It was our anniversary and we wanted to get away for a few days. We wanted someplace warm and inviting, maybe some place we had never been.
How about Jamaica? Why not?
We drove to Richmond on a Wednesday night as our flight to Miami left the next morning at 6-ish and we were supposed to be at the airport for international flights three hours early. We landed in Miami in less than three hours, then were off to Montego Bay, Jamaica. We flew over Cuba and I thought I saw some Russian missiles down there, but they could have been farm silos, who knows?
Jamaica is an interesting place.
The population is less than 3 million and the capitol is Kingston, population 650,000. It’s primarily a Christian nation and the motto is
“Out of Many, One People”.
On our drive to the hotel, I noticed a number of concrete structures that were half finished. I wondered if the economy had crippled construction or perhaps a storm had partially leveled the buildings. It turns out that these facilities were simply, “Under construction.”
Almost all the buildings in Jamaica are made of cinder blocks and/or concrete. There are no hardwood trees on the island to speak of, but there are plenty of rocks. The rocks withstand hurricanes while wood frames would be blown away. Jamaicans sometimes make their own cinder blocks from the rocks on their property and then frame the house. Once there is even one inhabitable room, they move in, and then take their time finishing the house. They seem to be in no hurry. Along the roads we saw many Jamaican huts, no bigger than an RV, but they were mostly clean and neat. We also saw several small eating establishments serving jerk-style food. We were advised to avoid those places because you never know what you might be eating.
Jamaica is a beautiful place if you are on shore and looking out to the Caribbean, but if you are on the outside looking in, it’s not very attractive. Along the roads there was one plant or tree with deep red blossoms, but no other flowers or trees, just scrub trees. There were no visible farms or gardens, though I understand the interior is the primary agricultural region.
The roads were mostly narrow and in ill repair and they all drive on the wrong side of the road – the left side. I was never able to get used to seeing oncoming cars on what would have been our side of the road.
The small nation is not poverty stricken, but I think their economy is on life support as they bounce back and forth between capitalism and socialism. They are heavily dependent on tourism.
Jamaica is the birthplace of reggae music made famous by Bob Marley. It is internationally prominent in sports, most notably cricket, soccer and track and field. Some of the fastest men in the world hail from Jamaica. Usain Bolt, for one.
The climate is largely unchanging, averaging in the mid-80s. October is the middle of the rainy season when it rains almost daily. In months like March, the island may get only 2 or 3 rainy days per month.
The Jamaican people are quite friendly, but in business dealings everything is negotiable – from cab fares to food to most any business transaction. They are hagglers supreme.
It was 43 degrees when we left home but 87 when we arrive in Montego Bay. Nancy and I quickly agreed that we had made a good choice in destinations.