Jamaica
Ever since Errol Flynn cavorted here with his Hollywood pals in the 1930s and '40s, travelers have regarded Jamaica as one of the most alluring of the Caribbean islands. Its beaches, mountains and carnal red sunsets regularly appear in the world's tourist brochures, and, unlike other nearby islands, it democratically caters to all comers: you can choose a private villa with your own private beach; laugh your vacation away at a party-hearty resort; throw yourself into the thick of the island's life; or concentrate on experiencing the three Rs: reggae, reefers and rum.
But behind the now familiar clichés of 'tropical' scenery and 'shimmering' beaches lies a different Jamaica - one whose character arises from its complex culture, and which aspires to be African in defiance of both the island's geography and its colonial history. Jamaicans may have a quick wit and a ready smile, but this is not the happy-go-lucky island of Bacardi adverts and Harry Belafonte numbers. The island's sombre history is rooted in the sugar-plantation economy, and the slave era still weighs heavily on the national psyche. Rastafarianism may mean easy skankin' to some, but its confused expression of love, hope, anger and social discontent encapsulates modern Jamaica - a densely populated, poverty-ridden country that is struggling to escape dependency and debt. Come to Jamaica with an open mind and an interest in exploring these contradictions and you will truly have 'no problem mon.'
Columbus described Jamaica as 'the fairest isle that eyes beheld; mountainous...all full of valleys and fields and plains.' Roughly ovoid in shape and lying 90 miles (145km) south of Cuba, it's the third-largest island in the Caribbean. Despite its relatively small size, Jamaica boasts an impressive diversity of terrain and vegetation, although few visitors venture afield to experience this array.
The island is rimmed by a narrow coastal plain pitted with bays everywhere but in the south where broad flatlands cover extensive areas and there are long ruler-straight stretches. Most of the resorts huddle along the north coast, where the vegetation is lush and the beaches are white and sandy. The limestone interior is dramatically sculpted by deep vales and steep ridges, dominated by basket-of-eggs topography such as in Cockpit Country, a virtually impenetrable tract pitted with bush-covered hummocks, vast sinkholes, underground caves and flat valley bottoms. The uplands rise gradually from the west, culminate in the tortuous Blue Mountains in the east, and are capped by Blue Mountains Peak at 7402ft (2220m).
Jamaica's idyllic tropical maritime climate means that dramatic fluctuations in temperature are virtually non-existent. Weather patterns can change quickly, though, especially during rain-prone May to December. Officially, hurricane season lasts from June to November, but relatively few of the hurricanes that sweep the region touch Jamaica. The last great storm to hit the island was Hurricane Gilbert, which roared ashore in 1988, causing immense damage, killing 45 people and leaving one-quarter of the population homeless.
Jamaica's lush climate has allowed a myriad of plant and animal species to thrive, although human habitation over the last 500 years has devastated areas of the island, making many species extinct. Small numbers of wild hogs still roam remote pockets, and there are over 20 species of fruit and insect-eating bats. Otherwise, the only native land mammal is the endangered Jamaican hutia, or coney, a large brown rodent akin to a guinea pig. Imported animals are much more common, such as cattle, goats and mongooses, a weasel-like mammal introduced from India in the late 19th century to control rats, an earlier stowaway introduction themselves. Jamaica has plenty of slithery and slimy creatures: crocodiles are found in wetlands and mangrove swamps along the south coast, lizards and frogs are everywhere, iguanas hang on to survival in remote backwaters, and there are plenty of snakes, none of them poisonous. Birdlife is prolific, although some endemic species have become extinct and many more are endangered. Egrets are commonly seen riding piggyback on cattle. John Crows (actually the ungainly turkey buzzard) are found all over Jamaica. Yellow-breasted bananaquits, sneaky kling-klings (kleptomaniacs when it comes to picnics), owls, doves, woodpeckers, pelicans and hummingbirds can also be spied on the wing.
Jamaica's offshore habitats are prodigal places, especially along the north coast, where the waters are scintillatingly clear. The rainbow-hued reefs support sinuous boulder-like brain corals, soft-flowering corals that sway with the ocean currents, and over 700 species of fish. Marine turtles find Jamaica's beaches appealing as nest sites, although their numbers have suffered at the hands of hunters. The endangered manatee - a warm-blooded marine mammal with a huge bloated body, a blunt snout, and a paddle-like tail - can be seen in swamps in the island's south.
Culture<
The island's rich artistic heritage reaches back to pre-Columbian days when the Arawak Indians etched petroglyphs on the ceilings and walls of caverns. Examples can still be seen in caves dotted throughout the island. Today Jamaica, and particularly Kingston, is a center of Caribbean art, its vital cultural energy having flourished tremendously since independence in 1962. Edna Manley, wife of Norman Manley, Jamaica's first prime minister, was instrumental in the unshackling of Jamaican art from European aesthetic prescriptions. From the 1920s until her death in 1987 Manley was a central figure in the Jamaican art world both for her sculpture, and for her vigorous promotion and encouragement of local artists, which included the island-themed primitives (labeled 'intuitives') and a more internationalist group of painters schooled abroad. No collective visual style defines Jamaican artworks, but many emphasize historical roots in their works. The international success of reggae music has had a profound effect on Jamaican visual arts. Rastafarians are common subjects, as are market higglers, animals, and religious symbols merged with the myths of Africa.
