Chapter V: Crocodiles, rum and reggae
Jamaica? Did I mention Jamaica earlier? Yes, sure. Somehow, I wanted to be a loner, even though it was travelling. The travel plans between me and my buddy Jürgen became more and more different. Sad to say,
Our last trip together brought us to Gran Canaria in 1978. A wonderful island belonging to a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean west of the African coast. A five-hours-flight nonstop from Berlin. Just a little something for Jürgen and me as global travelers. Several years later, I would stay on Gran Canaria more often - even for a second honeymoon.
Jamaica, yes. An amazing island in the Carribean sea. A German Foreign Aid School Project brought me there. My previous journeys to Canada and the United States of America in 1975 have been mostly projects of the then Organization for International Contacts - back then it was located in the old West German capital Bonn.
Jamaica in 1979. A school project of the German Foreign Aid allowed me to visit this Carribean island.
It was not really a vacation stay but long enough for some extraordinary experiences. Rum, well... . Rum and Coke, the long drink Maitai - I am not sure if its origin is really from Jamaica. Here, we tried buko ( fresh coconut juice and Jamaica rum). Jamaica and its Blue Mountains.
Crocodiles? Yes, many. An organized river trip by tour guides up to the Dunn River Waterfalls in Ochos Rios made it possible to encounter many of these breathtaking species. Beethoven and Asia were somehow so very far away... .
Speaking of music. "No woman - no cry"! One of my most spectacular life open air music events was the one with legendary King of Reggae Bob Marley. He scribbled his name on one of the records I bought there. Unforgettable seconds ... .
1980 became a really great change in my private and business life. The ups and downs pulled my nerves. My job as circulation manager in a publishing house did not satisfy me any more. As a typical risk taker, I followed the recommendation of my very closed office mate and applied to another publisher.
In the same year, I took on another challenge and traveled to South Africa, more precisely to Johannesburg. A trip to London and another 11 hours direct flight took me there. Lisa invited me. Lisa, my "oldest friend" ever. We "met" as pen pals in 1972 while she was residing in Vienna, Austria.
(To be continued!)
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