Then our family converging from all over the US, hooking up with each other in varying combinations in Miami and then on to MoBay on the north side of the island, and then (at night for my two daughters and me) by van on the incredibly bumpy pavement to Ocho Rios. We checked in with the father of the bride at the hotel he and her step mother own and as I recall went to bed early (like midnight.)
We then spent three days going out dancing at nite (with some guidance from Elvis, the cook) and going to jerk chicken places in the day, climbing the Dunns River Falls (many laughs and photos there), taking an all-day tour to the Blue Mountain area - where I got a great photo of a little falling-apart schoolhouse over the edge of the "highway" with lots of adorable Jamaican kids waving up at us, and we saw the devastation of a hurricane a year ago which wiped out the connecting road to Kingston (so we couldn't go there, which I had hoped for because I wasn't hearing any reggae music anywhere except on the boom-boxes, and had been told I might hear it there.) And also of course more "jerked-chicken shacks." Great conversations everywhere because I always want to know what life is like for everyone I come across.....so I learned things about the school system (the gov't is finally giving scholarships to some worthy kids so they can attend highschool free - other wise for the poor education ends w/ gradeschool,) the gov't (considered fairly liberal, but things could be improved, they said,) and that $15,000/year is a pretty good salary and you can rent a reasonable 2 bedroom house for $150./mo. Everyone I ran into wanted to sell you something........especially on the street, where this became onorous for my daughter and my son-in-law, who spent the rest of the time in the hotel, as do most tourists (I didn't see many whites on the streets, tho there may have been black tourists there.) I just figured they needed to make a living and politely refused, except for a few items. But even Elvis sought to provide us with services of one sort or another, casually accepting a tip in exchange (with a quick look at the amount.)
I walked alone in the neighborhood behind our hotel.....broken concrete streets, broken concrete houses, abundant flowers and greenery everywhere, a little barbed wire (not like Guate. City), a few kids playing in the streets (no begging,) a few women talking over the fence (but although they speak English, don't think you'll understand the patois!) and of course some guy who came along when I was questioning which turn to take, and walked with me, chatting about politics and social problems, until I got back to the hotel, whereupon he hinted that a tip was in order for his "guiding." Which was okay until he suggested that $150 J was not enough.
I loved every moment of the trip, as did my younger daughter who stayed out dancing til 3 or 4 with a couple of friends from the wedding party or, in one instance, with one young Jamaican man, while I went home about 2 or so each nite - at least twice walking the block or so from the wedding hotel to the one we were staying at by myself. My sense was that I needed to be watchful but not afraid. The only thing to fear was the traffic, which was even wilder and crazier than in Antigua, but of course at that hour minimal.
This account in no way does the trip justice. It was absolutely wonderful. I loved Jamaica (although it was overcast a lot while we were there and I only made it to the beach for a few minutes) - and I will be going back to work for the Blue Mountain community-building project in July! But to be in another, exciting, invigorating country with all four of my children and both grandchildren and my greatgranddaughter ! (now 17 - and on her ggrmother's insistence she went out dancing w/ us - which I regretted later, when somebody let her get drunk, but even that was okay.) And to eat great food and walk in the bustling streets all day and go dancing all nite! Whew!!!
