Circa February 1980 I had just spent two weeks in Mexico - this was just the first leg of my travel adventure. From Mexico, I flew to JAMAICA in the Caribbean where I would stay for an additional 6 weeks. I know what you’re thinking – that I went to Jamaica to smoke copious amounts of ganja, grow some dreadlocks and listen to reggae 24/7? Totally untrue as I abhorred marijuana and dreadlocks was a phase I went through during my hippie years at UC Berkeley, however I admit to becoming a real reggae enthusiast after seeing the cult movie “The Harder They Come” in 1974. Professionally speaking, my plan was to become familiar with Jamaica so I could effectively market it as a travel destination.

My travel plans hit a minor bump in the road when Mexicana Airlines notified me that they were discontinuing their direct flight from Mexico City to Kingston. As a result, the airlines rerouted me through Miami. Upon getting off the plane in Kingston Airport, I was immediately greeted by the humid tropical heat that Kingston is famous for. Stepping into a waiting taxi, I could hear the strains of Toots and the Maytals famous song “Funky Kingston” in my head as my taxi driver took me to the Mayfair Hotel located in the hills of New Kingston.

During my 6 weeks in Jamaica, I visited the major tourist resorts on the North Coast - Montego Bay, Negril, Ocho Rios and Port Antonio - and also explored the rugged Cockpit Country, staying mostly in small (cheap) guesthouses and in the homes of Jamaican families. I guess you could say that I really sewed my wild oats as a traveler - I had some good times (and some bad times) as I traveled around the island, but overall it was a very rewarding trip.

It was on the final leg of my itinerary that I had one of my most memorable experiences. I had just returned to Kingston - at my guesthouse, I met a young dreadlocks who did some work for the famous reggae superstar, Bob Marley. I had met Mr. Marley for the first time in San Francisco circa 1975, when Bob Marley and the Wailers were on their inaugural concert tour in America. When the bloke told me that Bob Marley was scheduled to arrive the next day in Jamaica from Zimbabwe (Africa), I asked him to hook me up with Bob. So here I was in the backyard of Bob Marley’s rambling estate on Old Hope Road; he had just arrived that morning and was kicking a soccer ball with his buddies. Bob, acknowledging my presence, says to me in a very thick patois “Welcum to mi yard, Rasta. Jah Rastafari, Haile Selassie I!”

Fast forward to the next day - I was at the Kingston airport, getting ready to board my return flight to the USA when I happened to see poster advertising Reggae Sunsplash, Jamaica’s International Music Festival. Little did I know at the time, but Reggae Sunsplash would play a pivotal role in my career as a travel agent (and as a traveler).

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 11th, 2008 at 8:53 am and is filed under Jamaica, nature, travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.