Ride a Banana Boat
Even though my grandmother is from England she lived most of her early years in Jamaica on the family’s plantation. She would keep us engaged by telling us interesting details of her time spent in Southampton when she was on a break. She had loads of fun with her cousins and uncles in the family manor.
My grandma described the three-week trip on “banana boats” that they took with other plantation owners in great detail. The banana boats at that time were used to ferry a cargo of bananas from Jamaica. Passengers and guests could travel on those boats and stay in the cabins. Entertainment was in the form of bingo, and movies watched with the help of a noisy projector. The lounge area was specially designated for this purpose. The lip-smacking chocolate chip-marshmallow banana boats dessert that she would describe always made us want to eat some.
My husband surprised me with a trip to a luxury resort in Montego Bay on our honeymoon. We viewed the resorts website for information and to my great surprise I found that they mentioned “rides in banana boats“. I remembered the times my granny used to talk about the rides they took on banana boats. The thought of finally going on my own trip was great. Well when we got there I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the “banana boats” of today. They were nothing like what my grandma described. They were long yellow colored tubes that were inflated and one could sit astride it with a couple of other people. Foot rests were provided. I grabbed my husband and held on to him when the motor boat to which the banana boat was attached started. It was an exhilarating ride with the boat skimming the surface of the sea at great speed. Some of us fell into the water as the boat swerved and turned. We managed to climb back though, and it was pretty safe as we had life jackets. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and tried it again at the Aquasol Theme Park in Montego Bay.
By the way did I mention that the banana boats dessert they served at the resort was as yummy as the stuff my grandma used to make?
