"A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in."--Robert Orben
Whoever came up with the idea of having breaks in one's daily routine is a genius. The art of doing nothing relevant to what a person was previously doing takes poise, control and relaxation. A lot of relaxation. Waking up for class at eight in the morning and then the next day waking up at noon or later takes some kind of skill and is also possibly one of the greatest feelings for a student.
The calmness and peacefulness brought by the awareness of needing to do very, very little is reminiscent of sitting on a cruise ship in the Caribbean, relaxing in the warm 85 degree weather of December. No issues, no worries, no problems, just a tropical strawberry drink in one hand and a camera in the other, snapping pictures of the Jamaican mountains rocket up from the beaches below.
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Destinations in the Caribbean have such a unique culture to them, especially when disembarking off of a massive vessel anchored in a port that's the size of two mansions. Instantly, one sees the natives trying to make a living in an economy that pales in comparison to the bigger economic powers like the USA, China or Western European nations. Colors flood the place and the true tourist does everything possible to not get stopped by an old man selling jewelry or a t-shirt with a price reserved for more brand-name apparel.
Once one gets away from the port, the real destination comes alive and the identity of the place shows itself. There is still, however, the fact that one is travelling with a pack of other tourists that may or may not have as much of a clue as the next person in many terms. After silently complaining, the seemingly major problems in life go away.
Mayan ruins that sit on a cliff peering onto a public beach on the Caribbean sea. A Caymanian 'castle' nestled in the middle of the non-touristy residential areas near the construction site of a university that will enhance the island's education. The exuberantly-colored shacks on the side of the road in Jamaica, where orange fills the air after a political victory the day before. The passion and life in the Caribbean encourages the traveler that has the opportunity to get away and take a step out of the everyday life. Places that many dream about are realities that fulfill every sense of the body.
