A holiday in Jamaica is like no other.  Sure it’s hot, has lots of sandy beaches, great festivals and exotic food too.  What sets Jamaica apart is the language, the people and the music you’ll enjoy live.  When you go on a vacation to Jamaica there’s so much to see and do that you’ll never be bored.  You’ve heard the negative stuff about the island but open up your mind and find out for yourself. 

“Out of Many, One People”, the motto and that’s precisely what you’ll find upon a visit to the island of 2.8 million people.  Those born on the island or who call Jamaica home, include Africans, Indians, Chinese, Germans and Latin Americans.

Jamaica has a fascinating history of Spanish and British rule and slavery under the latter.  The Arawak/Taino Indians, a fierce tribe from South America inhabited the island between 4000 and 1000 BC.  They named the island Xaymaca or “Land of Wood and Water”. 

This slice of paradise, located in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea, and south of Cuba is the third largest island and the fourth largest country in the Caribbean.

As with most islands, Jamaicans enjoys a tropical climate with temperate areas inland. It is however located in the hurricane belt of the Atlantic Ocean and has seen its share of damages over the years with hurricanes Ivan, Dean, and Gustav being the most recent.

Jamaicans speak English but also an English-African creole mixture known as Patois(patwa).  Here’s a quick sample.  To hear it spoken is a lesson in listening keenly.

It’s yours---- a fe yuh

What’s happening? Also used as a greeting ----whappen

Where are you going? ---whey yuh a-go

Jamaican----- Yardie

Be quiet----hush yuh mout

Jamaica and specifically Kingston, the capital has been avoided by tourist because of its high per capita killings but there is a lot to see there. It’s divided into two areas, Downtown, and New Kingston. Places and activities of interest include University of the West Indies, Devon House, a mansion with adjoining park that once belonged to Jamaica's first black millionaire, Bob Marley Museum, the ruins of Port Royal and Blue Mountains.

Jamaica’s national dish is Ackee and Saltfish.  Ackee is a fruit that has to be used with care.  The fruit has to ripen and the pod opened naturally before it can be picked from the tree or it else it poisonous.  It’s cooked with saltfish or codfish and then green bananas, dumplings and or plantains can be added and voila a delicious breakfast is served.

Red Stripe is the local beer brewed in Jamaica.  “It's moderate in body, bitterness, hop aroma and flavour, has a low butterscotch flavour, full bodied and has a smooth post palate sensation.”  All I know is that on a hot day, it goes down easily.

Jerking is a way of cooking pork and chicken which goes back to the Arawak Indians who inhabited Jamaica. “Meat was placed in a deep pit lined with stones and covered with green wood, which, when burned, would smoke heavily and add to the flavor. But first, the meat was "jerked" with a sharp object to make holes, which were stuffed with a variety of spices and which also allowed heat to escape without loss of moisture”.  

Tia Maria is a coffee liqueur made using Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee beans.

Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is grown in the famous Blue Mountains of Jamaica. Its smooth, full bodied taste has made it world class and sought after.

Reggae Music, that driving thumping bass was born here. It grew out of the ghetto of Kingston and is finally receiving some of the glory that it deserves all over the world. Reggae music speaks to the resilience of the people that call JA home, to never give up.

Bob Marley, one of our legends of reggae music who passed on, left an unforgettable legacy.

There are countless musicians such as Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh, Morgan Heritage, Third World, and Maxi Priest that have excelled at home and abroad.

DanceHall, another genre of the music has brought up countless artists such as Shaggy, Sean Paul, Beenie Man, Konshenz, and Buju Banton.

The Jamaican Bobsled team first came on the scene in the 1988 Winter Olympics as crazy as that seems. They lost control of their sled during the games and walked it across the finish line to astounding applause. They returned again in “92 and “94. They will be in the trials for the Olympics in 2010.

John Candy starred in the 1993 comedy Cool Runnings, as the coach of the Jamaican Bobsled team which was partially filmed in Jamaica.

The late Ian Fleming of the Bond films made his home here and filmed or used the setting in his movies.

Usain Bolt, currently the fastest man in the 100m for men at 9.58s, and 200m for men at 19.19s is a proud Jamaican.

This small island in the Caribbean has a veritable wealth of people, places, food and a thriving nightlife to discover.

Jamaica is the land of my birth. Come and discover Jamaica. Come for a Jamaican vacation.  Come to Jamaica and feel alright!!

http://www.choosy-beggars.com/index.php/2009/02/23/ackee-and-saltfish-breakfast-in-jamaica/

http://www.redstripebeer.com/about.html

http://www.bluemountaincoffee.com/

http://www.jamaicans.com/cooking/foods/images/image002.jpg By Nicole Barrett

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaica