Was picked up 20 minutes late from hotel, strike 1.
Stopped at a tourist hostage location. A stop at a
predestined shop so buy water shoes if you didn't have them,
buy overpriced trinkets, etc. Arrived at Dunn's River. Sat
for 20 minutes as Dunn's River was unaware of our group
coming. Strike 2. Met up with our guides for the
falls....friendly and attentive. You enter the falls on one
of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. Did the
falls and upon waling to the exit that the following
happened...went towards the exit (where we entered as that'w
waht it said), security quickly told us we couldn't go that
way, instead go this other way....straight down back alley
trinket, pushy, over bearing, slew of vendors. Now, not all
of them were this way but, one apple spoils a barrel. Our
friend wanted some cigarettes, was cornered by one of them
and said he would take us. Now he did ask that we not stop
at any other vendor...well my lovely fiance is like - ooooo
that's shiney, ooooo that's shiney; kinda like I am at Home
Depot, so she stopped. Well the vendor who was escorting us
got irritated because we were not going to leave her by
herself while she shopped. I suppose I can understand his
frustration but say "I told you not to stop, you're f* and
$ing up my s^*t", was enough for me. I asked if he had a
problem with her looking and if so, was this now going to be
a bigger problem.....he quickly restated he asked us not to
stop. I told him to go on then, and we would find our way.
Needless to say he accompanied the three of us to the end of
the line, where my fiance was bombarded by a man hawking
wooden turtles. She doesn't like turtles and explained to
the gentleman that she was not interested, especially for
30.00 US. At the end, he said take them and give him what
she could. So we finally get outside and the bus isn't
there. Another 20 minutes and the bus shows up. Strike 3.
Now when the bus did arrive, most of us left our
belongings on the bus, per our tour guide, as the buss would
never be left unattended and the lockers at the Fall's were
15.00 US to rent. So there was a circus of people getting
on and off the bus, why? Because all the vendors were
waiting to get paid.
Now, keep in mind you are in a 3rd world country and the
exchange rate at this time was 133 Jamaican to 1 American.
Great deal....not when the Fall's cost 25.00 US if you are
not with a tour, but only 1000 Jamaican. Guess ya gotta
make money somehow.....
