We're back

And we have been for quite a while actually. I couldn't put the experience into a neat form that would fit comfortably in this blog. I needed some time to let the whole vacation experience decompose so that the trip could be assimilated.

Jamaica was very, very, poor, and we were always followed by people offering to sell us drugs, or braid Beth's hair. The customs official at the airport actually tried to sell us pot as soon as we got off of the plane, and it seemed like most of the people on the island were stoned, or just used to work at a much slower pace.

Customer service is not ingrained in the Jamaican people. We were much likely to get surly service, or to be ignored, than to be helped. We almost always had to initiate the transaction, and then we had to watch to make sure we were getting what we wanted.

Most of the stuff to do on the island is really just a gimmick to get money from the pockets of tourists.

Having said these things, we did find a lot of relaxation on the island. Spending 10 days uninterrupted with Beth was great, and we got to hang out and do absolutely nothing. Our biggest decisions most days were whether or not to go snorkeling and what time we wanted to eat.

We did get to see some interesting things, the mountains were great, and I had never seen actual pineapples growing out of the ground. We ate dessert at every meal, and swam every day at least once.

I leave you with pictures.

Here is my picasa web album.