Take care everyone, it's been fun, but now's the time to go. I will pop back to read messages from ...
Take care everyone, it's been fun, but now's the time to go. I will pop back to read messages from time to time.
Member since:19.04.2002
Reviews:73
Members who trust:91
This is not about the comforts of staying in an all-inclusive resort that could be in any exotic part of the world. When I visited Jamaica I stayed in people's homes or budget accommodation and saw a different side of Jamaica than normal.
Jamaica is a truly beautiful island in the Caribbean Sea which has a tropical climate. There are rainy seasons in April and October. I went twice (December and March) and on both occasions witnessed tropical rain – quick, sharp downpours where you get completely drenched in a matter of seconds! These downpours go away as quick as they arrive and you dry out again quickly in the tropical heat.
My trips were around 8 years ago, and for that reason I can't vouch for the current validity of any information. I've got a few tales in amongst the descriptions of Jamaica, so in other words, it won't be a Premium Fund winner, but you may find the stories interesting!
You may be wondering why I didn't stay in a resort? A friend of mine was teaching for a year in Jamaica. She earnt a typical Jamaican salary of around USD20 a month, which meant living as a Jamaican. She stayed generally with friends and whoever had a spare bed. This meant that on my trips, I did the same, or when travelling around the island, we generally stayed in budget accommodation. This also meant lots of cold showers during my stay as most Jamaican homes and budget accommodation don't have hot water.
~~~Montego Bay (Mo' Bay)~~~
~~~Arrival~~~
On both trips to Jamaica, Mo' Bay was my base as this was where my friend was teaching. I shall start with the airport!! On arrival in Montego Bay, you feel you have stepped back in time to an airport of the '70's! You can't get into the airport terminal without a valid ticket, and once you step outside the terminal you will understand why. If you are on an organised tour with an airport transfer, I imagine you are safely whisked away, but I had to find my friend! On my first trip, she met me when I arrived and took me to where we were staying. However, on my second trip, I had told her I was landing at 14.30 and when I arrived my friend wasn't there. When I realised I couldn't see her, I hovered around the exit of the terminal building, just out of reach of the mob who wait behind the barriers to the terminal. Who are this mob? There seemed to be a few genuine taxi drivers, but a lot seemed to be opportunists who have some form of transport and wanting to prey on unsuspecting tourists. I eventually ventured towards this mob, trying to see my friend (with a rucksack on my back and dragging a suitcase, plus I have blond hair, blue eyes and painstakingly pale skin - I was an obvious greenhorn just off a flight). I was immediately faced with this hoard who just wanted to harass me. Did I want a taxi? Would I marry them? Did I need somewhere to stay? Questions kept coming and I was by this time in a bit of a state. What should I do? I knew that the taxi fares I was being offered to go into Montego Bay were inflated, and if I did take a taxi where would I go? After two hours of wondering if I should take the next flight back to civilisation, my friend turned up. She had misread my flight arrival time and instead of 14.30 she had arrived at 4.30pm! I breathed a sigh of relief and I was able to start my holiday!
~~~Tourist Montego Bay~~~
There is an area of Montego Bay reserved for tourists along the GloucesterAvenue area. It's protected by security guards who try to keep the unwelcome elements of the city out. It's pretty much safe to walk around this area which is mostly where all the main hotels and restaurants are. In the evening there are some craft stalls and it's nice to wander along. If you are staying in one of the all-inclusive hotels outside of Montego Bay, they will have transport to take you to this part of Mo' Bay.
There is also a harbour at Freeport where you can get boat trips – I went on a glass bottomed boat. The trip cost around £10 at the time. I think that most of you who go on one of these trips will have them booked through the hotel. Alternatively, you can go scuba diving. It's well worth it, the tropical fish you see are incredible – I didn't realise the amount of colour beneath the sea until I went on one of these trips.
~~~Downtown Montego Bay~~~
If you look at postcards of downtown Mo' Bay, it's a great piece of British colonialism. The actual version is rather tatty. There are some nice buildings, but a lot are in dire need of urgent repair. The main square is called Sam Sharpe Square and there is a small cell from the old slave days which still stands in one corner.
~~~Craft Markets~~~
There are one or two craft markets which are not in the main tourist part of Montego Bay – ask at the hotel and they will arrange
a taxi for you. They are great for getting small gifts to take home – T-shirts, wooden gifts etc. Be careful about coral though – they will try to sell you some, but there are trade restrictions on coral because of environmental protection. I visited the Fantasy Craft Market.
