jamaica

Jamaica made a lasting impression on me. It has a beautiful culture, great food and breathtaking views.

History runs deep in Jamaica, and I wanted to learn and see as much as I could. This wasn’t a solo trip, so I wanted to balance my desire to hit the road and seek adventure with down time to relax and go with the flow.

At some point, I found myself discussing my interest of learning more about local life with one of the excursion representatives. “I can tell you go places and care to learn about them,” she noted. She went on to give me a rundown on things that I didn’t know about Jamaica. We went so in-depth to the point we continued the conversation via WhatsApp throughout my time there.

I made it a point to explore outside of the resort. We visited downtown Montego Bay, passed by the famous Rose Hall Great House, and stopped by St. James Parish Church (built in 1774!).

Along the streets were fresh produce and cook shops with mouthwatering Jamaican specialties such as the famous rice and peas, jerk chicken, oxtail, and my personal favorite, curry goat. Also, I tasted star apple for the first time, and let me just say, that may be the best fruit to ever exist.

Having recently watched Bob Marley: One Love, I decided at the last minute to visit Nine Mile. The tour also came with a stop at Dunn’s River Falls, a spot I never heard of before. While I didn’t know much about the tour, I saw that it would allow me to hit spots like Falmouth and Ocho Rios, so I was up for the adventure!

Most importantly, the tour allowed me to see the countryside, which was my favorite part of the trip. I got to see locals and different types of landscapes that Jamaica offers. I also paid close attention to their infrastructure, ranging from electricity to water. Locals mainly used water tanks, which is not the norm in the U.S., so I researched more about this upon returning home. The energy nerd in me!

During this trip, I learned first-hand the differences in punctuality across cultures. At Dunn’s River Falls when my group was preparing to leave, I found myself hurrying across the property panicking that I missed the return time that the guide instructed. Rushing past the gift shop, one of the merchants caught on to my urgency and shouted that I was headed in the wrong direction. Worrying that I was going to miss the van, I aimlessly continued down the path only to be turned around by a dead-end.

“If you would have listened to me the first time,” the merchant stated, watching me rush back in the direction he prompted me to follow earlier.

I couldn’t help but laugh at myself. I was rushing, didn’t listen and ended up having to take longer.

In the long-run (no pun intended), I ended arriving back at the van 15 minutes earlier than everyone else.

“I thought we agreed on 11:15 a.m.?,” I asked breathlessly, approaching an empty van and the tour guide catching up with folks it seemed that he knew.

“When everyone gets back is fine,” he mentioned casually, paying no mind to the time, and returning to his conversation.

While at Nine Mile, I didn’t realize how close we were to Kingston!

“About 45 minutes using the toll,” our tour guide noted.

I couldn’t believe I was this far out from “base”, but it was totally worth it. Overall, the tour was shorter than expected, but I got a chance to see where Bob was born, along with where he and his mother are buried.

Truly one of my favorite trips.