Carnival (April 18th, Kingston)
Reggae Sumfest (July, Montego Bay)
Montego Bay Jazz Festival (January)

Food favorites: Tastee's Jamaican patties with coco bread, The Hot Pot in Kingston, The Ranch in Sav La Mar, The Brewery in Montego Bay, Kenny's Sips and Bites in Negril.

Little Facts: If you need to exchange money do so at a cambio where the rates are higher. Taxi drivers and restaurants give a much lower rate. Buy Blue Mountain coffee and other food items at the local grocery store for airport duty free prices are more than double. Best taxi price from Negril to Kingston with multiple stops along the way: $100 US. Email us for the contact number.

Great Pictures on the net.

visitjamaica.com
Gleaner
Observer
iriefm
radiojamaica
jamaicalifestyle.com
FameFM
Rockhouse Hotel
whaddat.com

Carnival Bands/Promoters
bachannaljamaica.com
jamaicacarnival.com

DJs & Producers (email us for contact info)
Kurt Riley (best soca DJ)
Stone Love
Metromedia
Renaissance
Sparkles Disco
Jah Records
Geejam Records

RUM: Appleton
Local Beer: Red Stripe

Anthony B
Beres Hammonds
Buju Banton
Byron Lee and the Dragonaires
Elephant Man
Lady Saw
Luciano
Red Rat
Sean Paul
Shaggy
Tanto Metro and Devonte
Tanya Stephens
TOK
Vegas
Wayne Wonder
Vybz Kartel

View of Pirate's Cave from the Rockhouse, Negril

Maya's Log (April 2004): Photo Album. In the mid 1980's I had first visited Jamaica and was too young to remember anything but the elections going on and the fact that certain colors of clothing should not be worn if you valued your life. The next trip was in 1993 when thirteen of us from MIT made an "official" visit to Jamaica as part of a cultural development program. In one week we went from Kingston to Ocho Rios to climb the Dunn's River Falls, to Port Antonio where we spent a most luxurious night at the Goblin Villas and swam until the sand flies reclaimed their territory, to Port Royal where we ate fresh lobster and learnt to make bammy from grated cassava. As engineers who did theater our days were packed with presentations at the Edna Manley Art School, CAST, high schools, orphanages and meetings with cultural icons like Rex Nettleford and Barbara Gourdon. It was January 1993, Shabba Ranks was rocking the airwaves in Boston and we made it to his birthday party at a club in Kingston called Shine. One of the members of our group, Nelly Rosario (author of Songs of the Water Saints) always remembers Shabba decked out in silver from head to toe, the suit was shimmering. Now some eleven years later I returned with Joanne, an American friend from San Diego who had never visited the English speaking Caribbean before and who would arrive with me in Jamaica just in time for the Kingston carnival.

Easter Sunday: We arrived in Montego Bay at noon after leaving the bay at 11:30 pm the previous night on US Airways (sidestep.com gave the best fares ~$540.00 US). Upon getting out of the Sangster Airport, my ex-roommate's aunt picked us up and dropped us at the newly redone Doctor's Cove beach where the entrance fee was $5 US ($300 JA), the sand was clean and the water calm. For two hungry souls looking to eat one of the dinners served on the beach (jerk plate was $10 US) service was a bit slow and instead we settled for Red Stripe ($70 JA) and bland chicken patties ($135 JA). There was a big carnival event at Chukka Cove near Ocho Rios, but it was over an hour away and taxi drivers wanted to charge close to $150 US to go there. Understandably, we should have arrived a day earlier and stayed in Ocho Rios to attend Bacchanal Jamaica's beach j'ouvert and then Jamaica Carnival's Chukko Cove event.

