We did not sign up for a shore excursion in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Trying to enjoy the food and services on the Ruby Princess. We will have a tour of Cartagena, Colombia in two days. That will be busy enough for these high-flying seniors.

Leaving the Ruby Princess, we entered a building shared by Customs and local street vendors selling Jamaican souvenirs. Tried on an “L” soccer shirt in national colors (black, yellow and green), but it was too small. (Already he gains weight?). Found the same shirt in an XXL at another vendor on the Montego Bay Street called “Hip Strip.” So now I own one.

We took a shuttle from the cruise ship to the beach in Montego Bay and explored the “strip.” Besidesthe shirt, not much to see except this exceptionally tall local. This outfit gives an idea of the colors of my new shirt, minus the red.

On the way back down the strip we saw a striking statue dedicated to Usain Bolt, the Olympic champion sprinter and national hero.  The Bolt statue was actually constructed of nuts and bolts welded together with a nod to the most famous Bolt, himself. Bolt is poised in his characteristic victory posture, one arm extended diagonally toward the heavens, shooting his bolt skyward, the other trailing behind.

 

 

You can almost make out the hardware in this photo of Bill studying the construction of the statue. Behind the statue is a sports bar with the most magnificent wide screen over the bar for the sole purpose of viewing soccer. We had the nationally favored  “Red Stripe” beer on the upstairs deck with a miniature version of the screen.

At the foot of the stairs leading to the second floor, where the sports bar reigns, is a poster that adds to the glamor that is U-Bolt. The “9.58,” is his record for the 100-meter dash , set at the 2009 “World Champs,” still unbroken after 14 years.

This local color was really the highlight of our visit to the rather depressed “Hip Strip.” The streets are narrow, the cars bumper to bumper and honking impatiently. Uniformed men line the pavement asking “Need a cab?” with obvious oversupply over demand. The stores were primarily souvenir shops, selling almost identical wares. The sports bar was the best place to pass the time of day until the shuttle returned to pick us up.

Returning to the Ruby Princess it was sobering to consider that the wealthy tourists of North America were the primary source of income for Montego Bay.