Residents of places such as South Florida have an erray of travel options at their fingertips. The Carribean, Jamaica, Mexico and of course the southern states and east coast of America, all provide a diverse range of attractions and cultural experiences. Recently, i ventured to Jamaica to 'partake' in three whirlwind days of sightseeing and relaxing. I have found that Travelocity.com and lastminutedeals.com are the best websites for securing great package deals. Once there i caught myself wondering about all those fortunate television personalities that are contracted to go visit such places on a 'working holiday'. What a dream job hey!...but how would i have gone about reporting if i was in their position and had the tools available to us today? Afterall, you don't need to be hired by a media giant to provide your own insight. Blogging on the net can do just that!
Day 1 saw me take in the wondrous Dunns River waterfalls at Ochos Rios. These falls span some 600 feet before cascading into the ocean itself. I could have used my own handicam as i climbed up the falls, yes UP the gradual incline. My local tour guide, full of personality and 'salemsanship' (they rely quite heavily on tourist tips) would have been happy to get his fifteen seconds of fame to explain the history of the site. The hair-raising nightime taxi ride on the 'highway' (note: 1 tight gravel lane with crazy people overtaking constantly!) back to my resort to provide an alarming multimedia element to my blog. Perhaps it's a good thing i didn't video it because i feared my final moments waited me around each bend!
Day 2 and i visited the pristine 7 mile beach at Negril. We marvelled at how pristine the turquoise water was, but locals clamoring for the tourist dollar spoilt the 'i'm a million miles from anywhere' feeling of it all. My blog would have definitely shown the countless locals following you every step of the way and hastling you to buy drugs. Pictures on any travel website wouldn't allude to this. What a contrast!
Day 3 and we headed out to a place called Rick's Cafe, http://www.rickscafejamaica.com/. At sunset you can watch the famous cliff divers. Video's don't do justice to the bravery of these locals who jump without fail and fear...once again, for the tourist dollars. But hey, who out of their right mind would do that for free!?
Jamaica was naturally beautiful, yet somewhat third world in structure. Behind the beautiful natural charm and good willed citizens lies a nation struggling to support themselves. A multimedia blog could have shown the benefits and experiences in their full color and true light. This is the opportunity that bloggers have today. We can share the world with each other. Perhaps continued exposure will lead to more tourism, and consequently less harassment from desperate yet kind hearted local Jamaicans, upon my next visit. Now that would be something to blog home about!
Dunns River Falls- Ochos Rios, Jamaica
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