Today I read a post on a fellow traveler’s blog called There’s So Much To See. It was the ABC’s of her travel life. I’m guessing she found the ABC’s somewhere else and used it for her own personal story too. So thanks to that blogger, Nailah, here is my Jamaica travel life summed up by the alphabet! I have adapted mine to suit the only real travel I know – Jamaica.
(A)ge When You Went on Your First International Trip.
If the USA is international to Canada, I was probably only a toddler when my mom started taking us on road trips. If we’re talking specifically Jamaica, I was 30.
(B)est Foreign Beer You’ve Had and Where.
I hate beer so I never had a foreign beer until I reached Jamaica. And I only had a Red Stripe because it was the thing to try there. I am a rum girl.
(C)usine (Favorite).
Y’all might be disappointed but I think I like Mexican food better than Jamaican food, on a whole. Ole! Favorite Jamaican dish is red pea soup, second is properly made curry chicken.
(D)estinations, favorite, least favorite and why.
Negril is my least favorite destination in Jamaica. I can’t pinpoint why but it just seems to vacationy and beachy and really isn’t my style. Which brings me to my most favorite spot, Spanish Town. It’s my favorite because it’s gritty and real and has a TON of Jamaican history. I don’t travel to vacation, I travel to learn and experience.
(E)vent you experienced in Jamaica that made you say “wowâ€.
There are so many, and most of them are negatives that left me speechless. I guess the ones that stand out in my head the most are the thieving experiences. And the reasons they made me say WOW is because of the blatant ridiculousness of each situation. The mentality was just not even there.
(F)avorite mode of transportation:
Hands down, driving is my favorite way to get around the island. It’s an adventure every time you drive out, from the nascar speeding and navigating of Jamaican drivers, to the pothole obstacle courses, to just sailing on the open road with all windows down and loud music infiltrating your brain. Second favorite mode of transport is the route taxi. It’s a different and amusing ride every time and you never know who you’re going to share a seat with.
(G)reatest feeling while traveling.
Complete and utter detachment from my Canadian culture and full immersion into Jamaican culture.
(H)ottest place you’ve traveled to.
Adapting the question to hottest “month” I’ve traveled to Jamaica – August. I wanted to kill myself. I’ve never EVER felt a need to lay around for an entire trip and be anxious to leave the island.
(I)ncredible service you’ve experienced and where.
Hmmmm why is it so difficult to come up with something?
(J)ourney that took the longest:
A 24 hour tour I gave some friends that made a complete circle of the island. The trip went like so: Ocho Rios – Montego Bay – Negril (overnight) – south coast, Mandeville – Spalding – Spanish Town – back to Ocho Rios. We touched 9 out of the 14 parishes in 24 hours. My ass was numb but boy was it worth it!
(K)eepsake from your travels.
I never buy souvenirs but the ONE thing I’ve had since my very fist trip is stinky sand in a Cool Runnings water bottle. It was scooped off the beach in Negril in March of 2003 and it still sits on my mantle to this day no matter how many times I’ve been back.
(L)et-down site. Why and where?
Dunns River falls in Ocho Rios. I didn’t like it one bit. I went there a long time ago because that’s what Jamaicans tell you to do in Ocho Rios. It was a gorgeous waterfall spoiled by hundreds of tourists. It was so filled with people climbing the falls that I just sat in a pool of water at the bottom of the falls and watched others climb it. No where in Jamaica has really let me down except for this.
(M)oment Where you fell in love with Travel.
On my second trip to Jamaica when I actually DID travel. My first trip was a prize to an all-inclusive resort and I fell in love with free liquor and the island “feel”. But that second trip I was nowhere near a hotel, I was fully exploring and learning and that sealed the deal for me.
(N)icest Hotel you’ve Stayed in.
Since I can’t deny I’ve won two trips and have done reviews of some pretty nice places, then I have to admit the swankiest hotel I’ve stayed at was the Ritz Carlton Montego Bay. Nicest place that’s not a hotel was Goblin Hill Villa in Port Antonio, where I was invited to write a review.
(P)assport stamps, how many and from where?
In two passports over 9 years I have 16 Jamaica passport stamps and probably around 10 USA stamps.
(Q)uirkiest attraction you’ve visited and where:
I don’t think I’ve visited a “quirky” attraction per se, I guess the most unique one would be Firewater in St Anns Bay, Jamaica. Otherwise, EVERYTHING is quirky in Jamaica because it’s so different from normal life in Canada. Shopping at a Spanish Town wholesale was about as quirky as it got for me.
(R)ecommended sight, event or experience.
I think the one experience I’d recommend the most is Port Royal, the wickedest city on earth. I highly recommend taking that tour if you like learning about Jamaican history, real pirates, how the city sunk into the sea, the treasures buried there, etc. One of the most educational places I’ve been in Jamaica.
(S)plurge; something you have no problem forking over money for while traveling.
Rum. I hate to say it but it’s probably my most frequent expense while traveling Jamaica. Aside from that, a vehicle. Ever since I started driving in Jamaica I feel like it’s broadened my horizons so much more because I’m free to get where I want to go and explore.
(T)ouristy Thing you’ve Done.
I admit it…..on my first trip I fell victim to a hair braider on Negril beach. HOWEVER, I only had the front of my hair done in rows. I did not get on a plane with dangling beads hanging from a hundred braids hanging off my head.
(U)nforgettable travel memory.
Watching my son DJ at a nightclub in Kingston, Jamaica for his 18th birthday. For me, traveling with him is priceless every time and watching him be in the spotlight in MY favorite country made me so proud.
(V)isas, how many and for where?
