Bob Marley

                                         Jamaica:   

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Current News for Jamaica

Jamaica is truly blessed. Tropical climate, Mountains, Rivers, Fruit Trees, Flowers, Beaches, Great Music and some of the nicest people anywhere. The Island language is their own dialect of the English language that may be a little difficult to understand until you have been there for some time and come to learn that amongst other things, when a word starts with an "H" the "H" will be silent, such as Hot is pronounced "ot"  and Heat is "eat". Conversely words that don't have an "H" have an "H". Words like Eat is pronounced Heat. It take a while to get used to but it adds to the ambience. to see the this lingo used in phrases go to Interpret this please.

Even though Jamaica has been featured in many movies you need to actually visit it in order to soak in the "local" atmosphere. You will find many willing guides. Taking a tourist on tour of their favorite hangouts, is a favorite pastime of many of the interactive Jamaican youth and young adults. Some caution has to be exercised when accepting any offer to be accompanied as there are some people with lower scruples in any tourist inundated areas. 

The Island is large enough to have climatic differences and the lay of the land varies from region to region. The Eastern portion of the country is subject to high levels of rain, and the foliage reflects it. 

Away from the busy tourist towns of Negril and Montego Bay is Jamaica's best-kept secret: Port Antonio.  If you were to travel East along the North Shore towards Port Antonio,  the peaceful village at the foot of the Blue Mountains that is gathering attention, thanks to a marina that will soon welcome more cruise ships, you will come across a Rain Forest. There is public access in this wonder, that takes you on a path along side a creek in a valley between two mountains. At the far east end of the island you will find Blue Mountain with an elevation of 2,256 m or 7332 Feet. This is the source of the world famous and extremely expensive Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. If you really want it fresh buy some beans while in JA. The western end of the Island is somewhat drier and the southern region west of Kingston shows some very scraggly growth scattered with sisal agaves.

The night club scene can be very enjoyable. The music will be primarily the island rhythms with Reggae (made famous by Bob Marley) being the dominant genre. If you want Calypso or Meringue you will probably hear more of these choices at the hotel and resort pool bars.  This music has a beat that is felt internally making it very easy to begin moving like a local.

It is best exchange your money for Jamaican dollars at a bank instead of accepting whatever exchange rate that a vendor gives you. It will not be as fair as if you went to a bank. (also be cautious of trading your money to someone on the black market who claim to get you a better rate) The following are examples as compared to the US dollar of the most recent exchange rates  that we have and few older years  thrown in for a historic look at how the Jamaican dollar is doing. Jamaican dollars per US dollar  -60.95 as of July 30th 2004 and historically - 57.74 (2003), 48.42 (2002), 46 (2001), 42.7 (2000), 39.04 (1999) in other words if you  exchanged $100.00 US in 2003  you would get back $6095.00 in Jamaican currency. Don't be shocked if a dinner for one costs you $500..00 to $700.00 in a nice sit down location. Translation (US$8.00 to $12.00).

You will find some of the traditional American fast food chains but don't hesitate to sample the local cuisine. You will find the there is a wide range of foods that are not  available in the North American mainland. Not only is it prepared using different seasonings and methods but Jamaicans utilize food sources that the rest of the world is not aware of. Goat is a favorite choice and they are the same goat that you will see wandering along side the roads and climbing on top of abandoned cars. There is no Montezuma's Revenge here as in Mexico, Jamaica has plenty of fresh water and even though the surroundings may seem littered and their food crudely prepared, the dishes will be clean and should be safe for even sensitive stomachs. This is not to say that some food will not disagree with some people but overall the eating experience should be pleasant.  

Driving in Jamaica is done on the left. You can rent a car using your home country drivers license, but if you have never driven on the left then you may find it somewhat unnerving or at least your passengers might. It is best to stick to driving only when you have to, at least until you get the hang of it. The taxis have improved over the years, now that more cars are coming into the Island. There was a time when the government was in turmoil and imports were discouraged if not unlawful on many items. The the taxis were so run down that you may have been required to help push start it or even climb over the front seat just to get into the back. 

You will occasionally find a round-about (traffic circle). Be sure to stay to left when getting both onto and off of it. When turning onto a deserted road you may be inclined to assume a position on the right hand side of the road and get a nasty awakening when you round a corner - of which there are many - and find someone coming at you on what you thought was your side of the road. That can be unsettling to say the least, however there may be times when you are on the correct side of the road and still find someone coming around the corner on your side, hold your position; Jamaicans often swing wide when cornering or it may be some other crazy tourist, who hopefully will realize their mistake and swerve to correct it. 

Most of us consider a car horn being blown at us, a sign of danger. But in Jamaica the horn is used as a greeting or as a position or intent indicator with such frequency that you will likely find yourself beeping at everybody for no reason at all. Just remember to give up this trait when you get back home or expect to get greeted with a middle finger. 

