Welcome to Jamrock
This piece is long overdue. I made some illegible scribbles in my child-like handwriting while in Jamaica back in December 2014 and have only deciphered and typed up now. Better late than ever. One love.
Jamaica is not a land that time has forgotten – although the locals probably wish it had.
Here, things run on island time and the slow, relaxed pace of life is something to envy. This, combined with rugged beaches with crystal water, glowing lagoons, lush rainforests and of course the music – the heart and soul of the country – in my books, makes Jamaica the place to be.
After travelling for a few weeks around the Caribbean, we arrive in Montego Bay at our home for the next few days. It’s a quaint little bed and breakfast run by owners, Clarissa and Jeremy. The home is in itself the perfect Caribbean getaway. It’s on a hill with a huge balcony that overlooks the entire bay. The perfectly manicured gardens are adorned with flowers and fruit trees and there so many secluded spots on the property where you can curl up with a book, sunbathe or just admire the view.
It is an unusually overcast and rainy December day when we arrive. Clarissa tells me that Jamaicans don’t like the rain. In fact, life comes to a halt when it rains. Clarissa told us she had a Jamaican friend who moved to London. The first day of his new job it rained. So, as if he was back home he waited for the rain to subside. Suffice to say, his boss was not pleased when he turned up to work hours later. “It was a shock to him, Mon,” – yes, she actually said ‘Mon’, “because that’s just the way of life here.”
The bed and breakfast is located not too far away from the Hip Strip of Montego Bay which is lined with beaches and souvenir stores. Ten minutes down the road is Doctor’s Cave, one of Montego Bay’s best beaches. Quiet and serene, you almost have this entire beach to yourself. The sand is white and grainy, like sesame seeds and the water is still and warm, even on an overcast day.
On the beach – just like anywhere else you go in Jamaica – Bob Marley, Jamaica’s national hero plays in the background, from where, I don’t know and the Rasta culture and pride runs deep. Buildings, cars, signs and anything else you can imagine are painted in the red, green and black Rastafarian colours. Red for love. Green for nature or Ganga and black for skin. But regardless of your colour, as Bob Marley puts it, we are one people, one heart, one love. This is the motto of the Jamaican people and they truly do make their love and warmth ever present.
A hour or so drive away from Montego Bay is Ocho Rios and Negril. With such a short timeframe, we decide to venture ‘Ochie’s’ way.
Our driver, Devon skillfully navigates his way through traffic. Despite, the “anything goes” road rules, by car is the best way to see the country. As we drive Devon plays a selection of local music for us, in between Whitney Houston greatest hits that is. Devon says Jamaicans put everything into song, which makes sense. Their love of nature is a common theme. Driving to Ochie you can see the stunning landscapes that inspired the Natural Mystic blowing through the air Bob Marley sang of, far away from the Concrete Jungle. And of course, there’s the latest Patois dancehall tunes too, which Devon stops after each line to give us a translation of the lyrics, which let’s just say aren’t as family friendly as Bob’s.
Driving further and further away, we hit the dirt roads as we go into the rainforest to a river where we are going tubing. It’s raining heavily by the time, but “Mother Nature has a way of sorting tings out,” so we’ve been told during our time in the Caribbean. And so she does. The rainforest is lush. The foliage has turned a deep, beautiful green and the river is flowing. From here, we hop into tubes and float downstream at a surprisingly gentle pace, despite the rain. Our guide carefully navigates us through rapids and we float serenely as rain pitter-patters down on us. It’s insanely beautiful. Thanks Mother Nature.
After tubing, we head in the opposite direction toward Nine Mile, the home and resting place of Bob Marley. It’s a long, windy road to Nine Mile. Up in the mountains it’s a very different way of life. We pass Brown’s Town, where mainly farmers live. There are a few small shops here, but the farmers are mainly self-sufficient. We drive further and further up until we reach Nine Mile, surrounded by murals of Bob Marley and Halliee Selassie, the Rasta Messiah. Nine Mile is colourful, full of soul and of course, Bob Marley’s music pipes out wherever you go.
