Jamaica

I have been to Jamaica many times over the years, the first time in 1985 as a college student. I organized the air, hotel and transfers to the Blue Harbor hotel and this was the beginning of my travel business. Below is a photo of my friends and me on the beach in Negril (I’m the furthest on the right in second row, getting my flex on, lol).

Afterwards, my company began selling trips to Montego Bay and Negril … and I loved going to Negril back in the 1980s-90s because it was a small fishing village and mostly unspoiled by tourists. I have fond memories of watching sunsets at Rick’s Café and jumping off the rocks into the water below. I have not-so-fond memories of getting very, extremely, mind-numbingly sick from eating street food in Negril … curried goat from a Rastafarian. I should’ve known better, and this experience soured me on street food for the rest of my life.

In 2018, I again traveled to Jamaica, this time with some good friends. Is there a country on the planet (besides Switzerland) that has so much natural beauty?!) Taking a rest between rounds to just chill out under a spectacularly beautiful tree.

This Steinbeck saying (in the airport) pretty much sums up any trip to Jamaica:

São Tomé and Príncipe

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Brunei

In 2016, I was incredibly fortunate to be in Brunei on its National Day, celebrating its (33rd) independence from Britain in 1984. Its downtown streets were lined with 33,000 members of the military and students from schools from all over the country. I got a...

Nicaragua

I traveled to Nicaragua in 1986, during the Contra War. This was another proxy war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. On one side of the conflict were Nicaragua’s Sandinista government, Soviet puppets or sympathizers. On the other were the rebels, known as...