Prathima: We went to Atlanta in mid-May to the Jump Dance competition that Ashley was a part of. We got there on Friday and checked in to the Marriott downtown.
We ate that weekend at the Hard Rock restaurant with Ashley's mom and stepdad, and also had dessert at Pitty Pat's Porch with Jeff and Tani. While dessert was pretty good, the service at Hard Rock was a bit spotty. There may have even been some tenseness, and I left and hung out at the gift shop.
Being a newbie to the dance competition, I didn't realize pictures were not allowed so I got a stern talking-to from someone there. I still got some pictures, though, so I cheated the system.
Randall and I also enjoyed some adventures in Atlanta. We went to a MicroCenter where we spent time with a salesperson looking at laptops (I was looking for one for Kristen). We also went to an area called "Atlantic Station" that was a cool outdoor shopping area. We had breakfast at the Flying Biscuit Cafe, which I really enjoyed. We walked to the "Canoe" restaurant - we didn't have reservations so we just roamed the grounds and walked outside. It had a great seating area and view of a little river.
Overall, a fun weekend getting to see Ashley dance and enjoy the city.
Randall: Marriott was very nice.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Jewel Paradise Cove, April 2015
Prathima: We headed to Jamaica on April 20, 2015. Our flight was an early one, but we connected in Charlotte to begin our flight out of the country. It had been 30 years since I had to use a passport, and I was surprised to realize we no longer get "stamps" in the passport. There are electronic scanners that tag each one when you arrive at your destination. When we arrived, we had about an hour wait as we were ushered in the country through customs. We finally got our bags and headed to the buses to our destination of Jewel Paradise Cove!
The drive was a strange dichotomy of sadness and education. The driver talked to us about the half-built houses (they just add on what they can afford), the education of the minors (half-days) and the different areas of the country. We took in the sights of poor citizens, unpaved roads, and ramshackle houses. The colors were vibrant, though, and as we got to our resort, we were excited to see that the resort was quite nice. At check-in, we got wet washcloths and a drink as we waited for our room. The bellhop arrived and we realized very quickly that dollar tips were essential in the country.
The room had a "Happy Honeymooners" chocolate cake with a hand towel in the shape of a swan. We explored the resort briefly but went quickly towards the first activity, which was a cocktail party where couples met each other and talked about how long they were married. "One day" was our response, so we were the winners of being married for the shortest period of time.
The days that followed were lazy - swimming, sitting by the ocean in the smallest beach ever, walking around the resort. We did go on a glass bottom boat one day and spent some time in the ocean. We also went to every "restaurant" at the resort. We had Italian the second night which was okay. We went to the main dining hall many times for breakfast and lunch, and even one night where they had performers that entertained us with dancing and balancing acts. We also went to an outdoor barbeque where they had goat races and we learned to dance from the locals. One day, we went off the resort to a "falls" area where we could climb some slick rocks and view the plant life and learn a little of Jamaica (tips were plenty that day!). The last night we were there we went to a Japanese restaurant where Randall learned to sear some meat. :) We also went to a piano bar where they sang 70s songs (for the most part).
This was an awesome place to go on a honeymoon. I would definitely go back, and even for a day or two longer.
Randall: Awesome!
The drive was a strange dichotomy of sadness and education. The driver talked to us about the half-built houses (they just add on what they can afford), the education of the minors (half-days) and the different areas of the country. We took in the sights of poor citizens, unpaved roads, and ramshackle houses. The colors were vibrant, though, and as we got to our resort, we were excited to see that the resort was quite nice. At check-in, we got wet washcloths and a drink as we waited for our room. The bellhop arrived and we realized very quickly that dollar tips were essential in the country.
The room had a "Happy Honeymooners" chocolate cake with a hand towel in the shape of a swan. We explored the resort briefly but went quickly towards the first activity, which was a cocktail party where couples met each other and talked about how long they were married. "One day" was our response, so we were the winners of being married for the shortest period of time.
The days that followed were lazy - swimming, sitting by the ocean in the smallest beach ever, walking around the resort. We did go on a glass bottom boat one day and spent some time in the ocean. We also went to every "restaurant" at the resort. We had Italian the second night which was okay. We went to the main dining hall many times for breakfast and lunch, and even one night where they had performers that entertained us with dancing and balancing acts. We also went to an outdoor barbeque where they had goat races and we learned to dance from the locals. One day, we went off the resort to a "falls" area where we could climb some slick rocks and view the plant life and learn a little of Jamaica (tips were plenty that day!). The last night we were there we went to a Japanese restaurant where Randall learned to sear some meat. :) We also went to a piano bar where they sang 70s songs (for the most part).
This was an awesome place to go on a honeymoon. I would definitely go back, and even for a day or two longer.
Randall: Awesome!
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