We casually strolled through the crowds in Ocho Rios and enjoyed the beach and the novel sites. For example, a dreadlocked older gentleman with a grocery bag chock full of ganja openly selling such in the central town square.
We were staying in a very nice hotel, and one side of our room was on land, the other was cantilevered over the ocean. On day five of our visit, this vista turned out to be a liability. While we are at dinner, marauders arrived in a boat, climbed into our room, and fleeced everything that was easily accessible. We are careful travelers and so stored most valuables in the safe (which also stunk like ganja). The total damage was around $150, but mentally we were afraid.
As part of the investigation, an extraordinarily kind local policeman was sent by to take our statement. He spent 15 minutes on the crime, and then another 2 hours chatting with us. He was erudite and well spoken, and gave us his take in detail of why the country was the way it was. He conjectured that extreme disparity between rich and poor, a history of colonial violence, and lack of accessible quality education had set them up for failure.
I was born in India, and have spent about 1/4 of my life there (as a member of the upper middle class). My grandparents view of the British Raj was very benign and shared by their peers. I wonder what it is that led to one perception in India and another in Jamaica, both poor countries, but one which lives in fear of violence.