Nine Mile is where Bob Marley was born and lived. It’s also his mausoleum. In true Jamaican style, you can enjoy some rum on the tour of the grounds. Fuzzy, our tour leader grew up in Nine Mile with Bob. Others that work here played football with him and played in his band at one point or another. Fuzzy leads us in a singalong as we walk to the small room where Bob’s mother raised him. Many years later, when Bob became internationally known, he would return to Nine Mile as his place of solace to meditate and write music. At Nine Mile, you’ll even see the bed that inspired famous lines from Is This Love.
Bob rests in the compound in a huge marble mausoleum. He’s buried with some of his favourite things – his guitar, football and of course, some Ganga. I walk around the huge mausoleum, lovingly caressing the white, pristine marble and humming High Tide or Low Tide to myself.
The tour is short and sweet but the energy is Nine Mile is something to behold, especially for Marley fans. Maybe it’s something about the fresh mountain air, or perhaps the copious amounts of second hand Ganga smoke I’ve inhaled that makes Nine Mile so magical – and everyone you encounter there from the tour guides, bartenders or locals on the street, so pleasant. You’ll sing and dance with complete strangers, but it all feels so natural, so right, because we’re all united by Bob’s music. One love.
Back at the bed and breakfast, the sun is setting and casts magnificent colours across the sky. It’s dinner time and what better option than a local Jerk House. Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica and uses scotch bonnet peppers and a host of other herbs and spices to marinate the meat, sometimes for days at a time. The meat is cooked on hot coals to tender, charcoal-y perfection and enjoyed with beans, rice, a local coleslaw and a fried dough called festival. Scotchies, Pelicans and the Pork Pit are the places to be. And of course, Jerk is best with a side of rum, like anything else in Jamaica.
On our last night in Montego Bay we head to Glistening Waters. Devon told us this was a must see but we weren’t entirely sure what to expect. Glistening Waters is a hotel and restaurant off a busy highway, but sits in front of the luminous lagoon (that’s what it’s actually called). After another complimentary rum we head out of a small boat to the lagoon. It’s pitch black and the boat slowly tugs along further into the lagoon. Our guide, a elderly Rastafarian gentleman, Jerry who claims to be the only Jerry in Jamaica, shares the history of the lagoon. The lagoon is one of the few in the world that is home to microscopic organisms that live in the waters and create this natural ocean phenomenon, know as bio-luminescence. This means the water lights up and sparkles at night – and it’s also said to contain a host of minerals which have healing qualities.
Jerry stops the boat and tells us to place our hand in the water. Even at night the water is wonderfully warm. As we began to swirl our hands in the water, the bio-luminescence comes into full force and brilliant blue, sparking ripples appear at our fingertips. We slip into the water and sink into a thick layer of mud at our feet. It’s an odd but weirdly enjoyable sensation like walking in jelly. But once we start swimming and frolicking in the water is where the real magic happens. With every movement, we leave behind a trail of electric blue ripples. I cup my hands full of water and allow it to slowly empty through my fingertips and trickle down my wrists, leaving a little pathway of glowing blue star as it does. It’s almost a blessing that unless you really know your shutter speed and aperture settings, bio-luminescence won’t appear in most photos.This means you can just enjoy the experience for what it is – something so unique and magical that will leave you in awe of nature.
The next morning, our last morning, we wake to see sunrise. The bed and breakfast has a view of the entire bay from the hill. We watch as the sun hits the water and lights up crystal blue pools of water in the expansive bay. It’s hard to say goodbye to such a special place. From the music, landscape, food and a detour to downtown Montego Bay which Devon took us on for a “pick-up” which I’ll go into more detail next time – you really have no other choice but, to quote Bob Marley, Smile – you’re in Jamaica.
