The truth about Jamaica

I find it easier to write about something that I understand, exist in and experience from day to day. Somewhere and only that somewhere that I’m familiar with from birth till now; JAMAICA. And yes to confirm all you’ve been hearing, it’s a very beautiful island located in the center of the Caribbean, thronged by a flurry of visitors throughout the year. But that’s not exactly what I think needs to be highlighted. It’s those fictitiously crafted environment that our beautiful tourists are sadly constrained to, and hence not able to truly see the beauty of the natural Island.

Now I personally have never seen or been to any tourist resort in my entire life time as a Jamaican, yet I still believe that we are one of the most beautiful countries in the world. What this piece of info is to do for you, is to shed some light on some of the most attractive areas of the island that most tourist are often left oblivious to as they step off and back onto their planes.

Picture a tourist (yourself) coming off a plane, in great anticipation of exploring some picture you’ve been drooling over on a website; maybe a hotel or beach beside a hotel. All places that materialized into being by man themselves. Why would you want to go and enjoy the luxuries of a hotel when you could do that anywhere in the World?? Most of these concepts are just copied drones from other parts of the world. And most likely the country you’re coming from.

What you need to do is escape the urban prisons and experience what the persons serving you drinks and dinner are going home to everyday!!!

What am I talking about right? The wilds/Rural areas, the food, the people and the naked music and entertainment; all hatched innocently in the lives of every normal Jamaican!!

• Rivers: Let me give you a personal example where I’ve found myself fondling with the hems of my shirt, drenched in temporary boredom when immediately, I find myself waltzing down a path where my footsteps from yesterday shows me the way. A Guinep tree; one of our most delicate and popular fruits is what faces me. I find myself asking tourists about this fruit. Tourists who would say that they come to Jamaica frequently, but yet they find themselves dubious. Not only was there this tree for me to enjoy but it also hanged gallantly over a glimmering stream; just another distributary from our many rivers. For the rest of the day I found myself swayed by the wind on a rocking branch, treated by the divine orchestra of the whispering trees and the tinkling clamor of the waves below, and don’t forget the candy balls I had rolling around in my mouth.It’s experiences like these why I find myself writing this hub.

• Beaches: There are so many that are left almost uninhabited (Local's eyes only). For example Guts River, a long stretch of beach near the south of St Elizabeth.
• Mountains: One of my favorite things about the island. I remember visiting my cousins in the blue mountain range where the clouds came down from there canopies and brushed the straws of my hair. I even found myself looking over deep interlocking spurs with our Yallas river making music in its stream.
• Farmlands: Another beautiful aspect unscathed by our visitors. My grandfather is a Farmer and it is with him that I was able to journey into the nooks and crannies of an immaculate hill; arrayed by pineapples, mangoes, sweet potato, dasheens, Otaheiti apples, rose apple and the moment would past me if I continued. And even if you can’t experience these foods they are here at our famous markets, where again I’ve rarely ever seen a tourist! For example Corination market (downtown).
• Foods: This brings me into my other category, our foods. Jamaican’s don’t just eat Ackee and salt fish and jerk chicken. Chances are if you go into our rural areas and visit any random home. You’ll see something that you don’t know the name of. Blue drawers.
• Music: And finally our music, I will admit that there are couple of examples where tourists have traveled and explored our music. After all this is something that has pierced the global stage astronomically. However there are somethings and concepts about our music still alien to our visitors. I dare you come to our JAVAA’s Jamaican association of vintage artists and affiliates. If you may have noticed I said vintage artists. It is some of these men who are responsible for the birth and growth of our music. REGGAE

By now you must be asking yourselves. “But how do we get to these areas?

• Knowing someone: Well from my experience, the best way that a tourist can truly become engaged within Jamaica’s culture is by either having a family or friend to build a nexus with.
• Pre-study of the Island: Let me just get straight to it. The hardest way is to actually come here independently; knowing what vehicles to take and where to go and stay. You would have had studied/researched all this before coming here.
• Few rural tours: There is an easier method however not fully unveiling the island. A couple of rural tours have presented themselves for our visitors, though not so popular yet. Courtesy of people who think like me and our government.

  For example the IICA-Inter American Institute for Coorporation on Agriculture.

I must say that personally if I were to recommend somewhere to our visitors, it would be the Denbigh festival; an almost complete package of our culture (Music, food, farming and people). But what surprises me the most was that I've never really seen a tourist there before! Its simple sporadic events like these being experienced in the crevices of the island that adds to Jamaica’s unprecedented charisma, not the grey hotels and monotonous beaches.