Its has been a long challenging year, that currently changed a lot our life. For regular travelers this has been a lot, and I can already here from family and friend the plans people have to when they could return traveling around the glob.
So on this article I gathers several reason to why I believe Jamaica should be your next vacation destination, any yes your welcome even now...
The global impact Jamaica have on the rest of the world is huge, from Sports to Music, Arts and much more. You can certainly say that Jamaican influence is spread wide around the world.
This beautiful island, attract between 3 to 4 million tourists from across the world every year. Different reasons might bring you to Jamaica, but all visitor will get the opportunity to see and feel the unique energy surrounding this island, that makes this place so special.
NATURE
And it wouldn’t be so perfect without the spectacular NATURE of Jamaica, that really takes your breath away in almost any corner your sight might gaze, but also force you to connect to yourself without no distraction.
With a tropical climate, and an average year-round temperature of 27/30 °C (81/86 °F) degrees Jamaica’s most prized natural treasures are the incredible diversity of flowering plants and the exotic, yet harmless wildlife in the island.
The beauty of the nature is really the fact the its everywhere, and you don’t have to drive far to find gorgeous location to chill in. Even from, and in cities such as Kingston and Montego bay you can find great chill spots.
The coast surrounds the island’s high mountain area, can be divided into three landform areas: The Eastern Mountains, The Central Valleys and Plateaus, and the Coastal Plains. This landscape was crated from an arc of ancient volcanoes that rose from the sea millions of years ago and during the years some areas were covered with limestone.
The island has a unique ecosystem, great temperature and many rainfalls around, that nurture the soil to grew almost any type of plant. Greens view and clear blue water are rare in the tropical landscape exist here.
The name “Jamaica” comes from the Arawak Indian word “Xaymaca”, and it means land of wood and water by the Taino people, who are believed to be of Arawak origin, the original settlers of the island.
Also, even before the Taino, Jamaica was called with different names that all of them describe the country richness when it comes natural water sources like waterfalls, rivers and beaches that spread around the island.
Surprisingly Jamaica have a lot of harmless wildlife species, like lizards, turtles, bats, scorpions and mongooses. The animals ranging from large reptiles to birds and lots of tiny insects.
Snake’s for example, have seven species that are unique and only found in Jamaica and none are harmful. Also, there are at least 134 species of butterflies in Jamaica, of which at least 30 are unique for the island.
PEOPLE
So a big part of what makes Jamaica so special and beautiful is THE PEOPLE, Jamaicans are very welcoming and worm, always excited about meeting new people, and know how to have a good time to make you laugh and feel like you in a movie.
The island is a home for 2.7 million Jamaicans with a majority of African ancestry, and other influences from European, Chinese, Indian, Lebanese, and mixed-race minorities. The multi culture mixture crated a Jamaican fingerprint that almost every local is blessed with, a genuine feeling of confidence and proudness in their own and their origin.
There is a lot to learn from the communication ways between locals, to some visitors it might seems as loud but actually, Jamaicans are well expressive and pretty much straight forward so they will say what on their mind based on the mood they are in…
Creativity is also a Jamaicans national DNA, some will say that the surrounding is really inspiring, well I can’t argue with that… The culture and legacy coming from this island is created by people who made Jamaica to what it is today, and made her important to the world, therefore its always interesting to meet locals and interact and learn about each other culture.
Being a third world country, a lot of locals face economical struggle most of their life, but even thru this challenges people apricate life and do their best to ‘live the moment’, and celebrate when they can. Its actually really inspiring if you will ask me, I think that often we take things for granted and don’t see how much we already have and this simple appreciation can just teach you a lot…
Its is important to try communicate with locals as much as possible, and to always be patient and willing to learn. You will get to see that people really love to express their opinions and get to connect to others by deep reasoning and social discussions, it’s a actually very common to see group of people sit and talk, even in this age of technology.
Locals will love to show you around, invite you out and share with you the culture and magic of the island, it’s kind of like a national duty to make you fall in love in the place… lol…
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MUSIC
Music is the heart of Jamaica and the soundtrack that won’t leave you alone, Music is everywhere around the island, and it’s the most common and natural way for locals to celebrate or express their mood while spending time around each other.
Although Reggae is commonly used to define Jamaica’s music, the island’s traditional or folk music is rich – heavy with the substance of African rhythms and collective experiences – and has continued to evolve into an extraordinary legacy.
The island itself is highly musical and creative, and had interduce so many genres and musicians to the world like: mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, dancehall... The music is very much based on the reality of the people and daily life, and reflects the strong character of Jamaicans, that will always remember to have fun, even in the hardest times.
Being a musician here its actually pretty common, and a lot of Jamaican had practice music from early age. This actually doesn’t come as a surprise, because of the great creative vibe in the island, that just shows how much Jamaicans are bold\strong, spiritual and resilient people.
Walking in cities you will hear the rhythm from all over, Music is a big thing here because of the great impact it has on people life and also it is as real carrier option for lots of youngsters. One of the strong industries in the island is music & entertainment that also provide income to many.
