The Islands - Romantic Escapes in the Caribbean: Lovetripper Guide - page 205

that wind their way through the countryside, trade takes place
from push carts made of discarded automobile parts. Transpor-
tation for many residents means walking, often with a load bal-
anced on their heads, which they carry with the grace of ballet
dancers.
Along those roads you'll see the diversity of Jamaican life as
well. Around one bend lies a palatial home; around another cor-
ner a shanty without doors or windows. Towns are frenetic cen-
ters of activity, filled with pedestrians, street vendors, colorful
fruit markets, and neighbors who take time to visit their
friends as they go about their daily duties. Although the roads
are rushed and filled with endless honking that is done, not out
of anger, but as a warning, a hello, or just for the heck of it, Ja-
maicans often stop their vehicles to talk to someone in the on-
coming lane; others politely wait for the conversation to end.
Diversity
As you wind through the communities in the Jamaican country-
side, you'll notice the many churches in every small town. Reli-
gion is an important part of Jamaican life. The Church of
Jamaica, formerly the Church of England, has the largest fol-
lowing. Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics,
Seventh Day Adventists, Christian Scientists, and other groups
also have significant memberships. Rastafarianism, a religion
centered around the divinity of the late Haile Selassie, emperor
of Ethiopia, is also practiced. You'll see many dreadlocked
Rastafarians (usually wearing crocheted tams) who are practi-
tioners of this religion, which mandates vegetarianism, a strict
code of peace, and, the best-known facet of the religion, the
smoking of ganja or marijuana.
Jamaica's diversity comes from its visitors as well, guests from
around the globe that make this tropical island home for a short
while. Some of those visitors became residents, most notably
Errol Flynn, Ian Fleming, and Noel Coward. Flynn came to the
island in the 1940s and remained until his death in 1960, but
not before he hit upon the idea of putting tourists on bamboo
rafts on the Rio Grande. Today, this remains one of the most ro-
mantic rides in the Caribbean. Fleming, creator of the James
Bond series, wrote from his home named “Goldeneye,” located
in Oracabessa near Ocho Rios. Today the home is owned by