Our hosts owned the Brewery, the most happening spot in Montego Bay that attracts alot of locals and usually holds shows with artists like Beenie Man and Vybz Kartel. It is a few doors west of the Pelican and Margaritaville and in the same driveway as the XTATIK XXX club. The men who work the beach try to sell you anything from a jet ski ride to aloe for your skin to a smoke to a good Jamaican sexual experience. Tourist areas in Jamaica like Ocho Rios and Montego Bay report the highest number of HIV/AIDS cases in the island, yet no awareness campaign was visible at the airport, in the hotels or in the nightclubs. We did spot a fishbowl filled with free condoms behind the bar at the Brewery with the Jamaica Aids Support logo on it. It was April 11th, 2004 and Lara had just made a world record in cricket. Excited to be going to the Brewery that night to party (Good Friday and Easter Monday are holidays in Jamaica) we decided to take a nap. The next day we heard that the night was hot and that things went until after 5 am.

View of Negril from Chances Bar, Dining at the Rockhouse looking at favorite gazebo, In favorite gazebo, View from cabin at Rockhouse,

Easter Monday: It's about an hour's drive from Montego Bay to Negril along the coast. Negril resembles a real tourist town with hotels lining the seven mile stretch of white and sandy beach. If you happen to venture a little more west and check into a hotel called the Rockhouse you'll find yourself jumping from 40 foot cliffs into the sea and swimming in the deep waters and surrounding caves rather than spend the day on the busy beach. Higher rates apply from September through April 15th, lowest priced rooms are $75 during the low season, and a one night deposit is required to make a reservation. If you take advantage of the two for one drinks at the Rockhouse between 5 and 7 pm every afternoon, we recommend the Papaya Splash. Snorkels can be rented for $2.50 US per day (same price you pay for 15 minutes of internet usage on the public computer available there) and though we saw few fish close to the cliffs, trips out to sea with either Errol or Vincent's glass bottom boat ($10 US) will please you. If you are up for the exercise, swim over to Pirate's Cove (the water in the cave is shallow and a well carved out staircase leads you from the sea to the bar) and take a jump off of their cliff into the water. It's a terrifying feeling, but as the lifeguard put it, "Just step off." If you want to see more acrobatic and professional dives head to Rick's Cafe at the end of the island (2 minute drive). Tons of people, live reggae, a busy bar and restaurant, the sea, sunset and you. Well built men take turns diving from the cliffs into the narrow cove close to Ricks. Signs read, "Divers Jump for Tips" and way up in the delicate looking branches of the trees you can see "$10 US jump" and higher still, "$15."

Glass bottom boat pick up at Rockhouse, Divers at Rick's Cafe, Dinner at Kenny's Sips and Bites (~$220 JA), Hungry Lion restaurant

If you're looking for good, reasonably priced Jamaican food in Negril stop in at Kenny's Sips and Bites. A breakfast of ackee and saltfish, green banana, johnny cakes, yam, plantain, breadfruit and calalloo with coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice costs about $4 US. It seems to be a popular spot with locals and you'll likely run into many an upcoming reggae star like Anthony Abel who'll serenade you with his songs and try to sell you a CD. He had just opened for a Luciano show on Easter Sunday so he just might be the next Sanchez. Jah Recording Studios is located in Negril and many a Luciano tune was done there. The Hungry Lion also in the cliffs is a uniquely designed restaurant featuring many vegetarian dishes with a gallery/gift shop downstairs. Beenie Man was playing in Montego bay that Wednesday night at Pier One, but the threat of rain prevented our going there. The one night we did go out in Negril it was to Junglez, supposedly a big club that Kingstonites drive to for a party. We not only arrived early, but left before things really kicked off and were told that Thursday through Saturday were the good nights. Rather than discover the party scene in Negril we opted to take full advantage of the Rockhouse facilities and would wake by 6 am to start our day with laps in the pool, yoga classes overlooking the sea, and endless hours diving and sleeping, reading or trying to work by the water. The only disturbance was a raunchy catamaran ride called The WILD THING which would bring about a hundred patrons to dive off of Pirate's Cave ($50 US per person; 2 rides per day; board at Chances on the beach). The free spirited nature of many of the tourists can be entertaining as they spend forever rubbing lotion on their naked bodies before tying a tube around themselves and jumping into the water. The sight would be more appreciated if the crew made some strict criteria on who could ride the boat nude!! We never made it to Hedonism II or Sandals which are famous all inclusive tourist destinations on the beach.

