January 15, 1999

Arriving at the island was spectacular! Never in your wildest dreams could you imagine the images we were greeted with. The view from the unsteady plane was amazingly beautiful with gigantic mountains of several shades of green. The airport was something of it's own. We landed and were shoved into a small room full of people so to show them our passports and a paper in which we had to fill out on the plane ride. Soon we were through and it was time to fetch our baggage, which was thrown into a big pile on the floor. A guy came out and took the luggage from our hands, put it onto a wooden platform, and it was then checked. The guy then took our baggage out into a van-like vehicle. After gathering the entire group, we headed up a very narrow road with steep drop-offs. The roads are so narrow and windy, that we had to beep before rounding each corner. Also, there is only one road and no street signs to direct us and people drive in the middle of the road until they are about to hit the opposing traffic then they beep and swerve to the left side of the road. It's kind of like a continual game of chicken. The shrubbery is so magnificent that there is no possible way to describe it. Also, the people are incredibly kind and have welcomed us with smiles and waves. And I almost forgot the water is very, very blue and the road goes along the beach line. The food is very colorful and interesting and the shower water is extremely cold. It's difficult to explain the food. Overall, this is an awesome island.