05-28-2014, 01:34 AM
I used to be able to drive all over Jamaica -- but definitely not any more, really sad for me. During the 1970's we would go to bed early, like in the 6-7 p.m. range, get up about midnight and start driving from point a to point b, making really good time. During the 1980's I would have it pretty good, a nice rental for 2-3 months, little children in tow, I was able to drive island wide, no problem. We would leave early in the a.m., yes a traffic problem but I could handle it. 2000 plus, other drivers just drove so FAST, I stopped being able to cope as the driver. I just could not do it anymore.. sad time for me. I loved the freedom of having a car. I hated the horridness of going out into the street to get a taxi & running into street people/husslers. I have mastered the town to town route taxi thing though. What an unbelievable trip for sure, you can really travel island-wide pretty cheaply.... those town to town circular places -- so much food, the drivers walk you through your route getting you on your next correct van. Never travel on one on a Sunday and I don't like to travel this route after dark. Going from here to there with often four to five changes in drivers, when it starts to get dark I try and get to Mobay Airport & can usually find a driver waiting for a late plane to take me back to Negril for a pretty reasonable price ($20). But I surely miss my car rental days & the fact that I can no longer cope with being the major driver. During the 1980's I had it pretty good, February two weeks, then once my kids were out of school third week of June my husband & I would go to JA, he would stay two weeks, leave me there for the rest of the summer (with a credit card & car) and come for the first week of September to pick us up. In retrospect, probably kind of cruel to my daughters... like JA all summer long and then BANG back in the USA in school. I definitely enjoyed my credit card life and my nice rental cars in those times, as well as the really incredible stage shows at Kaiser's Cafe... I had a deal with Bobby Ashes's daughters for babysitting. Back then, the primary "stars" would come on stage at about 12:30, so I would arrange for one of them to come to where I was staying at about 12:15 or so. And sometimes drive to Kaisers or sometimes just opt for a Green Island taxi. I am a cliff staying person since like about 1974 or so, but when you have young children, you can't really have them there.