Seaside Shopping in Montego Bay, Jamaica
One of my earliest and least cherished memories of visiting Jamaica is of higglers, ultra-aggressive purveyors of all and sundry souvenirs, trinkets, beads, weed, and more that paraded endlessly up and down the beaches goading folks into parting with their cash.
As someone who purposely steers clear of most malls and department stores in order to avoid the annoying army of salespeople threateningly brandishing colognes and perfumes, I never liked higglers.
I mean, it’s one thing if you’re going to a place like the Iron Market, where your intention is to shop in the first place and haggling all adds to the flavor. On the beach just cooling out is simply never the right place or time for any such shopping adventures for me.
Thankfully, though, higglers have pretty much disappeared from Jamaica’s shores in recent years, replaced instead by small seaside shops like this one that I photographed from a distance recently in Montego Bay.
It’s a great improvement if you ask me, one that has me anxious to get back to Jamaica soon and re-explore her sandy shores… this time in peace.