Jamaica

For the first trip, we'll go back to what now seems like ancient history, certainly in the travel world.  Way back in 1995, there really wasn't much in the way of travel innovation.  Keep in mind that this was well before iPhones, and at the time, the internet was basically a bunch of people signed on to AOL.  That may not seem like that much of a big deal, but this is one of only two trips that I've ever booked through a travel agent.  In short, the information available about places to go was essentially limited to the travel agent (who may or may not have actually been to wherever you were going), and to guidebooks.  We ended up getting three for Jamaica - one was the Frommer's guidebook (I'm pretty sure it was the 2nd edition, but I recently got rid of it so I can't verify), the second was one of the Insight Guides, and the third was Fodor's pocket Jamaica.  

  While my first thoughts are to go into a comparison of the three (and believe me, not all travel guides are created equal), I'll simply try to transition by saying that, without further belaboring the point, information back in those days was not as free-flowing and as accessible as today.

Since we were honeymooners, we booked at an all-inclusive resort included in the neat brochure provided by the travel agent.  I managed to find the matchbook from the resort, and have included it below, which, in and of itself, is another sign of how the times have changed.

  I'll try to recap the actual trip as best as I can, although since I am now writing almost 20 years later, memories may not necessarily serve me as well as I would like.

The first thought that comes to mind is that all-inclusive is great, and while this is the only all-inclusive trip I've ever taken, I can say that it was wonderful to know that I didn't have to think twice about the cost of the next drink, meal, snack, or whatever else it was.  I was absolutely free to order whatever I wanted on the menus, get as many drinks as I desired from the bar, and that was an incredible feeling. I think that room service was a whopping $2, so we got room service on multiple nights as well. I'm pretty sure that SeaCastles is no longer around today, at least not in the same form - Googling SeaCastles Jamaica turns up an odd collection of links.

One of the first things I remember is simply that Jamaica was nothing like I expected it to be.  I was naive, probably overly so, and I imagined a people who were still jamming to Bob Marley or the modern equivalent, and a generally happy populace who were basically reggae loving beach bums with a predisposition to weed.  In my defense, neither my travel agent, nor the travel guides available to me told me otherwise.  That clearly turned out not to be the case.  The Jamaicans were far more into rap than Bob Marley (other than as a way to sell records to tourists), and the fact is that Jamaicans, like other people, have many responsibilities, and have little time to simply hang out at the beach.

So, although we spent a week on the resort, we did make a few excursions - one to Dunn's River Falls, rafting down the Martha Brae, visiting Rose Hall plantation, as well as going to the Evening on the Great River.  That said, the first memories I have of Jamaica are not of these excursions, as fun and enlightening as they might be.  And in fact, as I write, I realize that my ramblings are going to easily go past the limits of what ought to be a single post.  So I will relate a few first observations, and save the rest for a second post.

Initial observations:  Within moments of clearing customs, I was approached by a young Jamaican who asked me if I liked to party.  Being naive, I said "yes", not realizing that this was code language for "Would you like to smoke a joint?"  I did, however, shortly realize my mistake, and somehow made it to the hotel transportation without purchasing aforementioned good.  The landscape of Jamaica from the airport to the hotel was nothing short of shocking.  Let's not mince words - Jamaica is, in the end, a third-world country, and we rode past houses that would have fit inside our one bedroom apartment at the time.  Again, more of my naivetee, if you will.

Perhaps one of the most memorable moments occurred after we arrived and were taken to our room.  Keep in mind that this was our honeymoon.  So, we got to our room, and found that our "honeymoon suite" consisted of two twin beds separated by an expanse, that, to a newlywed's eyes, seemed almost infinite.  Sensing our shock, the lady who had taken us to our room stopped and asked if we would like a room with a king bed.  We responded with a firm "Yes", which led to the lady pushing the two beds together in the center of the room.

To be continued...