Yah mon, we survived 11 days on the wild, crazy island of Jamaica. It was the last of 10 countries on our Caribbean list and the most challenging by a long shot. This island has been on our travel list for years and for a brief minute was a dream honeymoon destination all those years ago, but all illusions of a Caribbean paradise have been shattered as we discovered the real Jamaica and while it had its moments, we generally found this one to be a lot of hard work for minimal rewards, and without half of the beauty of some of its neighbours.
First there are the people – we met some genuinely friendly, charismatic people who embody the Jamaican spirit of peace, respect and reggae. We also came across many who were arrogant, pushy, disrespectful and stoned: a very different vibe to all of the other islands in the last two months. And speaking of stoned, you cannot go anywhere in this country without being hustled to buy ganya (weed) or passive smoking it. Restaurants, the beach, even lying in bed in our own room – the pungent smoke permeates everything and no doubt explains the slow moving pace of everyone (except when they drive!).
Taking the option of a car as we have on most of the other islands we quickly became aware that these guys are mental on the roads. We came close to a head-on collision when an oncoming car was overtaking in our lane, leaving mere centimetres between us when he swerved back into his lane; and we literally prayed for our lives in a taxi (with no seatbelts) driven by an ego maniac, wanna-be gangsta. It’s definitely been the most adventurous driving experience we have had and hard to tell if it is better to drive yourself and have control of the wheel, or put your life in the hands of a ganya smoking rastafarian…
Starting in Montego Bay on the mid north coast, Jamaica’s second largest city after Kingston, we were surprised at the state of the place. Run down and overrun with hustlers the vibe was hostile, and given the popularity of Jamaica as a holiday destination we couldn’t help but wonder where has all the tourist money gone over the years? Certainly not into investing in infrastructure in the cruise ship ports of Montego or its counterpart Ocho Rios, although there are a few attractions on the island that appear to be well run and maintained including a “Cool Runnings” bobsled run; two falls sites on the north (Dunns River) and south (YS Falls) of the island, and the questionable Dolphin Cove that offers cruisers an up close experience.
Leaving cruise ship territory we headed east for the quiet town of Port Antonio, the locals calling it the real Jamaica. It’s lush and peaceful and whilst there is a small range of accommodation and eating options there are not so many tourists on the east side. This worked in our favour as we went rafting on the famous Blue Lagoon and shared it with only three others, and during our two hour journey down the Rio Grande river we had it to ourselves.
Our river rafter told us that tourism has decreased dramatically in recent years due to cruise ship arrivals dropping off, something he blames on political issues and government corruption. We have no way to confirm this, but the hassling we experienced everywhere on the island is an indicator that those who rely on tourist dollars are suffering and with fewer tourists to approach it can get quite intense.
Passing through Kingston for a night where we had an excellent meal (a Caribbean rarity in our experience) in a jazz bar, we headed south to the remote and laid back Treasure Beach: the first beach we had come across that looked remotely like anything we had seen on the other islands, and without all the trash that littered the north coast beaches. There is not much to do down here, which is kind of the point, but a few hot tips had given us the heads up on a bar off the coast that was literally a shack on posts in the ocean.
For an exorbitant US$90 we were taken by boat to the Pelican Bar which was pretty cool – quite literally a collection of timber posts and planks standing on a sand cay in the ocean. We were rewarded with a few fish to see and a swim with cocktail in hand, but in terms of water, sealife and cocktail quality it was not the best we had seen.
Finally after seven days of touring and wondering what the attraction is here, we hit Negril on the west coast which provided the redeeming factor. Seven Mile Beach is without question the best beach on the island that we saw; the restaurant and food quality generally outstrip the rest of the island (note – this is still the Caribbean so its still too Americanised, over priced and average quality, but Negril had more variety than any other town); and the hustling here was not as intense as we had been led to believe.
Our cliff side resort provided a lovely haven for our last few days of sun and Caribbean living and although it hasn’t been our favourite island, in Negril we could see enough reasons why people come to Jamaica for a holiday. It just won’t be on our list again.
So thats a wrap on our Caribbean tour! In eight weeks we visited 10 countries/territories and 23 islands. We broke our budget due to the unbelievable cost of food, accomodation and day trips. We took 12 flights (most of them delayed), 6 ferrys, 6 island day trips, and rented 13 cars and 1 kayak.
Was it an adventure? Yes! Would we do it again? Probably not. Eight weeks was a little too long in a region that is not really equipped for flashpackers to get around easily on a budget, and the heat and constant insect bites can be punishing. It has been a wild ride and we have certainly made some special memories, but its time to leave the Caribbean bubble and return to the real world for a while.
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