~~~Unsavoury aspects of Mo 'Bay~~~
When I arrived in Jamaica my friend warned me about mugging. Everyone gets mugged if they stay in Jamaica long enough and usually at knifepoint. She herself had been mugged on more than one occasion. She instructed me on the best way to carry my rucksack to deter would-be muggers. I was not to carry my small rucksack in its usual way on my back - this would make it easy to slice open with a knife and for contents to fall out and be retrieved by the muggers. I was to carry my rucksack with both shoulder straps over one shoulder (so there wasn't a dangling strap to take hold of) and then the body of the bag was to be carried snugly under the same arm, again providing fewer points of contact for the bag and therefore, less of a chance to snatch it.
One day we had been on Gloucester Avenue and were walking back downtown to get our bus back to our accommodation. It was 5.00pm, still daylight and there were people around. Suddenly, I heard someone running behind, then someone tried to wrench my rucksack from my grasp, but my grip was firm and the person ran past me without my bag. Then she turned towards us and with a knife poking towards me gestured for me to give her my rucksack. I know when confronted by muggers with knives, hand over your goods as they aren't worth your life. But I just couldn't think, my mind screamed "RUN". I just grabbed my friend and jumped in front of the traffic and got to the other side of the road without being run over. I turned round and saw the girl, knife in hand, standing there looking perplexed, thinking that didn't quite go to plan! I then had a panic attack - suddenly, I was struck by the enormity of what had just happened. We then came across someone my friend knew and he went with us to the bus stop, but there was a problem. There was a petrol strike and public transport was limited (no one wanted to waste their petrol and go somewhere they didn't need to). So this nice man, realising I was in no state to walk to our accommodation, ran around until he found us a taxi who was willing to make the journey to where we wanted to go.
I tell this story because it's important you don't think you can let your guard down - even in what you may think is a safe area. This was daylight and we were walking along the side of a main road, and there were people about. But still, this girl was able to pull a knife out on us and not think she was going to be caught. So if you go to Jamaica, please don't take any silly risks.
~~~Plantations~~~
Jamaica is a fruit, coffee and cocoa bean growing paradise (there are other things which Jamaica is famous for growing which I won't be mentioning!). I visited the Croydon Estate on a trip from Montego Bay. I live in London, and to be honest didn't have a clue how a pineapple grew, how we get chocolate or coffee, amongst other things. The tour of the plantation was really informative and we also got to taste many varieties of fresh pineapple - like eating paradise. In the discussion about cocoa beans we were given a cocoa bean which still had a fluffy outer layer although the kernel had been removed. We were told to put the bean in our mouth and taste the white fluffy layer - the fluffy layer is used to make cocoa butter used in making white chocolate. I'm a great oaf and I managed to swallow the whole bean and I choked away for several minutes, but I think I found some more pineapple to aid my digestion!!! You will also see bananas growing with little blue bags around them, as we in the West like our fruit to be perfect!
The downside of plantations is that slavery used to part of Jamaican life. You can still visit some of the halls where the rich families once lived on their plantation. One of the most famous is along the coast from Montego Bay and called Rose Hall. There is a legend attached to this great house with the witch of Rose Hall said to haunt the house. She was said to be an evil woman who killed her husbands and lured slaves to her bed. Apparently the story is completely false. Anyway, aside from the story, the house is well worth a visit just to see what plantation life used to be like.
Moving on from Montego Bay and heading East towards Ocho Rios (if you go by public transport, listen out for the cry of Ochi, Ochi, Ochi), but first there are some excellent stop off points.
~~~Luminous Lagoon~~~
We were on a budget. We wanted to go out into the lagoon at night to look at the algae which light up when agitated, but the boat trips were too expensive. We found a posh restaurant (with posh prices) where all diners were offered a free boat trip after their meal. So we went in and had a starter each, drank tap water, and then claimed our free boat trip - they couldn't refuse, although I was highly embarrassed! We were taken out on a small motor boat into the lagoon, our guide agitated the waters with an oar and the sea lit up with a green fluorescent colour, it was amazing. Our guide asked us if we wanted to swim, I expect most diners would not come prepared with their swimming costumes on, but we did! Our guide jumped in first as we were a bit nervous about swimming with the algae, but we soon jumped in after. It was truly amazing, we splashed about watching the sheer magic of the water lighting up, I didn't want to break the spell and return to the boat.
~~~Runaway Caves~~~
Nearer to Ocho Rios is an incredible network of caves, with the necessary stalagmites and stalactites. To see much of the caves you are taken in small rowboats and the water is absolutely crystal clear. Again, a magical experience.
