Jamacia Travel Blog

Rounding out my 2025 Greater Antilles Caribbean Island adventures.. I jump into Jamacia.

Widely known to have poor scuba diving.. I’ll just be taking a short visit to experience the vibe.  Skip the diving..  Find the Reggae vibe !!

Most tourists that travel to Jamacia,  come in and out thru Montego Bay… Book an all-inclusive beach bubble  … @Mo Bay or at nearby Ocho Rios.  Then never leave the hotel property, never meet the local people .... then go home.

That’s a perfect plan for a romantic escape. Or running from the cold cold North.. But for Bruce.. the plan doesn’t fit.   I like to meet the locals, feel the street vibe…  Like normal,, I’m an outlier.

Instead of heading directly to the beach,,, I arrive to Kingston – the Jamaican capital…  via another ATR prop plane.  Coming in from Turks and Caicos.  An 1.5 hour flight.  InterCaribbean airlines.  My 7th flight with them this year.  Surprisingly reliable 😊

Immigration is easy.. I fill out their online app. But no one checks it.  I am stamped and thru in 10 minutes flat.  No questions..  I find the taxi dispatcher,, arrange a transfer ... I’m off to town. $35 US.  Cool easy start !!

Not many tourists stop in Kingston.  But it’s my best onward option out of TCI.  Plus,, I’ve always wanted to visit Trench Town.

I book in at Pegasus.  An old legacy hotel in central Kingston.  Across from Emancipation Park.  A giant well maintained 20 story structure, with city views from the roof top.  Its comfortable and a good start for my Jamacia adventure.

Next day,  I arrange a Taxi to Trench Town.. a little pricy to move around by taxi in Kingston. $25/trip one way… $50 to get to Trench Town and back, just a short 15 minute ride from hotel.  Only good part is the Taxi driver waits for me while I tour the Bob Marley museum and take a walk around Trench Town.

I soon find myself at the old Trench Town home of Bob.. history … now a living museum. A small compound with 5-10  buildings and a courtyard have been preserved. Looks like some people live there.  Directly across from the famous Government Yard referenced in Bob’s fantastic amazing song -  ‘No Woman, No Cry’.

For $30,  plus $5 tip..  I get a guide and a tour.  We walk the compound, his old apartment-room.  Several apartments have old pieces from Bob’s history.  A guitar, a burnt out VW bus in the courtyard  ..  I guess they are real … not 100% sure. 

There is a second Bob Marley museum in Kingston .. at his big modern home.. Like a Graceland.. with his Platinum records and a gift shop….   My Trench Town experience is nothing like that!!!  It feels real. My guide is definitely the real deal,, maybe this is legit.

My guide lights up a spleef in the middle of the tour..  a Rasta thru and thru.  A friendly polite man,, I enjoy his company.

We walk around the block.. up 2ed Ave.  - seeing a little of the Trench Town streets.  Modern-day slums … With goats, and trash, people hanging out, kids playing in the street … and wrecked old buildings.. parts of Trech Town lost. Past the huge mural of Bob and his band members.. And of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie – the beloved idol/god of all Rasta’s.

The roads are paved here in Trench Town.  So it’s not a slum like Nairobi ..  but it’s rough around the edges for sure.  As I walk the streets ,, a police car passes – followed closely by an Army Jeep with soldiers shouldering M16’s..  Just a friendly reminder for people to behave. 

A young boy approaches me and fist-bumps..with a big smile.  People notice me,, but I don’t get any bad vibes.. But-then,  its 11am – and I’m only a block from the Culture Yard. Might be a little different at 11pm.

Visiting Trench Town, and seeing the Jamaican Rasta - Ethiopian connection brings me full circle… Several years ago, I had the great fortune of visiting Addis Ababa,  and Haile Selassie’s palace (now a University) –  Haile is said to be the descendant of King Soloman and Queen Shiba. 

I leave Trench Town absolutely satisfied with the experience.. Educated on the history of this Government built housing project,, on land once owned by Mr. Trench …. now a living museum of Kingston.

My Trench Town visit made my entire trip to Jamacia worthy.

Thank you Bob!  You made the world a better place.  Few can say that!

Adding a walk around Emancipation Park,, with photos of the giant naked statues there..  I wrap up my Kingston visit.  I use free time here to work on Dive photos from TCI,, and organize onward travel,  sleep in.  Much needed down time.