None. Except for the prepaid Visa card in my wallet LOL.
(W)ine, best glass of wine while traveling.
Well….in Jamaica wine doesn’t come in a glass. It comes in mini bottles with pictures of half-naked females on them and the wine most likely contains “horny goat weed”. MAGNUM is my favorite wine concoction in Jamaica!
e(X)cellent view and from where.
Without a doubt, from the tip of Jamaica’s Blue Mountains. Depending on where you are there might not be a sea view but no matter what you’re looking at, it’s incredible.
(Y)ears spent traveling.
In general, since I was probably 4 years old. Road trips through the Grand Canyon or to California with my mom are etched in my memory banks. Traveling to Jamaica for 9 years and counting.
(Z)ealous sports fans and where:
At Fisherman’s Beach in Ocho Rios….and the zealous fans were not Jamaican. We were Canadians and Americans watching the final gold medal round of Olympic hockey in 2010. It was the most unlikely place I’ve ever watched hockey and the small crowd of foreigners who gathered in camaraderie to watch our two countries compete was a great experience.
This was a really fun exercise going from A to Z in my Jamaica travel experiences. Maybe you should take the time to sit down and come up with your own list! It really helps to recall those wonderful travel memories!
Comments
14 responses to “My ABC’s of Jamaica Travel”
I enjoyed reading this post because so many people believe that travel is mainly about who jets off the most and who has gone the farthest. This is a true reminder that regardless of where your travels take you, the important thing is to really experience the destination by absorbing the culture. If not, you might as well stay at home.
Amen to that! What’s that famous travel quote? >>> “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home”
First of all, cool site! LOL the new year brought in a cute makeover! And I enjoyed this A to Z write-up, as I read each one I felt like i could recall the blog post it correlated to.
Thanks Doms!! And I know you know most of my posts so it’s like a recap for you. Although I never did and never will post about the Ritz Carlton LOL!
Great post, Kristi! I so agree with you about Dunns River Falls! I’ve been there only once and have had plenty of opportunity to go back, but once was enough for me. But I like Negril, though. I just like the vibe there. Its a bit touristy yes, but its such a beautiful place and perhaps the most peaceful town on the island. In fact I decided to set my film there. I hope you’ll still watch! 🙂
Curious: why won’t you post about the Ritz Carlton?
Great job, Kristi. I learned a lot about Jamaica just reading this. I’ve only been to Jamaica once and it was kind of Jamaica-lite b/c it was Spring Break and I was in Negril (more American college students than locals). But I do plan to come back and a get a different perspective. Don’t leave before I get there, OK?? Also, thanks so much for the shout out! I feel all warm and fuzzy. 🙂
You’re quick! Love your JA spin on it.
Totally agree with Dunn’s. I felt like a retard walking up the falls holding hands with 35 strangers (wedding party and guests). Port Royal is such a cool vibe and the Blue Mountains breathtaking!
This was good for me to catch some posts that I’ve missed out on too…hitting the archives…
@April – LOL at your description at Dunns. That’s exactly why I didn’t go up, just too much. Glad you’re finding some of my older posts. This ABC thing was such a great way to make me relive some old moments as well as new.
@Nailah – Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for the inspiration from your blog post 🙂 Unfortunately I’m not in Jamaica now, I’m back in Canada but would love to meet up down there some day!
@Shelley – It’s not that I dislike Negril, I’ll go and spend a night or two if I want beach. It’s just too slow for me I think, and the hustlers bother me lmao! And of course I’ll still watch your film! Can’t wait for that. Oh the reasons I won’t do a review on the Ritz: #1 I stayed there a long time before I started blogging so I don’t have great pictures of it. #2 I kinda try to stay away from the all-inclusive thing, like promoting local. #3 I didn’t stay on the property much because the package we won was not all-inclusive and I couldn’t afford the damn food LOL! So I had to taxi outta there every day to eat and have fun.
I have never been to Dunns, or taken a “real” trip to JA yet. However, when I was on my cruise last year, I had the opportunity to take a tour to Dunns when we docked in Ochi. I took one look at the brochure, and thought…..”No way, not for me at all”. It didn’t even look appealing. I would rather go sit at a local rum bar all day. I think Dunns is no different then a beautiful coral reef that has been touched over and over again by ignorant tourists – it just gets ruined and totally looses it’s appeal.
All I can say is I absolutely hate Negril as well. Its a man made town especially for the tourists and its plain, boring and SO TOURISTY….! Ive even gone into the areas where the community lives and I still hate it…
LOL Janet!!! I don’t loathe Negril but I don’t have any desire to hang out there. I have a few foreign friends who live there and would spend the night to see them. I did Negril my first 4 trips and there’s nothing there for me really.
Jamie, I hear you. Anyway there are SO many tourist things to do that side of the island that arent’ overrun with tourists. Plantation tours are awesome and completely underrated. When I took my mom we were the only two people on the entire tour! Sad really cuz plantations are a huge part of Jamaican history.
No jerked chicken??!!! haha
Yum rum! Appleton Rum Cream is quite good too! Think of ‘exra-rummy’ rum and raisin ice-cream!
I quite enjoyed reading this! There’s so much more I need to see and experience! Thankx for sharing.
love reading reading everything here, thanks for sharing your experiences… going to have such a ginormous to-do list when i get back there! ditto about rum, and the din at Dunn’s… and ditto the bottle of sand! (mine’s sitting on my coffeetable next to a teeny tiny bottle of ocean, told the universe i was borrowing a bit of Jamaica and would return them when i was back)
Awww Tanya how cool! Why didn’t I ever think of bringing home a tiny bottle of sea water!