Morning Rituals by the Sea

Posted by carleva2019
On July 23, 2019
0 Comments
accommodations, Caribbean, Carleva Bay, Jamaica, jogging, retreat, travel, villa rental, Yallahs Salt Ponds

Morning rituals. Vacation routines or weekend getaways. Pick a locale and subscribe to its unique subset of pleasures. Café culture in Paris. Morning espresso and brioche in Italy. Dim sum weekends in Hong Kong, waving your hands in a packed restaurant, desperately trying to catch the attention of your server.

These are shared cultural and societal rituals. Rites of passage if you will, the induction into a particular city or country. Other, more universal rituals exist. That cup of coffee or tea we make before starting our work day. Maybe our morning routine is anchored around our favourite media outlet. Whether it be listening to a podcast on our morning commute, or skimming through the day’s newsletters in our inbox, routine builds a narrative of our daily pleasures. It provides a snapshot of the places we live, work, play and call home.

In our eyes, the Carleva Bay Centre is such a unique and special project for us … because it has been our home for more than a decade. We have unique rituals that we have built among our family and friends. And yet, Carleva Bay is so much bigger than us alone, it is about bringing this sense of community and love of the island to everyone that stops by our doors. Below is a photo essay of one of our favorite rituals, taking a two mile-long run along the nearby Yallahs Salt Ponds, and then a quick cool-down dip in the ocean. Come join us!

Waking up and opening the door to your room, this is the first thing you see. Heavenly!

“Yeah, mon!” Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, anyone?

This is another favorite spot for morning coffee. The start to another beautiful day!

And a morning beach walk can easily turn into an impromptu dip in the ocean!

And of course there’s also morning yoga. Here is our guest Jessica, a ballerina and ballet instructor, doing her morning routine on Carleva beach! Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/BkTIjXRn8o9/

The incredible coastline by the house. This is where we have morning coffee before setting off on a run.

Such lovely colors! The weather here is dry (hence the cactuses and succulents you see in the garden!) with the occasional passing shower that blows away quickly.

Setting off on our run, with the small salt pond on our left.

Raining over the mountains, but not by us! The light in this one was so breathtaking we had to stop for a photo.

And yes, we do slow down when we get tired!

Making friends along the way.

The light at the end of the tunnel. Almost at our goal!

This is the Little Rasta Beach where we love to swim at the midpoint of our run.

The beach is shared with the occasional fisherman, though you won’t see them unless you get up very early!

Beautiful, peaceful serene beach, all to ourselves. We celebrate our jog by taking a quick dip in the ocean.

The fishing boats and handmade oars are a work of art.

If they catch something they think we’ll like, they often come to the gate!

Looking back toward the majestic mountains and heading for home!

The plants that grow along the salt pond are like nothing we’ve seen elsewhere in Jamaica

We love this jog so much we wish we could pack it up and take it with us!

Running back is always easier after a dip in the ocean, and the breakfast waiting at home is definitely a motivating factor!

The salt pond has so many different shades of green, as well as white cranes and many other birds.

Getting closer! As we run, there is a very particular type of bird that circles overhead chirping warning cries to protect the nest. It lives near here. Nota bene!

Finally back at the front gate!

The garden is a welcoming and cool oasis.

Beautiful bougainvillea flowers and a peaceful white rock garden frame the front yard’s meditation spot.

Someone’s been collecting mangoes for us!

And you might be greeted by a gentle friend on your return.

Time to go inside, knock the sand off our shoes, and see what’s cooking for breakfast.

Now this is a pretty palette!

Cereal and fresh fruit from the market and garden, and a cool green smoothie are a great way to start the day.

Or homemade pancakes with fresh fruit, yum! Thanks, Miss J!

And later on, once breakfast is done, we treat ourselves to this homemade scrub and body mask which includes spent coffee grounds, coconut oil, sea salt, peppermint, and essential oils. Served with Jamaican sorrel, of course, and followed by another dip in the sea!