The Periphery of the Mind

The first thing I have to say about Jamaica is that it's beautiful. While Cozumel and Grand Cayman struck me as flat and bland, Jamaica had incredible forested hills and looked like a weird cross between Washington state and a tropical island. Of all the places we went, this is the only one I want to go back to.

The stop was in the port town of Ocho Rios. There we visited a nice private beach and went swimming for a bit. The drive to the beach was interesting as I noticed several Burger Kings and Papa John's resteraunts. This felt like a place people vacationed and lived in, and I really felt the place had a nice homey vibe to it. Our stop in the Grand Cayman's had a similar vibe, but it also felt very touristy. Here I felt was a place where people actually lived.

After the beach we went climbing a waterfall. I think we went about 3000 feet inland and over 1000 feet up. Our guides made a big deal about being careful and holding hands and wearing shoes with good traction (available for a small rental fee). And while this was all good and legit advice, I couldn't help but notice the tour guides all but doing handstands up the waterfall. Make no mistake, it was a bit tricky and treacherous in places, but the guides made it look so freakin' easy. The waterfall was scary somewhat, but it was also gorgeous. It was a little slice of rain forest, with birds squawking and screeching and cawing, gorgeous exotic plants everywhere, and a light rain starting by the time we were almost done. I probably overtipped the guides, but it was worth it.

Remember that light rain I mentioned? Well, by the time we made it to the second beach of the day it had turned into a full blown lightning storm. Everyone was cold, miserable, and whiny. Except Maryanne and I. I know, I know. But seriously, it wasn't that bad to us I don't think. We probably would have gone swimming if it hadn't been for the lightening, and I would have been happy hanging out at the little beach bar with the fire eater if it wasn't packed with whiny white people.

So we were all returned to the dock early, leaving Maryanne and I some time to do some shopping and site seeing nearby. Found a nice little shopping center near the boat, filled with merchants and what not. I remember it being two rings of buildings, one inside the other, with an open roof between them. Lots of plants and trees grew between the buildings, and vendors casually hawked their wares. Some kid was out playing a hand drum and making a pretty good beat. Nothing truly outstanding, but it was different and kind of neat.

Still, despite the rain, Jamaica was hands down my favorite stop of the trip.

And yes, the boat reeked of "funny smells" after we left.