Jamaica

I went here when I went on a Royal Caribbean cruise. It was really pretty, but I got a horrible sunburn. Haha (:
The people there REALLY want you to buy their merchandise. They were constantly following me around, asking if they could braid my hair. But it was still very fun.

The CultureBob MarleyReggae

too many people harassing you… too many spring breaker types.

i went to the mountains with a guide and that was cool and i met some younger locals that i enjoyed hanging with, but overall people are constantly trying to separate you from your money every where you go.

i stayed at the cliffs above negril and the scenery was beautiful but i would never go back.

i feel sad to say this is the only place on my list of places ive been that i think was not worth visiting. (though my boyfriend would be upset if he know i felt this way!) my boyfriend took me there a few years ago and at the time i was very ill (not like just a common cold ill) but we couldnt cancel the trip so i had go to anyway under the circumstances. so i guess that might have already right off the bat made it a bad trip for me.
but despite that, no doubt jamaica itself is very beautiful naturally, lots of trees and water. we did stay in one of those ‘all inclusive’ resorts which was not really my style, but it wasnt my choice since it was really his trip. i felt very bored and trapped there, and even within the resort i did not feel completely safe or that the people were welcoming at all.
the short time that we were either en route to the resort or airport was depressing because the areas that we saw, the people were in very bad living conditions and people did drive very fast, it was scary.
i wanted to like it there, but it just gave me an eerie feeling. i’d rather not go to a place where i feel unsafe!

if i were to recommend an all inclusive resort (for those who like that sort of thing) in a tropical setting, i would have to say mexico is a better bet. i once visited one on the riviera maya and it was much more friendly and enjoyable and actually cheaper than jamaica.

Saw Sean Paul and SNOW!! (Informer, ladaladdadllala I lick your boom boom down, and so on)

Great time, stayed at cheap hotel for spring break. Downside was that we were there when the war started, oh so many years ago.

Get some fresh fruit.
Bring cheaper phone cards to use.
Go see some waterfalls.

lovely beach
too many people harrasing you
trying to sell you drugs
not alot of shops
or entertainment

The country has been literally plundered and the population lives in shacks, stoned with ganja. Even the sea has been sold by the ruling elite to Japanese fish industries. Nothing is left for local people. Staying there is being constantly confronted with poverty and agressive beggary. I felt ashamed, and I could feel the widespread resentment against white people, let alone the pervading prostitution : some aging fat texan women kissing 2 black boys at a time…Never again !

Jamaica is beautiful, no doubt about it, but I did not enjoy my time there. I was there for a day, on a cruise, and did not have an opportunity to get away from the tourist areas.

I remember being harassed to have my hair braided, to buy everything under the sun, and not in a subtle fashion. My brother was solicited for sex numerous times.

We had a lot of fun at Margaritaville, again a tourist area, and not 3 feet for the door we were being asked to buy pot. I realize I was in the tourist trap areas, but the experience turned me off visiting the more remote areas.

Friends have said “go to Jamaica, stay at an all inclusive and don’t leave unless you are going to the airport”. I’m the explorer type… sitting at the resort for a week holds no allure for me.

My trip to Jamaica was my first trip out of the country. I was so excited to see a totally different culture and to embrace a new way of life. It was wonderful to see so many happy people who celebrate their lives. I loved the food, the water, the weather, the people, the music EVERYTHING. It was a fabulous trip and I am so glad I went. Jamaica changed my life because I realized that one really can be happy despite life conditions.

The first time I went to Jamaica I went to Montego Bay – won a trip with my sales crew in a group of 10. The whole resort was enclosed by fencing to keep out the aggresive sales people… it was too protected. As I am more adventurous, I hopped in a cab and insisted he take me to a locals beach. The exchange rate was 6 to 1 U.S. dollars. The driver took me to Negril. I fell in love with it so came back a few years later with a boyfriend and rented a shack on the beach. I took the love of my life there a year and a half ago and we stayed at Grand Lido in Negril. It was amazing. Everything included, dived every single day.
Across the street was Hedonism and we went to a toga party… totally wild… the disco had half dressed dancers and there were people doing EVERYTHING and just into watching you watch them. Totally wild. Totally sensual.
Unfortunately, the economy in Jamaica has gone down the tubes. The exchange rate was 70 to 1 american. Picked up a local paper and saw at least 12 trials going on with corrupt cops shooting innocent citizens. Obviously our tourism dollars aren’t going to the locals- they don’t even have free education. The sweet lady who braided my hair said that even those families who can afford to send their kids to school only send the boys. It is a beautiful place, but I am very afraid that there will need to be a revolution or something before the pendulum swings back to being a safe place to visit.