Country #3 – Jamaica Day 2

Jamaican Ice Cream

Today I woke up to the sun shining, exotic birds chirping, and the most incredible view from my room at Neita’s Nest. Jamaica just continued to impress. I went to the kitchen to meet Michelle (Neita’s Nest Owner), Graeme, and Duncan (her sons) for breakfast. Authentic Jamaican again! We had a tropical fruit plate of bananas, otaheti apples, and papaya with yogurt and honey, as well as ackee and saltfish with fried breadfruit. Definitely the most unique breakfast that I’ve ever had!

After breakfast I worked on the deck overlooking the amazing view for a few hours. Eventually it was time to go and unfortunately time to say goodbye to the Neitas. I cannot thank you all enough! A great driver came to pick me up and we made a few fun stops on my way to the airport! He was a really cool guy - he actually lived in Brooklyn for thirty years and both of his children are U.S. citizens, his son even serving in the U.S. Army. It was great to talk about New York with him!

First, we stopped by Devon House Ice Cream. Devon House is a beautiful old building that is quite historic – it was owned by the country’s first black millionaire. The strawberry ice cream was incredibly rich and began streaming down my hand within a matter of seconds, but it was so good. We then drove through Kingston, past the airport, and headed to Port Royal. Port Royal has been around for hundreds of years and is definitely something to see. Unfortunately, seeing is all I was able to do – I had to head to the airport to catch my plane!

On the way to the airport, my driver suddenly pulled over. I was confused at first, but then I quickly realized what he was doing. We had been talking about how different it is to drive on the left instead of the right side of the road, and he wanted me to give it a try! I think he enjoyed it as much as I did, but it was so fun to drive for just a few minutes on the straight and empty road back to the airport, especially with him laughing a good portion of the time! The ride to the airport, Devon House, and Port Royal was $53.

After being dropped off at the airport I checked in and had some time to kill. I found the famous Jamaican soft drink that Graeme had told me about, called Ting, as well as a Burger King. Ting is a grapefruit soft drink and it was so much better than I could have expected! I also grabbed a few Burger King nuggets because who know what kind of food situation awaited me upon a late arrival in Trinidad and Tobago.

My flight was about three hours long and was a little bumpy but not bad. I arrived in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago around 8:00pm, and then had what was definitely my longest customs line wait so far of about thirty minutes, which still is not bad. After clearing border patrol and customs I found my driver holding a sign with my name on it outside! He told me he was expecting a guy because he had never heard the name Taylor used as a first name before. It is always annoying when people assume that I am a guy by my name, but I also always enjoy breaking their preconceived notions (it happens in emails about TrekWithTaylor all of the time).

My driver, Jose, was so nice though! We talked about my trip and how he has lived or knows people in many of the places that I will be going. He himself was from Saint Vincent. The most interesting part of our conversation though was hearing that his son went to a small school in Alabama of all places on a soccer scholarship -  it really is a small world!

We talked the entire forty-five minute drive to my hotel, Monique’s Guest House. I said goodbye to Jose and met Winnie inside. She was so nice and helpful with everything! I loved getting to meet her after having emailed her about TrekWithTaylor over the past few months. A huge thank you to Monique’s for providing my accommodations in Trinidad and Tobago! My room was so nice and was the first room to not feature any flying bugs, which was a welcome change of pace. One of my favorite parts of the room was probably the TV – so many American channels which meant I would be able to watch the Nashville Predators play in the Stanley Cup Finals live the next day!

After checking in I worked for a little while and then went to sleep. This was my first night where I didn’t have to check out the next morning, so I was very excited to get a little extra sleep!

3 countries down, 193 to go.

Read about my first day in Jamaica here.

To learn more about Neita's Nest click here.

For more information on Trinidad and Tobago click here to read my blog.

To learn more about Monique's Guest House click here.

Country #3 - Jamaica Day 1

What I want out of this trip… is days like today

My day started with a bang. Literally. I woke up at 3am to a banging noise and thought someone had broken into my room in Haiti. Turns out it was just my GoPro Karma Grip turning on randomly in the middle of the night and attempting to calibrate by banging itself into a table. After an already rough night trying to sleep, thinking that someone was breaking in did not help things. However, my day only went up from here. Way up.

After minimal sleep and paranoia induced by my hotel’s location throughout the night (tip: when visiting Port-au-Prince, pay the extra money to stay in the suburbs if you are concerned about safety) I gathered my things and went downstairs to find my wonderful guide from the day before ready to take me to the airport! One last drive through dust filled Haiti commenced, leaving me one last time to see the chaos and unfortunate reality of still destroyed Port-au-Prince.

I also realized, upon arriving at the airport, that I had not seen one other non-Hatian my entire time in Haiti from leaving the airport until returning. The airport itself contained missionary groups from the U.S., but beyond that I did not see one other obvious tourist like myself. Being so visibly aware of how much of an outsider I was and worrying about what the Haitians were thinking as I drove by was both scary yet enlightening.

