From Wonder to Wander

In September of '09 I flew into San Francisco to help a friend with his art show and then make the long drive up the coast.

I spent the weekend at the show and Frisco's many specials spots including: the Golden Gate bridge, Presidio, Legion of Honor, the haunted Queen Anne hotel and various parks, including a very dark late night romp up to the top of the hill of this little park that overlooked the city. What a view 180 degrees of city. We came across this rather ostentatious eatery called Calzone's & decided to give it a go since everyone was sitting outside soaking up the sun. They had the best salad & french fries a girl could ask for w/their special ginger/ketchup dipping sauce.

This was my first 'foreign' trip (not counting the Mexican border of course) and frankly I can't recall exactly what time of the year we were there, but it was nice & toasty at the time.

I must say it was a shock landing in Kingston. That atmosphere and village shanty town was as close to 3rd world as I've been. This wasn't our destination, so we just spent one night & then rode in the back of a truck up the mountain on a one-lane dirt road- what an experience! We stayed at a hostel for a few days in the Blue Mountains & enjoyed hiking the jungle, splashing in waterfalls, watching Bob Marley's brother take out the garbage and cooking with the other travelers at night.

The rest of our trip was spent on the west coast in a little town called Negril. It was amazing to meet the locals (though all the men seemed be stuck in a loop of "Hey, sexy lady!"), enjoy the coconuts and snorkeling with the fishes. The best moments were cliff diving and hammock sunsets. I highly recommend a visit!.