Date: 15 May 97 14:37:23 EDT
From: Nellie Gruender <104675.2134@CompuServe.COM>
Subject: Cayman Bound

Everyone,

Well, Gene, being the King of Kluge, has gotten us somewhat back online again.

At the moment we are still in Montego Bay. Within the next two hours we will set sail for Cayman which will take about two days. We hope to have good winds and calm seas.

Our time in Jamaica has been GREAT!! Yesterday we with two other couples on a day tour of the country. We went to Negril with its beautiful beaches and then went up into the mountains to Mandeville. It was spectacular. We then drove through the interior with its rain forrest atmosphere, and its villages built on the side of the mountains. Again the vegetation that grows here is to die for. I wish I could take samples of it all and bring it back.

We have really enjoyed our stay at the Montego Bay Yacht Club. Everyone has been so helpful and kind. It is a beautiful facility with a restaurant, and pool. We leave a little spoiled.

Today I even got to go to a grocery store that had food I recognized. Of course there was the pre-cooked curried goat, and the chicken parts that I didn't even know chickens have, it's all a matter of culture. I did buy some Nacho Crackers. I have a feeling it's as close as we'll get to Nachos until we hit the TexMex cuisine back in Texas. They did have cans of some kind of salsa mix (this stuff WAS NOT Pace). I started to get some, but Zach pointed out eating it on your fingers instead of chips wouldn't be quite the same.

We have offered the people we've met iced tea. You would have thought we were offering dish water. They used about 8 teaspoons full of sugar, took a sip, swirled it around, and looked at us with the same expression I had looking at the chicken parts. Like I said, it's all a matter of culture. I think they plan to continue to drink their tea hot.

The two couples we went with yesterday were the people we met in Port Antonio. Joe and Tania, and Rita and Don. Rita and Don are from Padre Island, Texas, so it's been fun "hanging" with some Texans. They have been cruising for several years, and at one point owned a business in Puerto Rico. We plan to keep in touch, and meet up somewhere down the line. They are heading to the Rio Dulce for awhile.

Well, I must go so we can move on. Just as I did when we were in the Bahamas, I feel as though I'm leaving home again.

More as the adventure continues.

Nellie
Aboard Rainbow Chaser
Montego Bay, Jamaica