Impressions of Jamaica and the reality of ReggaeSteem
The past week my girl and I went to Negril, Jamaica to relax and meet with some of the ReggaeSteem crew. Returning from the tropics to half a foot of snow was a little bit of a shocker but we got a much-needed break from the Canadian winter. This post is just a general, quick overview of my initial thoughts before they get lost in fantasy.
Entrance to Raha's Retreat; Westmoreland, JamaicaWhen people think of Jamaica, they think of the Caribbean sea, beaches, drinks, ganja, sunshine, food, lush greenery, culture, among various other things. The picture above is a fairly typical inland scene, although it's on a beautiful property we visited called Raha's Retreat.
On this trip we did so much in a limited time, visiting 3 or 4 places per day and talking a lot of Crypto business. In the mornings we would take walks on the beach, swim, and snorkel, then once it got hot, I would meet up with @donald.porter and @miyard to see various properties, hang out, eat and discuss business. Sometimes we would return to the hotel just before dark to have a romantic meal or we'd discuss business into the late evening.
An Inn which is Perfect for Long StaysEverything you think about Jamaica is true except for the bad things. We would walk along the beach at night without much worry, Negril is not at all dangerous. All-day, vendors would ask us to buy things, but if you say "I'm good" or "I Don't Smoke" they will quickly leave you alone. The tap water is drinkable and better tasting than Toronto's water, the beach is clean and the weather is perfect. The best part was the food (more posts to come about that!)
A few stereotypes are true. Yes, Marijuana is everywhere, you will smell it, you will be offered to buy it and its powerful stuff. The people are friendly, will always take the time to talk to you, if you don't like people, Jamaica isn't for you. The food is fresh and often spicy-if you're in a rush just grab a pattie-the restaurant service can be slow but is well worth the wait! Everything is really relaxed and be wary when someone says "it's just a quick stop."
Iimage courtesy of @whatsthatcryptomAs for the business side of things, it was an honor to be the first JAHM tourist. To be fair, I only used JAHM twice; here and at the @iriegiftshop but https://www.reggaesteem.com/ did bring us to Jamaica and things are really moving along. The team has a few locations already accepting JAHM rewards, they can take your JAHM and book hotels, drivers and arrange day trips for you. The point is I can attest that JAHM works and the team is working hard. I am not worried that they will cease operations and from what I see, this has more potential than any other tribe on Steem. @donald.porter and @miyard are well connected to the local community and the Island of Jamaica at large.
We went to a few meetings where various business owners expressed great interest in blockchain technology and tourism. One lady we met was in her 90s and owns a convention centre (and heads a big family), another one is connected to Rotary International so believe me when I say this, things are coming. If you can explain the benefits of the Steem blockchain to senior citizens, you can explain it to anyone. There were lots of young artists and workers also interested in ReggaeSteem adoption.
With @stinezent and @donald.porter
You can see the Genius behind Stinez Entertainment rocking the ReggaeSteem hat with Donald and I. He produces music videos and was very busy all week bringing in people for various projects. Expect as just as much on the Music side of things as the tourism aspect of ReggaeSteem. I had a great time meeting everyone and managed to really enjoy Jamaica. We will be back in Negril later this year for sure, maybe even a couple of times :D
Bro, I don’t know where to start... having you here kicked a spur into the project. Was great to have you on hand at the business cluster meeting, It really drove home the ideas/pilots with the locals seeing a totally new face, new couple and more importantly for them new clients.
Having a guest from ReggaeSteem— a real friend I made on Steem prior to the project launch AND actually executing together on the adoption is powerful. Can’t wait to see you again, (hopefully) we continue to deliver and you’ll be able to write-off those trips in the near future 😎
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Yeah, it was cool. The one week will spur 100s of posts, 1000s pictures and millions of words. It was much more pleasant down there than I thought. A mix of what one expects and those boutique bars and properties no one would think to exist but are everywhere in Negril.
Glad to have a friend in Jamaica and may post about that another time. It's one benefit of ReggaeSteem that may sound cheesy, ReggaeSteem is a great way to meet people and establish connections. It shows it works when I can keep in touch with the people I meet down there. It will be a huge draw to return in the future. Not only have a fantastic vacation, meet like-minded people and make friends. Get paid to keep in touch, arrange friends and share photos about your vacation to help lower the cost of the next trip.
Greetings friend @crypticat, I am glad you are having a good time with @donaldporter, although it is just the beginning, you are already seeing the fruit of your efforts as leaders of the tribe, I think the effort to bring #jahm to the daily economic life is excellent, congratulations for your good work.
It's gonna start building faster and faster. Can't wait to watch more people go down there and have a great time. Little by little, crypto tourism is going to take over.
Glad the trip went well getting to experience Jamaica and also taking advantage of your time to meet with the team. There’s so little time and so much to do, but sounds like you were able to get a lot accomplished. The real world and use-case of JAHM in Jamaica shall only expand from here.
Respect
Thanks Conrad, one day I hope to meet you down in Negril. It was mostly just hanging out and talking about ReggaeSteem and various other things in the middle of the day when the sun is too hot to enjoy. It's nice to have friends down there and people to talk to whom you have something in common with. It's going to be fun watching this grow.
Interesting description of Jamaica, God prosper your business and blockchain technology can extend to all people from the youngest to the oldest greetings ..
It's great to see that what is going on here is real. It's actually happening and not just some crypto whitepaper pipedream. This first experience of what is already working and what is still to come shows that Reggaesteem has the goods. Looking forward to watch this grow, and develop.
I'll summarize the Whitepaper: Get more users, make $.
Now the next milestone will be JAHMFEST in June. There are some side projects but they essentially relate to the summary of the Whitepaper above. One may be published in the next month or so to drum up excitement.
Glad you enjoyed your stay! Hope you picked some fruits with your own hands and got a chance to visit the deep countryside. If you didn’t , try that next time. life isn’t perfect in Ja but it’s pretty good. I have some Japanese friends who don’t want to leave 😀
Raha's Retreat is just over 5km inland if that counts :D
Happy you had a good time and have a lot of insight on the ground now. ( Hope wifey liked to too:) .
Wow 90 years old, I spotted her in the pic the first time a saw it and had to double look. She may be old but she is paying attention to the trends.
Yeah the tourist and reggae aspect may seem like a lot to take on but I see them going hand in hand. Bless up on your first yaad visit and many more to come.
We both get why people like Jamaica, it's a combination of the food and the people. The culture is straight-up genuine, no one is pretending. 10/10 will visit again.
What an adventure!
I can say it was a pleasure/business trip.
Having #jahm right in the middle was the right move
for all of us.
Can't wait to read more interest post soon!
More are coming, gonna focus on community development and engagement a little more than just plain posting.
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Nice vibes! :)
Glad to hear everything went smooth.
Amazing what you accomplished in 7 Days!
With an 11-13 hour flight from Berlin my shortest
stay was three weeks and my last stay was 88 days ;)
Next time it's for 88 years :p
Make sure you talk to @donald.porter or @miyard before you go, they can sort you out. There are also some producers and a studio right in Negril.
the bottom photo is curious. because it's covered with a cat's head 😅
Resteem and Posted on Twitter
Glad you had such a memorable stay, yess....now my anticipation has gone up....looking forward to more of your tales of adventure from Negril to the world.