Fear can hinder you from enduring a once in a lifetime experience, such as what I almost missed out on during my trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica. During our trip, my family and I decided to go on a mini cruise at the beach. The cruise included a foot massage, a wonderous view of the vast Caribbean Sea, and snorkeling. Most of the tourists aboard the ship couldn't be more excited to discover the amazing aquatic life beneath us. However, I was extremely apprehensive about the whole scenario. The crew men began to assist the tourists into the water and supplied some with life vests. As I watched my family enjoy themselves, I felt that I was missing out on an amazing oppurtunity that may never come again. Apparently, one of the Jamaican crew members saw the eagerness in my eyes despite my trepidation. Soon enough he was encouraging me to be daring and to not let my fear get the best of me. "Yeah mon you'll be fine, we'll make sure that you're safe!", he said. His reassurance made me more optimistic about snorkeling, so I went for it! I nervously crawled down the stairs of the ship, allowing the water to chill my body until my feet were completely in the water and no longer touching the steps. Thankfully my life vest excentuated my upper body perfectly and made me feel the security that I needed. When I became comfortable I submerged my face under water and I instantly was taken a back by the beautiful coral reefs and aquatic life. I was very proud that I conquered my fear and had the priveledge to experience it all.
Aside from touring Montego Bay, we could always wind down at our resort, The Grand Palladium. It's notorious for its great hospitality and friendly staff. Although, traveling to this renowned establishment was shockingly dreadful. Upon arrival at the Sir Donald Sangster International Airport, I became uneasy because the aura was very ghostly. However, I didn't allow the spooky airport to get to me. Our hotel van was outside waiting on us when we came out so we hurriedly got on. The road was nothing like I was used to, it was dangerously bumpy and narrow, I also noticed how impoverished the city of Montego Bay was as there were natives sleeping outside and barely clothed. Seeing that definitely made me appreciate what I've been blessed with. After a long ride we finally made it to the Resort. Our room was breath- taking and we were lucky to have a nice view from our window. One thing I remember very well is the food. The buffet had Jerk chicken, Curry and all types of exotic fruit. It was amazing to taste cuisine from all over Jamaica.
It was important that we did more sightseeing, so we decided to take a trip to Dunn's River Falls. A tour bus took a group of families to Dunn's River Falls. Once we arrived, we were amazed to see a huge waterfall and people suddenly grabbed hands and created a chain. This was all apart of a strategy used to climb the waterfall. We used teamwork to help each other reach the top, and when someone fell there was always someone to help them right back up. "Yeah mon!", everyone shouted as we reached the top. The natives taught us that traditional phrase and what a better time to use it then at that moment!
I would definintely recommend visiting Jamaica, you'll appreciate the culture, the people, and sightseeing and will want to return again.
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