The amazing omelet lady at Samsara's breakfast buffet

This is Margaret again, blogging from Samsara Resort while enjoying our Negril vacation on the cliffs. We started off the day perfectly with a breakfast of saltfish and vegetables plus another fantastic made-to-order omelet with callaloo and cheese but the one Jamaican food I had yet to taste was breadfruit. I had tried to order it at Ciao Jamaica, where we ate last night, but they were out. Today I was on a mission to eat some roast breadfruit.

Dinner at Ciao Jamaica, by the way, was EXQUISITE. The moment the waitress put our napkins in our laps for us, I knew we were in for a treat. After drinks and a coconut shrimp appetizer we were served the best meal I’ve had in decades. Both the girls got shrimp scampi, while my husband feasted on a whole, grilled Caribbean lobster. I indulged myself with the West Indies Seafood Linguini. Mmmm….the blend of curry, pimiento and other spices with shrimp and lobster was divine. Seasoned perfectly for maximum flavor, the spices made my lips tingle and my taste buds sizzle.

Back to today…After breakfast we were picked up by Bernard, Bus Driver Extraordinaire. He took us to Chukka Adventures in Sandy Bay (stopping at various resorts along the way to pick up other people) where we went on the Horseback Ride ‘N Swim adventure. I have been dreaming about riding a horse along the ocean — and in the ocean — for a long time, but this trip far exceeded my imagination. Somehow my dreams had not allowed for the sweet scent of flowers in the many trees blooming along the way, or the sound of the horses breathing as we churned through the water. I’ve ridden bareback before, but never on a horse that was trotting along a sandbar in the ocean. My horse was named Black Girl and she was marvelous. A retired thoroughbred racehorse, she was calm and responsive to my legs and hands. The Chukka guides that rode with us were equally wonderful, pointing out interesting sights such as avocados hanging way up high in a tree, and an old windmill from the 1600′s, top blown away in some long-ago hurricane. We passed farmland and a polo field, whereupon our energetic guide explained that he had played polo for two years. He then cantered his horse up the trail a little ways, swinging an imaginary polo stick while the girls giggled appreciatively.

Our 'orseback guide Raldo (sp?) from Chukka, explaining something to us about the hill we were about to climb.

Bernard with the two beautiful breadfruit!

Along the way to Chukka I had told the driver about my yearning for breadfruit, and when we boarded the bus to come back to Samsara, he surprised me with two fresh breadfruit! I would have hugged him if I could have, but had to settle for profuse thanks and as big a tip as I could manage. There are some truly great people in this country, and contrary to our adventures on 7-Mile beach yesterday, they don’t all have their hands out. Bernard wanted us to experience the fruits of his country, so he did what he could to make it possible.

Back at Samsara, I trotted over to Ciao Jamaica where I was fortunate enough to find Donna, the head chef. I gave her my breadfruit and asked her to cook them for me. She did so gladly, and even prepared a platter of ackee, cooked with onions, peppers and who knows what else. It was heavenly! The breadfruit, roasted and fried, was amazing. We should definitely start eating this instead of French fries! The plain roasted breadfruit, not fried, was a lot like potatoes, and when salted a little bit, rapidly became addictive. Who needs potato chips and other nonsense? Give me a breadfruit any day! Tomorrow Donna is going to prepare our lunch for us, with my other breadfruit and the Jamaican national dish of ackee and saltfish. I can hardly wait!

Tonight looks to be clear for a famous Negril sunset, and I have a date with my Olympus camera to try and capture it. Earlier today I spent some time in a little cove on the south part of the resort, photographing crabs and trying to capture the beauty of the water. Eventually the crabs said enough already, and I hightailed it out of there before they started charging me!

Mr. Blue Crab, posing so nicely for a portrait!

The cove where Mr. Blue Crab makes his home.

One of Samsara's guests, watching the sunset

Negril sunset, a stunning end to a perfect day!

Hey mon from Samsara! This is Margaret again, guest blogging while on vacation at the Samsara Cliffs Resort. Today we rode the shuttle to Legends Beach Resort in order to experience the legendary Seven Mile Beach of Negril. We also wanted to walk into town and check things out. Our driver Gregory had told us that people would try to sell us things, and he promised if we said no it would be ok. “No means no,” he said, “They will respec’ .”

Gregory was somewhat right about that. We left my sunburned husband in the shade and the three of us girls walked off down the beach from Legends. Within minutes we had been offered the chance to buy everything from bracelets to “smoke” to boat rides and jet ski rides. It was crazy! We did fairly well with saying no until one guy convinced us to come look at his wares, which were really some very interesting carvings. While my daughter’s friend was choosing a gift for her mother, a lady came up and started rubbing aloe juice onto my shoulders which were getting a little pink. She kept mashing the pulp out of the aloe leaf and smearing it on my shoulders, then she worked her way down my arms, around my back and on my legs. She applied aloe to my daughter’s skin too. The whole time she kept up a running explanation of the benefits of aloe to me, and explained that it heals sunburn and protects your skin from the sun. You don’t need to wear sunblock, just aloe…according to her. I thought she was being very kind to share this little native secret with us, so imagine my surprise when she wanted $25 dollars for her ministrations. What? I politely explained that I hadn’t asked her for the aloe service, and she had not told me there was a charge before she started applying it. We argued back and forth for a while and finally settled on $10 as the price for my first lesson in How Things Work outside of rural Ohio where I live.

We continued along the beach, amused by the encounter and considerably more wary of these vendors’ tactics. The girls took a dip in the ocean to cool off and just then two young boys on horseback came riding down the beach. The horses were a beautiful bay color. I did not recognize the breed but they were very cute. I snapped a couple of photos and was putting the lens cap back on my camera when the lead boy rode up and asked if we wanted to ride. I said no, so he demanded money for letting me take his picture. What? I had a 100 JA bill in my pocket so I gave him that and he tried to get more out of me but I rudely told him that was all he was going to get and sent him on his way.

Hot, tired, thirsty and slightly culture-shocked, we headed back to Legends for a dip in the pool, a delicious lunch and lots of ice water. The water at both Legends and Samsara is absolutely delicious. You do not need to buy the bottled water, as what they serve in glasses tastes great.

After lunch, the girls wanted to relax at the pool, so my husband and I set out to walk into downtown Negril and see how that went. Again we ran the gamut of people soliciting us, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as us girls had gotten on the beach. Note to self: have burly husband along next time you walk on 7-Mile Beach. We stopped at a market to get drinks and wandered up a side road where I bought a beautiful fresh canary melon for 300 JA and some odd little fruits that I don’t know the name of. I need to ask Melvin about them. The fruit vendors offered my husband the chance to buy a “bud,” which he declined. “Maybe next time?” the older guy said hopefully.

“Maybe next lifetime,” I retorted and the guys thought that was hilarious. They congratulated my husband for having such a good wife and told me to keep up the good work.

Everyone in town was friendly and it was so interesting to see the different little shops and how these people live. You evidently have to be very self-sufficient to survive around here, and I noticed a lot of repurposing of materials. We ended up taking a taxi ride back to Legends as my sandals were giving me blisters (500 JA). Tonight we are going to eat at Ciao Jamaica, the restaurant across the road from Samsara. I think we’re going to go to sleep early too…we are beat from the sun and all the fun.

The girls at the beach at Legends Beach Resort in Negril

Here's the photo that cost me 100 JA