A Few Lessons on “How To” in Jamaica

When I come home from Jamaica and look back through the hundreds of pictures I’ve taken I always run across a few that would make good lessons on how to do some simple things to make life a little easier on vacation.  Here are some of those pics and a few funny little lessons on “how to” make your Jamaica vacation a little more simple.

Lesson 1 – How to build a beach bed so you don’t have to carry one:

Bury the willing.  Lay down.  Relax in the sunshine!

My Canadian friend, her son and one of our Jamaican friends hit Bluefields beach on Independence Day (August 6).  We asked our Jamaican friend if we could bury him in the sand and he agreed.  Once we were finished burying all but his head I saw that this lump in the sand would make a fantastic beach bed so I took that opportunity to kick back and relax.  It was a perfect solution!

Lesson 2 – How to create a “bar in a bag” and save money:

Buy a giant bottle of your favorite liquor at the supermarket and keep it in your hotel room.  Obtain an empty flask and an empty pop bottle from any bar on the road.  Next time you’re going somewhere that they only sell single shot drinks but have run out of cups (lol this is a true story!) you just buy a bottle of your favorite mix at the bar where they have no cups.  Cut your empty pop bottle in half (every Jamaican has a knife, just ask around), and now you have TWO cups and liquor and mix!  I like to call these  “country cups”.

Voila….bar in a bag!

Lesson 3 – How to prepare quick meals in your guest room when you have no kitchen:

Again, visit the nearest supermarket.  There are lots of instant fixes just like back home such as noodle soup, fruit, instant coffee and even some local delights such as Grace single serve instant porridge.  Buy an $1800 electric kettle (roughly $20.00) and there you have it.  An instant kitchen on your night stand.

Yes, Skittles and rum cream are food groups!  It’s also worth mentioning that those Vape mosquito coils in the picture – a pack of six coils is only about $0.80 cents so buy them and burn those mothers like they’re going out of style!  Oh, and if you’re wondering what to do with the kettle at the end of your trip, just give it to a Jamaican friend.  They can use it in their own kitchen on loan and you can use it on your next trip if you don’t have a kitchen again!

There you have it…..a quick tutorial on how to save money and live conveniently while on vacation in Jamaica!

If you have any funny or practical ways of saving money while on vacation, drop them in the comments below!