Jamaica — Losing yourself in tropical paradise

OCHO RIOS, Jamaica — Excitement, high expectations and I'm feeling like a kid going to Disneyland, as our traveling group of 40 leaves Salt Lake City on the 12:35 red eye to Atlanta. Montego Bay, Jamaica, is our destination. This is my first time in the Caribbean and my mind travels back to the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, as I board the plane. Why such thoughts? I remember hearing Jamaica was competing in the Winter Olympics with its bobsled team. But there's no snow in tropical Jamaica. With that in mind, I drift in and out of sleep to Atlanta.

In Atlanta, we have a three-hour layover before our next flight. We take off and pass over Florida, then Cuba and out over the open waters of the Caribbean Sea. I can see a few small islands and a cruise ship heading for some exotic place. The plane starts to descend and I see Jamaica for the first time. As we get closer, I see that the island is covered in a carpet of green mountains. Montego Bay comes into view, and I hear the landing gear engage. I feel my blood pressure go higher, as the plane goes lower. Excited butterflies dance inside me, as I fidget in my seat and wonder where the bobsled team trains.

We land at 11:30 a.m., go through customs and I get a stamp of approval on my passport. My Jamaican adventure begins.

From the airport our group fills a bus traveling east for Sandals Dunn's River Villaggio in Ocho Rios, about 90 minutes away. Looking out at the scenery I'm pleasantly surprised to see that much of the land is still undeveloped. Taino Indians were the first inhabitants of the island, and Christopher Columbus was the first European to visit Jamaica in 1493. I wonder to myself, did Christopher Columbus also have a smile on his face when he saw Jamaica for the first time? With coconut and banana trees swaying in the breeze, we arrive at the resort around 1:30 p.m.

Sandals Dunn's River Resort has an Italian Renaissance flair and is named after the famous Dunn's River Falls. The lobby has an open breezeway and two beautiful winding staircases surrounding a water fountain. I check in with my traveling friend, and we take the winding staircase to our room.

Tired from a day of travel, we enter our room. It's decorated with Mediterranean-style furnishings and has a private balcony overlooking the plaza below. We both felt like we needed sleep, but decided to stay awake and go to bed early that evening. With disorientation from jet lag, we place our wallets and passports in the room safe, change our clothes and head for the plaza.

On the plaza I smell food cooking and realize, I'm hungry. I order Jamaican Jerk Chicken with french fries.