I Met Cynthia - in person!
by Wellesley
Wellesley and Cynthia at the Coyaba Hotel
Cynthia and Wellesley meetup in Jamaica - Nadine and Natalie Ribbe
Jamaican Jazz Band Playing and the Coyaba
Hi friends, meet Cynthia!
Cynthia is one of my most ardent website subscribers and friend.
I have a good relationship with most, if not all, my website peeps, but Cynthia (from Chicago, USA) is one of those special ones.
She can't recall exactly how she found my-island-Jamaica.com but I tell you it was a real blessing.
She is one of those that respond to almost all my postings - seriously.
I finally met up with her (in person) at the Polo Lounge at the Coyaba hotel in Montego Bay last week (11/22).
This hotel, by the way, is her little hideaway when she comes to Jamaica. She came as part of her regular yearly visit.
In fact, she has been coming to Jamaica for lot of years now - most times at least twice per year (April and November).
She actually planned a big meeting - she, myself, plus two of her other best friends in Jamaica, Sigrid Ribbe (a German who migrated to Jamaica with her kids) and Michael Van Reel - a top local therapist who works at the resort.
Well Sigrid couldn't make it, but her two daughters (Nadine and Natalie), along with their friend, Hector Fray and Daniella came and represented well.
We had a wonderful time - eating and chatting while enjoying the Jazz from the resident band and the company of other tourists - including a few Chinese tourists who was friendly enough to take pictures with us - without even first exchanging
words :-)
Hector (the protector) had some interesting stories to share - from the boring ones from the FINSAC financial meltdown in Jamaica in the 1990's, to the more exciting experiences he had as a middle manager for Sandals Resort - which included massaging tourists' feet with water melon :-)
Hector, by the way, is also the brother of one of
Bush Stewart's chief lieutenants, Merrick Fray.
Anyway, back to my buddy Cynthia ...
I tell you, she is a real sweetheart but if I wasn't careful I would have gotten stiff drunk (I felt it coming). She kept offering drinks after drinks :-)
I think she was wanted to see the 'ugly' side of me, as according to her, < b>"Truly, you are more “handsome” in person than your picture" :-)
I gave a a complimentary copy of one of my publication,
101 intriguing facts of Jamaica and showed her a one of the few local copies of the new
Jamaica Insider Guide - and she immediately latch on to it and handed me 15 bucks!
She wouldn't even allow me to decline the money - such a darling.
I truly enjoyed the little meetup and is already looking forward to her next visit in April.
And by the way, she quizzed me and I guessed her age to be 14 years younger than she really is! And she deserves it!
I think she'd like me to share that with you :-)
Please be sure to share
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