I don't mind looking at similarities, but dang. Drug wars in Mexico. More than 2,000 dead. Man-oh-man. Now there are drugs wars in Kingston, Jamaica. More than 70 people killed as of the writing of this blog post. Local folks defending an illegal commodity that allows them to eat and to survive. Wow. I don't know exactly when I became officially old enough to say the same things my Mom and Gramma used to say, but What is the world coming to?!?!? Don't both Mexico and Jamaica have enough on their hands dealing with the decline in tourism?
On a more positive note, I have my own personal memories of both Mexico and Jamaica and they're all good. Do you have fond memories of and/or a favorite place in Mexico or Jamaica? I used to hang out in Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo, Cancun and Tijuana when Tijuana was fun. I've also hung out in Negril, Ocho Rios, the hills of Clarendon, Port Antonio and at Mr. Yu's Montego Bay beach house in Jamaica. (Port Antonio is probably my favorite little town.)
From a cultural perspective, if you don't know much about Mexico, it might surprise you to learn about the Afro-Mexicans on the Costa Chica. And if you've never been to Jamaica, it might surprise you to learn that although Jamaica's population of 2.8 million mainly consists of people of African descent, there is also a sizeable population of multiracial Jamaicans. Jamaicans of Indian and Chinese ancestry (see my reference to Mr. Yu above), the largest minority groups, total 160,000. Lebanese, Syrian, English, Scottish, Irish, and German Jamaicans make up around 3,000-4,000 people. In recent years, immigration has increased, coming mainly from China, Haiti, Cuba, Colombia, and other Latin American countries with 20,000 Latin Americans currently residing in Jamaica. There are about 7,000 Americans that also reside in Jamaica. [Source: Direct from Wikipedia]
