Jamaica

My brother recently went to Jamaica on a short-term mission's trip. I interviewed him to gain a little insight into traveling in Jamaica.  

Here is an edited transcript of our interview, told from his perspective: 

What you did: I spent a week in Jamaica with a team of other Americans from my church. We stayed at a school for deaf children near Mandeville, located in the mountains. We helped with work projects there and also visited New Hope Children’s Home in the mornings to help take care of the kids. 

Food: It wasn’t too different from American food. We ate lot of chicken and rice. The food was spicy. One day we had a cookout and we rolled out some dough and wrapped it around the end of a stick, and cooked it over an open fire. We pulled it off and put butter and jelly inside the hole left from the stick. It was amazing!

Weather: (First week of March) It was fantastic! Always the perfect temperature, enough clouds so that the sun wasn’t always beating on you. But there wasn’t so much clouds that is was an overcast day, and if there ever were too many clouds, a light misty rain would fall very gently and cool down the place and be gone in ten mintues. There was almost always a really nice breeze. The combination of rain, breeze, sun, and clouds made for really nice weather.

Sightseeing: The mountains are really beautiful, and the sunrise was amazing. We went to WS Falls and you could go swimming in a rock pool and the little fish were unphased by your presence. I enjoyed seeing the trees with unusual shaped trunks and twisty branches. There is also a zipline. 

Clothing: I recommend loose cargo shorts and a t-shirt. You want your clothes loose so that you can benefit from the breeze. The Jamaicans wore cargo pants and T-shirts, it really varied where ever we went. In the city the guys wore pants, shorts, and T-shirts, while the girls wore tight pants or skirts.

Why it is a great place to go: Because it has really really nice weather. The people there are all fun loving, easy going, and relaxed. 

Something that surprised me: The drivers. They drive fast. Most of the roads in Jamaca have one or two lanes and weave back and forth, up and down in the mountains. There were bumps and potholes, cliffs, trees, and fast moving vehicles. And despite all this the Jamaican drivers were unphased. They managed a stick-shift, a horn, and zipped past cars that were stopped in the middle of the road. They'd toot their horns as they went around a corner. They had really good faith in each other. If they saw a truck coming towards them in their lane, they might slow down a little but they had complete faith the truck would move over in time for them to zip by.  They toot their horns to say “hi.”  The thing I learned is that if you can drive in Jamaica, driving in America is a piece of cake.

Tip: Because the electricity in Jamaica is a little unreliable at times, and the water supply is based off of rainfall, you aren’t always guaranteed a shower. If you’re going to be doing work, bring a package of baby wipes to wipe down and stay fresh! 

Just for fun: Jamaica was the highest population of deaf people per capita. Go visit a deaf church. It’s a great experience.

Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf: http://www.cccdjamaica.org/

Belle Isle - A Great Place to Explore

Belle Isle is a small island in the Detroit River. The MacArthur Bridge connects it to the mainland. A mere three miles from the heart of downtown Detroit, it's an interesting place to visit. Although I've visited several times, I have yet to discover all it has to offer.

Fallow Deer

Fallow Deer

One of the attractions is the Belle Isle Nature Zoo. This is a nature center housing native Michigan animals (live) and fallow deer in a pen. Some of the deer are pure white while others are dark brown. Visitors have the opportunity to feed them under supervision.  Within 15 minutes, you'll probably have seen everything you want to see inside. A small trail leads from the back door of the nature center, and that's a good place to start exploring. However, there are many other trails on the island.  So....

Explore! There are wildflowers, beautiful views of Canada and Detroit, boats on the river, little lakes...
On the Southern end, one has a great view of the Renaissance Center and the Ambassador Bridge. For those who don't know, it's a big blue suspension bridge over the Detroit River leading to Canada.

View from Belle Isle

Many people gather to barbeque and party in the park/picnic areas. We even saw people having their wedding photos taken.

