JAMAICA. ONE LOVE

Have you ever fallen in love with a country from the first sight? I did, with Jamaica ("Jamrock"). One of my all-time favourite trips!

The decision to go to Jamaica was random. Initially, I wanted to go to Cuba, but it was not allowed to fly there from the US for tourism. So I checked the map and thought "What country is not a popular tourist destination?". Jamaica. I didn't know much about it, only that Usain Bolt and Bob Marley were born there.

I made that trip special: I didn't check anything online and decided to plan my itinerary on the go. So, I booked my return flights and the first three nights @reggaehostel in Kingston.

So, I started telling my friends and family that I am going to Jamaica. My parents did not react at all. They were used to my trips, so for them, it was just another adventure. But everyone else was freaking out: "Nijat, you are going to be kidnapped!", "Be careful! It's dangerous!", "You are staying in a hostel? Are you crazy?". I didn't pay attention to the comments till I got to the Miami airport to catch my flight. I had a few hours to spare and decided to check how to get from Kingston airport to my hostel. What I read was concerning. There were taxis with an official license, but also "illegal" taxis, which don't have one. Online, people were sharing their bad experiences and warning everyone to avoid taking taxis in Kingston. At that point, my aunt was telling me how crazy I was to go to Jamaica on my own and not stay at an all-inclusive resort. Well, I thought "Whatever. I first land and then figure it out".

So, I got to my seat and next to me was a lovely Jamaican couple from Miami. We had a friendly chat, and they didn't like the idea of me taking a taxi at 8 pm. So they offered to drive me to my hostel. We landed, got the car, and headed to my hostel. When we arrived, the man came in with me to make sure that all was safe, took a couple of beers and said: "They are on you, mate!" 😀 I said: "Sure thing! Thanks for the ride!".

That's how my Jamaican trip started 😎

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