A couple of days ago we had the good fortune of a day in port at Montego Bay, Jamaica. We really enjoyed our visit and loved the “no problem” spirit of the Jamaican people, but our hearts went out to the many poverty-stricken families we saw all around.
As our tour van turned onto a rutted and bumpy gravel road on our way to a banana plantation, our guide warned us about the coming bumps: “They didn’t tell you that you’d get a free butt massage as part of your tour today, did they? Yah, man. No problem!”
Dalton the Banana Man - the world's coolest banana farmer
At the banana plantation we were escorted around by Dalton the Banana Man. I couldn’t believe how many uses they have for the banana plant. From cardboard to glue, rope, fishing line, and even panty hose, every single piece of the plant is used for something. Hearing him talk was definitely an exercise in shame at American wastefulness and inefficiency. He also taught me a new phrase to describe something rather unpleasant: “That’s not banana, man.” Shannon and I agreed that Dalton may be the coolest guy on the island and is certainly the coolest banana man we’ll ever meet. He finished his talk by serenading us with a round of Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) while balancing 60 pounds of bananas on his head. When we boarded the bus, our tour guide Marie asked us to tell her, “in Jamaican,” a bit about who we are, where we’re from, and what we love. In other words, we had to say: “Me name Sam, me from Indiana, me love Jamaica.” When it was Shannon’s turn, she said, “Me name Shannon, me from Indiana, an’ me love Dalton the Banana Man.”
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