Probably the most exciting thing that's happened to me in the while - I spent a fantastic week in Jamaica with Patrick and a bunch of his Chicago friends. Jamaica was truly underestimated in my mind - I expected it to be like, a hotter version of Florida or a lot of other beautiful but slightly boring Caribbean islands. But Jamaica was really a beautiful and unique place. The landscape is lush and mountainous, the people are one of a kind and the culture is really thriving. Service like you get in New York is non-existant; you have to really get laid back and loose track of time. Expect locals to try to sell you anything under the sun (correct response, "No thanks, respect mon"). If you're willing to try whatever is hot in the kitchen at a typical roadside stand, then you'll surely get a huge, delicious plate of food. And you have to put your life in the hands of any driver on the island - not only do they drive on the lefthand side but like a bat out of hell.
We stayed in a quiet resort on the cliffs outside Negril. We couldn't have gotten a nicer place in my opinion; it was off the beaten path and totally gorgeous. Thanks to our Chicago friends who are frequent Jamaican travellers, we had a friend in town, Rocksy, who was the coolest guy ever and helped us navigate through Negril and find hidden gems along the way. One day we went on a riverwalk at Mayfield Falls, in the hills outside Negril. We jumped off cliffs, bar-hopped on the beach, made friends, ate goat and conch and ackee with saltfish. One the last night, our entire group rented a catamaran to take us snorkeling and cruising around the coast at sunset. It was all really amazing. I'm not the kind of traveller that likes to go back to the same places year after year, but I would definitely go back to Jamaica any day!
