The 2002 trip to Negril marked the one year anniversary of the marriage between Kim and I. It was nice to return to the resort to see some old friends again, as well as the sights of the Caribbean.

Photos like the one above, and the one below, could easily be postcard material.

Our good friend Boxer, seen below with me, was not only our SCUBA instructor for our second round of classes (we completed our Advanced Open Water certification on this trip), but he also took us on a tour by boat to Rick's Cafe and the tip of the Negril coast.

Along the way we were greeted by the catamaran from Hedonism Resort. You know the one, where nudity is the norm and vacation wife-swapping is expected. Well, as you might have guessed, all the patrons on their boat were butt-naked. I grabbed a photo of it, just enough out of focus to make it viewable by all LOL.

Once our attention was taken off of the birthday suit crowd, we enjoyed the sights of the coast of Negril. From quaint little resorts with huts right on the ocean...

...to private residences that looked like a castle...

...and I'm not quite sure about this one...

Eventually we came to Rick's Cafe. I decided to not jump and swim for it, instead opting for the boat ride home, but I did get to enjoy the view of the cliff jumpers from a unique perspective.

We also did a little touring by land. That is one regret I have is not seeing enough of Jamaica by land. Little shacks like the one below sold jerk chicken. Perhaps scary to consider purchasing food from, but it was tasty stuff.

I think that the paradise most Americans don't arrive expecting. Photos like that don't make it into the travel guides. But it is the real Jamaica. Once you got away from the resorts, and the coast-line mansions, the poverty unfolds.

To view all the images from the Jamaica 2002 trip, please follow this link.

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