A silly money question - US$ to JA$

[Flipadelphia26]

It is interesting to see how people tend to romanticize the past. Back in 1985 and subsequent visits I have seen some things change and some that stayed the same. But some things I dont miss from 1985:

Not reliable running water.
No reliable electricity.
No ice if the ice truck didnt come by.
No sewer system.
The cesspool trucks and their wonderful aroma.
Not being able to make a phone call.
The variable length of time to arrive from MoBay to Negril - if your plane arrived late, sometimes it could take two days on the old road along the coast.
No refrigeration.
Not having a clue about Hurricane Gilbert until the morning when it hit Kingston and was on its way to Negril.
Very limited goods in the stores.

No, I dont miss any of those things.

Oh rob, where is you sense of adventure!

[Accompong]

Yes Jamaica has changed but all in all the only thing I can say about that is "be here now"

It is hilarious to me that people think that being in Negril in the 70's, 80's etc. makes being in Negril more special than people who visit now for the first time. It is quite easy to romanticize about "the good old days" but you had to be somewhat of a person with a pioneering spirit to do what we now find so easy to get. Some people (there are a LOT of exceptions so no hate mail) know every bar from one end of town to the other and bars that no longer exist etc. and equate knowing them for a good number of years and trips as a foundation for knowing Jamaica.

You can visit for 150+ times and 30+ years and if you never get a chance to live in the rural areas of Jamaica along side Jamaicans you can hardly appreciate how hard it was in "the good old days" and even harder now to get by.

We take $100 US into Jamaica and get about $10,000 Jamaican Dollars in return. We will spend that in about a day and a hotel worker will work 2-3 weeks for the same money.

As CaptD says "be there now" and start your history of visits from now forward so someday you can reminisce about "the good old days" too.

Peace and Guidance

[Cands]

Thank you everyone for your replies! Rob - thank you for the example of what you saw posted as far as prices go.

[MissBlue]

You also get a better rate when you convert at the Cambios/banks...just my opinion.

actually that is not just opinion - it's a fact. cambios & banks do give the best exchange rate.

and Rob i actually DO miss a lot of those things. Obviously i do not live there, but for a travel destination, i prefer no phones or tv - and rustic, (so-called) "uncivilized" ways, and the old road when you never quite knew when, how, or 'if' you'd even get there on the same day .... the whole reason i loved it is because a trip to Negril was 'adventure travel' - heck just GETTING there was an adventure. You never knew if you'd have water or current or ice, and as such were forced to be creative and make-do, and take all as it comes ... for me personally, that's where ALL "the juice" is about traveling; it's not just a luxury trip, it's a life-lesson - and that's why I travel in the first place. The day Gilbert slammed us was some of the most profound heartical experiences i have ever had, and cemented my love, respect, and appreciation for the Jamaican people and culture.

Before the modcons, yes there was less creature-comfort - but on the other hand, the whole vibe of the place was much more mellow, quiet, and serene. To some travelers, that means more than comfort or luxury. A built-up tourist 'attraction' with 'resorts' and organized tours and pub crawls is boring and generic to me.... once a place gets to that point there's nothing very special about it any more.

[Hussyband]

It is interesting to see how people tend to romanticize the past. Back in 1985 and subsequent visits I have seen some things change and some that stayed the same. But some things I dont miss from 1985:

Not reliable running water.
No reliable electricity.
No ice if the ice truck didnt come by.
No sewer system.
The cesspool trucks and their wonderful aroma.
Not being able to make a phone call.
The variable length of time to arrive from MoBay to Negril - if your plane arrived late, sometimes it could take two days on the old road along the coast.
No refrigeration.
Not having a clue about Hurricane Gilbert until the morning when it hit Kingston and was on its way to Negril.
Very limited goods in the stores.

No, I dont miss any of those things.

As for the us$ and Americanization, seeing that over 60% of all visitors to Jamaica each year are from the USA, their shear numbers will undoubtedly have some influence, especially on the menus. But this is done simply as a convenience for the largest single group of visitors to the island.

But what I see is Negril becoming more Jamaicanized. Spending a fair amount of time in Kingston, Negril is growing from a small sleepy fishing village and on its way to become an actual town. Although at present, it is still considered a village as the residential population is not large enough to be considered a town yet.

There are still places that have that small sleepy fishing village feel - Little Bay about 20 minutes down the south coast is a perfect example. Fishing boats line the bay, and you can still stay in rustic huts in a family yard. Although you wont have the hassles of no electricity, no phone, no ice, no refrigeration and no running water. That progress here to stay.

An while it was once the busiest port city in the entire North Americas, Port Royal in Kingston is another small sleepy fishing village. But once again you will have electricity, phone, ice, refrigeration and running water. Progress does have its benefits.

Now to the original poster's question, just last night at the Rockhouse concert with Johnny Osbourne, the prices were in both US$ and JA$ - a Red Stripe was ja$350 or us$3.50 - reflecting the 100 to 1 relationship. so I think you will be seeing the menu prices change to reflect the devaluation of the ja$.

And yes, the devaluation of the ja$ is hurting the economy as anything imported costs more in ja$. Gas is imported, and is used to transport all goods to all the stores. That alone will raise the costs of all products that the country needs to survive. We could go into a much more in-depth diatribe about the reasons and causes, but that is beyond the scope of this travel oriented website. But simply put, the devaluation of the ja$ is not helping the Jamaican economy.

Totally off topic... I was not even out of high school in 1985 . Why do we have to have ancient history classes on a travel website?

[MissBlue]

because many of us were traveling to Negril in the 70's and 80's .... and we loved it deeply...... and the changes that have happened since then are relevant to many people who are on this website.....

[Flipadelphia26]

Totally off topic... I was not even out of high school in 1985 . Why do we have to have ancient history classes on a travel website?

I was born in 1984.

[Hussyband]

I was born in 1984.

Damn, now I feel old . I was trying to yank robs chain a bit, and you had to go and do that to me. Not nice, flip, not nice

[Flipadelphia26]

I will be 30 in January!

[Hussyband]

actually that is not just opinion - it's a fact. cambios & banks do give the best exchange rate.

and Rob i actually DO miss a lot of those things. Obviously i do not live there, but for a travel destination, i prefer no phones or tv - and rustic, (so-called) "uncivilized" ways, and the old road when you never quite knew when, how, or 'if' you'd even get there on the same day .... the whole reason i loved it is because a trip to Negril was 'adventure travel' - heck just GETTING there was an adventure. You never knew if you'd have water or current or ice, and as such were forced to be creative and make-do, and take all as it comes ... for me personally, that's where ALL "the juice" is about traveling; it's not just a luxury trip, it's a life-lesson - and that's why I travel in the first place. The day Gilbert slammed us was some of the most profound heartical experiences i have ever had, and cemented my love, respect, and appreciation for the Jamaican people and culture.

Before the modcons, yes there was less creature-comfort - but on the other hand, the whole vibe of the place was much more mellow, quiet, and serene. To some travelers, that means more than comfort or luxury. A built-up tourist 'attraction' with 'resorts' and organized tours and pub crawls is boring and generic to me.... once a place gets to that point there's nothing very special about it any more.

So, if there is nothing special about it anymore, you are not going back?

I've only been going since 98, and we started out in the mega resorts, have since found happiness at a hotel with no phone, TV, or otherwise (tensing pen). I don't really drink, never smoke ganja, but have found the island to be incredibly relaxing, and remains special to me even after only 15 years of travel there...