Reader Submission by Tina K.

Every time I plan for a vacation I always make lists. I start out with a list of where I might like to stay, then on to a list of what I will need to bring, a list of what I will need to pick up for my trip, and of course a list of the things that I would like to see and do while I am in said country. It has always worked for me and I have found that I get the most out of my vacations knowing what is on offer when I go.

Jamaica is the only country that I have not been able to stick to my “To Do” list despite my numerous visits, and I still have not completed my original list from the first trip. I have tried, and my Bestie has definitely tried to keep us on track while we have been vacationing in Negril but I have to confess, the “Sand Gravity” is just too great.

When I first heard this phrase, it was shortly after a return from my second trip that someone mentioned it on a chat board, I thought, “Well, ya, that’s what happened”. I felt relieved. Jamaica had the same effect on them as it did me. I didn’t then feel so confused as to why I hadn’t seen and done more over on my trip. I recall that I tried my best to pull myself away from the beach but for some, at the time unexplained reason, all I could do was relax on my lounger day after day, soaking up the warm Caribbean sun. I looked forward to this each morning, setting aside plans that my Bestie and I had agreed to the previous day. Bestie herself has fallen victim to Sand Gravity, and she agrees that it is quite hard to pull yourself away from the beach once we have settled in.

Now here are my own personal definitions of Sand Gravity as I know it:

• The invisible force that is created once a person takes their place on a sun lounger, in my case on 7 Mile Beach.

• The inability to do nothing more then remain lounging on the beach all day, only getting up to a) cool off in the sea, b) refill an empty or (as Bestie calls it) a broken drink, or c) to go to the bathroom.

• All other plans, no matter how well thought out become much less important and even forgotten, planned excursions are put off for another day.

•   A content feeling, a total state of comfort and relaxation.

One of the benefits of 7 Mile Beach is the many different vendors and the different foods that just go walking by. The beach is also a very interesting place to people watch, but that’s definitely its own topic. This easy access and availability then creates an amazing phenomenon where by, should you wish, you don’t even have to leave your chair to find something to eat or purchase a craft or even arrange one of those excursions that you want to take one of these days. This, I believe, adds greatly to the magnetic pull of the Sand Gravity.
On a typical day, and this is not in any given order, the fruit lady comes by, baked goods can be purchased (very yummy and fresh banana bread), jerk pork is available (and boy that’s some good jerk), the patty-man goes by with his cooler filled with fresh patties and coco-bread all still piping hot, the ice cream-man also has a cooler filled with delicious flavours, and my absolute favourite…freshly caught and cooked lobster offered with some fresh lime! Who needs to get up and find food when one wave calls a vendor over and with a “ya mon” and a smile, yummy food or treats are brought right to you. As far as I see it, the locals, unknowingly, are helping to create and sustain this magnetic field!
The other great sights are the crafts and items for sale by various people. It is such a varying mix; anything from handmade jewellery, carvings and paintings, to hats, bandanas, flip-flops and clothing for sale. Local shows are even advertised via megaphone, “It’s going to be hot, hot, hot”, so planning a night out is simple enough.
Given my addiction to Jamaica, and in particular Negril, I gave up the fight against Sand Gravity and have accepted that it is a part of my trips. I have enough of a worry over getting my Jamaican fix that stressing about completing one more list is just not worth it.