Jamaica!

After two sea days, we arrived at Falmouth, Jamaica. Though I'd never been to this cruise port, my plan was to stay onboard while everyone else went to shore. The ship was so full, I wanted to take advantage of the empty decks! Weather was hot, which we were desperate to enjoy after the cold winter we've had in Houston. After a few hours in the Vibe enjoying the peacefulness and a cocktail, it was time to make a move. Barry didn't have a desire to see Falmouth so I went to shore with Jeremy.

This young gentleman latched on to us as soon as we got out of the gated area at the edge of the port . At first we thought he was going to do the typical fast talking, hard sell. He was a breath of fresh air. Marcello, was proud to have been trained by the government to share the culture of his island. It took us a little bit to understand how honored he was. Immediately as he approached us, I told him I wasn't expecting to get off the ship and I only had $10 cash. I gave it to him and said if he wanted to go make money to support his family, I understand... he didn't need to waste time on us. He would not be deterred... he was bound and determined to share with us the historical information he'd learned through training. Marcello also had me take a photo of his badge, wanted me to look him up on Facebook and next time in Jamaica he wanted my family to eat with his family to understand how Jamaican's truly live. Such an amazing guy!

Falmouth was founded in 1769. It started as a major shipping port for sugar, molasses, coffee and rum on a route to England. As Marcello explained, Falmouth is about 30 minutes from his home of Montego Bay and has about 4000 residents. Sadly, the town has not received the financial windfall they expected by accepting cruise ships. This has only been a cruise port since 2011 and the ships offer tours to Montego Bay and Ochos Rios so the thousands of passengers bypass Falmouth. It made me glad we didn't take a tour... One fact that Marcello was particularly proud of was that Falmouth had piped water before New York City or Washington DC! He kept pointing to this fountain with pure pride.

School let out by the time I got off the ship. Uniformed students... very polite... were walking through town on their way to the store and then home. One important note for cruisers... the port was created for Royal Caribbean ships. We were on Norwegian but because of Hurricane Irma and Maria damage to other islands, our altered itinerary included Falmouth. The major cruise lines have created a faux town right outside the ship. There may be locals selling wares, but Royal Caribbean is making money off of it. Do the locals a favor... walk right past the created market and support the real local economy. Sadly they are being bypassed! It's a very clean town with locals excited to share their talents and knowledge.

Mid-day is nap time! So... find the closest bench and relax! It was actually peaceful in the town despite the 4000+ passengers of the Norwegian Escape. As I said, most were led away from the real town. I plan to return on a land based trip. I've read a variety of opinions on the safety of the island. Like most places, use common sense! We won't go out at night wandering the streets...

We had to buy juices from this nice gentleman who planted himself just outside the gates. He faced the marketplace... staring at the gates. Undoubtedly wishing some of those people would come out and buy his juices. He was very sweet and so anxious to please!