Thursday: Stormy weather prevented access to the water and we decided to hit the road for Kingston with Luther ($79 US one way on Air Jamaica Express from Montego Bay, taxi prices for the entire drive vary from $100 US to $250 US, or catch a bus for cheaper in Sav La Mar). Luther told us that the best jerk is sold at a place called The Ranch close to Sav La Mar and was on the way to Kingston (we took the South coast route). Country and Western is big in Jamaican culture and people will tell you that Kenny Rogers stole the show at the 2004 Air Jamaica Montego Bay jazz festival as every patron knew the words to his songs. It is not unusual for dancehall singers to name themselves after a cowboy movie star (e.g. Tanto Metro), nor is it surprising for a reggae/dancehall album to have a few tracks of country western sounding songs on there. Driving along the South coast you pass many beautiful beaches like Bluefields with its accompanying sheds selling jerk. The YS falls in Black River is supposedly a great outing during which you'd see alligators along the way. Being a born and bred Guyanese woman whose country has the second highest waterfall in the world and a multitude of cayman and gators I could not be convinced to take the trip. A quick stop at a bay area friend's mom's house yielded a fresh mango and papaya smoothie, cool sugar cane sticks, sweet sweet tamarinds and a variety of green mangoes to eat with salt and pepper. Moving on to Kingston we passed through Holland Bamboo where the trees form an arch over the road for what seems forever. Fruit stalls and coconut water vendors appeared along the way, many times with kids who were still on easter vacation. As we neared Kingston we jumped on the multi lane Alexander Bustamante Highway which was new and had a toll station with a working automatic lane.

Bluefields beach, Holland Bamboo, Pet bull John John in Black River, Kingston from the hills

Traffic into Kingston was diverted through Spanish Town. The difference between Negril and the big city struck like a bolt of lightning. Within the first minute we were being cursed out by a taxi driver, streets were jam packed, gutters and gulleys were filled with trash and there was frustration and stress written across people's faces at rush hour. We stayed with family of bay area friends that landed us in Norbrook, an uptown neighborhood close to both the Prime Minister's residence and the home of the Reggae Boys. Being a soccer player and huge fan of the reggae boys, Joanne insisted that we take a picture by their bus which carried Germany 2006 signs. Their head coach was in the yard, spoke with us and said that a match between Jamaica and Senegal in Jamaica to raise money for phiva.net would definitely be a possibility. The Legends of Soca concert was that night ($40 US) at the Governor's house. Sparrow, Calypso Rose, and David Rudder were some of the performers to appear for the crowd. We were ill advised that it was an old old crowd, a sit down event and would finish by 11 pm so got a taste of the Jamaican night clubs instead. If you are a rum drinker, Appleton VX is good to know. The Fashion Cafe sits infront of the Pulse Modeling agency which recruits Jamaican beauties for international careers. The open atmosphere attracted an older crowd who drank and chatted. A few blocks away are Asylum and Quad, the two most popular clubs in Kingston. Stone Love plays at Asylum every Thursday night and the place is packed. Around the corner, Quad features four levels and on Thursdays only the jazz lounge Christopher's is open. Ten minutes out of New Kingston to Ligunea, the Village Cafe was crowded. As Appleton's Trinidad carnival special with Deidre showed on the TV, the DJ took pride in playing disco hits like Ring My Bell. I would soon find out that disco was very standard in Kingston.

