#DryLandTouristChronicles: I Love SXM Diary....Day 2

Day 2 of Rotaract District Conference, for me, was all about the I love SXM island tour! I was more than excited to explore St. Maarten/St. Martin.

#DryLandTouristChronicles: I Love SXM Diary....Day 1

A few years ago, when my sole desire was to move to Europe, my dad advised me to get to know home before I start exploring the world. I took his advice & since then I have used every opportunity to travel across my beautiful island home....a decision I don't regret at all. I guess it's out of exlporing Jamaica that my desire to travel the Caribbean blossomed. I developed a curiosity about island life in other Caribbean countries.

 Luckily for me, my membership in Rotaract has provided me with the opportunity to visit at least 9 other Caribbean countries & territories in the Northern Caribbean. This blog post is about my recent trip to St. Maarten & St. Martin.

A year ago, I sat at the Hilton Hotel in Montego Bay & told my friend that May 27, 2015, I would be landing in St. Maarten for Rotaract District Conference. Until April, I was sure that my dream would not be a reality but low & behold I was too hasty to throw in the towel....my trip to the friendly island was indeed a reality.

This trip was a part of my #14for30 list (the list of things I hope to do in celebration of turning 30). Up until the day of my flight I still couldn't believe that I was going to St. Maarten!!!!

My flight was scheduled to depart at 2:45PM for a landing in St. Maarten at 6:00 PM. Luckily for us, the flight, which I was told is usually late, was quite on time! We were so on-time we landed in St. Maarten earlier than expected. Kudos to Caribbean Airlines!

When we landed customs was a breeze (thanks to the power  of Rotaract & Rotary). We were in our black vehicles & on our way in no time.

First trip with my new passport

Dry Land Tourist Chronicles: Lime Cay

After numerous near trips, I finally made it to Lime Cay!

Lime Cay, a small island off the coast of Kingston, is home of one of most beautiful beaches in all of Jamaica.

Accessible only by water, Lime Cay is popular with local boat owners.

The waters just off Lime Cay Beach, along with the smaller even more isolated cays, are excellent places to go snorkeling, explore underwater caves, and watch for wildlife. These little islands are close to the Norman Manley International Airport, so you can sit back, relax, and watch the flights arrive from all around the world.

http://www.destination360.com/caribbean/jamaica/lime-cay

NASA Visible Color Landsat image of Port Royal Cays with islets and shoals

#FWTWGathering

On Sunday, May 3, 2015, I had the pleasure of sitting down with a small group of like-minded females for a brunch hosted by one of my favourite blogs For Women To Women.

Photo Credit: ForWomenToWomen.com

The Gathering

I did not know what to expect at all. My relationship with women my own age has not been the best in the past, so I was a bit nervous but open to the experience. I ensured I left all my assumptions at home.

Unfortunately, I was late so I missed the introductions but I was lucky to catch the "Conversation Starters and Discussions worth having" segment which proved to be very insightful. We were asked to pick a question from a jar & took turns sharing our opinions in the various topics. Some of the topics discussed were self-esteem, supporting other women, empowerment & how we felt about our representation in the media. Our conversations brought forth a wide array of other topics relevant to 20 -30 something year olds. We paused from our very thought provoking conversations to snap a few pictures.