Toto...I don't think we're in Jamaica anymore.

So I'm back in Pittsburgh where it's 50 degrees and rainy after a week of 84 degrees and sunshine in Jamaica. Not all was well, however, as we had to make an emergency landing in North Carolina due to our plane losing pressure. Imagine my face when the oxygen masks flew out of the compartment above our heads...I may have even peed a little. After three more flights, we eventually made it to Montego Bay where we sat in the sun all day for 6 days. Of course, there were some excursions, one being a lovely booze cruise, which turned into utter chaos...don't ever put 50 white people on a boat with alcohol- it doesn't end well.

We also went to Negril where we got to see a bit of the real Jamaica hidden from tourists. Like in Hawaii and most other tropical areas where resorts dominate the shores, further inland is not so glamorous. Shacks were built one on top of the other and locals walked around like zombies, begging for you to buy just one of their many trinkets. I found hope, though, as our tour guide, Dalton, told me that he and the rest of Jamaicans more than appreciate tourists. Tourism is the one industry they rely on therefore the more, the merrier. The IMF (which is not in a good light right now) still controls the economy but Dalton assured me that Jamaica is doing much better than other countries that are in the same situation. With gas costing more than US$6 a gallon, let's hope things get better for them.

Our last stop in Negril was a bar on the coast where we got to go cliff diving (video to be seen soon on Facebook). It took several minutes of me trying to "reason with my fear," as my partner-in-crime for the week Rachel puts it, but I took the leap. I bruised my butt on impact but it was totally worth it! We also got to swim inside a cave under the cliffs, but unfortunately I have no photos to show the beautiful site. Below are the photos I was able to catch of my celebratory trip. Now it's back to reality where I have $80,000 in loans to pay off and horrible weather to accompany that realization.