Yacht Club

Belle Isle also features a yacht club, a museum, and more! Check out the official Detroit website for a list of Belle Isle sights and activities.

Additionally, the aquarium re-opened last fall! I remember visiting this aquarium when I was young and it made a big impression on me, as it did to one of my friends. We were both sad when we heard it was closed.

The Belle Isle Conservancy website has information on the aquarium and upcoming events: http://www.belleisleconservancy.org/

Tips: Do obtain a map of the island.
The main drive is one way around the island, however, if you go to far, there are roads by which you can cut back across the island and loop around again. Plus, the island is rather small, so even if you have to go all the way around again...
There are plenty of parking and picnicking locations.

Belle Isle in the fall

The Detroit River Walk

Last summer a friend and I explored the Detroit River Walk. We parked on Belle Isle, because parking is free there, and crossed the MacArthur Bridge to the mainland.

The River Walk is unfinished project as of yet, so I think that explains why the part of the trail near Belle Isle is a bit...uh...hard to follow. Every now and then we'd see a sign guiding us along.

Before long however, the trail was clearly posted and featured "stylish" sidewalks that ran in and out of the buildings and loading docks along the Detroit River.

On the walk we saw such a variety of sights. There were dilapidated buildings with colorful graphitti murals (nearer Belle Isle). Grand buildings with patios decked out for wedding receptions overlooking the river on that fine summer Saturday.  The trail passes by Chene Park with it's unusual theatre overlooking a lovely pond. Presently we came to a small marina, and the trail led us out to a wee lighthouse. People picnicked and fished under the shady boughs of weeping willows.

The Rivard Plaza

The trail led on to the Rivard Plaza. It's a welcome center/way-station complete with public restrooms and concessions (including ice cream!).   Large white canopies spread their wings over tables and chairs and gave us a respite from the bright sun. The plaza faced the river, and it is here that a river themed carousel in soft purples and turquoise resides. We enjoyed looking at and walking on the large map of Metro Detroit etched into the pavement of the plaza.

From the plaza, it's not much farther to the Detroit Renaissance Center.  The trail leads, still close to the river, through a patch of wild flowers and marsh plants.

At the foot of the Renaissance Center, in front of the Wintergarden Entrance, a fountain cast up small jets of water. Little kids ran threw them in their swimsuits. After taking a visit to the Ren Cen, we took off our shoes and cooled our hot, achy feet, (and tried to get each other wet)! Many other people were doing the same. And although the trail continued South past the towers, it was time for us to turn back with very sore feet.

We'd seen many people biking the path, and I highly recommend that approach if you plan on seeing as much as you can.

The Detroit River Walk is great activity for a day out with friends or family! 

Photo Op?

Tips: If you go in the summer, wear appropriate protection from the sun and bring drinking water for there is very little shade.

Bring a lunch or plan your excursion so you can purchase food at the way-station plaza or the Renaissance Center (and don't limit yourself to just the options at the Wintergarden entrance, there are plenty of options of various price ranges, check at the info desk). There aren't very many places to eat along the trail.

Parking: 1. The Rivard Plaza parking lot, located on Atwater St.
2. There are parking structures on both sides of the Ren Cen: Miller Parking Structure on Bates St. and Beaubien Place Garage on Beaubien St.
3. If you have a lot of time and are a strong walker, you can park for free on Belle Isle. Cross over the MacArthur Bridge and take the fork to the right (South) and pull into the parking lot on the right where you will have a great view of the Ren Cen as it rises from amongst the other tall buildings in the heart of Detroit.

I especially recommend biking the river walk if you park on Belle Isle. It's roughly 3.5 miles from Belle Isle to the Ren Cen, so not real far, but if you're stopping and looking at things and standing on your feet a lot, it can get tiring.  Plus, on the way back, you're seeing all the same things you saw the first time, it's not new scenery.

Just for fun: When you reach the maps, have someone take a picture of you pointing to your hometown or country!

