I was going to reply largely along the lines of the above - good idea - ..... I have great interest in Jamiaca (it used to be a colony of the country of my birth and growing up its music and food both found a place in my heart) . Sadly I've never visited but have always wanted to, from my current location its unfortunately hard to reach at reasonable cost compared with some of the alternatives. My ideal would be an assisted transfer from the airport to a simple hotel or B & B where there'd be access to transport and some local kite knowledge... I have a week in late November (thinking .......)plummet wrote:Build it and they will come bro. Do it in a manner that you are somehow helping the poor or miss-treated. Set up in locations that is relatively safe. Arrange transportation from airports, accomidation in known good hotels and reduce/limit the chance of risk for your customer.
If its epic conditions the adventurous will come..
You may be able to build yourself a sanctury of epic proportions and at the same time improve ever so slightly your part of the world.
And yet they are probably more tolerant than Kite*scoop....Metaphor_ wrote:You are suggesting I go to a country that has laws that exist solely to discriminate against me and put me in jail. Change the laws and the native people's homophobic, hateful attitudes and I'll consider it.MattyRossJa wrote:And for the record I have been living here for 20 years of my life, I think i'm a little more aware of the problems here than yourself thanks. It takes more than reading a study to know about what life is really like in any given country. Perhaps you could come visit sometime and use your expertise to help the country change for the better?
I cannot bring myself to visit any country where:
.
- - Same-sex intercourse is punishable with a prison sentence of up to 10 years
- The last prime minister used a song about burning and killing gay people as his party's theme song (Chi Chi Man by T.O.K)
- The nation's only LGBT rights group operates completely anonymously for their own protection
- 70% of the population does not feel that gay people deserved the same basic rights and privileges as 'other people'
- Hundreds of the nation's LGBTI citizens have sought and been granted asylum in Canada, the US, and the United Kingdom
In Jamaica the police and authorities turn a blind eye to the crime of beating up and murdering gay people. they claim its part of the islands culture. In Brazil and the DR gays have the same rights as everyone else. Why would anyone want to go to Jamaica. There are so many other great kite spots in the world.MattyRossJa wrote:but would you encourage people to go to Dominican Republic or Brazil ? both probably have far worse human rights issues than Jamaica.Metaphor_ wrote:Jamaica has major human rights issues--I'd actively discourage people from going there until they reform the country.
windybrit wrote:I was going to reply largely along the lines of the above - good idea - ..... I have great interest in Jamiaca (it used to be a colony of the country of my birth and growing up its music and food both found a place in my heart) . Sadly I've never visited but have always wanted to, from my current location its unfortunately hard to reach at reasonable cost compared with some of the alternatives. My ideal would be an assisted transfer from the airport to a simple hotel or B & B where there'd be access to transport and some local kite knowledge... I have a week in late November (thinking .......)plummet wrote:Build it and they will come bro. Do it in a manner that you are somehow helping the poor or miss-treated. Set up in locations that is relatively safe. Arrange transportation from airports, accomidation in known good hotels and reduce/limit the chance of risk for your customer.
If its epic conditions the adventurous will come..
You may be able to build yourself a sanctury of epic proportions and at the same time improve ever so slightly your part of the world.
Laughingman wrote:Without doing any further research I will tell you what I believed to be true in Jamaica. I don't profess to be correct but this is what I have been led to believe via TV, reading articles etc....
1. Most of the resorts are on the west side of the island but the prevailing winds are from the East
2. Leaving the resort is dangerous without a guide
3. Cab drivers are not to be trusted, not only with valuables but your life if they think you are worth robbing they may also just kill you if it is easier.
4. Rape is a huge problem in Jamaica... I travel with my wife so that certainly bothers me.
5. Most good kiting spots require travel off the resorts....
You see the problem here?
Sincerely
Pete
P.S. whether or not they like gay people is not really a deciding factor in my choice of vacation spots, mind you if it was the other way around and you had to be gay to live there... I would probably not go....
Dom Rep one of the most dangerous places on the planets for tourists ...Laughingman wrote:Hey Matty
I totally agree I am ignorant to the truth.. my point was this is how Jamaica is being portrayed to people by for example the Canadian Government... here is their advice when traveling to Jamaica.. the repeated warning about high crime and murder is enough send people looking else where.
http://travel.gc.ca/destinations/jamaica