Although Barney, Matthew, and I arrived in Jamaica with no plans (Barney kept saying, “Just tell me what you want me to do and point me where you want me to go), Virginia and Fionn had planned a full schedule and itinerary for us based on their experiences. Our first couple of days (until after the reception) would be spent in Kingston, but after that we would travel.

Our first excursion would be into the Blue Mountains, to Whitfield Hall, a hostel about halfway up the mountainside that offers lodging primarily to climbers on their way to the 7,402-foot summit but is also a traditional vacation spot for the Damdars. Virginia had visited there with Fionn and his family in December 2001, and it was nearby that Fionn had proposed to her, so the site holds a special place in their shared history.

After returning to Kingston for a day, we would go to Portland, a parish on the northeast coast of the island that has many unspoiled and uncrowded beaches. Virginia and Fionn had been to Frenchman’s Cove for a few days before we arrived and raved about its beauty.

From Portland we would travel on to Ocho Rios to get the real “tourist” experience. Second only to Montego Bay, Ocho Rios is a cruise destination, and much of its business is geared to tourists, primarily from the United States. In the Ocho Rios area is Dunn’s River Falls, billed as Jamaica’s number one tourist attraction. Certainly there were more tourists than Jamaicans there, but it seems to be a favorite with Jamaicans as well. It was another of the family traditions that the Damdars had shared with Virginia. She had loved her first experience there with them, and we found it equally delightful.

This map shows roughly where we went.