~~~Ocho Rios~~~
I don't remember much about the town - our reason for our stay was Dunn's River Falls. These are famous and many visitors to Jamaica come here to climb the falls. You form a chain with a guide at the front and you are led up the falls in a long line. The going isn't easy, but it's not difficult either, it's a great experience and a must if you visit Jamaica. You should wear your swimming costume as you get rather wet, and I wore some canvas rubber-soled shoes as my feet are rather sensitive to walking on rocks.
~~~Firefly~~~
Past Ocho Rios is Firefly, the home of Ian Flemming (the creator of James Bond). I didn't visit, but I wish I had taken the time to do so, and that's why I'm including it in this op.
Further East we arrive at Port Antonio.
~~~Port Antonio~~~
In my two stays at Port Antonio I mostly visited beaches nearby and rested. This is where I was taken by my friends after the mugging incident. I needed to get away from town life and go somewhere more secluded and this is where we came, but it wasn't without its own perils!
~~~Frenchman's Cove~~~
A beautiful secluded beach with white sands and palm trees, what more could a girl want? It's not a large (wide) beach and there was an admission charge.
~~~Navy Island~~~
This is a beautiful small island off the coast of Port Antonio - again quiet and secluded. Errol Flynn once owned the island and there is a posh club on the island. We just made use of the beach and the peace and quiet. Catch the ferry from the dock in Port Antonio.
~~~Reach Falls~~~
We travelled to these falls on Christmas day taking a bus East out of Port Antonio. There were few travellers and we got off the bus and walked down to the falls. There was one guide and he was happy to walk with us up the falls - not quite a Dunns River experience, but it was an enjoyable experience, great scenery and very tranquil. There was a little bar next to the falls, so after our climb we wanted a drink and hopefully some food. Our bartender had consumed a few rums by the time we arrived in his otherwise deserted bar!! We were given rum on the house and we enjoyed talking to the bartender and the guide whilst consuming a bit more rum! When we asked if food was served at the bar, he didn't, but he insisted we came back to his home to meet his wife and children and share their lunch. We refused and said we would go back to town, but he would not accept it, he was taking it as a personal insult. My friends said we had better go back with him. Oh, it was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. This man's poor wife was livid when we came back, lunch had been ready for ages and she had been waiting for her husband's return, and then we turn up with him, 3 young girls. It was obvious that they were poor, this was their Christmas lunch of rice and peas which was stretched to feed another three mouths. I wanted to get up and leave but we couldn't. When we did leave, we did leave a gift of some money. Then we had to hike our way back to the main road to get a bus. When we got there we realised there were no more buses - it was Christmas Day after all. We stood at this junction for ages, no cars or taxis came down for ages and it was started to get dark and I had visions of sleeping in the cane fields with snakes!! Then along came a car with four male occupants, they stopped for us. I wasn't overly keen on the idea, but it was better than the concept of snakes!! When we got in, I realised they had all been drinking, including the driver!!!! I wanted to get out, but we were in the middle of nowhere and there was hardly any traffic, at least there wasn't much chance of a head on collision! After a few minutes we stopped at a bar. They wanted another drink. I really panicked now, I wondered what they were up to - there were four of them and three of us. I had a soft drink which I drank very quickly. When we started moving again, we were still jam packed in the back and I started to wonder if they were going to take us back to Port Antonio as promised, or were they going to do something sinister like rape us. As with all Jamaican men that I met, they were rather frisky. I sat there clutching my empty drink bottle, ready to clobber someone on the head if they tried anything!! But they didn't, it had all been in my imagination, and they took us back to our bed and breakfast safely, but I didn't sleep well that night!
~~~Rio Grande~~~
On my first visit to Port Antonio we went on a raft down the Rio Grande river. Business was obviously slack that day and we found a raft quite easily. We were told the journey would take about three hours, so we would be back in time for lunch! We were on Jamaican time and our guide obviously reckoned he wouldn't get any more customers that day, and he decided that the trip would last a bit longer than three hours!!! He propelled us down the river (a bit like punting) pointing out anything of interest and the scenery was again truly amazing (you will never get tire of the beautiful scenery in Jamaica). We realised that we were going to be longer than expected, we had passed all the other rafts and we mentioned that we needed to get back for lunch. Our guide said we should just enjoy the scenery and not worry. But we were hungry and thirsty and wanted to get back. So off our guide disappeared in the water and got out at the bank and headed off into the trees, he came back about 10 minutes later with a huge array of fruit and told us to enjoy!! So that's how we ended up spending the day, whiling away the time eating fruit and talking nonsense to our guide!
