up to give us giant cone joints before we leave and inviting us to come back for Christmas ..."
So, that was it, our trip to Jamaica.
Stay tuned for more exciting travel adventures.
Because like I said (on socials, of course!)
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