After wishing my wonderful driver farewell I attempted to find the line for my airline. The arrivals hall emulated the city: it was a crazy mess. Haitians were lining the hall waiting with folders attempting to, from what I was told, get visas. While waiting in line I ran into two other young female American travelers (shout out to Danielle and Paige!). They were from Nebraska and had just come from Panama, spent four days volunteering in Haiti, and were now headed to Costa Rica. After going through security and a painless border control we ran into each other again on the other side and talked for quite a while waiting to board our plane to Fort Lauderdale. It was so great meeting them and I hope to meet up with them again in Costa Rica!

Before boarding the plane everyone had to go through security again, and this time everyone had to be patted down and have their bags searched by hand. I’m not quite sure why this is necessary as we had literally just been through security, but at least the line for women was shorter as there were so few on our flight.

On the plane I sat next to another American from New Orleans. He had been in Haiti working with a team for two weeks. I cannot even begin to imagine! He was so excited to get back to the U.S., where we have street signals and hot water. We talked for a while and then I attempted to sleep. Upon landing in Fort Lauderdale I had a quick and easy customs experience as I have Global Entry. I have had it for a few years now (ever since I went on a trip with family members who had it) and it had never really come in handy until this journey. I can only begin to imagine the amount of times that I will use it, but I am already glad to have it.

In Fort Lauderdale I ate at the Food Network branded restaurant again as it was the only sit down restaurant in my terminal. I had an overpriced club sandwich with “cheese fries” that were literally just parmesan cheese on fries - needless to say this cheese fanatic was sorely disappointed – and a really good orange juice. I then had about an hour to work on things before boarding my flight to Kingston, Jamaica.

The flight to Kingston was pretty bumpy but otherwise there were no problems. I arrived and went to customs, where I was a little confused because the immigration officer asked me if I had seen the nurse in the airport. I said no and that was that, but I have no idea why she asked. After clearing customs I was met outside by Graeme, the oldest son of the owner of where I would be staying, Neita’s Nest. He was driving me to Neita's Nest but along the way gave me a wonderful tour of Kingston. The drive leaving the airport and going into Kingston was breathtaking. The bay on your left with the mountains straight ahead and the sun shining – it was incredible.

We then drove through downtown Kingston where we rode past the National Gallery and I learned about how Kingston is attempting to revive downtown and make itself a center of business once again. From there we drove by Fleet Street. According to my guide, Fleet Street is a poorer area of town, but an area where the walls of the run-down buildings have been turned into immaculate art through painting, most of which were painted by artists from the local school of arts. We saw a soccer match being played on concrete amongst the buildings and walked a short bit to see some of the coolest art. 

From Fleet Street we drove some more and saw landmarks such as Emancipation Park, Devon House (the first large house owned by a black person in Jamaica -  it is described as looking similar to an immaculate plantation house), the Cricket stadium, and past the Bob Marley Museum. We then picked up a friend, Renée, before driving up into the hills of Jamaica to Neita’s Nest.

Upon arrival I met the wonderful owner, Michelle, and her youngest son, Duncan. The bed and breakfast style accommodation of Neita’s Nest sits in the hills of Kingston overlooking stunning views of the mountains. I want to say the biggest of thank yous to Michelle and her family for hosting me and sponsoring this night of my trip – I could not have had a better or more welcoming stay!

The original plan for dinner was to go to a local Jerk restaurant. Jerk is a type of pork (and now chicken as well) that originated on the island from its first inhabitants who ate it in the hills while hiding out from the British on the island to avoid becoming enslaved. However, the car battery would not start so Michelle and a few others went to the restaurant to pick up the food to eat on the balcony at Neita's Nest. While doing so, however, I got to spend more time talking with Duncan and met Joelle!

Joelle had read all about what I am doing and was such a joy to meet. She was so excited to talk about what I was doing and had so many questions! Amazing in her own right, she just graduated from high school in the Netherlands. It was so cool to talk about the world with her and to see a young girl so excited about what I am doing! It made me so happy – thank you Joelle!

Once dinner arrived, along with Joelle's uncle Nevada, we then feasted on the Jerk as well as conch soup, fried plantain, and bread fruit. Needless to say it was a night full of trying new things, but it was fantastic! I talked at length with Nevada, who attended college in the United States and has himself traveled to over eighty countries. He had some amazing stories, especially about his time in India, and great tips for my travels as well!

After dinner we had the most amazing dessert – dulche de leche ice cream with rum cake. So yummy. We all talked for about four hours and I had the most incredible time. I learned so much about Jamaican culture, from the dance to the history and everything in-between. There was even a well-intentioned push by Joelle to get me to try and dance, but alas that was a little too much for me (the worst dancer in the world) – so I just learned about it instead!