A lovely sight

The Renaissance Center

You could practically live there and never come out...

The Renaissance Center

The Renaissance Center, located in the heart of downtown Detroit on the Detroit River, is a large building that houses the General Motors (GM) headquarters and a plethora of restaurants and shops, including coffee shops, restaurants, a CVS Pharmacy, clothing shops, chocolate shops, a dental service, and flower shops. 30 food and drink places are listed on the website. There are also two hotels and even a movie theater!

Canada, Detroit River, and USA, from 72nd floor

Free guided tours will take you to see many of the different floors, including the 72nd where a high-end restaurant named Coach Insignia is located. You can walk around the perimeter of the tower looking out the large windows where you can see far off into the distance, at least to Pontiac, MI. You can see Grand River, Michigan, and Woodward Avenues converging at the base of the tower and fanning out from it.  Belle Isle, Canada, and Greektown Casino are just a few of the sights to see you look down from this lofty height.

The Wintergarden lobby is an expansive lobby with a glass roof, allowing you to look up at the central tower.  Palm trees, that were once alive, line the lobby.

The GM entrance is home to the tallest glass sculpture in the world, appropriately named "Borealis."

Borealis

Your guide will leave you on the ground floor where you can look at GM models and even climb behind the wheels of many of them! 

I recommend a stop at the Ren Cen for both those who live in Detroit Metro and those who are visiting from far away, for there are so many interesting things to see! It's free, and the tour lasts about an hour.

The central tower is surrounded by circular walkways.

Complimentary tours are offered Mon-Fri at 12:00 and 2:00 pm.  They meet at the Pure Detroit shop in Tower 400, level 1 (this is not the ground floor).  If you enter the building at the Wintergarden entrance, you can ask about the tours at the information desk located straight back from the doors. They will direct you up the escalator to the shop. 

For more about touring the Renaissance Center check out the website: http://gmrencen.com/happening/tourrencen.axis

An interesting design...Here you can see the strata of many several different floors.

Come check out this unusual place for yourself!

The Glidden House

The Glidden House

The Glidden House is a beautiful hotel located in Cleveland, Ohio. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Everything about my stay there was wonderful.

The Room - The room as comfortably furnished and very clean. The carpet even looked freshly vacuumed and not worn. Downy comforter and plenty of pillows.

The Breakfast - Great variety. Granola, other cereals, a large pot of oatmeal, omelets, bacon, cold cuts, variety of fine pastries. Toppings for the oatmeal (or granola): raisins, dried cherries, brown sugar, etc. Milk and soy milk in pitchers for the cereal. Coffee and fine teas were available on a sideboard in the breakfast room. The teas were in dark wooden boxes and a very large selection was available.

The Breakfast Room (Additional seating available on the patio)

The Service -  All the staff were nice. One of them frequented the main lobby and asked if help was needed with bringing in the bags.

The Location - Great. Located on the University Circle, easy walking distance to Case Western Reserve, the hospital, the botanical gardens, multiple museums, Wade Park, and Little Italy (a section of the town dedicated to Italian food and art shops).  This whole area is quite lovely with unique modern buildings, stone churches, and beautiful old buildings with "castlesque" features.

The Website: http://www.gliddenhouse.com/

Additional comments: Parking in the University Circle is like that of downtown areas: curbside, parking structures, requiring payment. The Glidden House provides you with a parking pass and you are allowed to come and go, and leave your car parked there during the day even after you have checked out.

Enclosed Patio

Iceland - a great place to go!

Mountains, cliffs, crashing waves and spraying surf, glaciers, hot springs, volcanoes, moss, boulders, horses...so much to see. I definitely want to go back.

As beautiful as all that was, I'm not going to tell you a whole lot about that, you can find that out on many other websites. Here, I'm going to tell you some tips, tricks, and things you might not have thought of...

