Our trip to Jamaica

We went to Jamaica to go scuba diving a couple of weeks ago. Had a really great time, and met some really friendly Jamaican people. They are really proud of their heritage and are very willing to talk about their culture to foreigners. I came away with a deeper appreciation for life, and for living. My husband and I had a lot of fun together, something that's hard for us to do unless we really get away from it all for a week. The diving, while not extremely challenging, was enjoyable and exhilarating. I am not a person who can stay put on a resort for very long, I must get out and see what the country has to offer. So we opted for a Nine Mile Bob Marley birthplace tour, and the drive there took about two hours, was in curvy countryside, and we really saw a lot of poverty. Browns Town Jamaica is one such place, where many of the residents still do not have running water or electricity. Our guide also pointed out the "Caveman," a local homeless man that lives in a cave nearby and walks every day into town to buy what he needs. How he gets the money to live we really didn't want to know. We did get offered the ubiquitous herb of Jamaica several times but politely declined. It is sad, a fact that many Americans report, that Jamaica is in such poverty and yet we dine on fancy food, sleep in what they consider a 5 star hotel even if it is only a 2 to us, and do not have a care in the world when we are on the beach, except to complain about some sand flies or that there is not enough variety in the buffet line. How selfish we are as tourists sometimes. The travel experience is not about being catered to 100% of the time (although I admit it is nice for a special occasion) but travel should always be looked at as, "what can I take away from this that I didn't have previously" or "what can I learn about these people that aren't in my own culture."

For example, saying "ma'am" is foreign to Jamaicans. They prefer to use "pretty lady" or "milady" which made me feel so special. A smile goes a long way. We made it a habit to talk to everyone at the resort, the landscapers, the busboys, everyone.
The Jamaican government makes it very difficult for the average citizen to get a visa to travel out of their own country, because if they did, they probably wouldn't want to come back because of the poverty and no jobs, so whatever job a Jamaican can get is a good job. This is pretty indicative of how corrupt their politicians must be, to have so much control over their population like that. I said to my husband, "all we need is a passport, even after 9/11. How lucky we really are."