Tilting at windmills for a better tomorrow.
80 photos from our trip to Jamaica with Roger, Paula, Amelia. May be updated with images from their collection later. Negril, Treasure Beach, Montego Bay. Rain and shine, on land and water, grey skies and sun. No underwater images unfortunately. Should have rented an underwater housing for the G2. But am told that disposable beach cameras are good to 100 ft. Next time…
Jamaica was everything we had looked forward to, and more. A very different kind of vacation, traveling with four adults and two babies – a lot of things we couldn’t do with toddlers in tow (e.g. river rafting), but we traded child care back and forth enough that we were able to do almost everything we wanted.
Always odd to be an American in a 2nd world country — the constant realization that you have plenty of what they lack. The difference results in an ongoing “hustle” which takes some getting used to — after a while you develop the ability to be friendly and open but simultaneously firm and on-guard.
We traveled in the off-season, before most schools let out and while the Spring rains are still in effect. Rains keep the temperatures down and the bulk of tourists away. Accomodations were cheaper, and we had many beaches to ourselves, or almost. In exchange, we dealt with daily rain between around noon and two p.m., sometimes torrential. But it’s a warm rain, and you dry out quickly when it finishes. It’s a bit of a hassle at times, but I love to walk or swim in a warm rain – part of the tropical experience.
Food in Jamaica is salt-of-the earth, elemental, right out of the ground. Seldom overly sweet or fatty. Jamaicans rarely eat dessert, and most people are very slender, glowing with health. A few of our staples / favorite dishes:
Curried goat
Ackee and salt fish
Jerk chicken, jerk pork
Conch stew, jerk conch
Breadfruit
Fried plantain
Calaloo
Fresh papaya, pineapple, mango, melon
For me, a trip to the Carribean is as much about the reefs and the world underwater as it is about the island above sea-level. I felt myself quickly returning to my diving roots, and was able to fit in two major scuba and two major snorkle trips, plus many casual swims. Amy understood how important water time is to me, and was so gracious watching Miles as I dove (though we all took turns in the water).
I want to spend more personal energy raising awareness of the world’s coral reefs, their intimate connection to the ecosystem, and the grave danger the reefs are in.
Creatures experienced in the wild for the first time in two short weeks:
Sea turtle
Moray and spotted eels
Dolphins
Crocodiles
“Rat Bats”
Chameleons
Giant moths
As we traveled from Montego Bay to Negril, down to Treasure Beach, and back to “Mobay,” kept notes in my Visor. I’ve edited them a bit and posted / backdated them here in the previous 11 blog entries. Click the MORE links for continued descriptions of each day.
Update: Images from the trip are here.
Now home to cold gray skies in California, an unwelcome (for me) end to the humidity, a mysteriously dying lawn, and tomorrow, back to work.
Irie.
An interesting bit of cultural relativism: Met a woman who told us that when her baby had a runny nose (babies can’t blow their noses; it’s very hard to get their noses clean), she would put her mouth over his nose and suck out the snot, then spit it out. “It’s my baby and I love him. What is the harm?” Then she told us that when a breastfeeding friend had pain from engorgement, her husband sucked out the milk to relieve the pain. She was careful to emphasize that he spit it out. What interested me was that she saw both acts as being on the same grossness par. I’d expect it would be rare to find an American woman who would be willing to suck out her baby’s snot; but it’s probably not uncommon for men to sample their nursing wives’ breast milk.
Continue reading “Sea Turtle”
Before leaving home, I bought a hat with an insignia on the brow reading “Life Is Good,” which is how I felt almost every minute of every day on this trip. That insignia was like a tatoo on my mind. Feeling so positive about life, the universe and everything.
Continue reading “Life Is Good”
Miles and Amelia like to read about the adventures of Carl the Dog — Carl babysits and the baby rides on his back — madcap hijinx ensue. In front of Clarissa’s house is a life-sized dog sculpture that looks much like Carl. Miles immediately climbed up on his back, so delighted. Thereafter we could not pass the sculpture without Miles taking a “ride” on Carl.
Continue reading “Carl the Dog”
Amelia can’t say “Carribean” but she can say “Carrot” and “Bean” so Roger and Paula have been trying to get her to refer to the sea as the “Carrot Bean.” Almost successful!
Continue reading “Carrot-Bean”
Chill day. Regroup , hang out do laundry.
A prevalence of speakers mounted on top of cars driving around announcing upcoming concerts etc. in a funky patois. Why did this practice disappear in the States? Last I saw it was in John Waters’ “Polyester.”
Continue reading “Temple City Kazoo Orchesta”
Big day for Miles – he’s been working at putting on his own shoes – today he succeeded in putting on and buckling his sandals without help! So proud of our children – Miles and Amelia playing so nicely together, both learning new tricks from each other. Miles seeming to be inspired by Amelia’s advanced language skills, Amelia seeming to be inspired by Miles’ physical precociousness. It’s empowering for us parents to know that we can pull this off – take a major vacation like this and the kids are troopers. It’s tough in a lot of ways, but we make it work, and I think the kids benefit immeasurably.
Continue reading “Mangrove Swamp”
Big scuba day – China Reef w 4 other divers. No wetsuit. Water inTENse blue pounding blue sonic blue, fall backwards overboard 60 ft down to reef. Vibrant purple chalices of hard coral that looks like it was fluttering in waves and then frozen. Sting rays. No nurse sharks, as had hoped. Discovered a family of white lobsters, two adults two children under ledge. We stared at each other, they waved their foot-long feelers at me. Vast fields of drapery-like coral hanging from ledges. Fish and coral colors so vibrant it’s hard to believe nature could produce. Is this for real? One never gets used to it. I remember now why diving is so addictive. Surge lifted my bare back up into an outcropping of fire coral, stung like a string of bee stings, rash lasted for a week. Safety decompression stop at 20 feet for five minutes, hovering in the blue like babe in the womb, gazing out at creation. Maybe I should reconsider my belief in God?
Continue reading “China Reef”
Ackee and saltfish for breakfast. Played in water w babies. Rained and more rain. Taxi to patty shop — patties are Jamaican replacement for American hamburgers – beef or chicken or calallo wrapped in pastry dough and baked. Cheap and ubiquitous.
Continue reading “Rock House”