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My American Airline flight landed on Port Royal pirate wreckage at Kingston International Airport, Jamaica. Port Royal was once richest and wickedest sin ports in Americas, home for notorious Captain Morgan's "Jolly Roger" and his nefarious 17th Century entrepreneurial fleet, flying flag for fortune and infamy, sold to highest bidder.

Kingston, Caribbean's largest city, is now over a million plus, but back then it offered Black Beard, Morgan. and other souless seafarers perfect port, protected by a spit of land, with Port Royal at tip — where airport now sits. Like Gomorrah, Port Royal was destroyed, but not by fire, but swamped by an underwater earthquake, triggering landslides into sea, creating one of world's most lucrative marine parks. Continually, Spanish doubloons, gold, and bullion are salvaged from site — even today.

DISCOVER THE BLUES

Rising from Kingston foothills uneven Blue Mountains pierce low misty clouds in distance. The 'Blue' range runs virtually entire 145-mile length of Jamaica at varying altitudes, but at 7,200 feet, they are at their most majestic just out of Kingston, and Caribbean's second highest mountains, after Dominican Republic..

After an impromptu airport shower provided by tropical humidity, I learned my bags didn't arrive with flight, so I put myself up at Indies Hotel, a quaint East Indian inn in heart of Kingston financial district. At night, area is home of roving reggae rave parties, and beat of island resonates through hotel garden walls. The next morning my bags are waiting for me in hotel lobby.

EXPLORING JAMAICA

The decrepit train station in Kingston doesn't move any bananas or sugarcane along it's rusted skeleton anymore, but it is only spot in city large enough to accommodate dragon-breathing, polluting buses that patches Jamaica's faltering transportation infrastructure together. Screaming above hubbub, I locate a bus heading in my general direction. I cram in, bags tossed on top, and from a rag tag kid, I buy a plastic bag of "sky-juice," reminiscent of Gator Aid/Kool-aid. I sit back, sucking warm slush through a straw. The driver grinds a couple of teeth off gears, bus lurches forward, setting out in general direction of Captain Bligh's Bloody Breadfruit.

The road into Blues is serpentine, craggy along coast, rising significantly out of Kingston, dropping back on other side for a coast into Morant Bay, famous for a slave revolt so long ago. Near Morant Bay I am ejected out of sweaty ganga bus at a triangular cross roads. I await anything that moves in direction further into Blues. After an hour's wait in sun at shabby, barricaded gas station serving as a bus depot, I decide to take anything, anywhere. Eventually a ride shows up—an ad hoc Jamaican cab driver, who asks in proverbially Jamaican patois, "Hey mon. I de taxi mon; ned a liff, mon? Where to mon? Pay in dollars mon? J's no gud, mon. J's shit, mon."

We agree on a U.S. dollar amount, equivalent to, I don't know how many J's, or Jamaican dollars.

The crumpled car rattles over ancient roads and over 18th Century British Army Corps of Engineer built bridges, through humid banana belt leading into mountains.

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On North Promenade, just north of statue of Lewis and Clark at Broadway roundabout, is north Oregon coast's largest convention hotel. Fronting beach with 104 deluxe guestrooms (most with ocean views), Best Western Oceanview Resort has a variety of amenities that make it attractive to families as well as convention-goers.

Our oceanfront room contained a kitchenette unit housing micro and fridge, a cozy gas fireplace, and jacuzzi in an oceanfront bay window. Sliding open door to outdoor balcony afforded comforting, continuous sound of soaring seagulls and pounding surf, and fresh, invigorating smell of salt air. A perfect spot for watching a dramatic rainstorm or a spectacular sunset.

All rooms have a microwave and small refrigerator, TV with free cable and VCR, coffee maker, voice mail, and modem access. Personal amenities include a hair dryer, iron and ironing board.

Partner and general manager Terry Bichsel says, "Retreats and conferences are our specialty." With over six thousand square feet of meeting and banquet space, facility is perfect for conventions averaging as many as two hundred attendees. Full catering services include accommodating beach activities and custom menu requirements. There is also a large inventory of audio-visual equipment available.

For rainy beach days, Best Western Oceanview Resort has an indoor heated swimming pool and spa. An array of shops, eateries, arcades, and cultural attractions is within easy walking distance in downtown Seaside.

A new Italian-themed restaurant, Salvatore's Café, opened in March, 2003, just off lobby. When restaurant's namesake, Brooklyn-born chef Salvatore Mammino, visited north Oregon coast, he saw an opportunity for a mid-priced Italian ristorante with great food served in a "beach casual" atmosphere. Salvatore and Terry, owner, formerly worked together. Their intention is to make Salvatore's not another coffee shop, but a destination restaurant.