I call my Trench Town Taxi driver,, and arrange a land transfer across the island to Montego Bay.  Mo Bay for those in the know..  $300.. same price as I find online.

(A group bus transfer is $50,  a flight $150.. but this is an easier option.)

Next morning. I’m on the road.  With a short look at the Blue Mountains;  a pass thru Spanish Town..  And a peek at Ocho Rios..  About 4 hours later,  I’m at my Montego Bay hotel..

I’m here to figure out why people go to Jamacia.  To get an education.

The Northern Jamacia beaches here are OK.. nothing stunning.. but its Jamacia bro .... respect ..  and the Mojitos are flowing..  Mostly this is a party escape destination..

I book into a cheap dumpy place on the Montego Bay HIP strip.. Searching for the vibe .. And yes,, it’s a dump. Deja hotel.. I won’t be back. 

It’s all about getting wasted here,,  spending some time on Doctors Cave beach,, stumbling down to the casino and the  2727 bar..  Maybe 30 years ago I fit in here.. Now,, not so much.

In Montego Bay,  one afternoon - I do find Usan Bolt’s restaurant for lunch... Kinda cool.  I’m a Track and Field Geek.  😊

I find a Starbucks (that’s cool),  work more dive photo edits,  update my web-site and blog.. killing time.

Plenty of onward travel arrangements need my attention ,, I’m making some big choices about heading home in a month or-so.

I’m happy to have added Jamaica to my adventure this year.. And happy to have learned a few ‘secrets’ of Jamaica..   But,, it’s unlikely to pull me back.. the planet has too many other choices that fit me better.

A couple of last observations..  Jamacia secrets.

The Chinese built all their good roads and highways.  They are also building housing projects for Chinese workers,, mini-cities,, they keep isolated to themselves ,, and they have rights to buy land.. which they are at doing full-speed.  Some Jamaican people fear that arrangement ,,, most don’t understand it ..  The Chinese bring in Truck drivers to build the roads,, and don’t even employ the locals..   In my eyes - A Crazy plan.. I have serious doubts it works out well for Jamacia.  Time will tell.

My experience with the people of Jamacia is a dichotomy.  Reminding me of the split personality of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  Some Jamaicans I meet are absolutely polite, friendly, and did a fantastic job of making me feel welcome.  But others ,,, the opposite.  For example;  Some restaurant wait-staff – will look away as I speak to them, or intentionally ignore me as I try to get their attention.   It’s a split country..  Half moving on.  Half caught in the past.  I blog more of this Caribbean observation in my Virgin Island Blog,,and my St. Vincent blogs.

Another curious observation:  All the T-shirt and souvenir shops along Mo Bay’s HIP Strip, are operated (owned?) by Indians.  I’m thinking that Jamaican history has similarities to Trinadad and Tobago.. a shared history..   Makes sense,  both where large British colonies that the Crown attempted to leverage.. Bringing in Indians many years ago..  I just never knew that aspect of Jamaican history.

Also; In Jamacia, I notice that the after effects of the 'Pandemic' lockdown still have a strong grip. As I arrived in Jamaica.. masked health officials are checking on me.. and large signs warning of the pending Ebola outbreak.. and everywhere,, still the social distancing marks on the floors.. I encounter this grip all over Jamacia.. Everywhere,, poster boards/signs... advising me to wash my hands to avoid the spread of Rona. All these things are phycological barriers to the people,, and factually false ... why the manipulation? ... Difficult to understand the reasons.. as with many of the lockdown 'rules'.. It's just that in Jamacia,, the grip is strong ... the strongest I've seen in the Caribbean this 2025 adventure.

In Mo Bay,  every time I step out of my hotel;  I’m offered woman and drugs… by shady characters.  Some chasing after me.. insisting I need a young girl… or yelling to my back from 30 feet away to get my attention.. wanting me to stop and chat with them about their services..  I understand,, and I’m not surprised..or intimidated.. they are just trying to survive.. But it doesn’t leave a good impression.   Maybe I should have visited here 30 years ago..  ☹ 

I never feel unsafe on my Jamacia adventure ...  In Kingston or Montego.. but it is easy to see that getting into trouble is just one street corner away.

Well, Its airport time again.   I fly out of Montego Bay with the multitude of tourists. The airport is packed with fights to Newark and Philly and JFK.  Americans everywhere.. all from the Beach hotels I skipped.  I don’t notice any Europeans.  That’s Curious.

Trench Town

Onward.

Jamacia Travel Blog