Everyting irie in Jamaica

After over 3 months of meandering around the globe, it was time for me to get serious and be taught about a big part of Rory’s heritage, the country that is his birthplace and where numerous family members still reside – Jamaica (mon!).

Rory has planned a 10-day whirlwind tour around the country, and thought he’d start my education process with something straightforward and a little familiar – beaches. White sand, turquoise sea, swaying palm trees and a persistently warm Caribbean sea… I think I can handle that.

We started off on Jamaica’s western tip, on the seven miles of pristine sand at Negril – a chilled out resort town with remarkable sunsets, watersports, reggae, and restaurants.


Negril is also the home of Ricks Café – an establishment located right on the cliffs complete with a diving board from which the locals enjoy showing off their stunts and where Rory’s Jamaican boldness came through as he performed a few dives (show off!).

Once my insight into Negril was completed, we took a pot-holey car trip around the coast south to Treasure Beach. It’s got that rustic, off-the-beaten-track feel, and we owe a massive thanks to Rory’s big bro Roger for setting us up at the renowned Jake’s resort, where the waves were virtually splashing on our villa door…

Another challenge to which I have had to rise has been the sampling of Jamaican culinary delights, and I have been diligently working my way through a list of local cuisine with each meal.

The breakfast specialty is ackee and saltfish – ackee is actually a fruit but it looks and tastes a bit like slimy scrambled eggs, and saltfish is a fish that tastes salty. Then there’s jerked chicken and pork – the ultimate gourmet barbecue seasoned to perfection with Jamaican jerk sauce (which knocks the socks off any attempts of this dish that I’ve tasted in London) and accompanied by none other than an ice-cold Red Stripe. Conch soup, brown stew, lobster, tropical fruits and Jamaican rum cocktails have also been flowing freely (all in the name of my education, of course), yet there is still so much for me to try. Curried goat, for example. I’m nervous.


So, as our tour around the island continues, I’ll share with you a few more of my observations. But for now, as the waves are lapping at the feet of my deck-chair and the laid-back ethos exuded by the locals is starting to rub off on me, class dismissed.