Friday: Devon House rum and raisin i-scream is a must. Same can be said for Tastee's Jamaican patties which melt in your mouth and may be the one spot in Jamaica where fast food is taken seriously. We booked our costumes($58 US for an all inclusive T-shirt section) and tickets to events with Bacchanal Jamaica from California so all we had to do was show up at the mas' camp to collect things (many thanks to Charmaine Franklin as tickets to some events sell out). The Barbados Tourist Board launched its Follow Me to Cropover campaign that night on the 17th floor of the Pegasus. From then on packages to Barbados (airfare, hotel, costumes, parties) were given away at various events. Joker's Wild held a j'ouvert party at Emancipation park with Machel Montano and Xtatik and Bacchanal Jamaica held their j'ouvert party at Mas Camp Village with Destra Garcia and Atlantik, Imij and Co., and Maximus Dan. We attended the latter which was a great party ($23 US for entrance and $500 JA for an all you can drink drink cup). The theme was pimps and painted ladies and wigs, boas, hats and chains were distributed to party goers in the beginning. By the time Imij and Co. played the last few songs of live music people had begun making pretty paint designs on their faces. After the band finished, buckets of pink and black paint appeared and everyone got totally trashed. The gates opened and the j'ouvert proceeded through the streets of Kingston until 7:30 am. California DJs Engineroom and Rhythmwize were in the crowd as well as DJ Lynch Mob from Trinidad. It was one of the most fun j'ouverts I had ever experienced despite the DJ's insensitivity to playing slower music. Maybe it was its surreal nature for here we were in Jamaica feeling safe, going through the streets at 6 am painted from head to toe dancing to soca and trying to follow the moves when the DJ switched to danchehall. Click here for more pictures.

Saturday: Sizzla's birthday bash was that night, but finding someone to go with me seemed impossible so off to Frenchman's All Inclusive party in Cherry Gardens I went. For $50 US you could party from 7 pm to 2 am, drink all you want including premium drinks, and eat all you could from Chinese cuisine to local specialties like curried goat, jerked pork, and bbq'd pigs tail. Painted girls brought you tequila shots and a Hagen Daz ice cream stand stood near to a table filled with desserts. The lawns had two dance floors, multiple bars, the Point Fortin Riddim section direct from Trinidad and Tobago, and DJ Kurt Riley who plays some slamming soca and calypso. Renaissance Sound also DJ'd the party and explained that the hour and a half of disco they played was because it was an uptown crowd and that they do know soca and Machel will be in their studio the next day. When the party ended at 2 am, they suggested The Asylum if I wanted to hear dancehall. At Asylum, the DJ kept the floor crowded and much like the electric slide, everyone knew the routine for the multiple dances that go with the songs: Scoobie Doo, Exit, Chaplin, Signal the Plane etc. etc.. At 4:30 am the club closed and I was told there was nowhere open after that. Click here for more pictures.

Sunday: The carnival parade meandered its way through the streets of New Kingston for most of the day. Bacchanal assembled at 10:25 am in Mona and reached Mas Camp after 6 pm where the party continued with a performance by Imij & Co.. We started to look for the band around 1 pm and caught a glimpse of the Jamaica Carnival and Irie FM float. The latter blasted dancehall with Beenie Man on there. Rain was falling, but it did not stop the festivities and we soon found the Bacchanal Jamaica contingent relaxing (the two bands have different starting and ending points and only follow the same parade route for a small portion of the parade). DJ Kurt Riley of Fame FM was rocking the last truck, Renaissance was on the second truck and Sparkles Disco on the first. Soon after the band started to move we heard a familiar voice on the Renaissance truck and rushed to see if it was really Machel Montano. Revelers did not realize for a while that he was there live and in charge, but when they did the party got wild. Commanding the music by himself from the top of the truck his infectious energy soon had everyone doing "craziness." Renaissance was forgiven for their disco set from the night before and I became their personal bartender, getting Jouvay.com mentioned each time they got a drink. Poison front section designer Sonia Mack played mas' and explained that she was designing an entire section for the Jamaicans for Trinidad carnival 2005. When the parade ended in the Mas' Camp village people filled their bellies on the tasty food provided, rested for an hour and the party started again when Imij & Co. took the stage. At 7:30 pm the band took a break before going live on TV and for the first time in my carnival experience I left before the party ended. Jamaica carnival 2005? Definitely something to plan for: spend Easter weekend in Ocho Rios to attend beach j'ouvert and Chukko Cove, relax for the week at the Rockhouse, play mas' the next weekend, recuperate at the Rockhouse.

If you have any experience or recommendation for this page, please email us.

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