Jamaica me laugh, Jamaica me cry.
Written: Nov 01 '02 (Updated Aug 02 '09)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Some fine beaches, beautiful mountains, great all inclusive properties.
Cons: poverty, poor infrastructure, aggressive merchants, crime
The Bottom Line: Jamaica has great beauty, but it is also a place where you must watch where you go and who you go with. Everybody should see Jamaica at least once.
|
|
|
| popsrocks's Full Review: Jamaica |
I have been to Jamaica four times. Twice on vacation and twice doing missionary work. I have found Jamaica to be a country of contrasts.
Landing in Montego Bay we were greeted by a small steel band in colourful dress, smiling faces, and warm greetings. Once we had our baggage we were met by representatives of the resorts we stayed at. We stayed in Ocho Rios at the Renaissance Grand Hotel on one trip and Sandals Negril on the other vacation. Both were wonderful.
The representatives saw to it that we were on the proper buses. The atmosphere of the airport is hectic and very different than any I have been to. You will find people wanting to sell you Jamaica's Red Stripe beer to help get onto Jamaican Time. You are reminded you are in another country and to slow down. "No Worries Mon".
Well worries I did have. Both places we stayed are over an hour and a half drive to get to. One was east, one was west.
You quickly discover the main roads hug the shore. Though the ride is relatively level it is still hilly and winding. Being prone to motion sickness I don't have to tell you it was not a fun trip. It seems the drivers of the buses have absolutely no regard for life. That means yours on the bus, the people in the streets, and their own. They just keep the Pedal to the metal. Another funny thing, they seem to drive on the wrong side of the road. Yes, that also takes some getting used to. These are reasons, besides others, to never rent a car in Jamaica. I wouldn't!
Another thing you can't help but notice is the poverty. As you drive through each little town you see half built shacks and tin roof huts that are homes. There are the most sickly looking animals that seem to be barely alive. Some people are moving briskly doing their business while many, many others sit in the shade not seeming to have work or direction.
As a backdrop to all this poverty are the beautiful Blue Mountains. They get this name from the blueish hue that they have when looked at from a distance. There is a wonderful Jamaican coffee named Blue Mountain coffee. It's named after the mountains they come from. I'm still trying to find out what the Red Stripe beer is named for. Be sure to try the coffee and the beer. Add to that list Jamaican fare like jerk chicken and pulled pork. They have a fantastic liquor there named Pimento Dram. Great stuff. One of the guys at Sandals turned us onto it. Wow!!
The places we stayed in were all inclusive. That meant that everything we needed was right there. The people at the resorts were very friendly and warm. They loved to talk and I enjoyed them very much. I could not say enough about the great times we stayed at these resorts. The food, atmosphere,the people, the games, the shows, and the drinks were excellent. Sandals in Negril is on one of the most beautiful stretches of beach in the world. It's called Seven Mile Beach
We did do an outing from both places. From Sandals we took a boat ride to Negril. We went to a place named Rick's Cafe and watched some people dive from cliffs. This was an area full of tourists and in the light of day seemed quite safe.
I was approached here as well as in the water at Sandals by some fellows asking if we wanted to purchase some Ganja. Remember drugs in Jamaica as in the US are illegal. Don't let the atmosphere let you put your guard down. You could pay dearly for a mistake like that.
One day my wife suggested we go to the town of Negril at night to see and hear real Reggae music. We didn't go but another couple we met did. My wife and I were on the beach that evening taking a walk. I told her to look in the direction of the city of Negril. All the lights went out. I asked one of the bartenders about it. He says they lose power in the city fairly regularly.
The next day we met up with the couple who went to Negril. Besides the blackout there was another incident. They didn't get the full picture but suddenly the police were in the streets and people were running. A shopkeeper pulled them into his store and told them to wait there till all was over. There was some kind of unrest going on. The couple were in there for over an hour. The shopkeeper called for a cab and they came straight back to the resort.
I never found out what happened to start the problem that night but I will tell you that the Jamaican people take there politics very seriously. They do live in a democracy but at the same time there is a lot of division between factors.
Just another thing to mention you may at times see Jamaicans talking to each other and you may get a word here or there in English but you still can't make it out. well it's there own Jamaican English. I picked up a couple of translations at a site I found.
Ahuh jus yessideh de pickney bonn ? which translates to Isn't it just yesterday the child was born?
Hers another. De likkle ooman. is The little woman.
And another.Mi nuh wan nutten fe eat is I don't want anything to eat
One las one Mi a tutty years old is I am thirty years old
I defy you to try to keep up with a conversation between Jamaicans using that language.
The site I found is www.Jamicans.com It is very interesting. They have a chat room where they discuss their politics, the reaction of one of the "snipers" being Jamaican, and how to better their country. I found it all very interesting and also gives insight as to their pride in country. The site is chock full of other information too.
When we went to Ocho Rios from our hotel we went to the market area. I have never seen such desperate people trying to sell their goods. They meet you before you get to their booth. They take you to theirs and just put one item on top of another into your face. Neither my wife nor I purchased anything there. They were just too aggressive for us.