From hotel beach parties to the raw discos of the working-class suburbs, Jamaica reverberates to the soul-riveting sounds of calypso, soca (a soul-calypso fusion) and reggae. Music is everywhere. The earliest original Jamaican musical form was mento, a folk calypso fused with Cuban influences that emerged at the turn of the 19th century and was popular through until the 1950s when early boogie-woogie and R&B eclipsed it in the dance halls. Ska, though short-lived, was an unmistakably Jamaican take on R&B mixed with mento. Danceable doubletime ska was adopted by the poor and dispossessed, who later turned to the soulful, syncopated beat of reggae music and its political, social and religious messages full of metaphor, expressions of anger and praise of Jah (God). Reggae is associated above all with one man: Bob Marley, who helped spark a 'Third World consciousness' by being both a musical superstar and a consistent voice against racism, oppression and injustice.
Officially English is the spoken language but, in reality, Jamaica is a bilingual country and English is far more widely understood than spoken. The unofficial lingo is patois - a musical dialect with a uniquely Jamaican rhythm and cadence. Patois evolved from the Creole English and a twisted alchemy of the mother tongue peppered with African, Portuguese and Spanish terms, and Rastafarian slang.
Jamaica's homegrown cuisine is a fusion of many ethnic traditions, with Arawak Indian, Spanish, African, Indian, Middle Eastern, Chinese and British influences all detectable. A typical Jamaican breakfast is ackee, a tree-grown fruit which bears an uncanny resemblance to scrambled eggs when cooked. Lunch is usually a light snack, maybe a heavily-seasoned meat or vegetable pie. Main meals usually feature goat or pork, usually curried, served with rice and beans. Seafood dishes are also popular, often pickled and fried with peppers and onions. Jamaica's most popular dish is jerk, a term that describes the process of cooking meats smothered in tongue-searing marinade, and barbecued slowly in an outdoor pit over a fire of pimento wood, which gives the meat its distinctive flavor. Tea is a generic Jamaican term for any hot, brewed drink, and may be herbal, mixed with rum, milk, spices and even fish. Beware of marijuana or hallucinogenic mushroom teas, which may be more than you bargained for in an after-dinner digestive! Skyjuice is a favorite cool drink, made from shaved ice flavored with syrup. Coconut juice, straight from the nut, is also popular. Beer and rum are the most popular alcoholic drinks. Jamaican Blue Mountains coffee is among the most flavorsome in the world, but due to farcical authentication and licensing requirements, much of what is sold as the genuine article is not all it's cracked up to be.
Events
Jamaica hosts a full calendar of musical, artistic, cultural and sporting events. Reggae Sunsplash and Reggae Sumfest are the biggest rages on the island, held about one week apart in July/August. Sunsplash is held near Ocho Rios, Sumfest in Montego Bay. Both are frenetic beachy music festivals, with A-rated fun and X-rated dancing. Carnival in February takes place on the university campus in Kingston. It's a big blow-out, mainly for Jamaicans, with reggae, calypso and dancehall soca the main booty-shakers, but it's also a tourist attraction in its own right.
There are a number of yacht races on the calendar: the Pineapple Cup Yacht Race, held each February, starts in Miami and finishes in Montego Bay, a distance of 800-plus miles (1288-plus km). Cricket matches are held from laneway to lawn throughout the year. In April, the West Indies team takes on an international challenger in the Cable & Wireless Test Match in Kingston. Jonkanoo is a traditional Christmas celebration in which revelers parade through the streets dressed in masquerade. The festivity has its origins among West African secret societies and was once the major celebration on the slave calendar.
When to Go
Jamaica is a year-round destination thanks to its idyllic tropical maritime climate. Seasons are virtually non-existent and day time maximum temperatures along the coast hover constantly between 80 and 86°F (27 and 30°C). Even up in the Blue Mountains temperatures are only just under 68°F (20°C) for most of the year.
If you plan on spending time on the east coast or in the Blue Mountains, you may wish to take account of the so-called rainy season, which extends from May to November with two peaks: May/June and October/November. Although this time of year is a little more humid than others, rain usually falls for short periods (normally in the late afternoon) and it's quite possible to enjoy sunshine for most of your visit.
The peak tourist season runs from mid-December to mid-April, with Christmas and Easter the busiest weeks. During this period the resort areas of the island are flooded with foreign tourists and hotel prices are highest. You can save wads of money (40% or more at some hotels) by visiting during the less-crowded low season which lasts from May to November.