I had such a great night and I cannot thank everyone enough for making me feel so welcome. From the tour to the dinner and the discussions about culture and the world, it was such a fantastic night. I hope to have many more like it on my trip. It’s nights like tonight that make me so excited for what is to come! I hope to meet many more people who are just as incredible and welcoming, as I did throughout my day from the airport in Haiti to Neita’s Nest in Jamaica.

3 countries down, 193 to go. 

Read about my second day in Jamaica here.

To learn more about Neita's Nest click here.

Country #2 - Haiti

Haiti's Chaotic Beauty

Another early morning today. I woke up at 5:00am and took an Uber to La Isabela International Airport (JBQ). I got there before check in was even open, but after about an hour I checked my bag and went through border control. The view on the other side was beautiful with the Dominican mountains and landscape in the background. JBQ was much smaller than Las Américas International Airport (SDQ) but this was no surprise after seeing my plane. It was a propeller plane that fit approximately 15 people plus luggage. The plane ride itself was not bad at all - in fact, I thought it was pretty cool being able to see right into the cockpit!

Once I arrived in Haiti I had to buy a $10 tourist card and wait in the very short line for foreign visitors. Border control was once again painless, I just filled out two simple forms and was on my way. A Haitian band welcomed visitors after border patrol which was a nice touch. I then picked up my "checked" bag (it literally sat in the back of the plane) and was on my way. Walking into the lobby you can see what seemed like hundreds of men waiting outside to attempt to offer you a taxi ride. I had already booked a taxi through my hotel but had no idea how to find my driver in the crowd. I really appreciate the nice airport employee who went out into the crowd to find him for me - it made my life much easier!

My driver for the day was really nice, spoke pretty good english, and helped to make sure that I stayed safe. Leaving the airport was the last time I saw anyone who looked like a tourist. I am sure I stuck out like a sore thumb, but thankfully most of the day was spent in the car. The drive into Port-au-Prince was insane. I have never in my life seen anything like it - but I'm sure there is so much more of that to come as my trip progresses! From pigs to cars with ten people in them and motorcycles you have no idea how you did not run over, it was quite the experience. The thirty minute drive was so much Haiti in such a short amount of time, but I am so glad that I decided to go into the city.

The drive led us to my hotel for the day. It very near central Port-au-Prince, has an armed guard, five television channels, and multiple lizards, but it is a safe place to sleep and for a short visit that is all that I need. After checking in and dropping off my things I met my driver downstairs to go visit Haitian National Pantheon Museum and the Notre Dame Cathedral Ruins. The Haitian National Pantheon Museum was pretty interesting. It was a unique structure and talked all about Haiti's history. Unfortunately, most of this was in French, but the artifacts were cool and I loved the Haitian art. Entry was only $5 so if you need something to do in Port-au-Prince it was a good find. It also seemed quite safe - other than myself and my guide the only other people in the museum were about fifty elementary school aged kids on a field trip. Like I said, no tourists anywhere to be found. 

After leaving the museum we drove to the Notre Dame Cathedral Ruins. The once magnificent Cathedral is now a series of beautiful ruins. My driver used to attend church there, and his wife was killed during the 2010 earthquake. It is baffling how much destruction is still rampant throughout the city. From the Cathedral to the National Palace it seems like nothing has been rebuilt. A small replacement Cathedral was built next door, but it pales in comparison to even the ruins beside it.

The drive into and out of the ruins was through a makeshift market of chaos. How my driver avoided running over anyone I will never know. It was also interesting to note that he said that the area surrounding the Cathedral used to be beautiful and orderly, but every since the earthquake it has been a tumultuous mess.

After the Cathedral I was driven back to the hotel. I paid $80 to be driven from the airport and then to be driven around the city. I'm sure that I probably could have found a cheaper price, but my goal for today was safety. I stuck out like a sore thumb whenever I stepped out of the car, so making sure I had a guide was essential. I spent the rest of the day in the hotel catching up on emails and other work. Thank goodness for okay WiFi in the middle of Haiti! I had a small dinner at the hotel and went to sleep pretty early.

Overall, I am very glad I spent the extra time and money to see Haiti. It is chaotic but unique and beautiful. I'm sure I won't see anywhere else like it!

2 countries down, 194 to go.

And so it begins... Country #1 - The Dominican Republic!

The journey began in Atlanta

I told my parents goodbye through tears and long hugs, braved the Atlanta airport shuttle to find my gate, ate some Pinkberry, and boarded my flight for Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL). The flight was uneventful except for unexpected the cool touch screens on such a short domestic flight. I arrived in FLL around 9:00pm, waited too long for an Uber, and spent the night at a nearby inexpensive airport hotel. After watching the Nashville Predators sadly lose game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, charging all of my devices, and finally remembering to buy travel insurance, I got a solid three hours of sleep before my big day.