 It seems contrary that in a country that is so laid back, that once a Jamaican gets behind the wheel of a vehicle , any vehicle -car - bus - truck whatever, suddenly the island pace picks up 5 fold and everyone is in a hurry to get somewhere. Tailgating is highly frowned upon in most countries where as here it is the norm. They will ride your tail, pushing you around corners at speeds you reserve for freeways, and then with a toot of the horn they will zoom around you. Where they choose to zoom around you seems to be arbitrary. As long as they can't see anyone coming toward you at close quarters they will pass. This includes blind corners because remember they couldn't see anyone coming, so that makes it an opportune time to pass. Make sure you're prayed up.

Most International flights will land at either Kingston on the South side of the country or into Montego Bay (Mo Bay) on the north shore. If you are staying anywhere along the North shore then you should choose Mo Bay as your arrival destination. Some popular North shore resort areas are Negril to the West and Ochco Rios/ St. Anns to the East. If you fly into Mo Bay then you won't have to spend a night in Kingston as often happens, and then take a taxi all the way from Kingston through the mountains to the North shore resorts. The drive from Montego Bay is straighter and over better roads but admittedly the drive from Kingston if much prettier. 

Kingston is the capitol of JA and most official business is conducted there. While it is not considered the tourist destination the Ochie or Negril are, there are some very redeeming feature that make the trip to Kingston worthwhile. Be sure to allow enough time to squeeze in Hope Botanical Garden. The gardens have such a variety of plants that everyone should be able to find something there to hold them in awe. If the Plants don't do it then maybe the Peacocks with their dazzling plumage will do the trick.

Celebrations in Jamaica consist of Food music and revelry. Jamaica Day on first Monday in August, is perhaps one of the most celebrated of all the local holidays.  Jamaica gained their independence from England on August 6th 1962 and  2004  rung in the 42nd anniversary of Jamaica's independence. Jamaican are extremely proud to be Jamaican and are proud of their country. You will see the Black Green and Gold colors of their flag  used in a multitude of applications. 

Ganja smoking seems to be legal but it is not. You see it everywhere or at least smell it. You will undoubtedly have an opportunity to try the local herbs but believe me you don't want to do time in and Jamaican prison. There is a White mountain just outside of Kingston that is destined to be taken down flat, by pick and shovel and prison labor.  Not the ideal way to spend time in paradise.

Perhaps the biggest problem with Jamaica is the haven't learned not to shoot their selves in the foot. Because they live in in conditions that they consider "poor" they push themselves or their product onto every tourist who comes their way to the point of being annoying and even frightening to some. If they would take the same amount of effort into creating an honest to goodness commercial endeavor and not harass the tourist then perhaps people would stay longer or return more often and spend more money. Unfortunately  because of the constant bombardment tourist begin to take a defensive stance after about the second day. If you go, and you should still consider it, don't obviously be a tourist. Hide your camera when not using it and dress in less flowery clothing and don't wear sock with sandals. If you make eye contact with someone who looks like they would want to approach you just give them a little shake of your head to show you have no desire. Do it in a conspiratory way and it will indicate to the approacher that you  are a season traveler and not an easy mark.

Away from the busy tourist towns of Negril and Montego Bay is Jamaica's best-kept secret: Port Antonio. The peaceful village at the foot of the Blue Mountains is garnering attention, thanks to a marina that will soon welcome more cruise ships and to recording studios making noise on the world-music scene. Jamaica has produced some exceptionally talented musicians and lyricists.

 Bob Marley (Robert Nesta Marley) February 6 1945 to May 11th 1981

 Perhaps the best known Jamaican musician is Bob Marley, but one shouldn't forget about Peter Tosh who was Bob's best friend and co-composer until a break up a few years before Bob Marley's death. His death is shrouded in speculation. The official cause was Liver cancer but many would like to blame the  government for his passing as Bob had troublesome times with regard to the officials. See his songs that portray his struggle and specifically No Woman No Cry that is a tribute to those lost when it is claimed that government employees set fire to a shanty town (Trenchtown - Many whom were neighbors and admirers of Bob Marley) during a strong wind, causing many people to lose their lives. The famous and often envied I Shot The Sheriff  which is based on an actual occurrence. Study the words and you will find that Bob shot at the Sheriff whom he could see and obviously missed and implies that the sheriff shot his own deputy so that he could pin it on Bob Marley.
See the entire Bob Marley Bio by clicking this link.
See The song page for lyrics and chords

More about Jamaica to come.

 Country Rating: #5= Make an effort to see   Abrasive

If you enjoy Jamaica then check out similar pages such as the Cayman Islands  and the Islands of the Bahamas. 

The "World Factbook" on Jamaica is compiled by the CIA and gives you statistic that may be useful.

See all the Activities we currently feature and see what is yet to come.

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