And honestly Jamaican just know how to do it different, from music to entrainment, the groove is nothing that can be described in words, and its something you should experience to really understand!
Here, there is no condition that cannot be mastered through the rhythm and word combination. Music is a way to express the life style, and struggle of the artist, and locals use it often to represent their community and themself.
You will be surprised to see that lots of locals have natural talent for singing or dancing, and just have great riddim. I believe people here really feel the vibrations, live the lyrics and redefine their space and place with music this is just a second language.
The Jamaican music is world famous, and now its becoming more popular then ever. But its important to know that other then just parties and celebration songs, the music was for years and still is a great powerful tool to express you massage and call for justice\change. There are several local artist that had used their talent to push important ideas to the world to crate an actual change to better off people’s life.
Now days, Dancehall is the most listened genre in the island. And you can find Dancehall parties almost anywhere in the island, I am talking about, anywhere guys like literally… . Reggae and Roots session are rarer and consist of a small community and usually located In remoted areas. The music listened in the media is mainly local with American influences.
I do recommend for music lovers to visit a studio or to watch a live show, there is something in the feeling of the sound system, those massive speakers walls base line that awaken your body… going to parties might be a bit challenging to some because of the late starting time , well, but actually this year with COVID, it kind of different.
Anyhow, if going to a dance (party) don’t forget to finish the night with some warm jerk chicken straight from the pan, nothing like that experience and taste, I am telling you !
FOOD
Yes, food. The celebration of Caribbean flavors influenced by spices from Amerindian, African,
Irish, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern. The local food and culinary world is diverts and full of creativity as well.
Jamaica provides a culinary experience like none other, with a history flavored by ethnic groups from around the world. Curry is as much a part of the heritage as jerk, and with an open mind and healthy appetite, you can easily discover the delicious taste of Jamaican cuisine.
Locals will use a wide variety of tropical fruits, foods, fish, and meats ... beef, pork, goat, sheep, chicken, turkey that all are produced on the island. Dairy foods are not that popular in Jamaica as it was tested and proven that big % of Jamaican suffer from lactose intolerance
The food tends to be well seasoned and spicy. Thyme, black pepper, scallion, scotch bonnet pepper, pimento (All Spice), cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger are commonly used in Jamaican cooking.
A lot of the local produced agriculture was interduce from the Southeast Asia, but also there is a lot that grow locally. And there is a wide variety of seafood, tropical fruits and meats are available from local supply. So for sea food lovers this is really haven.
Some Jamaican dishes are variations on cuisines brought to the island from elsewhere, but a lot of the basic national cooking is coming from an African cuisine as a result of slavery in Jamaica. Rice and Peas dish for example, is argued to be similarly cooked like the Ghanaian Waakye, Callaloo from the Angolan dish "Calulu", and Jerk chicken from West African seasoning techniques.
The fruit of the most popular Jamaican dish, Ackee, was also brought to the Island by West African peoples. The Spanish (mainly Jews) , the first European arrivals to the island, contributed dishes such as the vinegary escovitch fish.
Jamaican cuisine includes Rastafarian influences but not entirely. Rastafarians have a healthy vegetarian approach to preparing food, cooking, and eating, and have been able to use local and fresh ingredients as food and medicine. Rastafarians do not eat any type of meat and some believe in cooking with little or no salt, which is referred to as the 'Ital' way.
Most of the restaurant around the island will serve local dishes, so you will get the opportunity to taste Jamaica almost everywhere. Food is available here in corner shops, jerk shacks, and fruit stands across the island. And in most of the local restaurant you will see that they have a different menu for morning and lunch.
So while your visiting don’t miss out on trying local foods it’s a great experience.
VIBE
The last thing that is totally makes this place so great is the vibe. Jamaican are social people who enjoy being around each other, together in small or large gathering they build a unique atmosphere that called VIBE, where in the background most likely there will be some rum and good music.
Many tourists had returned several times to the island just because of what we call the vibes. It a combination of been chill and cool, and just a calm set of mind … Its sometime hard for visitors to release the stress level and just connect to the moment, but once you do it, it like let you self to feel what is freedom.
The colorful culture in the island create traditional social habits that allow people to connect to each other by talking, discussing, or as local will say, reasoning. Debating and expressing your opinion is very important and common, and remember Jamaicans love to argue with passion.
The love for life and the true ability to be present in the movement and celebrate every moment is something exclusive to Jamaicans and by being able to do it you actually gain freedom and confidence in who you are and a feeling of meaning & belonginess …
The communication Jamaica is very spiritual influenced, therefor a word to describe the energy in the air is really not surprising to be so popular in the local vocabulary… Holding a vibe is a known term the describe a situation of group of people hangings out together doing any type of activity, enjoying and crating memories.
The greeting between people will sometimes end in a ‘Blessing\take care’ like nice warm goodbye or start with an enthusiastic welcoming of ‘wah Gwaan’ !! Communication in Jamaica is very important, and the beauty is that you can do it even without understanding the language. Its all depends on your ability to connect to people, and feel free & confidence to express yourself.
So now you tell me, did you book your ticket already ?
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