On 7 Apr 2004 21:00:11 -0700, naves@sbcglobal.net (Kel) wrote:
>I just returned from a trip with my aunt in Jamaica. The people were
>fabulous and so very friendly. They definitely made the trip
>everything it was! My only disappointment in Jamaica was the inability
>to just walk down the street and venture out on the island as two
>females alone without taking organized tours. I would like to take a
>trip with my mom and while I'm not prone to feeling unsafe and never
>felt so in Jamaica, I know she might. Which islands are the easiest
>and safest for this kind of travel? I'm not into plush accomodations
>or spending my entire vacation on a resort. I love getting out and
>meeting the people, so any advice would be appreciated.
There is a close inverse correlation between number of people and safety.
For example, on Saba the hotels don't even give you room keys. They say
just leave the room unlocked when you go out. Then nearby Statia the people
were so friendly my hitchhiking rate was 100%. That is 100% of the first
vehicles to pass picked my up, and 100% of them took me directly to my
destination. Of course the island is small, so they weren't going too far
out of their way.
Both of these islands have diving, but Saba is know for deep diving and I
don't know about Statia.
Another small and crime-free island is St. Barts. I passed the lumber yard.
There was a big stack of tropical hardwood lumber just sitting there. No
one would take any.
The one island that is small but not as safe is Bequia. Their problem is
not robbery as much as burglary. The reason is they are a ferry ride away
from a populous island. The burglars can be on the 6 AM ferry back before
the crime is even reported.
On none of these islands do you need to spend a lot of money. They all have
guest houses.
You can find my trip journals listed on www.donwiss.com (which is down for
a day or so, so alternatively use www.panix.com/~donwiss/).
Don . |
