fish@ihu1g.UUCP (Bob Fishell) (01/12/84)
My fiancee' and I are planning a honeymoon in the Caribbean, but we haven't
decided where. This will be in July '85, which I hope is off season for
the tropics. We are looking for a nice place, civilized, but off the beaten
track, and I'd like to hear from anybody who has had favorable experiences
in the Caribbean recently (or UNfavorable, for that matter). We don't have
a lot to spend, and we really want to get our money's worth. Since we
were badly misled by a travel agent on a weekend getaway last year, we
don't trust them.
Bob Fishell
AT&T Bell Labs (Naperville, IL)
ihnp4!ihu1g!fishusadaca@uiucuxc.UUCP (02/02/84)
#R:ihu1g:-13500:uiucuxc:5300005:000:1604 uiucuxc!usadaca Feb 1 13:12:00 1984 avoid jamaica at all costs! a friend went there recently (jan) he has been a regular for about 5 years. this time, on the last day of his stay, 2 uniformed men "police" brandishing MACHINE GUNS, no less, burst into his room and accused him of stealing video equipment and threatened to take him to prison where he could await trial...in about 6 months! the absurdity of the charges is underlined by the fact that the man is a priest and travels very light...one bag for suits and other priestly garb and a small case for personal items. after some small amount of time and a lot of "negotiations", the "officers" agreed to let him go IF he paid each of them $500.00!! they accompaied him to the telegraph office where he wired a friend back in the states (who shall remain nameless) for the funds. he missed his plane waiting for the wire transfer, but nonetheless is now back on American soil. a little investigation on the part of some well-connected friends has revealed that this is becoming a recurring problem, especially in Jamaica; and yes, it appears that the men involved were indeed police officers... although they were not on duty at the time, at least according to their boss (moon-lighting?). since the payments were in cash, and there were no witnesses (at least in the eyes of the Jamaican officials) there is less than a zero chance that the money will be recovered or that there will be any investigation into the matter, let alone punishment of the offenders. so ,beware!! ps some local travel agents are actively discouraging trips to Jamaica and some have refuse to book to same.