Banana Boats Galore!
England is where my grandmother comes from, but most of her younger days were spent on the family plantation in Jamaica. When we were younger, she used to tell us anecdotes of her vacations in Southampton, which she enjoyed with her relatives in the family manor.
The rides on “banana boats” that lasted for three-weeks with other plantation owners and their family members made for interesting discussions. The banana boats that she talked about used to carry cargos of bananas from Jamaica, but passengers could stay in the cabins and have a great time playing bingo, and watching films played with a projector in the lounge area. The way she described the delicious chocolate chip-marshmallow banana boats dessert was awesome and would make us want to try it.
When we got married, my husband decided to make reservations in a luxury resort in Montego Bay for our honeymoon. He looked for information on a website, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it talked about “rides in banana boats“. I felt a little nostalgic as I remembered my granny’s stories, and was glad I would finally take a trip around Jamaica in a banana boat. To my great surprise I found that “banana boats” were not what they used to be in the past, but were long yellow colored tubes that could be inflated. You sat with a leg on each side of it, with 8 to 10 other people. Foot rests were provided. I clung to my husband as the banana boat was pulled by a motor boat and zoomed on sea surface at great speed. It swerved and turned and some of us fell in the water, but managed to climb back. It was like water-skiing but not as dangerous. Life jackets were provided so it was quite safe and I slowly began enjoying myself. In fact, I tried this again when we visited the Aquasol Theme Park in Montego Bay.
The icing on the cake was the delicious banana boat dessert we had at the hotel. It was as good as the stuff my granny used to make.