I spent two weeks in Iceland in Mid-January and stayed in a house in the heart of Reykjavik with the rest of my photo-marathon team. Most Icelanders speak English very well. They will address you in Icelandic but once you give them a blank look or say something in English, they'll switch to English for you. They are more or less fluent and have a light accent.

There are two tourist offices on Laugavegur St. (the main shopping street in Reykjavik). You can pick up brochures about day tours there, at your hotel, or at the airport when you arrive. Upon selecting a tour you can have an agent at the tourist office call and book it for you, and the bus will pick you up from your hotel. Very convenient. Do compare the agencies and what you'll get to see at what price, some companies charge more than others when the tours offered aren't that much different. The main sites, Gulfoss, Skogarfoss, Thingvellir, Geysir, (etc; the natural wonders) are free to visit, so you're paying the companies to drive you there and explain what you're seeing.

Unfortunately I didn't see an spectacular Northern Lights, though I'm grateful I saw them period. Two big green arcs across the sky. Now, there are tours that will drive you out of Reykjavik in order to better see the lights, but going on such a tour doesn't guarantee you'll see them. If the lights don't show they'll give you another chance at no additional charge. Instead of paying the steep price however, some friends and I split the fare and took a taxi out to the lighthouse where we could see the Northern Lights better than in the heart of Reykjavik.

Food: I didn't really eat out on my trip, so I can't really say much about it. However, the cheapest place to buy groceries is Bonus. There is one located on Laugavegur. They also carry household and personal items, forgot your deodorant? Bonus has it. Alcohol is super expensive.

Weather: It's cold in January. It really wasn't too different from the Northern Mid-West of the USA. It snowed (there were a few inches when I arrived) then it rained. I was out in the cold driving rain, and got soaked in my blue-jeans, and even soaked through parts of my coat, but I didn't get sick or anything from it, and meanwhile my pals were swimming at Blue Lagoon! We had clear days and it snowed again before I left, falling fast and thick, but only a few inches stuck around. I brought snow-pants but never used them.
My advice: just dress weather appropriately, and go inside to warm up periodically.  Long underwear is a good idea if you are going to be outside for a while.  Some people say "no blue jeans." Well, I survived, got soaked twice though; and  I wish my coat had been more water-proof. I wasn't prepared for how wet it was.
The Icelanders in Reykjavik wore skinny jeans and sweaters. 

Something that surprised me: The darkness. Being so far north, the sun begins to set at 4:00 pm and rises around 9:30 am. It's fully light by 10:00 am but the sun never really reaches the sky overhead, it just kind of migrates above the horizon at about what would be a late-afternoon sun position for the the lower 48 of the USA.

Why it is a great place to go: Well, it's so beautiful. The country is rich with natural wonders. It's a great destination for the outdoorsy type. They speak English so if you're worried about that, don't be. I never ran into any stigmas and was never treated rudely for being American.  There is so much variety of landscape that you can see just on day trips out of Reykjavik. Reykjavik itself has some interesting sights of historical value (The Settlement Exhibition, a Viking longhouse excavation, for example). Although a capitol city, it feels more like a lake-side town. Traverse City, Michigan comes to my mind. 

Tip: Save your souvenir receipts. You can receive your sales tax money back when you go to the airport. Some cashiers will give you a form if your purchase there exceeds the minimum, otherwise, you can get one at the airport where they have a special office for this service. I didn't buy a whole lot, but I turned in my receipts and the sales tax I paid was refunded on my debit card shortly thereafter. 

Just for fun: You know two words in Icelandic already. "Hi" and "Bye" have the same pronounciation and meaning in Icelandic (spelled differently though). To have a little fun, learn a few simple Icelandic phrases. Although they'll understand you just fine in English, it'll make them smile.
Takk = Thank you
Takk fyrir = Thank you very much.
Halló = Hello
Bless = Good-bye.  
Goðan daginn = Good morning
Watch this short video to learn greetings
Watch this video to learn "thank you very much"