~~~Kingston~~~
I'm won't mention much about Kingston except DON'T GO THERE! On my one night stopover I didn't feel safe and I heard gunshots ring out during the night. When we went to get the bus in the morning, our hostess sent us with a friend of hers who was a well-built Jamaican man who revealed to us that he was armed with a knife (just in case) and he told us that we needed to be careful.
~~~Appleton~~~
Appleton Rum is the famous Jamaican rum and we visited the distillery early one morning. The distillery is surrounded by sugar cane, the sugar from which is distilled into alcohol. We saw the process and resulting molasses and the whole tour was very interesting, but similar in many ways to other distilleries. Then came the shop. The tour price had included a free drink so when we came into the shop we weren't surprised to be offered samples. There had been four of us on the tour. It was a quiet day and no one else was in the shop. So we spent the next hour sampling around 30 different types of rum, and my friend and I thought we had done pretty well. Then when we decided it was time to leave, we then discovered that the samples hadn't been our free drink!! We were taken to the cocktail lounge where we enjoyed a very generous pina colada each. Then when we did finally leave, I have to say we were a little bit merry!! We were in the middle of nowhere (with the sugar cane fields), no lunch and we had to wait for the bus!! But I didn't mind, I'd had a great morning!
~~~Negril~~~
Another must is the 7 miles of incredibly beautiful white beach in Negril. I think I've walked most of that beach and I loved every minute. The sea is so blue and the sand so white, you can't think of a more perfect beach (well you could, but it would involve getting rid of all the other people on the beach!). The sea doesn't get deep quickly, so its great for paddling in too! I actually stayed in an hotel in Negril (amazing!) A friend who worked for the Jamaican Tourist board had to visit and stay overnight in Negril, we went along for the ride and got a Jamaica Tourist staff discount rate at the hotel. I haven't got a clue which hotel I stayed in - all that mattered to me was that it had hot water (I got a little preoccupied with hot water in Jamaica!)
~~~Rick's Cafe~~~
Everyone who goes to Negril goes to Rick's Cafe to see the sunset! It's perched on top of a rocky outcrop and there are mad people diving off the rocks into the cove below. To get drinks you first have to purchase tokens. As for the sunset, on my two trips they were pretty similar, lovely, but not the best I've seen - that award would have to go Cape Town!
~~~Negril Lighthouse~~~
I am drawn to lighthouses, so we had to visit Negril Lighthouse and we were joined on the guided tour by some Americans. One of the junior lighthouse keepers escorted us round the lighthouse. At the end of the tour, the Americans asked if it was safe to swim off the rocks at the bottom of the cliff beneath the lighthouse. Our guide not only said yes, but said that there was a great place to swim through to the next cove along. He told us that if we just ducked under the water we would find a gap and we could swim right up into the next cave. The Americans and I thought this sounded like a great idea and decided to give it a go. I was last to go and I'd seen all my companions duck down and not return, so I reckoned it was my turn next. I took a quick breath, ducked under the water and in the dark found the small gap in the rock and then after a few feet I tried to bob back up again into the next cave - but I hit my head on rock. I thought this strange, and pulled myself through on the sharp rock a couple of meters and tried to bob back up but my head hit rock again. Now I was scared, I hadn't taken a huge breath as I hadn't expected to be going too far underwater. So I flipped over onto my back and hauled myself through using my hands on the roof of the tunnel, the tunnel was very narrow, not much bigger than me. Eventually I popped out the other side. All the Americans were there shaking and it seems that they had all had a similar experience, they hadn't prepared themselves for such a long haul underwater and by this time my knees were knocking. I looked at my hands and they were bleeding from the cuts on the rock and someone pointed out my back was quite badly scraped too. But now we were stuck. None of us wanted to go back through the tunnel, but the only way back to the path to the top of the cliff was from the previous bay. So basically we had to swim out to sea around the rocky outcrop and back to the other bay. I got out, went up to the top of the cliff and sat under a tree and cried my eyes out. I had been given a huge shock. When I saw a different lighthouse keeper, he told me that tunnel was 15m long and should only be attempted by scuba divers! To this day, I feel sick when I remember how I felt that day. I go through all the what ifs, and the big one, as I was last, what would I have done if one of the Americans had got stuck in the tunnel - the tunnel would have been too small for me to have gone back the way I had come.
Back to a lighter note!
