Blue Horizon

When I think about Jamaica,

the most memorable thing is the mountain range.

From anywhere on the island,

the magnificent mountains come out to greet me.

There are so many trees here!

It's so green and awesome wherever we go;

a far cry from the dry, flat land of Florida.

The mountain range that runs through Kingston (pictured above)

is called the Blue Mountain Range.
Blue Mountain Peak is the highest point on the island.
I didn't go up there this time around but it's cool (jacket recommended!)

and a lovely place to hike. Up in those mountains

is where they grow some of the best coffee in the world. 

(Jamaican people can never have enough coffee lol)

Big City, Small Island

The city of Kingston is one of the most densely populated areas of Jamaica.

If you thought south Florida driving was insane,

a few minutes in Kingston should give some perspective.

Regardless of how the traffic is, people drive at unreasonable speeds.

(Not pictured but certainly experienced with much fear)

And many citizens brave the streets in attempt to make a living.

One of the hundreds of salesmen around town
-traffic mode: lunchtime rush hour-

There are also hundreds of pedestrians,
all of which believe they own the road
and will cross anywhere and at any time that it suits them.

Dealing with the users of the road is one thing

but dealing with the limestone roads is another challenge.

Potholes in Jamaica bare few comparisons elsewhere.

If there were levels beyond "extremely difficult"

in driving games, those levels would be called "Jamaican countryside"

bonus level: dodge the animals (not pictured: goats)

My Jamaica

In my youth, I would often visit Jamaica and even lived there for a few years.

 Many of the sights there were taken for granted,

but now that I am older, I can appreciate everything much more.

Before I arrived here, I thought that

I'd be writing tourism board-approved "Come to the beautiful island!" sort of posts,

but once here, I realized that would not suffice.

I'm down in Kingston right now, Jamaica's capitol. 
So much is going on all the time. It's beyond exciting to be here.

This vibrant place deserves more than superficial notes about beaches.
I feel that Jamaica is stereotyped too often as
somewhere where everyone looks like Bob Marley
and everyone runs track.
But the island has depth and I want to try to show that.

This summer I want to write something compelling.

I have a multitude of things to say about this country,

so this is just an introductory post.

I hope that through all my posts, I can show you my Jamaica:

a place full of character and heart,

somewhere that's not just about the beach.