Black Green and Gold
The land of wood and water -- "Out of many one people"
Though the total population has staggered between 2.8 -2.9 million for some years now, roughly a million of us live in the diaspora. Go to any corner of the earth and I guarantee you will find a Jamaican. Sometimes in the most unheard-of towns and cities.
Floating in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea — Jamaica ranks #15 most visited Caribbean destinations according to one of my uncles. I love the fact that I add to those statistics because no matter the cost, I go home twice each year. By the time this is published, I would’ve just landed as I’m in the air on my way there.
Driving around the island always makes me appreciate the artist that God truly is. The way he carved the mountains out, made the trees hug each other once they get to a certain height, the way he orchestrated the waves of the ocean to crash at the shore harmoniously and the waterfalls and rivers — how he made them merge majestically to create a sense of serenity. Love him for that.
Aside from it being the country I was born and raised in most of my life, it’s my favorite getaway. Beyond the dialect, the music, the food, the beaches, the resorts or the people. There is a way of life that is so invigorating. It embraces you as soon as you arrive. I always wondered if that sentiment was unique to me, seeing as though the first five stages of my life were spent living there. I confirmed through social media over the years, that it was not a unique experience. Visitors feel it too and that’s what keep people returning and loving the culture unapologetically. I always recommend to people that they should visit the island with someone who is familiar with the place, is from there or has close family there. The trip is incomplete if you didn’t experience at least one day as a local. Yea man, you affi get di real yaad vibes from a resident point ah view. Yuh get mi? I do not recommend going off track with hotel employees, excursion guides or ANY friendly person you just met.
I wasn’t sure where I was taking this letter but what better way than giving you the reader, some tips and suggestions if you’d like to visit one day. If you have visited before, tell me about your time there in the comments!
Suggestions
Hotels: Strawberry Hill, RIU Mobay, Royalton Negril, Jakes Hotel, GeeJam
Excursions: Chukka, BojaAdventures, Yaaman Adventure Park
Beaches: Hellshire Beach, Doctors Cave Beach, Frenchman Cove Beach, Seven Mile
Restaurants: MarketPlace, Miss T’s Kitchen, Murrays, Ivan’s, KFC, Devon House
Sites: Appleton Estate, Blue Hole, Mystic Mountain, Pelican Bar, Ricks Cafe
Things to Know
Patois (patwah) is the language of the people. It’s a derivative of English words shortened, phrases reversed, and slang words all interlinked. It’s also body language, hand movements and facial cues.
Jamaica has the most churches per square mile in the world. In some neighborhoods and small towns, you’ll see a church located in front of another church, a church beside a bar and churches housed under ginormous tents in open fields. It is a widely Christian dominated nation with over 1500 churches.
The island (otherwise referred to by us the people as “yaad”) has 14 parishes and 3 counties. Parishes are the main units owned by the government. You may have heard or know of Kingston, which is the capital of the island and Montego Bay, which is the capital city of the parish Saint James. The parishes were decided back when the British colonized the country in 1655. If you go down the list of 14, they mimic a lot of areas in England — name wise. The island was emancipated August 1, 1838, and then gained independence August 6, 1962.
The country’s flag is one of two, if not the only one in the world, which doesn’t contain the colors white, red or blue. Believe me, I’ve debated this with so many people and they come up wrong each time. The black green and gold are profound and unique. The black represents us the people, the gold represents the sunshine, and the green represents the luscious agriculture.
Jamaica is very mountainous, and the highest peak is Blue Mountains which stands at above 7000 feet. It’s also where some of the world’s best coffee is created. If you’re a coffee drinker (I wish I was), you should indulge yourself one day. I imagine there are plenty shipping options available.
The most eastern point of the island; the parish of Portland (where my family hails from) is about 300 miles from Haiti. After the very deadly earthquake in 2010, a gaggle of Haitians sailed to the island for refuge. Even before then, there were a lot of Haitian natives residing in Jamaica. My incredible grade 8 and 9 French teacher, Monsieur Pierre-louis, wouldn’t miss a day reminding us of where he came from.
Some household names you’ve probably heard of; The Right Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Bob Marley, Millie Small, Grace Jones, Jimmy Cliff, Beres Hammond, Buju Banton, Beenie Man, Sean Paul, Shaggy and Usain Bolt are all natives to this tiny island.
Our music, Reggae and Dancehall are globally appreciated. Reggae is conscious music, made mainly to uplift the people, bring awareness to certain concepts and express love for the various aspects of the culture. Dancehall is raunchy, inspired by relational nuances, made to keep the people dancing with unique dance moves, mainly for the party scene, street dances and the clubs. 1
Lastly, our food. Another debatable topic, Jerk Chicken, Oxtail and Curried Goat are the big three when you think of Jamaican dishes right? Out of all three, I think the island can safely claim Jerk Chicken. Have you heard of ackee&saltfish (the national dish), fried dumpling, breadfruit, fritters, run dung, stew peas, brown stew chicken or manish water? You’re welcome.
Tips
I would suggest an all-inclusive, or a well-known hotel stay for first time visitors.
The Knutsford Express transportation is a great means for parish-to-parish travel.
Any beach in the city of Portmore is valid for food, vibes and ocean watching.
If vacationing in Kingston, Air Bnb is pocket friendly, but you will need a car rental.
You must try our local snacks, candy, ice-cream, patty brands, and fruits.
I’ve always wanted to visit Jamaica! So many of my friends and family return with pure joy after vacationing there. It’s definitely on my list of places I want to visit.
Land we love! 🇯🇲 Thank you for shinning the light on our country. wrote well!