~~~The Perils of being a Single Woman with a British Passport in Jamaica~~~
I had a number of marriage proposals each day. I would like to think it was my beauty and charm that won these men over, but I have this slight inkling it may have had more to do with my British passport. After 2 days, I got a bit fed up with it and decided to have some fun. I took one of my rings and wore it back to front on my wedding finger so it looked like the gold band of a wedding ring. Then whenever they asked me about marriage, I told them I was already married. Then they always wanted to know if my husband was black. My first response was to say, no. But I soon learned that was a bad answer, as they would just respond that I should get rid of him, as a black man would look after me better than a white man. So after that, I would say that my husband was black. Then they wanted to know where he was. My first response to that was that he was at home. Another bad answer, I should get rid of that husband as a good husband looks after his wife all the time. So then, I said my husband was looking after my kids so I could have a day out and gradually the stories got a bit outrageous. I think I spent a huge amount of time in Jamaica just talking rubbish to these obsessive men!! They would ask for my address, they wanted to write to me when I got home, when I refused to give an address, I was harassed until I would. So, my home became Mrs xxxxx, Flat xxx, Somerset House, The Strand, London!!!!!! Somerset House just sounded like a great name for a block of flats - I wonder if they got lots of mail as a result!! If they wanted to attract my attention, they hiss at you too - so be warned, don't respond when someone hisses at you!
~~~Public Transport~~~
I can't talk about other means of transport, because this is how I travelled around Jamaica!
Buses - these are either large single-deckers or mini buses. They are always full to capacity. A seat designed for two will sit 3 to 4, a seat designed for 3 will seat 4 to 5. Then if there is standing room, that will be filled completely and you will scratch around trying to find something to hold to keep you steady. It's by no means a pleasant form of transport, but it's exceptionally cheap - a few cents takes you a long way. On one of these trips the conductor saw that I was a tourist, decided I ought to be charged a "Western" price for the privilege of travelling in the bus - he wanted to charge me USD10 for a trip that most people were paying less than an tenth of that. The rest of the passengers were outraged, and I didn't have to say a thing!!
Taxis - not a charter taxi here which is where you have a taxi for yourself and as a consequence do pay a "Western" price for the journey. These are regular route taxis which travel constantly between two fixed points, much like a bus route. Again like the buses, you fill these small cars to capacity - 8 or 9 can fit in one small car, which often means you end up sitting on someone's lap! To flag down a taxi or bus, just stick your hand out as you see one coming, if they've got a spare 5 inches of room, they'll fit you on.
~~~Language~~~
The recognised language is English, but if you listen to Jamaicans talking, it's difficult to keep up with what's being said as they will speak Patois. I bought a dictionary while I was there, but generally relied on my friends to translate!!
~~~Gifts to Take Home~~~
I bought T-shirts and small gifts in the craft markets of Mo' Bay. Plus rum and rum cream from the supermarket. You may also want to consider the famous Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, which is incredibly expensive in England.
~~~Food~~~
I'm a vegetarian and wouldn't eat the jerk chicken, or jerk pork! I ate lots of rice and peas and loads of fruit. Plus the occasional grilled cheese sandwich!
~~~Would I recommend Jamaica?~~~
This is difficult. The scenery at times was spectacular and I enjoyed many of the things I did in Jamaica. But, and this is a big but, I didn't feel safe. The three worse things that have ever happened to me, happened in Jamaica. I look back with relief that nothing bad really happened, but it could so easily have done and that's what I don't like. So because of that, I wouldn't recommend a visit to Jamaica unless you are either going to a resort, or you are travelling with someone who is Jamaican. I think there must be other places in the world which are just as scenic and you will feel much more secure.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I'm rating this exceptional because I have just got back from Montego Bay (also stayed in Negril), I didn't stay in the safey safet tourist compounds I stayed with real people. However, I know how bad it is because my sister is now serving 2 years for drug trafficing after being set up with 20lbs in her suitcase. I have been to all the rum places there be it Orange Hill or Kingston and I can tell you stories to make your hair curl! They don't judge distance by metres or feet there but by yardies ie you walk down Gloucester to a bar and it's 20 yardies away! It's like Ethopia with fake rastas! Anyway, if you're streetwise and bold which I am, you can get by and there are some great people there, Negril is great especially a club called The Jungle. Annoyed that I cant get proper Jerk Chicken anywhere like you can on the street in the yard.
CarolB 14.10.2003 11:36
I don't think I would consider going there after this. The only way would be with my husband and possibly a group of friends. It's awful to think that people are so hostile. Tourism is so valuable to the island's economy. Carol
Maia 02.08.2003 23:50
Fascinating perspective. I do think that travelling alone in the Caribbean as a single woman can be a daunting experience if you don't fancy trying the 'big bamboo'! Jamaica has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, just after South Africa and Colombia, and it is important to keep your guard up. But it is a beautiful country, as you point out, and Jamaicans are among the most wonderful people in the world.
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Jan 8th, 2003
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