Montego Bay, Jamaica - In Jamaica the pace is slow -with one exception. Driving. Getting behind the wheel should be left to the locals. Only the brave or foolish would contemplate manoeuvring a left hand drive vehicle at high speed along roads where tailgating is the norm.

Transportation
If you take a taxi, take one with a red plate on it they're properly insured and licensed. Get the exact price before getting into the cab. A taxi from Montego Bay to Negril would be about $40-$60US in late 2004 when I visited.

Another way to travel the island is to hire a licensed JUTA taxi driver, who is also a licensed guide for a few days tour of the island. This would cost about $300 US per day.

Food & Drink
No need to drink bottled water. Their tap water is clean and safe and much of it comes from underground springs.

Treat Jamaican cuisine like a box of chocolates- sampling a bit of everything and not dwelling on anything you don't like. Ackee, a yellow fruit with a big black seed is one of the ingredients in their national dish, ackee and saltfish .Juicy Patties are popular meat filled spicy pies. Jerk is a Jamaican style of cooking and you'll find jerk chicken, pork and fish are equally tasty. Callaloo, Jamaican spinach, seems to be served with every meal and oh-so delicious Jamaican Appleton rum is what the locals drink.

Money and Manners
The U.S. dollar is the norm here but you can convert your currency to Jamaican dollars ($20.00 U.S. dollars equals 1000 Jamaican dollars). Fifteen percent sales tax is hidden in the price of everything.

Manners are very important to Jamaicans. It's best to address them with a courteous Good Morning or afternoon and always ask if you can take their photograph before clicking the camera.

Things to See and Do
Montego Bay is the capital of the Parish of St. James. Jamaica is divided in 14 Parishes, which we call counties. Walk to the "Hip-Strip" (Main Drag) to soak up the local atmosphere. Take a photograph from atop a cliff above Montego Bay (locals call it Mo-Bay). It's the view that dreams are made of.

Negril at the western tip of the island is about a one hour drive from Mo-Bay. There's a seven mile strip of white-sand beach perfect for swimming and snorkelling. Outside of town watch locals dive from high cliffs into the Caribbean Sea. Negril has a lively music scene and Bob Marley look-a-likes with their dread-lock plaited hair are found in reggae bands.

A five mile drive outside Negril takes you to the Rhodes Hall Plantation where you can ride a horse along the Rhodes Mineral Spring Beach.

After the ride, journey by all terrain vehicles four miles into the deep interior through beautiful bamboo groves to the top of the mountain.

Chukka- Blue Adventure Canopy Tours If you want to make like Tarzan and Jane then this is the adventure for you. After being harnessed up you'll glide silently across nine unique crossings through a tunnel of leaves and branches (the canopy) over rainforest and rivers. You'll reach speeds of 35 mph.

Norma Taylor of Jamaica took the ride for the first time and with a joyous grin said, "It's perhaps the closest I'll ever come to being a Jungle Bird."

The Rugged South Coast
Travellers in search of privacy and solitude will enjoy isolated beaches in this area where the only footprints are their own.

Okay you lovers here's the place for you. Hike to the top of YS Falls, a 120 foot cliff in the midst of a jungle and swing into the cascading waters below. Honeymooners, Domenic and Theresa Bosci of Italy both made the plunge. After the splash Theresa smiled and said, "I now know we can do anything together".

Another highlight is a narrated tour (Black River Safari Tours) on pontoon type boats into the Black River nature reserve. You'll see colourful flora and fauna as you travel slowly through natural wetlands and swamp forests of red mangrove trees. Feeding the crocodiles is not recommended.

George Bailey, a writer and photographer whose work has appeared in many newspapers wrote this piece for the Osprey Newspaper Network. He is a member of Travel Media Association of Canada. Reach him at Wonderful.life@sympatico.ca

Where to Stay There are 18 all inclusive hotels and 36 non-inclusive hotels in Montego Bay. Try the Sunset Beach Resort for a superb all inclusive package (www.sunsetbeachresortjamaica.com). Negril has 17 all-inclusive and 45 smaller non-inclusive hotels. Charela Inn (www.charela.com) is one of the smaller inns and has one of the prettiest beaches in the world. On the South Coast you can't go wrong with the Grand Invercauld Hotel (e-mail invercauld2cwjamaica.com) Jamaica Tourist Board for information and a JUTA guide at www.visitjamaica.com or 1-305-665-0557

© 2005

OffbeatTravel