But the journey actually began in Santo Domingo

I woke up at 4:00am and made my way back to FLL. I grabbed a quick bite at the Food Network themed restaurant in my terminal then headed to my gate. That's where things got awkward. And by awkward I mean my new normal for the duration of my journey. In order to set two world records, I have to have witnesses for every country - which means I have to ask random people to sign a sheet of paper saying (what seems very obvious to them) that I am in the country that I am visiting. The first country has an even greater requirement, as witnesses have to fill out an entire form for both my first and last stop. Thank goodness I found two great women at my gate to witness me entering the Dominican Republic - a sweet real estate manager and a fellow adventurous young woman who was from Connecticut but headed to live in the DR for the summer.

After securing witnesses and boarding the flight we then took off and began to fly over the blue Florida coast. I attempted to sleep but unfortunately failed thanks to the dreaded passengers who for some reason talked through an entire 7:00am flight. However, not sleeping gave me time to fill out DR's semi-confusing landing and customs cards. Landing in DR at Las Américas International Airport (SDQ) was beautiful - the landscape of the island was just amazing to fly over.

Upon landing I took plenty of pictures of myself with the border crossing and customs, as Guinness needs these to verify my start time. The entire border crossing process was simple but just know that you need to have a tourist card to enter the country. I bought mine ahead of time online but you can buy one in the border control area for $10USD. After clearing customs I walked to the Departures level (second level of SDQ) in order to call an Uber. A Honda Odyssey arrived within minutes and the 30 minute drive into the heart of Santo Domingo began. The drive in was great with blue waters lining the left side of the car and being able to see the culture of the Dominican Republic on the right. We also drove by Columbus Lighthouse, Alcázar de Colón, and into Zona Colonial.

While in Santo Domingo I stayed in Hotel Salomé 56. In the heart of Zona Colonial Hotel Salomé 56 was a charming little hotel that fit all of my needs for a quick one night stay. With a cool open air lobby and helpful front desk I had a very comfortable stay. Even though I saw a bug or two throughout my stay, I feel like that is pretty common in the DR. Thank you so much to Hotel Salomé 56 for sponsoring this first night of my trip! 

After arriving at the hotel I had to nap for a bit - I was exhausted by this point. I then began walking around Santo Domingo. I started with walking through Zona Colonial, which I would describe as the "Old Town" of Santo Domingo. There was lots of character from the buildings to the culture throughout Zona Colonial. At first I was unsure of my surroundings just stepping out into such a unique place, but after walking for about two minutes I felt completely comfortable and began to see many other tourists all around me. My first stop was Columbus Park. Filled with locals and tourists alike, the park was the busiest part of Santo Domingo that I saw. The Catedral Primada de América, which is said to be the oldest cathedral in the Americas, sits on the corner of Columbus Park. The Cathedral was stunning - I felt for a second like I was back in Europe. While many of the paintings and frescos have faded, the architecture is completely in tact and worth seeing. The $1.50 entrance fee includes an audio guide which was very informative about the cathedral's history.

Next I walked to Panteón Nacional which is free and a nice short stop. It contains burials of some important Dominican figures as well as other interesting relics. From there I visited Museo de las Casas Reales (The Museum of Royal Houses). It housed many artifacts and was very informative about the history of the Dominican Republic. There was a $2 entrance fee that includes an audio guide. If you speak Spanish you will be able to read more but the audio guide contained plenty of information in English. 

I then walked to Alcázar de Colón and the Plaza de España o de la Hispanidad area surrounding it. Alcázar de Colón is a historic building that dates from 1510 and is the former residence of Christopher Columbus' son, Diego. The building and its' views are fantastic but the audio guide leaves something to be desired. I felt that it discussed the artifacts in the rooms more than the building itself. However, for the $3 entrance fee this is a must see. The Plaza de España o de la Hispanidad area outside is an open area lined by restaurants. It was not very busy when I walked by around 2:00pm, but I imagine it is much different at night time or during peak tourist times.

After finishing up with my sight seeing for the day I decided to eat a late lunch / early dinner at Jalao. The restaurant sits on Columbus Park and had a unique vibe. My food - a burger and cheddar cheese croquets - was good but expensive. At $28 I'm glad that this one meal filled me up for the remainder of the day. The waiters did not speak any english which would not be surprising except that Jalao seems like a pretty touristy restaurant. This was not an issue as I was able to point to what I wanted to eat, but it was more surprising than anything else.

Full from my meal at Jalao I headed back to my hotel. After an exhausting first day on very little sleep I called it an early night. The hotel had American channels so I was able to watch the nightly news, Jeopardy, and the NBA Finals before falling asleep during the first quarter. 

Overall, the Dominican Republic was a great first stop on my trip!

1 country down, 195 to go.

To learn more about Hotel Salomé 56 click here.