Just a reminder. Ocho Rios is where many of the larger cruise ships come in. It has a port deep enough for the larger ships. Plan any activities off your property accordingly. The shops and sites get very crowded.
In a nutshell I highly recommend the resorts in Jamaica but at the same time I would tell you not to leave them unless on some kind of recommended and safe tour.
We did take a side trip to Dunn's River Falls. This is a place you will love or hate. We are taken to an area to start the climb. As you may have seen in travel pictures everybody holds hands going up. This is done to keep people together, keep them on the safest route, and to help balance each other on the way up. I found this very difficult. Now I am a fairly athletic guy and climbing and heights are no problem. I just wasn't comfortable not being in control of my own body.
The guides take your cameras and take pictures of you on the way up. After they were developed when we arrived home in the states we found they took some great shots. These guys were very friendly, and took their jobs very seriously.
The views looking up as you walk the falls are gorgeous. Looking down was even more beautiful. The views were stunning! Try to spend some time on the beach at the falls. The beach is beautiful and the views of the falls are fantastic. This trip for me was both "I love it, and I hate it!" Like I said this is a place of contrasts.
Speaking of contrasts. The other two trip we took were to Kingston to work in a mission that is in the poorest slums of the Capital. On the first trip we stayed at an old hotel that was not longer being run as such. It had since been used by nuns as a base to do other work. We were bused through the city daily, about five miles. The people were busy and vibrant. They were going about their business and living life like people in any other city in the world.
When it came to church on Sunday the woman though poor would dress up in clean white or multi-coloured dresses. This was a sign of reverence and showed how though poor certain things in life are important and respect at church is one of them.
Once we arrived at the run down areas it is completely different. You see people living in what I can only explain as conditions worse than what the burned down sections of the Bronx looked like thirty years ago. But this was even much worse again.
The missions are behind locked gates. The people who run them are Brothers who belong to "Missionaries of the Poor" They are of different races but many are Philippino. They have dedicated their lives to helping the very, very poor and those who have nothing. The people who are housed there are those with terminal diseases. There are many AIDs people, men and woman. Deformed children and old people who have been thrown out of their homes as burdens are taken in. It is so sad and depressing seeing what they have. At the same time there is another way in which they take life and live it to their fullest.
I want to explain this to you. I helped out in a place that was just for men. It is gated in and is nothing more than a 100' X 100' open area with cinder block walls surrounding it. Above ten feet or so is open air around the perimeter. A tin roof is above that perhaps another five feet. There is a closed in kitchen area.
Lined up are bunks, about fifty or sixty. They were in perfect order. By the looks of the way the beds were made and straightened I would think I was in a marine barracks. The beds were made and cared for by a severely deformed and retarded man. I will give him the name James. Open to the beds in this area were picnic tables. This is where the men ate or were fed.
There was a man in one of the beds. I'll name him John. He was on his back. He could speak and eat. That was all he could do. His body was totally rigid and brought up into a fetal position. His body had no weight to it and he had to be turned over every half hour.He had to be hand fed. There is no way he could do it himself. He has absolutely no use of any part of his body.
Well it was an amazing relationship between James and John. John had all his wits about him and a great sense of humour. James, though deformed, could do physical things and did them the very best he could. Every day James would straighten the beds for all the men. If sheets were soiled he would take care of them. John would give direction and did it with humour you would not expect in a man so severely deformed. He cracked jokes and kept up the spirits of those around him.
Volunteers would come and help feed, dress, clean up after, and just stay with and talk with these men. I was starting to feed John one morning. James quickly ran over and told me exactly how John likes his food and how to best feed him. When it was time to turn John over it again was James leading the way showing us how to best take care of John.
This was all such a learning experience for me. Here was John without a body, yet he had a spirit that lifted the others there. And James, a man with little intellect who was just filled with feeling and purpose.
Those days in Jamaica were my best memories of the island. It demonstrated me that no matter how beautiful the beaches are, and how good the food is, and what the accommodations in the resort were, it's the loving and caring relationship between people that brings mankind to our greatest heights.
Jamaica me laugh, Jamaica me cry.
Other reviews in Jamaica and Carribean resorts
Sandals Negril, Jamaica
http://www.epinions.com/content_78916914820
Renaissance Grand, Ocho Rios, Jamaica
http://www.epinions.com/content_79371210372
St John, Virgin Island
http://www.epinions.com/content_74383462020
Westin Resort, St John, US Virgin Islands
http://www.epinions.com/content_74150940292
Dominican Republic, Barcelo Bavero Resort
http://www.epinions.com/content_74779627140
Alegro Resort, Playacar, Mexico
http://www.epinions.com/content_75575365252
Hotel Mayaland, Mexico
http://www.epinions.com/content_77819317892
Key West, Florida
http://www.epinions.com/content_74431499908
New Orleans
http://www.epinions.com/content_76371365508
10 Reason's To Visit Mexico
Frommer's Caribbean 2005
1,000 Places To See Before You Die A fun book to dream with or try to live. Negril, Jamaica and Ricks
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Dec - Feb
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.