Honeymoon Under The Sun

 KEEP IT AND DON"T BREAK IT is the most common response that I receive from the people here when I tell them we are on our Honey Moon. When we walk down the streets, I have never encountered a people so cool. The dread locks, language, and attire are like I am personally meeting Bob Marley. Where are we?
 I carefully planned this honeymoon to keep it a secret from Mary for her birthday, Christmas, and wedding present from me. She has never travelled outside of the United States. I wanted to give her the opportunity to broaden her horizons with increased understanding of people in the world. Also, to let her taste what being an American is. 

Mary and I are doing wonderful. We are falling more in love each day. The way they talk is how rappers talk, or how my friends and I would try to talk in High School to sound cool. It is broken English called patois (pat-oh-wah). Mary makes this experience the best travel that I have ever experienced. She is always by my side enjoying this new culture, temperature, and food. -Lucas

--------------------


Lucas carefully planned a honeymoon vacation to Jamaica shortly after we were engaged. He thought it would be fun to surprise me on Christmas Eve before boarding the plane. Unfortunately, I found out early. To play along, I packed winter clothes for the family cabin in Stanley, ID. I thought it was entertaining to watch him try and find excuses to pack a swim suit, and convince me to sign the passport papers. We both played our cards well. He told very few others about our trip so I wouldn't find out, and I didn't tell anyone so he wouldn't discover that I knew.

We boarded the first plane to Atlanta, GA after midnight on Christmas Eve. From Atlanta, we flew into Montego Bay, Jamaica. In all it was a 9-hour flight.

Immediately coming out of the airport, everyone asked us where we were going and if we needed a bus or a taxi. After getting some directions to our hotel, we walked a couple of miles. We packed light like backpackers with only carry-on bags. Seeing our luggage, every single car on the road stopped and asked if we needed a taxi. It seems each Jamaican man with a car is a self-designated taxi driver so he can pay off his expensive car insurance, and cover the price of gas.

After such a long plane ride, we were starving and exhausted. We immediately bought some food from the restaurant at the hotel. The food cost nearly 4 times as much as the food at the local restaurants, but it was excellent goat, chicken, and rice & peas. (peas are red kidney beans)

Since then, Jamaica has been a cultural experience that we've enjoyed observing and learning. One of the funniest things is that we've had countless people come up to us and say, "Hey, do you remember me? I work at the hotel." Since they never say the hotel name, we know that this is their pick up line to every tourist. From there, they pretend to be friendly and give you a tour around the city. When they're done, they expect payment for their services. Stating that tourism is the biggest industry in Jamaica just behind rum and they need to earn a living. It only took once with this pair of guides that charged us $20. Since then, we have managed to dodge these friendly, self-designated tour guides.

The most interesting thing we did was take a local bus and taxi to Negril where there is a famous 7-mile beach. When we asked one of the commercial tourist taxis how much they would charge for the journey, they said it would cost 40 American dollars. Lucas wanted to go the local way in Route Taxis that ended up costing 800 Jamaican dollars, or 9 American dollars, for a 2-hour journey. It would have cost us 4 times as much to travel with the rest of the tourists! It was really interesting when we got to the bus station where every bus driver was shouting where their bus was destined to go. The best bus marketer wore a suit with long dread locks and Jamaican colored beads in his braids. He snatched us up for his van before anyone else could. We were looking for a bus to Lucea (Lucy). When this bus driver found out we were going to his destination, he did everything he could to get you onto his bus. There were 10 passenger seat belts on the van, but they managed to squish in about 15. I was dying because it was very hot and there was this big lady sitting on top of my hip. From Lucea, we took a taxi to Negril. Our taxi driver also tried to keep his car full the entire journey, but did not have quite as much success as the bus. One of our drivers deservingly received a $7,000 Jamaican dollar, about $80 american, speeding ticket. Which made us chuckle.

The beach in Negril was lovely! It was sunny and had a ton of activities for the tourists, such as parasailing. We easily entertained ourselves by burying each other in the sand. We soon made friends with two little kids; a little girl named Lexi and her friend. They had a blast burying us and then getting buried in return.

Another thing we have found entertaining has been their accents. The Jamaican people speak Patois (pat-oh-wah), which is a broken English, the common language of the colonizers, the African slaves came from various tribes and dialects. The majority of the time, we cannot understand them! We thought we would be better after a week, but it still sounds foreign to us. Fortunately, they learn proper English in school. Many of the younger people are comfortable talking to us so we can understand. I never thought children would make more sense than their parents.

One of our favorite things in Montego Bay, or Mo Bay, are the sunsets. We found a park created for the tourists, but the locals love it. It overlooks the ocean and is the perfect place to enjoy the sunset. We call it "Lover's Park" because it's where all the couples go for their date at sunset. If it wasn't for color, we fit right in. (In the photo, notice the three couples snuggling on the lawn behind us.)

This is my first time leaving the U.S.A. I was not sure what to expect, but I was definitely excited. As a newly wed, I've enjoyed every second of being with my husband Lucas in the tropic weather. We've enjoyed exploring the streets of Jamaica together and trying to decipher the speech of the locals. I enjoy my time here more because I always have Lucas with me. His confidence and humor has helped us get through the crowded streets and find entertainment in everything. If there is one thing we'll take back with us to the States from the Jamaican people, it is to "take it easy". Often Americans don't take it easy enough because our lives are crowded with responsibilities. We also hope to take their motto home with us: Peace, Love, Unity, Respect! -Mary

P.S. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone. This year we're actually someplace warm instead of just wishing we were in Hawaii...like last year ;)

Lucas Handy