Jamaica - Travel Guide
Jamaica conjures up images of days spent laying on white sand beaches and frolicking in turquoise waters, while you spend the nights moving your body to a pulsating reggae beat that seems to speak to your soul. English is the official language but the lyrical patois is what is heard in everyday conversation.
The birthplace of reggae and Rastafarianism is only fifty miles from North to South and one hundred and fifty miles wide, but is still the third largest island in the Caribbean Sea. The island, whose name means ’land of wood and water’, is a wonder of diversity, with lushness contrasting with cacti dotted scrubland and back again. In the east, winding roads take you through tropical rain forests, where hidden waterfalls beckon and the scent of jerked seasoning hangs in the air. Country roads join with modern highways which explode into the heart of Kingston and Montego Bay, the two major cities, offering museums and theatres next to high rise offices and bustling markets. Head west, through the hills and valleys of the Blue Mountains, home to some of the most famous gourmet coffee in the world, and discover Negril with its famous seven mile stretch of white sand beach and the laid back attitude the island is known for.
The diversity is also reflected in her people, from the blonde haired and blue eyed community of German Town to Jamaicans of Chinese, Indian and Middle Eastern descent who reflect the country’s motto, ‘Out of Many One People’. Visitors flock here in vast numbers twice a year for the internationally recognized Reggae Sumfest , a week long music festival in summer as well as the jazz and blues festival in late January.