Dear Everton,
I found you in the cut of the taxi station, or rather you were taken to me after being persistently "stalked" by your big and burly brother, another taxi driver, who scared the crap out of me. I didn't really trust you yet. You didn't have on the uniform on like the 15 other fancy drivers in the front of the station and I couldn't see your cab to verify if you had the red plate in the back. The ship director warned us that if there was no red plate, there was no safety in that cab in Montego Bay, Jamaica. I didn't want to take any chances and have the ill fate of my life and seven other peers on my conscience. But, I trusted you enough to take the risk, or rather I trusted the price. For twenty dollars round trip per person, we could travel to Ocho Rios for the day and experience the sandy beaches, Dunn's River crystal waterfalls, Margarittaville, Dolphin Cove, and the fresh Jamaican beef patties. Compared to the $30 and more prices the more official cab drivers were offering in conjunction to the fact that we were semi-broke college students, we struck gold. Thus, we decided to get in your car.
The spirits of the day were lively. This was basically the first country that we could explore. It was the start of our semester at sea. I had been to Jamaica twice before, so the crowded raucous roads filled with hustling individuals and a lack of serious traffic rules did not catch me by surprise like it did everyone else. I was used to it and Haiti was worse. The eight of us riding through the Jamaican city held excitement. We were fascinated by the Patois language and burning hot weather, the sweat that spiked our backs while riding in a minivan with all the windows down and the adventure that lay before us. We were ready to experience the day. With one male friend with us, the 7 of us ladies felt confident in doing whatever we chose. As we sat in your van driving through the city, we each pondered our own immediate aspirations.
We didn't arrive in Ocho Rios until almost two hours later and by this time our zeal had waned. I questioned you on the time of travel and you stated you didn't want to risk getting any speed tickets. I could respect that but it was near 1pm and we had to return to the ship by 4:30pm to depart at 5pm. That left us with only 2 hours to explore before we needed to hit the long road back to the port. It also turned out that Ocho Rios left us with little options to explore. The Dolphin Cove was $160 per person and there was no Margaritaville like our ship guide had promised. Thus, we were left with Dunn's River Waterfalls costing us $20 for entry and ensuring us access to a clean beach, food, shopping, and its water activities. Gladly, I got to eat my Jamaican patty and sip on strong Jamaican rum easily bringing me back to good spirits. You stayed with us the entire time to make sure we remained safe.
After eating, we decided to head to the falls. It turned out that it cost an extra $7 for the shoes to climb it and naturally we objected and continued on our way to simply look at them. You promised that it would be worth and even struck a deal with the sales ladies for us to pay $5 instead. We thanked you for your efforts but still continued. You stayed there to wait on us. We had made the right choice. The falls were beautiful. Many pictures later, we stripped down to our suits and entered them without the shoes and enjoyed the icy richness of the water. We ended up running into more people from the boat and cheered on as two members from our group climbed the falls without shoes. We felt free and sneaky, but happy. Everything had worked out. To our even more of our amazement, the beach down below the fall was even more outstanding. There, we met more friends and enjoyed our last 30 minutes swimming away in crystal blue water.
The trip back to the ship was my favorite part. After what seemed like a long day, it was characterized with random naps and light conversation. You were so delightful to listen to when you talked. You had been a real rasta but changed your life to work to provide for your family. You had showed characteristics of a gentlemen that had made us ladies feel safe and taken care of. You even smoked while you drove saying that it was truly a custom there in Jamaica. I was left completely assumed. Close to the port, you let us stop to shop and because it was you, the store immediately gave us a 60% discount on their merchandise. I got a purse for a very great price.
When we finally returned to the cab station, we embraced you with pictures, thank-you's, and best wishes from grateful hearts. You had made sure we had a good time and remained positive and providing throughout the entire time. Somehow someway, you became more than a sweet memory but a reflection of a good man. You hadn't even counted the money when we handed it to you. It wasn't until we returned to the ship that we found out that your license had expired 6 years ago. All we could really do was laugh. Until next time...
Love,
Stephanie
The spirits of the day were lively. This was basically the first country that we could explore. It was the start of our semester at sea. I had been to Jamaica twice before, so the crowded raucous roads filled with hustling individuals and a lack of serious traffic rules did not catch me by surprise like it did everyone else. I was used to it and Haiti was worse. The eight of us riding through the Jamaican city held excitement. We were fascinated by the Patois language and burning hot weather, the sweat that spiked our backs while riding in a minivan with all the windows down and the adventure that lay before us. We were ready to experience the day. With one male friend with us, the 7 of us ladies felt confident in doing whatever we chose. As we sat in your van driving through the city, we each pondered our own immediate aspirations.
We didn't arrive in Ocho Rios until almost two hours later and by this time our zeal had waned. I questioned you on the time of travel and you stated you didn't want to risk getting any speed tickets. I could respect that but it was near 1pm and we had to return to the ship by 4:30pm to depart at 5pm. That left us with only 2 hours to explore before we needed to hit the long road back to the port. It also turned out that Ocho Rios left us with little options to explore. The Dolphin Cove was $160 per person and there was no Margaritaville like our ship guide had promised. Thus, we were left with Dunn's River Waterfalls costing us $20 for entry and ensuring us access to a clean beach, food, shopping, and its water activities. Gladly, I got to eat my Jamaican patty and sip on strong Jamaican rum easily bringing me back to good spirits. You stayed with us the entire time to make sure we remained safe.
After eating, we decided to head to the falls. It turned out that it cost an extra $7 for the shoes to climb it and naturally we objected and continued on our way to simply look at them. You promised that it would be worth and even struck a deal with the sales ladies for us to pay $5 instead. We thanked you for your efforts but still continued. You stayed there to wait on us. We had made the right choice. The falls were beautiful. Many pictures later, we stripped down to our suits and entered them without the shoes and enjoyed the icy richness of the water. We ended up running into more people from the boat and cheered on as two members from our group climbed the falls without shoes. We felt free and sneaky, but happy. Everything had worked out. To our even more of our amazement, the beach down below the fall was even more outstanding. There, we met more friends and enjoyed our last 30 minutes swimming away in crystal blue water.
The trip back to the ship was my favorite part. After what seemed like a long day, it was characterized with random naps and light conversation. You were so delightful to listen to when you talked. You had been a real rasta but changed your life to work to provide for your family. You had showed characteristics of a gentlemen that had made us ladies feel safe and taken care of. You even smoked while you drove saying that it was truly a custom there in Jamaica. I was left completely assumed. Close to the port, you let us stop to shop and because it was you, the store immediately gave us a 60% discount on their merchandise. I got a purse for a very great price.
When we finally returned to the cab station, we embraced you with pictures, thank-you's, and best wishes from grateful hearts. You had made sure we had a good time and remained positive and providing throughout the entire time. Somehow someway, you became more than a sweet memory but a reflection of a good man. You hadn't even counted the money when we handed it to you. It wasn't until we returned to the ship that we found out that your license had expired 6 years ago. All we could really do was laugh. Until next time...
Love,
Stephanie
