To say that I enjoyed our excursion to Jamaica is an understatement. It had literally been eight years since I'd been off of American soil. As a result, my wanderlust had reached epic proportions. So much, that I actually got into the habit of ignoring my professors during lecture in favor of looking up travel pictures on Pinterest. Jamaica was the country that broke this cycle and I am forever going to love it for doing that.
That being said, Jamaica is a beautiful country that deserves multiple visits. Its capital, Kingston, is famous amongst the Spring Break crowd and its gorgeous ports with cruisers and resorters (is that even a word?), all for good reason: this country has a lot to offer. Despite having less than a day for our excursion to the Martha Brae River and subsequent shopping stop, I got a decent enough sense of Jamaica to know that I definitely want to make another visit, and here's why.
1. The stunning scenery in and around the island, I mean, just look at the bottom picture of just the port and the top most one that was taken while on a raft.
2. The abundance of potential activities. Jamaica is a hot spot for tourism, as a result, the country has a lot to offer to foreign visitors. You can snorkel, go rafting (like we did), take a tour of one of the plantation homes, and so much more!
3. THE FOOD. Oh man, the one regret I have from our trip is not having enough time to sample the local cuisine. The cruise ship offered some fares, but I really wanted to try it while in the country for the full experience.
4. The people. Haha, sure the ones associated with the tourism industry keep asking for tips from us crazy Americans, but they are good at making us feel welcome. Our rafter, Clayton, was so incredibly friendly and made our rafting experience truly wonderful. He patiently answered our questions about his country and made us feel at home and welcome.
5. The mindset Jamaica puts you in. There are just some places in the world that have a way of helping you to unwind and reset yourself. I got the distinct impression that Jamaica is one of those places. One motto that kept popping up all around us was 'No Problem.' Now, I don't know if this is just a general phrase or something that only tourists hear, but boy, did that help to trigger my vacation mode. Honestly though, as Americans we stress and gripe about so many things, some important, but many inconsequential. If we just stopped being so bothered with the nonessential things, I feel like we could be so much happier. But hey, I'm not here to tell you how to live your life, but to give advice/suggestions to those who need to get away ;)
How about you? Is there a place in the world that you would re visit?
Best Wishes,
The Pseudo Southerner
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