Back in the summer of 2004 {I can hardly believe it's been 6 years!} my BFF Chelsea and I decided to take a Western Caribbean cruise. Let's just say that the all you can eat frozen yogurt never made me sad. We had a great trip...with stops in the Grand Cayman Islands and Ocho Rios Jamaica. I have never been a world traveler...although I am a wanna be, so this trip was definitely an adventure for me.
During our stop in Ocho Rios, Chelsea and I decided to explore the city ourselves...with a little help from a friend we made on the ship. He was from Trinidad and because he looked Jamaican and had an accent that was similar to Jamaica most of the locals let us be for a while. They assumed he was our tour guide. He took us through some of the local markets where we picked up some souvenirs and saw parts of the city. After a while he left to find a local store where he could call his girlfriend back in Trinidad and left Chelsea and I on our own.
Before leaving he told us to be sure NOT to pull out our map, for sure that the locals would notice we were lost and take advantage of the situation. After walking around for a while in search of the 'free beach' (most beaches there charged you to access the beach, especially those on hotel fronts) we decided to discretely take a look at our map to set us in the right direction. After we were sure we were headed in the right direction one of the locals (who just happened to only have one arm, and one tooth) approached us, asking us if we were lost (what are the chances)? We explained that we were looking for the free beach and he assured us he knew where they were. Before we started to follow him he told us that he considered us JAmericans and that he would take us where we needed to go. Reluctantly we started to follow. I assumed that if Chelsea felt OK with the situation then I should be, meanwhile she was thinking the same about me. We followed him for only a block. As we reached the middle of the next block an old white car, with black tinted windows pulls up to cut us off, practically on the sidewalk. The doors open quickly and 3 Jamaican police men jump out. Our one armed friend glances at us, back at the police men and immediately starts running in the opposite direction, with the police in pursuit. Shocked {to say the least} Chelsea and I immediately start walking/running back to the boat, realizing that our local friend was not as friendly as he seemed.
We decided to spend the rest of the day on the safety of our boat...soaking up the sun. It was adventure, and an experience I know neither of us will ever forget. I did find it ironic that while walking back to the boat we saw a sign for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints meeting house. It's amazing how I look back now {and even then} and can see clearly how we were being protected.
Here is a video we documented the experience with, minutes after it happened. Along with some awesome pictures of our cruise, for old times sake.
