Fast facts
Capital: Kingston
Population: 2,7 million
Area: 11 391 sq km
Known for: coffee, chocolate, reggae, rasta, chill and smoke
Negril
18th - 24th January
We've arrived in Montego Bay on the 18th January and drove straight to Negril (west coast – 1,5 hr drive) so that Aneta could shake of her illness (she got sick in Caracas just before departure - could be food poisoning...).
We were lucky to have this simple eatery hut next to where we stayed, serving great local Jamaican food to a reasonable price. Jerk Chicken is one of the most typical Jamaican dishes, usually sold from the BBQ on the streets. They use a special Jamaican jerk spice for this.
Negril stretches around an 11 km white sandy beach of Long Bay. It’s one of the few places where you still can tan the whole booty ;-) This place is also known for its reggae concerts along the beach. Negril has a lovely beach, but there are too many all-inclusive hotels occupying the beach and too many hustlers attracted by big numbers of visitors coming here, trying to to sell you all kind of services and gadgets and of course marijuana.
4th - 7th February
Negril organized Bob Marley birthday bash from 2-6 Feb with reggae concerts all night long. We were there on the 6th, but unfortunately we didn’t see any big stars although the music was nice.
Treasure Beach
24th January - 4th February
We wanted to escape the tourists and hustlers and moved to Treasure Beach - a tranquil and authentically charming, fishing village on the south-west tip of the island. This is a place where you can buy fresh catch of the day directly from local fishermen. The beach isn’t breathtaking (a bit dark sand), but it’s clean and the sea is clear and nice for swimming. You stay the beach almost all by yourself. Since this is off the beaten track, we've got a good price on a villa with terrace on a small hill, over viewing the beach and its fantastic sunset. On the backside you can see Santa Cruz Mountains. The pace of life here is slow and simple. Or as they say; No problem mon! You’re in Jamaica now. Respect!
There are only a few small shops/groceries and eateries around here. For the first time we've tried a conch. Conch soup looks to be a favorite dish here. The fruits here are fantastic. The oranges are so juicy that you can squeeze them with your bare hands! They also have quite a bit of other exotic fruits which we have never seen before (see our photo sets). There were some other exotic fruits on the beach one day, shooting pictures for an exotic commercial!
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The Nine Mile – The home of Bob Marley
2nd February
A few days before the celebration kicks off in Negril to celebrate Bob Marley birthday, we headed to his birth site and resting place in Nine Mile Village (1000m above the sea level) which is a 2,5 hrs drive from theTreasure Beach. The name comes after Eight Mile village, which is exactly located 1 mile away from Nine Mile. And the Eight Mile village is located 1 mile away from Seven Mile village and so on…. On the property you’ll find the house Bob was born and raised in. His mother is 81 and still lives there (we could almost see her leg as she passed below us...). Another highlight is The Inspiration Stone (Mt Zion Rock/ The Pillow), where he sat and learn to play guitar. You can hear him talking about the pillow it the album Talkin’ Blues.
Bob is buried in a 2.4m oblong marble 6 feet above the ground. There is space also for his mother.
For more information about Nine Mile check out their site and this Bob Marley birthday article.
Our latest Jamaican photo sets can be found here.
Next
7th February we flew to St. Lucia to meet our friends and to sail together in the Caribbean for a week. Then we fly to Kingston (14th) and Cuba (20th). We’ll be off-line for a while now ;-)
Take Care!
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