Adventuring Across Jamaica
Ever since I was little, Jamaica has been close to the top of my list of places I want to go to and in the summer of 2018, I was lucky enough to go. I was given this opportunity through a summer camp that I had gone to for the past eight years and couldn't wait for a two week adventure through one of my bucket list countries.
I was really fortunate to be able to go on this trip because a maximum of about 14 people can go per session. Everyone met up at a hotel the night we were supposed to leave so that we could learn each others names and get situated before our flight. Going into it, I was a little bit nervous because I was going to be travelling to a different country with a group of random people, only one of which I knew personally.
By the time we were beginning to land in Jamaica and go into the airport, I immediately felt the tropical vibes from seeing the bright colors from the water and trees all around outside. When we left the airport, we were taken to where we would be spending the two weeks. As apart of the camp, we got to stay in a privately owned villa that spread across two acres of land that included a pool, a basketball court, and tons of different types of fruit trees. After we got a tour and eventually settled down, our two counselors explained all of the things we would be doing over the course of the trip. We all couldn't stop talking about it and we seemed to finally click and ended up bonding really well.
On the first day, we started by going to the beach to soak up some sun and get a swim in for the day. Later, we went to a local food market where people sold their fresh fruits and vegetables and it was a really cool experience being able to interact with the locals. Each of us were able to choose a couple of foods unique to Jamaica to bring back to the villa for the two cooks to make us during our meals. We finished pretty much all of the nights the same, by taking a swim in the pool and then gathering in the living room to watch a movie all together.
One of the coolest and most memorable destinations of the trip was a place called Dolphin Cove, where we were given the chance to interact, train, and swim with the dolphins they had there. Because we were part of the camp, we were able to get a more in-depth tour and experience by learning more about the day to day life of the dolphin trainers and by spending more time with the dolphins themselves.
Along with the dolphin experience, they had other animals there such as parrots and iguanas that we were also able to learn about and handle. When we were with the parrots they showed us how smart they were and how many words they could say which we all found really cool, along with how long the iguana's tails are.
Throughout the remainder of the trip, we all had really unique experiences together like snorkeling, climbing waterfalls, helping at the mission, and climbing coconut trees. Having to go home after the two weeks was super tough because we were all having such a great time and we knew we probably wouldn't see each other again. Either way, I couldn't have asked for a more unforgettable trip with and unforgettable group of people.
