NEWS
EVENTS
Tales from a Faraway Land: Jamaica
Beneath the surface of the sandy beaches, turquoise oceans and picturesque seaside resorts, Jamaica is a beautifully bonkers country. A country where security guards stalk you to the patty shop to try and sell you a football shirt. A country where it’s common to see a herd of goats ambling along a 6-lane motorway.
Most tourists don’t see this charming side of the island, instead holing themselves up in their rooms for fear of being shot in the face by gangsters should they ever set foot in the ‘real’ Jamaica. On the rare occasions that they do leave the compound, they are shuttled to and from the designated point of interest in a Sandals-branded minibus, and forced to listen to pop music from 1987. Throw in a buddy system and what you have actually got is a Year 6 school trip.
Take Dunn’s River Falls, for example. In theory, it should be exhilarating to free-climb up beside a gushing waterfall but the experience is marred by retired couples in Speedos and guides yelling, “Olly olly olly, oi oi oi!”. I had much more fun at the rural Reach Falls in Portland, where I was guided by a talkative local Rastafarian who knew his way around the falls better than he knew his way around a spliff. (And he knew his way around a spliff!)
The moral of the story? Don’t let the resort regiment your holiday. Stop at the side of the road and let the man in the shack cut you a fresh coconut. Listen to some live reggae music. Don’t be afraid to step off the beaten track and you will have a much more authentic, enjoyable experience. Just like anywhere else there are areas that you should avoid, but you shouldn’t miss out on the real Jamaica because of them.
It has so much more to offer than the lumpy bed in the Sandals hotel room.
