Jamaica Once More

Our last few days on the ship were a whirl of sleep-deprived activity.  I gave my last lecture on the day after Belize (on the conquest of the Americas by Spain), and took in some of the talks  by the other lecturers, including Louie’s talk on “Legacy Leadership” and Max’s on Afro-Caribbean music.  But there was also a Talent Show, a Costume Parade,  a “Death by Chocolate” dessert bar, a Karaoke Night, and a couple of performances in the piano bar in which the Kid was dying to participate.  The Kid performed in the Talent Show (piano, as well as maracas with a percussion group), and  participated in the Costume Parade (dressing as an Activities Staff person).  We both gorged ourselves shamelessly at the dessert bar, and I sang at Karaoke Night (stone-cold sober, I might add).  My song?  “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond.  I believe there is video of this somewhere (ahem, Shannon), and I WILL post it if I get my digitized hands on it.  We were joined in much of this by a delightful band of people united by age (under 45, a definite minority on the ship) plus Louie, the “drum guy” as he came to be known. 

Jamaica turned out to be a delightful final port.  For the first time, we were joined in port by another cruise ship, the “Carnival Conquest.”  Now, perhaps you might agree with me that “Carnival Conquest” is an oxymoron, but it is one that captures so much about the cruise ship industry.

Our beloved ship, the MV Explorer, was positively dwarfed by this monstrosity, which disgorged thousands of amusement-hungry passengers onto hapless Montego Bay. Well, perhaps not hapless.  Perhaps it was the other way around.  The hapless Americans were set loose in Montego Bay, soon to be preyed upon by tour operators and gift-shop owners who saw them as walking dollar-signs ready to be devoured. 

We took a van to Doctor’s Cave Beach with Louie and a dozen Carnival Conquerors.  When the driver asked if we had all come in on the Carnival Conquest, Louis was quick to respond that “we” (he, the Kid and I) were “on the other ship, the university ship.”  I secretly thanked him for this, because I knew as well as he that even though we were on a cruise, ours was a decidedly different cruise. 

Much dorkier, much less commercial.  In fact, the whole month has made me very way about ever stepping foot on a conventional cruise.  I heard too many passengers talk about how the Explorer provided a welcome relief from the mindless hustle of other cruises they had been on.  HA!  Take that, Kathy Lee Gifford!!!

Doctor’s Cave Beach is known as one of Montego Bay’s nicest beaches.  We spent the day hanging out there with friends from the ship.  Louie went off to buy one more drum, while we enjoyed some highly adequate snorkel-tainment on the reef just off the beach.  The snorkeling was a real lesson in just how bad our snorkel experience had been in Belize.  This reef, right off Montego Bay’s most popular beach, was in better shape than the piece of the world-famous Belize barrier reef.

Shortly after the snorkel-tainment, we walked with Louie and one of the passengers to The Pork Pit, a jerk pork & chicken place down the street.  For me, this was almost a religious experience.  The jerk pork was succulent and savory, and it came with a scotch bonnet hot sauce that set your mouth on fire and your endorphins rushing.  Why does anyone need pot when they have this hot sauce?  We managed to get there just ahead of the swarms of Carnival Conquerors who packed the place later on.  They included kids who only wanted to eat the french fries, and looked askance at the pork.  Putzes. 

Some souvenir-shopping, some more beach time, and then back to the ship just ahead of a huge storm.  Two days later, we were in Florida, saying good-bye to our friends and looking forward to a week with my stepmother, as well as a much-anticipated reunion with the incomparable Zoë. 

Some top memories:

1.     Our day on Roatan Island snorkeling and kayaking

2.     The Maya ruins at Quiriguá

3.     The Kid’s percussion debut in the talent shows and the piano bar jam sessions.

4.     New friendships with the very interesting people who prefer a library and lectures on their cruise ship to a casino.

5.     Father/Son lunch at Casuale in Panama City.

6.     Tapado in Guatemala, squid risotto in Panama, small bananas everywhere, cashew fruit in Belize, the ship pasta bar, and lobster with garlic sauce in Nicaragua.

7.     Drum-hunting with Louis.

8.     Nicaraguan super-kids at the Fundación Chinindega

9.     Passing through the Panama Canal alongside a Panamax container ship.

10.  A month of bonding with the Kid, including the development of several inside jokes and a series of games to play in the pool. 

11.  Having people reach the conclusion that I was a Nicaraguan native who worked as a Maya archeologist on the faculty of Harvard University, and was responsible for directing and producing the “One-Semester-of-Spanish Spanish Love Song” on YouTube. 

12.  Listening to the waves crash and looking out at the ocean from the balcony of my room.

13.  Not having to cook, clean, or make my bed for one month.

14.  Learning that I’m nowhere near as patient a person as I think I am, realizing how much I LOVE speaking in public, and finding out how much fun karaoke can be.

15.  Watching the Kid impress everyone with his kindness, maturity, intelligence, and talent. 

 

Until next voyage, ¡ciao!